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8.1.6 Evidence of Economic and Recreational Activities
The assemblage of artefacts collected from the surface at Chinaman's
Well is extensive in range if not quantity. But there is scant evidence of
gardening activities. The only item with this possible association was a
ferrous rivet, of the type used to attach the handle of a fork or spade. It
was located in quadrat 003s004w, a vicinity most closely associated with
forged and cast iron fragments, inclUding a cast-iron cooking vessel, and
with bottle glass and brown-glazed red earthenware. Other quadrats in this
vicinity contained additional pieces of brown-glazed earthenware, the
pieces of plate glass, fragments of a wax vesta tin, bottle glass and part of
a small bowl.
The presence of worn horseshoes and horseshoe nails, and of various iron
hinge parts, large bolts, and a latch (photograph 13) in the vicinity of
quadrat 045s065e suggests horses were shod and iron was worked here.
A three-eighths-inch drill bit of the type used with a drill brace in the same
quadrat is suggestive of woodworking activities, while other artefacts in the
vicinity include the eye from a spring, a pintle, nails, iron strapping pieces,
a threaded ferrous rod and a nut. The vicinity was probably the site of a
workshop or forge.
Opium tin fragments were found at Chinaman's Well, but those collected
amounted to but one complete tin. Further fragments and substantially
complete tins have been exposed by the trampling of sheep during the
period 1988 to 1994. These, however, have not been included in the
analysis. As already mentioned, an opium pipe bowl was also recovered
from the vicinity of Chinaman's Well, and two black-painted copper items
comprising a button and a Chinese 'cash' were recorded during evaluation
of the artefacts collected in 1988. The opium tins, buttons, and 'cash' etc.
appear to be more closely associated with the stone hut ruin than any
other site feature but the flat-laid stones. However, If the stones were
interpreted as the threshold of another, long-gone hut, the general flow of
artefacts would continue to emanate from the vicinity of the stone hut.
8.1.7 Discussion of Specific Artefacts
8.1.7a Flatwares
( Item 728)
(refer photograph 14)
This item comprised six fragments of fine earthenware from a relatively
deep eight inch plate by G.W. Turner & Sons, Tunstall, made between
1873 and 1895. The motif is "Asiatic Pheasant", blue transfer-print on
white. According to Ritchie (1988:293) this was a common motif, used by
several manufacturers. Only one of these plates is represented in the
Chinaman's Well f1atwares assemblage, but the same pattern is