Archaeology. Tin Cups & A Wire Bail.

Some time ago I wrote an article about some tin cup fragments that had been found without handles, and that also a wire bail was found with these same fragments (http://woodsrunnersdiary.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/early-to-mid-18th-century-tin-cups.html). Based on this information I made myself a tin cup with a wire handle, but I was never sure whether the wire bail was like a bail on a kettle, or whether it meant a wire handle. Anyway I have since then used my cup in the field, and as I was trying to lighten my pack, I decided to try and use the tin cup with the leather wrapped wire handle for cooking as well as drinking. This did not work. Firstly it was difficult to heat water in the cup without burning the leather on the handle, secondly I found it inconvenient to only have the one vessel. I could not drink and eat at the same time.

Having given this problem further thought I decided to make a second cup with a wire bail, but this time I would make a wire bail such as found on kettles, so I could hang my tin cup over the fire. Given the primary evidence of the two cups found and the presence of the wire bail, this seems to me to be a reasonable thing to do. I used an old spare ball mould as a pair of pliers and constructed the bail without punching holes in the tin.

Original tin cups shown as found. Taken from the PDF.

1 ¼ pounds of iron and brass wire, both thick and thin.
Ft Pontchartrain 1747.
http://www.timothyjkent.com/pontchartrainexcerpts.htm

http://collections.mnhs.org/cms/display.php?keywords=fur+trade&startat=61&irn=10295819

Examples of gold and silver jewellery dating back to early Egyptian times exist which incorporated hand woven wire meshes, but the earliest evidence of the development of wire weaving on looms for industrial purposes appears to be in the early part of the 18th Century. Wire drawing had existed prior to this for many hundreds of years on a simple scale. Iron ingots were beaten to a flat sheet which was then cut into strips, hammered round, and pulled through a stone die and many products were made from hand wrought wire.

http://www.lockergroup.com/history-of-wire-weaving.asp

Twisted wire forks have been unearthed at several 18th-century military camp sites.1 These may have been available through the army sutlers, but more than likely were fashioned out of scraps of wire by the soldiers themselves. 

http://www.nwta.com/courier/11-96/forks.html

The east well at Bloomsbury yielded two moderately well preserved tin cups and some flattened tin. A wire bail handle (Figure 94, page 239) appeared to belong with the tinware. As the pieces of tin were sorted, it became apparent that the flattened tin included a damaged bottom and part of a side of a tapered vessel. The cups and fragments were taken to Richard Haddick, a historical tinsmith in Wyoming, Delaware, for interpretation and replication. Haddick concluded that there were three fully reproduceable vessels: two cups and a basin. As nearly as possible, the construction methods of the eighteenth-century originals were duplicated, using hot-dipped tinplate of the type that was available to the original maker.

http://nativeamericansofdelawarestate.com/Bloomsbury/19__0013.pdf

The kettle That wasn't.

For some time now I have been trekking without a kettle, mainly because I am trying to make my pack lighter & the brass trade kettle is a little weighty. A kettle is however very useful for collecting rain water, cooking & boiling water. I have been using my tin cup, but found it unsatisfactory for boiling water; awkward to place on the fire. So I started the search for a smaller lighter kettle.

My search came up empty handed, but I did find some interesting items that are period correct, & could be used as a kettle. So here is my creation. I know from my research that tin cups that have presumably lost their soldered handles heating water in a fire have been repaired using wire for new handles, so I decided to make a kettle from what I had available. The work was fairly simple, though I did have some trouble making copper rivets from sheet copper. In the end I used two copper rivets & two iron rivets to attach the bail brackets.

So this is NOT a copy of a period kettle as far as I know, it is simply something I found in a deserted cabin that had been for the most part burnt except for one corner near the fireplace & chimney that was still intact. This kettle is obviously home made & shows evidence of some other type of handle having once been attached to this bowl.

Floris Van Schooten 1585-1655

http://www.scribd.com/doc/205854633/Food-Food-Preparation-Pots-Kettles-Dutch-Ovens;

Cornelis Jacobsz (1570–1643)

18th Century copper cake mould.

http://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/167433-antique-18th-french-copper-cake-mold?in=1661;

Diderot Coppersmith.

Detail from Diderot images re coppersmithing above. Note the copper bowl second from right. 

Kettle made from a copper helmet.
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/479633429041882527/;

Cooking Utensils For Wilderness Living.

Cooking Utensils For Wilderness Living.

Now there is no doubt that a variety of cooking utensils are useful, but are they really necessary? When you are carrying everything on your back, weight and bulk is a concern, because you need to priorities. The items of major importance for me are: water, gunpowder, lead, and food. So let’s take a look at what is available to you for cooking that will satisfy all your needs.

I carry food in bags inside my kettle which site sideways into my knapsack and sits squarely in the middle of my back, which is a comfortable feeling!!! 

I chose to carry a trade kettle because to me it is the most versatile piece of equipment. I can use it as a bucket for carrying water or berries; I can boil water for purification or for a hot drink. It will cook stews nicely and boil dry foods. If I want to cook bread I can do it on a hot rock or in the ashes. If I want to roast meat I can put it on a stick in front of the fire. I do not need to fry my foods so I do not need a skillet or a frying pan. This saves me a lot of weight and bulk.

I also carry a tin cup, so if I am cooking a meal in my kettle, I can still get myself a hot drink by boiling the water in my tin cup. There is evidence of this being done in the 18th century, as the remains of tin cups have been found with replacement wire handles, the original handles being soldered on having fallen off in the heat of the fire. 

The pot hook I make from a piece of wood easily enough with my clasp knife, so there is nothing else I need to carry. My wooden spoon and my hunting knife serve as eating utensils.
Take care on the trail.
Keith.

Packs and Bags.

My thanks to the Flintlock and Tomahawk blog for this image.

French military on the march. Up the top of this image there appears to be some fortification. Possibly constructed for a short stay. Snapsacks can be seen here, and quite large ones too. Also notice the dog is being used as a pack animal.

Other items of interest are shot pouches, a kettle being carried on the stock of a musket over the shoulder, and a large belt axe. 

1755ad.

Description of Woodland Indians in Canada.

These savages are tall, well made and robust, they have the same skin as us, but theirs is burnt by the strength of the sun and which they spoil with the different colours they use to stain themselves. When they come to council or leave for war, they pluck their beards. In the summer they wear a shirt and breech cloth, which is a piece of cloth which goes around the hips. In winter, the wear a capot, like a redingottes, and mitasses, which are a piece of cloth wrapped round each leg. They like blankets which they wrap around them when marching and to sleep in. The women are dressed in much the same with a piece of cloth around them larger than the breech cloth, called maxtikote. The men wear their hair very short, and intertwine it with pieces of bone or ivory, they split the ears, and put in small plates of silver and bits of binding wire. The women wear their hair long and behind them and enclose in sleeves made of leather and decorated with silver. Men go to war and hunting. Women follow them to carry their things, take care of the cabins, which are a type of tent made with tree bark, and to the chaudière  which means getting the dinner, otherwise they remain in the villages to cut the Indian corn that they love and watch over the well being of the family.

Journal of the Campaigns in Canada from 1755 to 1760
by
Count de Maures de Malartic
Lieutenant General of the Armies of the King
Governor of the Iles de France and of Bourbon
1730-1800

http://www.newfrancedocs.co.uk/newfrancedocs.co.uk/Malartics_Journal_Sample.html

Water Bottles, Kettles & Packs.

Ross over at Wood Trekker http://woodtrekker.blogspot.com/ has posed some questions regarding items in my post "Where Do I Start ?", & I decided that it was easier for me to answere those questions with a post.

Early to mid 18th century water bottles:

The leather costrel was produced from pre 17th century through to the early 18th century & could have been still in use up to at least the mid 18th century if looked after.

 The wooden water bottles were in use from the late 18th century. Later in the American civil war I believe these were still being made though in a slightly different style, & examples are often painted.

On the left are two water bottles known as Kidney canteens, & on the far right is a "D" canteen. Both these types have been found to have been in use during the French & Indian War, & the American Revolution.

To date this is the only small kettle that I have been able to document for the 17th and 18th century. This is a copy of a brass trade kettle, and it measures 7-1/2 x 4-1/2 high, which is actually NOT a period size, it is too high and too wide.

Although this copper kettle is often recommended for 18th century reenacting & living history, I have found no evidence that it was available before the 19th century. This is representative of the type sold by the Hudson Bay Company. Larger versions were available in the 18th century, but nothing small enough to be carried in a pack has been found so far.

The knapsack has been in use as a civilian & militia item since at least the 17th century & through the 18th century. The style is fairly basic, but the materials they are made from varies, leading me to believe that these were also home made.

The haversack has been subject to considerable controversy with many believing that this was soley a military item. I have researched this extensively, & can tell you that the haversack came in a variety of sizes & has been available to, & used by, civilians from the 17th century through the 18th century.

The snapsack is well documented as being in use during the 17th century through the 18th century. This pack has no one specific size or manufacture as far as I am able to tell from period art works, leading me to believe that this item was also home made as well as being available from traders.

The market wallet or market bag is also well documented for the 17th & 18th centuries & appears to have been used by both civilians & military. This can be a second bag like the haversack, or it can be used as a main pack, depending on your needs.

The blanket roll can also serve as a pack carried using a tumpline. Again the use of this item depends on individual needs.

Found. Another Jean Simeon Chardin still life kettle.

I found another painting of a copper kettle by Jean Simeon Chardin, & tried to duplicate the image using a kettle which I have for size comparrison. But as you can see from the two images, the original is still larger in comparrison to the eggs. So still can't authenticate this type of kettle in this size for the 18th century.

The brass trade kettle I am using at present.

Period Foods. Parrot Stew Link.

http://www.theoldfoodie.com/2011/04/galah-grub.html

You have to keep an open mind to food sources in a wilderness survival situation. Big game is fine if you can find it, but that is not always possible. Small game however is often easier to find if you recognise it as such. Also there are other methods of bringing small game down besides using the gun. Save powder & lead where you can.

French Cooking Equipment. Fort Pontchartrain.

Carrying A Kettle Image.

This is the first image that I can recall that I have seen of someone carrying a kettle.