Canadian Historic Sites: Occasional Papers in Archaeology and History No. 9

Table Glass Excavated at Fort Amherst, Prince Edward Island

by Paul McNally

Abstract

The table glass from Fort Amherst is limited to 16 objects but provides a good representation of English glass in the third quarter of the 18th century. Objects include twist and facet-cut stemware, a cut-glass cruet, a monteith, a stopper finial, firing glasses and tumbler fragments. The dates established for the glass coincide with the 1758 to 1771 period of known occupation of the fort.

The glass is more expensive than is typical of military sites excavated in Canada. The small quantity and relative fineness of the glass appear to indicate selective use and availability of table glass in the limited period during which Fort Amherst was occupied.

Submitted for publication 1972
by Paul McNally,
National Historic Parks and Sites Branch,
Ottawa