Archaeological Investigations at Yourhaney Plantation (38GE18)

108Also recovered were five fragments of fired clay or daub, which are likely historic rather thanprehistoric. The padlock appears to have maker’s initials on it consisting of a G and a K dividedby a vertical line. Based on comparative information from Stone (1974) and Noel-Hume (1970),the lock does not appear to be very early and may date to the very late 18 th to early 19 th centuries.In fact, similar locks have been found in contexts dating to that period. Those contexts arediscussed later in this report.Table 8. Nails from Feature 208.DescriptionCountWrought 96Wrought fragments 3Cut, w/wrought heads 228Square shanked 19Cut fragments 174Unidentified 142Spike 1Tacks 13Total 676Clothing Related ArtifactsFive clothing related artifacts were recovered from Feature 208. There were two stamped brassbuttons with a wire eye and no foot, fitting South’s (1964) Type 9 button that he found in contextsdating from 1726 to 1776. Also recovered was a pewter molded seam button with a wire eyeand foot. The pewter button was impressed with a radiating spoke or star burst design. Thisbutton fit’s South’s (1964) Type 11 button, which dates from 1726 to 1865. One South’s Type 15one hole bone button was also recovered, which has been found in contexts dating from 1726 to1865. Other clothing related artifacts consisted of an iron thimble fragment and a shoe tack.Arms Related ArtifactsFive arms related artifacts were recovered from the feature including three gun flints (two Frenchhoney and one English), one lead ball (0.28 caliber) buck shot, and one gun part. The gun part isa brass and appears to be a bent portion of a trigger guard.Personal Related ArtifactsPersonal related artifacts consisted of one eye glass lens fragment, one clear glass/paste facetedjewelry inset, and a 1722 Rosa Americana coin. The Rosa Americana coins were produced byWilliam Wood who owned several copper and tin mines in Britain. He received a royal indentureto produce coins for the American colonies over a period of 14 years. Unfortunately for Wood,many American colonies refused to accept them. In New York, merchants refused them, while theGeneral Assembly of Massachusetts in June of 1722 authorized the printing of coinage and papermoney rather than accepting the Rosa Americana coins. Some did accept them in limitedquantities. During the restoration of Colonial Williamsburg, of the 59 coins recovered, only twowere 1722 Rosa Americanas (Nelson 1989).