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A WEIJL IN ROZELLE

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UNEXC!WArF.D

Dani Petocz

A WELL IN ROZELLE:

REPORT OF THE EXCAVATION AND

ANALYSIS OF THE WELL AT

63 NELSON STREET, ROZELLE, N.S.W.

DANIPETOCZ

SYDNEY UNIVERSITY ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY PUBLICATION No. 2, SYDNEY 1984

ii

€) Sydney University Archaeological Society, 1984

National Library of Australia Card Number and ISBN 0 949269 00 X

Printed by Sydney University Printing Service

iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

iv List of Figures and Plates

v Foreword

1 Introduction

2 Excavation

4 Well Construction

6 Finds Report

6 Glass

8 Pottery

11 Bone

13 Metal

14 Other

16 Archival Research

16 Historical Background to the Water Supply of Sydney

17 The Date of the Construction of the Well

18 The Date of the Cessation of the Well as the Major Water Source of the Household

19 A Date for the Span of the Excavated Archaeological Deposit

20 Footnotes

23 Appendix: Catalogue of Glass

32 Bibliography

33 Plates

LIST OF FIGURES AND PLATES

Fig. 1 Local Map of Rozelle Well vii

Fig. 2 N.W. Elevation of Rozelle Well after 4

Fig. 3 Cross-section of Rozelle Well

Fig. 4 Numbers and Type of Fragments per Spit 8

Fig. 5 Numbers of Bones per Spit 11

Fig. 6 Proportion of Bone Types within the Excavated Deposit 13

Plate 1 1888 Survey, Detail of Sheet 165 33

Plate 2 (a) The House at 63 Nelson St, Rozelle 34

(b) General View of the Site showing the Well in the bottom right corner 35

Plate 3 (a) Bottles from Spit 3 36

(b) Bottles from Spit 5 37

Plate 4 (a) Buttons and Buckles from Spit 3 38

(b) Lead Cannon and a Toy Flint-lock Pistol from Spit 4 39

Plate 5 (a) Lead Cavalry-man from Spit 4 40

(b) Mantlepiece fragment from Spit 3 41

v

FOREWORD

R. Ian Jack

This publication of an original and spirited experiment in

excavation by archaeology students at the University of Sydney is,

unhappily, a double memorial. Both the author of this monograph and

the director of the excavation at the Rozelle well have died young and

tragically. Maureen Byrne conceived the enterprise and directed

operations in 1977, but before she could consolidate the findings she

suffered a brief and fatal illness.

Dani Petocz, a prominent member of the team who had also dug

with Maureen at Port Arthur in Tasmania and at Elizabeth Farm in Parramatta,

took on the responsibility of preparing and publishing the Rozelle

report. Dani was very actively involved in excavations of other

Australian historic sites, including the Hyde Park Barracks project.

Because of his later commitments to ancient sites in the Near East,

publication of Rozelle was postponed until 1984. A manuscript was almost

ready for the press when Dani was killed in a car accident. Dani's wife,

Linda Villiers, and I have done final editing and organised the printing

of the report in memory of both Maureen and Dani. We are grateful to

the University's Archaeological Society for publishing the work. This is

especially appropriate since Dani took a vigorous role in the society as

an undergraduate, including a term as Vice-president. We are also grateful

to the Maureen Byrne Memorial Fund for subsidising the publication.

In his draft foreword Dani made all other acknowledgements:

'At the time of Maureen's death the Rozelle Well Report was

only in its preliminary phase. Various members of the team, whose names

are listed in the Introduction of this Report, had prepared summaries of

the find categories, but no research had as yet been undertaken. Those

summaries were of considerable help to me in determining the directions

that research into the Well should take, and I must acknowledge my debt

to those team members who so generously put considerable time and effort

into their preparation. I should also like to particularly thank

Mr Stephen Hart, for the assistance he provided in the writing and organ

izing of certain aspects of this report.

vi

During the course of my research on the Well and its artefacts.

I was fortunate to meet a number of people whose avid interest in our

past history was expressed in the way they so readily provided

assistance in my search for information. In this regard I am greatly

indebted to Mr Jim Maclean of the Australian Glass Manufacturers Ltd;

Mr Alan Hunt of the Tooths Brewery Museum; Mr Don Green of the N.S.W.

Bottle Collectors' Association; Mr D. Frankel of Mobil Oil Australia;

Mr Murray McRae Smith of Dairy Farmers Co-op. Ltd and Mr Noel Thorpe of

the Sydney Water Board Archives. Their knowledge and enthusiasm con

tributed greatly to the completion of this Report. A further vote of

thanks is extended to Mr Harry Trueman of Hughes, Trueman and Ludlow,

Consulting Engineers, and Mr Rcbert J. Varman of Sydney University for

their participation in a round-table discussion on wells, water and

construction techniques, held at Rozelle shortly before this Report was

finished. I am grateful to Professor Ian Jack for assistance with some

of the pottery and for various good offices. Lastly I would like to

thank Mr John Stokes on behalf of Maureen and the rest of the team for

his interest and overwhelming patience and good humour in putting up with

a troop of archaeologists, and also Mr Michael Carson, the present

owner of the property, for allowing me to invade his haven time and time

again in the pursuit of missing pieces of information.'

N

1

500m I I I I

FIG.l LOCATION MAP-ROZELLE WELL

SCALE 1:9000

INTRODUCTION

In August 1977, Ms Maureen Byrne, then a Ph.D. student in

Historical Archaeology at the University of Sydney, was approached by

Mr John Stokes, who informed her that he was about to clear the contents

of a well (discovered during a building project) as part of a restora

tion program, and asked if she would be interested in excavating it

beforehand. The well, located at 63 Nelson St, Rozelle (Fig. 1),

was partially excavated between the 15th and the 19th of August by

a team of volunteers led by Ms Byrne (Plate 2a).

The excavation team consisted of: P. Constable, C. Crossland

Baggs (glass), A. Dane (metal), S.L. Evans, G. Gardiner, D. Hain,

S. Hart (draughtsman), C. Kremer, M.S. Lorimer (photographer),

C. O'Sullivan, D. Petocz (pottery), R. Silcox, W.R. Wickman, and 1 A. Wilson (bone) .

Two circumstances required that unusual techniques had to

be adopted for this dig. Firstly, only minimal time was available for

excavation, a problem furthercampounded by the small size of the

surface area involved. Secondly, the dig was in no position to keep

the finds, having neither space nor funds for post-excavation storage.

To cope with these limitations Ms Byrne devised the following

system: working in rotation, fill was cleared from the well and dry

sieved. The sieved material was then taken to a concrete platform where

a preliminary sort into major find categories was undertaken. These

categories consisted of pottery, glass, metal, bone and 'other' - a

miscellaneous group comprised of various plastic, wood, rubber and

leather items 2 . Separate notebooks were kept for each category and

registered items were recorded spit by spit, described, and measure

ments given where necessary. Sketch drawings were made of notable

trademarks, ceramic fragments, and other more diagnostic finds/features.

The most important items were also cleaned and photographed. All

finds were either returned to the owner of the property or discarded

after processing. At the conclusion of excavations the dome and shaft

of the well were planned and photographed.

63 Nelson St was a 100 ft x 30 ft block of land aligned

on a N/S axis. A timber house occupied the front third of the block

with an extension along the western edge of the property. The latter

had been demolished to make way for certain renovations to the house

and the concrete base of the extension was utilised by the team for the

sorting, cleaning, recording and photography of finds. The well was

located approximately 1.50 m East from the extension and 4.50 m North

from the back of the house.

Excavation of the well began on the 15th of August. The

well had originally been covered by a few centimetres of soil, and on

its discovery the round sandstone capstone had been broken and removed

and was no longer on the premises on our arrival. The well had been

filled to within approximately 60 cm of the capstone, and prior to

contacting Ms Byrne, the owner had removed some 20 cm of deposit

(Spit 1). Amongst the finds from this stage of excavation was a

complete chamber pot.

It was decided that the excavation of the well should be done

in spits, as it was anticipated that there would be little or no

apparent soil stratigraphy within the well itself. The 20 cm depth

of the spits was arrived at arbitrarily, this being the approximate

amount of the deposit removed by the owner and also the approximate

depth of two courses of the dome wall. For the purposes of recording,

finds were located within the well by their spit number. A datum mark

was established on the rim of the dome opening to provide a control

point for the excavation of each spit.

The first five spits were removed entirely, but at that

pOint, due to the decreasing amount of time available, the shaft was

divided along an East/West axis and only the southern half excavated.

It was during the excavation of Spit 7 that digging was finally halted.

The fill within the well consisted of a variety of household

rubbish - (bones from the kitchen, bottles, china fragments, children's

toys, items of clothing, paint tins, floor covering, etc.) set within

a black loam deposit which got progressively damper as the level of

excavation went down the shaft. No soil change within the depth

excavated was noted.

4

WELL CONSTRUCTION

The well consisted of a brick dome, twelve courses high,

built over a circular shaft 1.75 metres in diameter (Figs. 2 and 3).

The first eight courses from the base of the dome up were laid in an

alternate stretcher and header pattern, with the last four being solely

of header construction. The uppermost ring of bricks was cemented

together forming a hole 65 cm in diameter and had originally held in

place the sandstone capstone. We'were informed by the workmen who had

broken and removed the latter that the capstone had been drilled through

its centre, presumably for the installation of some part of the

pumping apparatus. It is apparently considered unusual for the pump

itself to be located on top of the well, as in those days wells were

not only a source of water for the household but also a useful

refrigeration unit: various items would be lowered into the well and 3 cooled, thus making a removable capstone a necessity The type of

cement used to bond the capstone to the uppermost ring of the dome

suggested that the sealing of the well took place some time after the 4

1940s •

The bricks of the dome were extruded, machine pressed with

deep frogs, offering a date somewhere between 1870 and 1880, and showed

no signs of previous use. They were bonded together by a mortar composed

of rock lime, local sand and pebbles. The parameters offered for the

use of this type of mortar give a rough date of post-1860, and prior

to 18905 .

On the N/W side of the dome, five courses down from the

opening, a metal pipe, approximately 2 cm in diameter, was found. The

pipe was badly rusted and had been broken off just inside the dome.

It is possible that this was the outlet pipe used in bringing water up

from the well. Another pipe was also found, on the N/E side of the

dome, four courses down. This was an octagonal terracotta pipe 10 cm

wide with an interior diameter of 8 cm. It was common practice in the

nineteenth century to link the guttering system of the house to the

well, allowing for rainwater to drain into the shaft, in spite of the

fact that if the well was tapping into an aquifer (as apparently is 6

the case with Rozelle) this additional supply would be unnecessary

DATUM

DDOD DDDDDO DDDO DDDDDD

01 IDDDDD 1""------'11 11 11 I r--I ---'1

DDDDDDDDO 1 11 11 11 11 I DDDDDDDDDD

I 11 11 11 11 1 DDDDDDDDD

"'-------'11 { 1 11 11 1 ""--1 ----,

SANDSTONE

FIG.2 N/W EL EVATION - ROZELLE WELL

SCALE 1:10

90cm

N<

BRICK DOME

SPIT 1 - SURFACE

SPIT 2

UNEXCAVATED

FIG.3 CROSS - SECTION, ROZELLE WELL

5

Although not proven, it seems likely that this was the function of

the terracotta pipe.

The brick dome ended at approximately 80 cm below the well

opening, coming to rest on the top of the shaft. The well was sunk

into the sandstone bedrock and, undoubtedly due to the perpetually

damp conditions, the surface of the shaft had begun to decay. The

limited time allowed for no more than approximately 1.70 metres of the

shaft to be cleared. However after the departure of the archaeological

team, the owner of the property continued clearing spoil from the 7 ,well until the deposit became unstable and he abandoned his excavations .

It is possible that the shaft had originally been boarded up with timber

before being utilized as a household dump, and that under the pressure

of the weight of the deposit, was in the process of sagging and

collapsing.

The Finds Report is divided into the five major categories

referred to in the introduction: glass, pottery, metal, bone and

'other'. But while all items were recorded in their separate

catalogues during excavation, this report deals with those items that

can be considered either more diagnostic, or representative of the

type of material that was being deposited in the well shaft. The

finds also permit (to some degree) certain social speculations

to be made concerning the occupants of 63 Nelson St, Rozelle.

Unfortunately, because of the limited extent of excavation, arte

factual analysis offered no assistance in dating the cessation of the

well as the major water source for the house. This became an

archival research problem. However, the finds established a

terminus post quem for the use of the well as the household refuse

dump. As noted earlier, although finds were recorded spit by spit,

the spits themselves do not necessarily represent any real stratigraphy.

GLASS

Glass found within the excavated deposit can be divided

into three broad functional groups: (a) Window Glass, (b) Tableware

Glass, and (c) Bottle Glass. Apart from these major categories, frag

ments of the shell and interior fittings of at least eight electric

light bulbs (Spit 3: Nos. 91, 93, 69: Spit 4: Nos. 186, 132:

Spit 5: Nos. 231, 249, 259: Spit 6: No. 260) were also found

along with a series of glass marbles (Spit 3: Nos. 80, 81;

Spit 4: Nos. 110, 133, 177: Spit 5: No. 196).

(a) Window Glass - Fragments of different types of

window glass were recovered from all seven spits, the largest component

being clear glass and numbering over 170 fragments. Also found,

though in considerably less quantity, were fragments of moulded and

frosted glass (8 and 27 respectively). The other item of note was

a piece of green stained glass from a lead light window (Spit 2: No.39).

(b) Tableware Glass - Few pieces that could positively

be identified as belonging to the glass table service category were

recovered. They consisted of: two glass bottle stoppers (2:29;

5:223); a fragment of a light green glass dish, with an incised

7

flower pattern on its base (4:111); the flaring mouth of a red glass

vase (4:100); a fragment of a glass lid with pronounced interior

bevel (4:203); the handle of a glass mug (5:241); and a glass body

and base fragment with ridging on the exterior, and a floral pattern

on the base (5:257).

Other fragments bearing moulded or incised floral decorative

designs were also assigned to this group on the presumption that such

patterning would not generally be associated with commercial glass

storage bottles (3:53b; 5:265; 6:284; 7:317 and 305).

(c) Bottle Glass - This group represented the largest and

most important category of finds excavated from the well, and while the

bulk of the bottle glass recorded was fragmentary, a number of

I complete, and near-complete bottles carrying potentially dateable

trademarks wer~ recovered. It was on these that analysis was concentrated,

as it was hoped that they could provide an approximatec!ate for the time

range of the deposit, and offer a terminus post quem for the use of

the well as a rubbish tip.

The shortcomings of the field recording system only

permitted certain general observations to be made as regards the bulk

of the glass fragments. The glass represented a wide variety of items,

that even today would probably be found in most average households.

The bulk of the green glass belonged to wine bottles, although some

of the darker green fragments may well have derived from spirit con

tainers. For the most part, the amber ~oloured glass belonged to beer

bottles, of which some complete examples were recovered. Also certain

pharmaceutical and 'tonic' products were stored in glass of this

colour. The fragments and complete bottles of blue glass belonged to

the medicinal category. The largest group, of clear glass, represented

the widest range of products, including milk, cream, sauces, jams,

condiments, cordials, and even some tonic products.

Technologically, the glass from the well represented a

period of time well within the 20th century. As far as it is possible

to tell, the glass is machine made with the use of a two piece mould,

an innovation dated to circa 1903; and most rim sherds both fragmentary

and complete, possess a crown seal which was not general in Australian

manufacturing until circa 19078

. Other rim fragments carried an outside

screw closure, which while being used in earlier 'speciality bottles'

8

such as re-usable whisky flasks, was not particularly common until the

screw thread was standardized in 19209

.

The markings on the base fragments and bottles recovered

also offer a terminus ante quem within the first quarter of the 20th

century. The majority of the decipherable base marks belonged to the

Australian Glass Manufacturers Co. Ltd, a firm that originated in

Melbourne in the 1880s: in 1915, in accordance with its developing

interstate monopoly of glass manufacture, it changed its name from

the Melbourne Glass Bottleworks Co. Ltd to that referred to above.

The analysis on the bottles bearing trademarks has further narrowed

down the range of the time span involved.

POTTERY

Pottery was found in every spit throughout the excavation,

in varying degrees of quantity and quality. Fig. 4 indicates the

number of fragments retrieved from each spit, and also the type of

fabric represented. The seven categories are deliberately broad

because of the proportionately small amount of sherds recovered from

what must be regarded as the smaller portion of the well shaft. Non

diagnostic body sherds formed the largest ceramic component, and even

with the remaining rim or base sherds it was extremely difficult and

sometimes impossible to postulate what shapes the fragments represented.

Spits

2 3 4 5 6 7

Stoneware X 1 X 2 X 1

Earthenware X 4 3 3 1 2 ~ v Terracotta 2 68 6 2 5 2 ~ ~ ~ Plain White/ ~ Cream China

8 18 37 27 4 5 ~ v ~ Coloured China 12 15 18 154 10 2 ~

0 ~

Willow Pattern X 2 4 2 1 X

Porcelain Toys 1 4 1 X X X I

Fig. 4 Number and type of fragments per spit

(a) Only four stoneware fragments were found, all of them

non-diagnostic body sherds. It appears that the well deposit

excavated post-dates the period of stoneware popularity, a

conclusion supported by other artefact groups and archival research.

Cb) Earthenware: 13 fragments of a light brown glazed ware were found

in Spits 3-7. Some bore an impressed coggle pattern just below the

rim.

(c) Terracotta:

flower pots.

Total of 26 fragments, the bulk of which represent

A fragment of a glazed drainage pipe (Spit 4 No. 60),

with an external diameter of 11.5 cm, interior diameter 9 cm, could

well be part of the drainage system bringing rainwater into the

shaft.

(d) Plain White/Cream Porcelain: Numerically this is by far the largest

category and also contains the largest percentage of non-diagnostic

body sherds. Identifiable shapes within this category include 1 tea

cup (09), two saucers (31) from Spit 4: bowl (26), saucer (31)

from Spit 5, and a fragment of a tray (90) from Spit 7. Also

within this category was a sub-group composed of 18 fragments of

plain white glazed porcelain, with ornate moulded decorations in the

form of acanthus leaves, cartouches and volute scrolls. Most of

these sherds belong to a single item, a jug or pitcher, but other

rim fragments in the same style belonged to one or two bowls,

possibly part of the same set. It is highly likely that many of the

plain white/cream body sherds also relate to these moulded items.

(e) Coloured Porcelain: Another rather amorphous group composed mainly

of body sherds. Within this category are not only those fragments

with a complete coloured glaze, but also those with a white glaze

bearing some coloured decorative design. Generally, the decorative

schemes used were either linear or floral, and largely limited to the

rims. Shapes within this group include a complete chamber pot (a)

from Spit 1; tea cup fragment (g), chamber pot handle decorated

with gold paint(s) from Spit 2: plate/saucer with a black line

around the rim (01) from Spit 3; bowl with a blue band (17)

from Spit 4; plate/saucer, pale pink with a silver and gold

decorative motif (42) from Spit 5; shallow dish with a silver

and gold tracing (74), saucer with gold tracing (77) from Spit 6.

(f) Willow Pattern: Proportionately a very small quantity of this

category was found. Unfortunately the size of the fragments and the

1ackofdetailed recording precluded the possibility of identification.

10

(g) Porcelain Toys: Fragments of a toy tea set were found within

Spits 4, 5 and 6. Other toys included part of a porcelain doll,

and a toy model of a church.

The bulk of the items dealt with above were of little or no use

as regards the dating of the deposit. However there was a small group of

items which recorded the trademark of the manufacturer involved. These

are described below in as complete detail as is possible.

(1) Spit 3, No. 07: porcelain body sherd with a high white glaze

bearing a green trademark of a crown with the letters 'D & Co. Ltd'.

(2) Spit 4, No. 09: porcelain rim and base sherd of a tea cup,

approximately 5 cm in diameter, with a high white glaze. The base

bears a blue trademark,

FOLE CHINA

E B & Co

MADE IN ENGLAND

0404

The initials belonged to an English firm, E. Brain and Co. Ltd, of

the Foley China Works, StaffordshirelO

Brain began manufacturing

pottery in 1903, and used the impressed mark of 'E.B. & Co.' in the

early years of production. The trademark of this tea-cup should

read 'Foley' not 'Fole', but whether the error was in the

recording of this item or in its manufacture is not known.

(3) Spit 5, No. 14: porcelain ring base of a jug or pitch 14 cm in

diameter, with a high white glaze. The base bears the trademark

W.H. Grindley and Co. was an English firm based in Tunstall, near

Stoke-on-Trent in the heart of the Staffordshire pottery industry.

Its first recorded trademark, an earthenware printed sign, appeared

on pottery between 1880 and 1914. From 1914 to 1925 its products

bore the above trademark, but after the latter date the mark was 11 extended to include the word 'Ltd.' following the name and company .

Therefore the fragmentary vessel found in Spits 4-5 was manufactured

II

some ime between 1914 and 1925, although this must not be

deposition.

white

AU'OTAIA.

No information has been found on this trademark.

BONE

Bones were present in all seven spits excavated from the well;

however, only those from Spits 4, 5, 6, 7 and 75% from Spit 3 were sorted

and recorded in detail. Of the total 1575 pieces of bone recovered,

only 671 could be identified. Coarse dry sieving contributed to the

loss of many small bones, especially rabbit and fowl vertebrae, and the

further limitations of time and space also operated to reduce the sample

size: any bone that could not be immediately identified was discarded.

It must also be remembered when dealing with the bone statistics that

Spit 1 represents the deposit removed by the owner, while Spits 6 and

7 represent only half of the complete shaft.

Spit : 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Bone No.: 10 349 535 270 190 160 61

Fig. 5 Numbers of Bone per Spit

With one exception, the bones recovered were almost certainly

refuse from the kitchen table. The exception was a kitten's skull found

throughout Spits 3, 4 and 5; no other bones from that animal were noted.

Bones from sheep, cattle, rabbits, pig, chicken and some other large

fowl (probably turkey) were identified.

(1) Sheep - Sheep bones were by far the most prolific in the well,

accounting for 59% of the identifiable pieces. Of those, 32.8% were

sawn vertebrae and 7% scapula and pelvis fragments, all normally used

in soups and stews. Limb bone fragments accounted for 21.5%, of which

only 4.8% were found to have fused epiphyses indicative of mutton: the

vast majority came from more expensive lamb cuts. Cutlets (sawn rib)

and chop (sawn limb) fragments made up 18.2% and 14.9% of the total

respectively. Part of a sheep's lower jaw was recovered from Spit 2.

(2) Cattle - Pieces of cattle bone accounted for 21.4% of the identified

bones. Of these, 57.6% were vertebrae sawn as for use in soups or stews;

the fragments of pelvis found were probably put to a similar use. The

remainder of the cattle bones were T-bone fragments (15.8%), and pieces

of rib. No limb bones were recovered so a distinction between beef and

veal was not possible.

(3) Rabbit - 7.6% of the identifiable bones were rabbit, although this

figure may include some kitten bones. Rabbit was a relatively inexpensive

meat and these were probably purchased dressed, as no skulls were

recovered. Generally it was the larger bones that survived both the

conditions in the well and the nature of the sieving, with 21 pelvic and

20 femur fragments being identified.

(4) Chicken - Almost as numerous as rabbit were chicken bones - 6.5%.

Until relatively recently chicken was quite an expensive item and its

presence in such quantities seemed to indicate a chicken run in the

backyard. However the absence of skulls suggested that the chickens were

purchased dressed.

(5) Turkey - As well as chicken bones, the bones of two large fowl,

probably turkey, were found in Spit 3 (0.36% of the total identified

sample). No doubt they represent the remains of a Christmas or Easter

meal. It is highly possible that many other turkey bones were recorded

in the previous category.

(6) Pig - Pig represented 3.9% of the total sample, and of this 31.2%

were humerus fragments sold as 'spring' for boiling or stewing. 18.7%

were femurs used either roasted or smoked as ham. Pigs trotters, a less

expensive cut, were also evident.

Co Sh ep

Large Fowl ~+-------~Turkey)

Pig hicken

Fig. 6 Proportion of Bone Types within the excavated deposit

While it is impossible to establish what period of time was

represented by the bones recovered from the well, and what sort of social

group was responsible for their deposition, certain general conclusions can

be made within the accepted limitations of the excavation. The bulk of the

bones from all categories, and from all spits, belonged to the 'soup-and

stew' type of cuisine which indicated, if anything, a fairly low standard

of living, but one not so poor as to be unable to afford the occasional

good cut.

The highly moist conditions inside the well were not particularly

conducive to the preservation of metal artefacts, and approximately half

of the metal recovered was totally unidentifiable. For the first three

spits, these fragments, along with nails, were recorded individually;

however, owing to the decreasing time available, the two categories from

Spits 4-7 were recorded by weight-per-spit. Those identifiable artefacts

recovered provided a good sample of domestic garbage, ranging from various

pieces of metal building materials to children's toys. To give some

idea of this range, a selective list of items per spit is recorded below:

Spit 1 - Hacksaw blade, sheet metal, pipe, two nails and tin

can fragments.

Spit 2 - 123 nails, 11 bottle tops, part of a cistern, toy police

badge, door lock, two belt buckles, brass 'rising sun' badge of the

Australian Army, and a piece of chain with three pairs of interconnecting

leaves .

4

Spit 3 - 397 nails, 12 tins and 5 lids,

tons, was

hin s t were a

lead cannon (Plate 4b), a lead cavalryman astride

and a model flintlock pistol (Plate 4b).

bottle tops,

compressed

horse Plat Sa)

Spit 5 - 4.5 kg nails, 6 bottle tops (1 screw top), 2 belt

buckles, one lead button, a lock cover, part of a wood plane, 2 white

enamelled bowls (34 cm and 30 cm in diameter; 9 cm and 7 cm in depth)

with a blue line around the rim, and a toy revolver.

Spit 6 - 2.5 kg nails, 9 bottle tops, one buckle, a white

enamelled chamber pot (20 cm in diameter; 10 cm in depth), with a blue

line around the rim (more than likely belonging to the same set as those

bowls from Spit 5), light bulb base, one paint tin, a lead model of a

drummer in uniform and steeple chaser with rider.

Spit 7 (not completely excavated) - 1.75 kg nails, brass middle

section of an oil lamp, 2 bottle tops, one buckle, a razor blade, and a

1922 George V sixpence.

OTHER

This category was initiated to cope with those items, or types

of material, excavated from the well shaft that did not fall into the first

four categories. Within this category certain sub-groups were later

formed consisting of leather, wood, plastic, rubber, and seeds and shells.

In addition to these sub-groups, amorphous fragments of building materials

such as brick, concrete, fibro and lino flooring were also recorded, but

will not be referred to here.

(1) Leather - most of the leather found in the course of excavation came

from shoes, either part of the sole and heel, or part of the uppers.

Shoes and shoe fragments of adults (both male and remale) and children were

found throughout the seven spits, along with over 79 leather offcut

pieces. Some of the offcuts were curved as though a sole had been cut

from them, suggesting that shoes had been mended, if not made, on or near

the premises. Other leather items included fragments of leather belts and

a small leather money pouch from Spit 5.

-------------------------------------- -

(2) Wood - Apart from a large quantity of unidentifiable wood fragments,

there was also recovered from the well a small group of wooden architectural

elements, probably originally part of the house~2 The first of these,

from Spit 3, was a piece of wooden carved relief, 15 cm x 12 cm, which

had probably once been part of a decorated mantlepiece. It showed a flower

set between two pairs of acanthus leaves. The wood was tentatively

identified as cedar and had at some stage been painted white (Plate 5b).

Second, from Spit 4, was a square wooden base carrying the lower part of a

turned wooden column, the type of thing that would have carried the roof

of an outside porch or verandah. The dimensions of the base were 7 cm x

7 cm x 7.5 cm, while the height of the column was 10.9 cm. Both base and

column had been painted white. Third,was an unpainted wooden bannister

or bedpost from Spit 5, the head of which was decorated in the form of

an acorn.

Other wooden objects of note included a wooden money box in

the shape of a stool, and a billy cart wheel, both from Spit 4; a wooden

doorknob (Spit 5); and a number of wooden heels from ladies'high

heeled shoes. found throughout the excavated deposit.

(3) Plastic - Small plastic household items such as buttons. pegs. tooth

brushes, small toys, etc. were found in all spits, and while we tend

to regard plastic as a recent invention, it must be remembered that

plastics were first used in the l880s and by the l890s plastic items of

domestic use had become quite common 13.

(4) Rubber - The items recovered within this category fell into two

groups. First was a quantity of red and black rubber tubing found in

Spits 4 and 5. and second was a small quantity of rubber shoe sole

fragments from Spits 5 and 6.

(5) Seeds and Shells - Seeds and shells were found in all spits, the

most frequent in each group being peach and snail shells respectively.

Egg shells and pumpkin seeds made up the remainder of this category.

16

ARCHIVAL RESEARCH

To supplement the archaeological information retrieved by the

excavation of the well deposit, an archival research study on 63 Nelson

St was undertaken. It was hoped that these two avenues of analysis would

be able to provide information regarding:

(1) The date of the well's construction.

(2) The date of the cessation of the well as the major water source

for the household.

(3) A date for the span of the excavated archaeological deposit.

(4) The date of the demise of the well as a refuse tip.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND TO THE WATER SUPPLY OF SYDNEY

Sydney's water supply during the 19th century was always

something of a chronic problem, as the city and suburbs continually

outpaced the schemes devised to alleviate the water shortage. For the

bulk of the population of the then 'outer suburbs', the securing of

adequate water for drinking and domestic use was left to the individual.

Water carting was not a government-run system, and because not every

residence contained a well/cistern (as indicated by the Board of Water

Supply and Sewerage survey of 1888; additions 1896), water was delivered

on a regular basis and stored in barrels or drums. The cost involved in

the construction of a well was also borne by the individual house owner,

with the work being carried out by a very small group of professionals

known as 'well sinkers,l~ The laying down of mains proceeded extremely

slowly: a copy of Sydney Morning Herald dated the 8/2/1851 noted that

of a total of 8000 houses, only 1000 were linked to the mains, with the 15 balance relying either on water carters, or private resources

This situation was restated in the report of the 1867 Royal

Commission into the problems of the city's water supply. The Report

noted that the more populous suburban areas of the city were expanding

faster than the centre, and that these 'outer suburbs' such as Balmain

(of which Rozelle was a part), Newt own , Camperdown, Paddington, Randwick,

and the North Shore, were still relying on wells and water carts for 16

domestic water

17

The Nepean Scheme, inaugurated in 1879 and completed in 1887,

did much to alleviate the crisis. During the course of its construction,

and in anticipation of the water supply it would command, a program of

pipe laying was begun. Balmain was connected to the main in the early

1880's along with the other 'outer city suburbs', but it was not until U

1899 that piped water reached Nelson Street

DATE OF THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE WELL

The technological assessment of the bricks and mortar of the

dome of the well suggested a construction date between 1870 and 1880.

Archival research was undertaken in an attempt to narrow this date down

even further.

The Nelson-Darling Street area originally formed part of a land 18

grant issued by the Crown on 20/4/1800 to William Balmain During

the first half of the 19th century sections of this grant were sold

by the Trustees of the Balmain Estate under the direction of Sir John

Bowring. On 23/4/1869 a section of land incorporating most of Rozelle

was sold by the Trustees for the sum of £1695 l8s 9d to William Henry

Paling and John Penny Starling19 The Paling/Starling partnership

proceeded to subdivide their newly acquired property, and put it on the

market: Nelson Street, Rozelle was first listed in the 1873 edition of

the Sands Directory, and was undoubtedly created as part of this land

deal.

Lot 4, 63 Nelson Street was purchased on 4/9/1874 by Jane Nelson,

wife of William John Nelson, a blacksmith 2~ Jane Nelson was still listed

as the occupant of the above address in the 1888 Sands Directory, and

therefore it is a reasonable assumption to make that the house now standing

on that property was erected during her ownership, some time after 1874.

Certain architectural features of the house itself, such as the type

of chimney pots used, and the combination of arched sash windows and the

decorative wooden horn on the bottom of the upper frame, support this

assumption, as they are particular elements that were in common use during 21

the 1870s

There is no indication that any building activity had occurred

on Lot 4 prior to its sale, and therefore the digging of the well

must have been instigated upon the initiative of the resident and owner,

Jane Nelson. By combining the date of the purchase of Lot 4 with the

dates reached through the technological analysis, it is possible to say

that the well was constructed some time between 1874 and 1880.

THE DATE OF THE CESSATION OF THE WELL AS A DOMESTIC WATER SOURCE

In 1888 with the activation of the Board of Water Supply and

Sewerage, a Sydney-wide survey was instigated in which all known water

sources, both public and private, were to be registered. This master

plan was upgraded in 1896. The purpose of this survey was twofold:

firstly it was to provide the basic information necessary for the long

term planning and distribution of Sydney's growing water resources, and

secondly to assess the cost of water rates to the individual throughout

suburban Sydney. On neither survey map was any well recorded at 63 Nelson

Street, although"wells were noted at three other sites in the immediate 22

vicinity (60 Nelson Street, 42 and 604/606 Darling Street). There are

two possible explanations for this curious omission: either the well

had ceased to function as the major water source for the house by 1888,

or the existence of the well was deliberately kept off the official

record.

Nelson Street was linked to the mains in 1899, but curiously

enough, according to the records held by the Sydney Water Board

Archives, the site of this well, No. 63, was not connected up until two 23

years later on 26/7/1901 . No definitive reason for this delay can be

ascertained, but it is possible that the existence of the well in a

presumed functioning state negated the necessity of connecting the home

to the water main supply. This circumstantial evidence indicates that

the well was in use after the 1888 survey, and in view of the state of

Sydney's water supply during the 19th century, it seems unlikely that any

well would be abandoned unless it was fouled in some way. It was not

possible to test the quality of the water from the well, but personal

communication with the owners did indicate that the aquifer was still

functioning.

The second explanation, that the existence of the well was

deliberately kept off the record, is also quite plausible. The citizens

of Sydney were aware that one of the aims behind the survey was the

assessment of rates, and instances were noted of attempts made by

property owners to conceal their private water sources.

THE DATE OF THE SPAN OF THE EXCAVATED DEPOSIT

AND THE CLOSURE OF THE WELL

If 26/7/1901 can be taken as the terminal date for the use of

the well as a water source, then it must also be regarded as the potential

terminus ante quem of the well fill. The archaeological results can neither

prove nor disprove this hypothesis as the full extent of the deposit was

not reached.

The time span of the excavated deposit can be estimated by the

dates supplied from the various artefacts. The earliest items recovered

from the well were a 1922 George V sixpence, and a 'Pick-me-up' condiment

bottle with its 1927 manufacture date (Glass catalogue No. 12). Both

items came from Spit 7, the lowest level of excavation. Therefore the

earliest possible date of the excavated deposit lies somewhere in the

1920s. But it must be remembered that the established dates of these two

items cannot necessarily be regarded as the date of their deposition.

Fixing the other end of the scal~ also poses certain difficulties.

The type of cement used to seal the capstone only offered a general date

of after 1940, and therefore the terminus post quem for the well must

come from the finds. No dateable items were recovered from Spits 1-3;

the first, a 1960 halfpenny, came from Spit 4, and a 1951 bottle of the

N.S.W. Bottle Co. was recovered from Spit 5 (Glass Catalogue No. 8).

The well must therefore have been sealed after 1960.

20

FOOTNOTES

1. At the close of excavations certain team members undertook to

prepare summaries of the find categories. These categories are

listed beside the relevant names: a special note of acknowledge

ment is extended to A. Wilson for his complete bone analysis.

2. The report on 'other' was prepared by Ms Maureen Byrne, although

research information was added.

3. Pers. Comm. Mr H. Trueman of Hughes, Trueman and Ludlow,

Consulting Engineers, Sydney.

4. Pers. Comm. Mr R.J. Varman, Tutor in Historical Archaeology, Sydney

University.

5. The analysis of building materials was undertaken by R. Varman,

to whom I am greatly indebted.

6. Pers. Comm. H. Trueman.

7. Pers. Comm. Mr John Stokes, then resident of 63 Nelson Street.

8. David Hutchinson, Hints for Identification of Bottles, p. 8.

9. Ibid., p. 10.

10. G.A. Godden, Encyclopedia of British Pottery and Porcelain Marks,

pp. 96-7.

11. Ibid., pp. 164, 196, 198-201.

12. The identification and statistical analysis are the work of A. Wilson:

the conclusions are my own.

13. Pers. Comm. R. Varman.

14. Pers. Comm. H. Trueman. No 'well sinkers' are listed in the

Sands Directory for the 1870s-1880s, but one does appear in

Waugh and Cox's Sydney Directory 1855 in the trades section,

E11is Henry of Western St, Ba1main.

15. Sydney Morning Herald, 8/2/1851, p. 2.

16. 'Report of the Royal Commission appointed to Enquire into the

Supply of Water to Sydney and Suburbs', Legislative Assembly Votes

and Proceedings, 1869, Vol. II, p. 171 ff.

17. Sydney Water Board Archives: Detail Sheet 165 Southside Leichhardt,

2nd Edition, 1901.

18. Registrar General's Office: Certificate of Title Appn No. 2197.

19. Ibid.

20. Registrar General's Office: Certificate of Title Vol. 191 Folio 37.

21. Pers. Comm. R. Varman.

22. Sydney Water Board Archives: Detail Sheet 165 South and North

side Leichhardt.

23. Ibid.

24. Pers. Comm. Mr Jim Mac1ean, A.G.M. Ltd.

25. Ibid.

26. Australian Dairy Institute 75th Anniversary Conference 1906-1981.

27. Pers. Comm. Mr Murray McRae Smith, manager Lidcombe Branch,

Dairy Farmers Co-op. Ltd.

28. Pers. Comm. J. Maclean (unfortunately more information was not

available within the time allowed for research).

22

29. Ibid.

30. 1898 Sands Sydney and Suburban Directory, p. 1068.

31. Pers. Comm. J. Maclean.

32. David Jones, One Hundred Thirsty Years: Sydney's Aerated Water

Manufacturers from 1830-1930.


34. 1918 Sands Directory, p. 1825.




38. Ibid.


40. Schweppes Company History, provided by Schweppes Ltd.


42. Ibid.

43. 'Vacuum Oil Company' Profile Document, Mobil Australia.

alphabetical order: the first number

represents spit in which the

24.2

Description: Clear glass jar, no distinct neck, with a rounded rim

for capping.

Dimensions:

Markings:

Notes:

Diam. base 60 mm; rim 37 mm. Height: 126 mm

'THIS BOTTLE ALWAYS REMAINS THE PROPERTY OF THE

AUSTRALASIAN PICKLE COMPANY PTY. LTD.'

Base: 'G/M IS96l/4'.

This company made its first appearance in the Sands

Directory in 1924, with its premises at Railway Parade,

Petersham. The first bottle bearing the Australasian

Pickle Co. trademark was made by the Australian Glass

Manufacturer Co. Ltd on 28/3/1931. Earlier bottles of

the same type were made, but without the trademark.

Our particular example was manufactured by the A.G.M.

in 1948. The Company was absorbed by H. Jones (IXL) 24

on 12/5/78 .

(2) Clements Tonic Ltd (Plate 3a)

96.3

Description: Amber glass, extended octagonal base, tall body, flat

shoulder with a short neck and screw cap.

Dimensions:

Markings:

Notes:

Base: 80 mm x 50 mm; Rim: 21 mm; Height: 195 mm.

On the body perpendicular to the base: 'THIS BOTTLE

ALWAYS REMAINS THE PROPERTY OF CLEMENTS TONIC LTD.'

Base: '5654'.

The first bottle manufactured for this Company by the

A.G.M. was dated to 13/3/192425

. The product carried in

these bottles was a nerve tonic which was extremely

popular between the 1930s and 1950s. The Corporate Affairs

Commission has listed the 'Clements Tonic Co.' with an

expiry date of 3/8/1979.

24

(3) Dairy Farmers Co-op Milk Co. Ltd

25.2

Description: Small clear glass bottle, with a short rounded exterior

lip and no neck

Dimensions:

Markings:

75.3

140.4

232.5

234.5

Notes:

Diam. base 53 mm; rim 42 mm. Height: 107 mm.

Obverse: An embossed circle with 'THIS BOTTLE ALWAYS

REMAINS THE PROPERTY OF , outside the circle and

' ... DAIRY FARMERS CO-OP MILK CO. LTD.' inside.

Reverse: 't IMPERIAL PINT. PLEASE WASH AND RETURN

EMPTY BOTTLE'.

Base: 'G/M B IS204'

as 25.2 except ~ Pint. Base: '34'.

as 25.2 except ~ Pint. No base No. recorded

as 25.2 except ~ Pint. Base: 'A'

as 25.2 except ~ Pint. Base: 'G/M LS77'.

The Dairy Farmers Co-op Milk Co. Ltd was founded in 1901

and first opened for business at Albion Park on the sout 26

coast of N.S.W. . It is, of course, still operating.

Between 1901 and c. 1940 the milk and cream bottles of

this Company were sealed with a 'wad', a 1/16" piece of

cardboard with a wax underside. It was wedged inside

the bottle against a ridge a few millimetres below the

rim. After 1940 a tin cap was introduced attached to

an exterior ridge27

As far as it is possible to say,

the bottles recovered from the well all belong to the

former group.

(4) H. Jones and Co. Pty Ltd

149.4

Description: Clear glass bottle with a reverse taper

Dimensions: None recorded

Markings: 'THIS BOTTLE IS THE PROPERTY OF H. JONES AND CO. (SYDNE

PTY LTD'

Notes:

Base: 'G IS124/3'

This bottle was a sauce bottle; unfortunately the base

mark is mis-recorded and therefore a date for this bott

cannot be ascertained.

187.4

Description: Body fragment, clear glass

Dimensions: Not recorded

Markings: ' ... BOTTLE IS ... JONES &

204.5

Description: Clear glass, octagonal sectioned body with raised/

embossed oval on three faces. Screw thread, on

Dimensions:

Markings:

Notes:

205.5

cylindrical neck. Plate 3b(2).


At the base of the bottle 'THIS BOTTLE REMAINS THE

PROPERTY OF H. JONES (SYDNEY) PTY LTD'

Base: 'G/M S3'

This was probably a tomato sauce bottle. the base

marks of the A.G.M. indicate a date circa 1920.

As 204.5, but base markings 'G/M GIS728/5 which indicates a date

c. 1955 (Plate 3b(3».

218.5

Description: Clear glass, octagonal base, with a panelled lower body.

Long neck with a screw thread.

Dimensions: Diam. base 55 mm; rim 25 mm. Height: 230 mm

Markings: Around the base same as 204.5, but base: 'G/M GIS-26/5'.

219.5 as 218.5 except base markings are '7 SU'.

General Notes: Henry Jones was, and still is, a Victorian-based

company and has always produced conserves, jams, sauces

and condiments. The IXL logo belonged to the Company.

It was in operation by the turn of this century_28.

(5) H.R. Crutch (Plate 3b(1»

235.5

Description: Clear glass bottle with an octagonal base, and panelled

lower body. Short cylindrical neck and screw thread.

Dimensions:

Markings:

Diam. base 55 mm; rim 25 mm. Height: 235 mm.

Embossed on one panel, and perpendicular to the base,

'THIS BOTTLE ALWAYS REMAINS THE PROPERTY OF H.R. CRUTCH'.

recovered he

the

(6)

19.2

Description: Clear glass with a greenish tinge, seamed, with a

gently sloping shoulder and cylindrical body.

Dimensions:

Markings:

Notes:


Obverse: 'J. McCARTHY AND CO. PTY. LTD. BOTTLE

MERCHANTS. ALEXANDRIA PHONE LA5008'

Reverse: 'ONE IMPERIAL QUART'

Base: 'W4'

J. McCarthy and Co. Pty Ltd were first recorded in the

Sands Directory in 1898, under the listing of 'bottle 30

merchants' The Company is still in existence and

has always dealt in returnable bottles (beer, wine,

spirits), and in its more recent history it branched out

into the business of 'hotel suppliers'. It commenced

its operations in Argy1e Place (Sydney), but it later

moved from those premises to Riley and McCarthy Streets,

East Sydney, where it remained till 1925, when it

shifted its operations to McEvoy Street, Alexandria.

The company remained at that address between 1925-1974,

when it moved to its present location in Guildford.

Imperial quart bottles bearing the McCarthy trademark

were first made in 1930 and continued to be produced

until 1939. The date of the excavated bottle can be

narrowed down even further, as the phone number embossed

on the bottle first came into use in 1936. Therefore,

the date of manufacture falls between 1936 and 1939 31 .

(7) Marchants Ltd

61.3

Description: Clear glass bottle with broken top (Plate 3a(1»

Dimensions: Diam. base 70 mm. Existing height: 280 mm.

Markings:

121.4

27

Embossed cartwheel on the shoulder with 'REGISTERED

TRADEMARK' around it. On the base 'THIS BOTTLE IS

THE PROPERTY OF MARCHANTS LTD. ITS USE BY OTHERS

IS ILLEGAL. MARCHANTS LTD. SYDNEY.'

Description: Body fragment with a section of the cartwheel trademark.

178.4

Description: Pale green glass bottle with a broken top.

Dimensions: Not recorded.

Markings: 'MARCHANTS LTD. SYDNEY'

283.6

Description: Body fragment of pale green glass, with part of the

cartwheel trademark.

Notes: Marchants and Co. was founded in 1893, and commenced

operations in Parramatta, Sydney. In 1909 the Company

changed its name to Marchants Ltd, but still remained 32 a manufacturer of cordials . It was bought out by

33 Shelley's in the late 1940s .

(8) The N.S.W. Bottle Co.

227.5

Description: Amber glass beer bottle (Plate 3b(4».

Dimensions:

Markings:

Notes:

Diam. base 75 mm; rim 25 mm. height: 280 mm.

On the shoulder 'THIS BOTTLE IS THE PROPERTY OF

and around the base 'THE N.S.W. BOTTLE COMPANY PTY. LTD.'

Base: 'G/M B IS610/5'

The N.S.W. Bottle Co. Pty Ltd is first mentioned in the

Sands Directory in the 1918 Edition under the listing

of 'Bottle Merchants', and is still in existence34

This particular bottle carries the year of its manufac

ture by the A.G.M. - 1951.

(9) The N.S.W. Fresh Food and Ice Co. Ltd

145.4

Description: ~ pint clear glass bottle


Markings:

Notes:

28

Embossed circular design with 'THE N.S.W. FRESH FOOD AND

ICE CO. LTD' inside. Above the design, 'THIS BOTTLE

CONTAINS MILK BOTTLED FOR SALE By ... • and below it,

• ... THIS BOTTLE REMAINS THE PROPERTY OF ABOVE AND CANNOT

LEGALLY BE USED OR SOLD BY OTHERS'. Base: 'G/M B IS610/5·.

This Company was formed on 4/8/1875. An advertisement for

the Company in the 1899 edition of the Sands Directory

recorded that it had depots at 92 and 135 King Street, and

at 28 Royal Arcade, with its head office at 25 Harbour

Street. It also noted that the Company was a supplier of

pasteurized milk, cream, ice, fish, game, poultry and 35 pastry It was taken over in 1952 by Peters Milk.

(10) Okey's Sydney

302.6

Description: Base only of a clear glass bottle

Dimensions:

Markings:

Notes:

Base diameter: 80 mm

Around the base, 'IT'S OKEY·S. THIS BOTTLE IS THE PROPERTY

OF OKEY'S SYDNEY AND CANNOT BE SOLD'. Base: '4/65'.

Okey's first appears in the 1928 Sands Directory, under

the listing of 'cordial manufacturers· 36 . Its premises

were located at 29 Macauley St, Leichhardt, where it

operated a cordial factory. The company did not stay in 37 existence for long, expiring in the early 1940s .

(11) Osbornes Pty Ltd

17.2

Description: Light green bottle with a gently sloping neck and shoulder.

Dimensions:

Markings:

163.4

There is a slight ridge on the shoulder and another on

the base.


On both obverse and reverse shoulder embossed trademark

of ·OSBORNES·. Base: 'C/I' (?)

Description: Amber coloured bottle, with a broken top.

Dimensions: None recorded.

Markings: On the body of the bottle, 'OSBORNES PTY. - MAKERS OF

SYDNEY'S NOTED BREWED GINGER BEER AND AERATED WATERS',

Notes:

29

and around the base, 'THIS BOTTLE ALWAYS REMAINS THE

PROPERTY OF OSBORNES PTY. SYDNEY'.

Osbornes Pty. was a family concern established at Wardell

Rd, Earlwood in the 1930s. It was a manufacturer of

cordials, ginger beer and aerated waters. In 1968-69 the

concern was taken over by British Tobacco as part of

its diversification Campaign38

(12) Pick-me-up Condiment Co. Ltd

297.6

Description: Base only of bottle, pale greenish glass

Dimensions: Base diameter 755 mm

Markings: Around the base 'THIS BOTTLE IS THE PROPERTY OF THE

PICK-ME-UP CONDIMENT CO. LTD. SYDNEY 1927'

313.7

Description: Body fragment


Markings: 'PICK ... (Reg T ..• '

Notes: This Company first appeared in the 1918 edition of the Sands

Directory. An advertisement placed in that volume pro

claims it to be a 'high class condiment, sauce, pickle, and

vinegar manufacturer. Awarded 32 first and special prizes,

also gold medal at the Royal Easter Show Its

premises were located (and still are) at Alice Street, 39 Newtown . The first of the two items carries its year

of manufacture - 1927, the second item is undateable.

(13) Schweppes Ltd

43.2

Description: Body fragment, red and yellow glass


Markings: WEPPE ... '

Notes: This firm was founded in England in 1798, where it traded

under the name of J. Schweppe and Co. From c. 1850 U.K.

bottled Schweppes had been sold in Australia, and in 1878

Schweppes opened their first factory in this country in

Foveaux Street, Sydney. in 1897 it became a public company

and changed its name to Schweppes Ltd 40 .

30

(14) Scott and Bowne

197.5

Description: Body fragment of clear glass


Markings: In large letters. 'SCOTTS EMULSION'. and in smaller letters,

and perpendicular to the above. 'THIS BOTTLE IS THE

Notes:

PROPER ..• SCOTT & BO ••. '

Scott and Bowne was a British shared company, and was

trading in Australia by at least the 1950s, possibly

earlier. It remained in existence until the late 1970s,

when it was taken over by Beechams.

(15) United Distillers Pty Ltd

3.1

Description; Base of a rectangular bottle, of clear glass

Dimensions: Base 86 mm x 42 mm

Markings: Around the base 'THIS BOTTLE IS THE PROPERTY OF UNITED

DISTILLERS PTY LTD'

Notes:

Base: undecipherable

This Company was founded in 1886, and during the 1930s

occupied premises at Fig Street, Pyrmont. Its present

location is at Epsom Road, Rosebery (Sydney). The bottle

from the well is tentatively identified as a 26 oz Corio

whisky bottle made by the A.G.M. The manufacture of Corio

whisky began in 1946 in Kent Street, Sydney, and therefore

the bottle should be dated soon after this4l.

(16) Vacuum Oil Co. Pty Ltd

18.2

Description: Clear glass bottle with an elliptical base, large body,

short neck and a metal cap

Dimensions:

Markings:

Base: 109 mm x 72 mm. Height: 283 mm

Obverse - a prancing horse motif above the words 'LAUREL

KEROSENE SEALED AND FILLED BY THE VACUUM OIL COMPANY PTY.

LTD. NET CONTENTS ONE IMPERIAL QUART'. Reverse - 'WHEN

PURCHASING YOUR FURTHER REQUIREMENTS OF LAUREL KEROSENE

RETURN THIS BOTTLE TO YOUR STORE-KEEPER. THIS BOTTLE

MUST NOT BE USED AS A FOOD CONTAINER'.

Base: 'G/M IS140'

32

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Australian Dairy Institute 75th Anniversary Conference, 1906-1981,

Western and Co., Kiama, 1981.

2. Cushion, J.P. Handbook of Pottery and Porcelain Marks, Faber &

Faber, 1956.

3. C1ark, D.L. 'Worse than Physic': Sydney's Water Supply 1788-1888,

pp. 54-63, in Nineteenth Century Sydney. Essays in urban History.

Ed. Max Ke11y, Sydney University Press, 1978.

4. Hughes, G.B. English and Scottish Earthenware 1660-1860,

London (publication date not given).

5. Hutchinson, D. Hints for the Identification of Bottles,

W.A. Museum (publication date not given).

6. Jones, D. One Hundred Thirsty Years: Sydney Aerated Manufacturers

from 1830-1930, Reliance Press, Deni1iquin, 1979.

7. Sands Sydney and Suburban Directory 1871-1944, John Sands, 392

George St, Sydney.

8. Waugh and Cox's Sydney Directory, Waugh and Cox, 111 George St,

Sydney, 1855.

---- -------- --- -- -,,- - ----- ---- --- ----'---- ------ - --';? tl .' t.t ;t I I .

lI.4-.1 ~SI----Arr.vrnM"lII'pWl=Tla:rrI--fl~:;'r-*' N I '1 H Y a

PLATE 1 - 1888 SURVEY I DETAIL SHEET 165

z o r:n ~

I:;a:':I

z

Plate (2) (a) The house at 63 Nelson St. Rozelle

(b) General view of the site showing the well in the bottom right corner.

Plate (3) (a) Bottles from Spit 3 (1) ~larchants Ltd. No. 61 (2) Clements Tonic Ltd. No. 96

Cb) Bottles from Spit 5, left to right

Back rQ\-J: (1) H.R. Crutch No. 2]5 (2) H. Jones '" Co. No. 204 (]) H. Jones & Co. No. 205 (4) N.S.'tl. Bottle Co. No. 227

• • • Plate 4-~(a~)--~~::~~~::~~~~~~====--------~--------------,"J Buttons and b uckles f rom Spit 3.

(b) Lead cannon and from Spit 4. Cl tov flint 1 , - c)ck pistol

Plate 5 (a) Lead cavalry man from Spit 4.

(b) Mantle piece fragment from Spit 3.

a weijl in rozelle - university of...

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