We're looking at a wide range of historical documents from the 1500s onwards to understand the complex relationships between potters and merchants, and the events that influenced trade, such as wars, crises, and political changes.
Where we are researching
We'll be visiting archives in Germany, the Netherlands and the UK, including:
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Historisches Archiv der Stadt Köln
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Landeshauptarchiv Koblenz
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Landesarchiv NRW Abteilung Rheinland
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Nationaal Archief, Den Haag
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The National Archives, Kew
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The London Archives
The UK, German and Dutch archives will provide us with different types of information. In the UK, we hope to find out about trade, imports, and who bought these jugs, from port books and household inventories. In Germany, we'll be looking at records of potters' guilds and inventories to learn more about the potters' lives and work. We’ll also explore their connections to, and influence on, merchants and traders.
Many historical documents related to the stoneware trade are also held in archives in the Netherlands. These sources will help us explore the wider global trade networks which the Bartmann jugs were part of. They will also give us further details of shipwrecks where Bartmann jugs have been found.
What we are looking for in the archives?
Evidence of trade
By studying archival sources we want to understand the level of production, espescially the quantity, value, and ports of origin for imports of the jugs into England, the Netherlands and beyond. We are also interested in the names of merchants and shipping companies.
Consumption
By looking into the archival sources we want to figure out what a household stocks looked like and want to understand the way Bartmann jugs were used in different locations, social strata, and occupational identities.
Cultural understanding of the Bartmann in Britain
By figuring out how Bartmann jugs are described in the archival records besides the evidence of trade, we like to understand the cultural impact on english culture.