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Earthenware pipes (probably small-scale production, not mass-produced) have been found on various archaeological sites in Britain and can date from the 15th to 18th centuries. The earliest as far as I'm aware have been found in London and were orange clay, tapered like elm pipes to fit nose to tail into each other. I myself have found similar pipes of the late C17-early C18 on two sites in South Devon, from the Totnes/Bridgetown pottery industry. These pipes were about a yard long and 8 inches diameter, with flared tails and narrowed noses. A ridge of clay was thumbed onto the back of the nose to form a closing ring. The pipes were orange, gritty fabric, but I have seen them grey, so different firing practices were presumably being used - different kilns perhaps? The pipes I found were put together with sticky clay to seal the joints, and were used to drain groundwater away from under an early C18 formal garden. It would be interesting to know whether such pipes turn up in North Devon - I believe the Bideford/Barnstaple potteries made them. Robert Waterhouse ======================================== Message Received: Oct 13 2006, 03:19 PM From: "Martin Roe" To: [log in to unmask] Cc: Subject: Re: Mill Pond - Combe Martin As Robert has said similar pipes are found in urban contexts from the 17th and 18th century; possibly even earlier. I would suspect that until the widespread production of cast iron pipes, valves etc around the beginning of the 19th century wooden pipes could be common. Extruded earthenware alternatives were probably not mass produced until the 1850's. That probably is not much help but would suggest that caution is needed before linking the pipe to the pottery. Trenches dug for pipes have to be back filled and who knows the provenance of that fill. Martin Roe Meerstone Archaeological Consultancy http://www.martinroe.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/meerstone.htm Lead Mining in the Yorkshire Dales, http://www.martinroe.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk