Kaolin Clay Smoking Pipes: History Fragments With Stories To Tell

During the 1987 excavations at Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site in Fort Hunter, Montgomery County, NY, Archeologists Charles Fisher and Kevin Moody unearthed dozens of clap pipe fragments.

These kaolin clay smoking pipes are wonderful evidence of the sociological aspects of the early settlement in the area and the garrisoning of Fort Hunter. Of those fragments, at least 15 were indicated to be of manufacture by the R. Tippet family of pipe-makers in Bristol, England.

Bristol, an English port city having a trade history spanning back prior to the 15th century, was undergoing a renewal of industry with the success of British North American colonialism. What one
finds as they look into the manufacturing of the Tippet pipes proves to be a fascinating look at how so many fragments of could be discovered not only at a small site in the Mohawk Valley of New York, but across many more like it in North America.

Tippet pipes bare a registered trade-mark and fragments or entire pieces have been located at archeological sites from Newfoundland, Canada, to Fort Shirley in Massachusetts, settlement sites in New Jersey, Fort William Henry in New York, as well as Fort Michilimackinac in present day Michigan.

While it comes as no surprise that the global market had expanded from Europe to the America’s, the intrigue is more in the three generations of Tippet’s that made the pipes. The distribution of Tippet pipes had remarkable range as confirmed by location of artifacts at historic sites.

Evidence seems to show how prolific the family was at not only manufacturing clay pipes but getting them to the global market. What makes this more incredible perhaps is the relatively short span in which confirmed TIPPET pipes were produced by the three generations of Robert Tippets.

The first generation Robert Tippet was a pipe maker from the 1660’s until his death in 1680. At which time, his son – Robert Tippet II – gained control of the business after working under his father directly from at least 1678. Robert II operated the business and apprenticed his son Robert III, as well as a man by the name of Harry Hoar.

Robert III manufactured pipes under the TIPPET trademark from 1713 until his death in 1715. Evidently, Robert II continued production until circa 1720 and died in 1722. What makes the story increasingly interesting is the discovery of TIPPET marked pipes with an “HH” stamp dated from 1715 until around 1727. The “HH” is incised on the rear of the pipes bowl, unlike the trademark which is molded in relief on the side of the bowl.

Every indication is that these pipes were produced by Robert II’s former apprentice, Harry Hoar, between those years. The originating year of 1715 aligns with the death of Robert III, lending the assumption that the TIPPET pipe molds he had used were acquired by Mr. Hoar.

This is substantiated by estate records that indicate Robert II’s molds were still in his possession upon his death, and then transferred to a pipe maker named John Squibb – the second husband of Robert Tippet II’s daughter, Sarah.

Molds at that time would have been an expensive and valued manufacturing item. Archeological data along with records of the time suggest that the majority of clay pipe fragments located at sites in North America with the TIPPET trademark would have most likely been produced by Robert Tippet II. Clay pipes from that era can often be identified by their design and shape, as well as trademark and its location.

The evolution of the pipe can also tell of its approximate age – walls of the bowl became thinner as better clay and technique was implemented, the bowls became larger as tobacco became less expensive, and with those two factors creating more heat when smoked, the stems grew longer.

Learn how to date clay pipes at The National Pipe Archive. Read more about archaeology in New York State here.

A version of this article first appeared in the Friends of Schoharie Crossing Summer 2014 newsletter. You can subscribe to the newsletter here.

Illustrations, from above: A kaolin smoking pipe, probably made by Robert Tippet [1] and found in New York City in 1981 (NYC Archaeological Repository); Tippet pipe found at Fort hunter in 1987; and Tippet pipe with HH inscribed found at Fort hunter in 1987.