Hammersmith Embankment Slave Beads

Clients: Akeler

Author: David Jamieson

Site supervisor: David Jamieson

The discovery of a sizeable assemblage of early-17th century glass beads and ‘wasters’ in association with a brick furnace in the grounds of the private estate of Sir Nicholas Crisp (on what is now Hammersmith Embankment) during excavation 2005 is one of the most notable discoveries in the glass industry in London in recent years. The products, in a range of at least eight colours (with at least fifteen main varieties), probably catered for both the local (English) and colonial native markets apparently with two distinct series in different decorative traditions and size ranges. The ‘wasters’ suggest that two different methods of finishing the shaping were used, one for small beads and the other for large ones. This is the first clear archaeological evidence for the manufacture of early post-medieval glass beads in England. Sir Nicholas Crisp’s patent for making and vending beads has been identified and he also obtained a monopoly for trading slaves from Guinea to the West Indies. For various reasons he was forced by Parliament to surrender both these monopolies in 1640.

It will take some time for the implications of this unexpected discovery to be fully understood and for findspots to be recognised both in England and across the globe. Preliminary research (prior to chemical analysis, which will be needed for proper confirmation) suggests parallels for the blue-on-white-on-blue (‘Nueva Cadiz') beads in the Americas; and large brick-red, white-striped ‘trade’ beads similar to one type of the Hammersmith beads have been found in a site in Ghana, and at Plimoth (sic) Plantation in the US (the latter famous as the destination of the Plymouth Brethren). The early colonial connections (which appear to be concentrated in the Americas at this stage largely because of our longstanding links with archaeological colleagues there) add further international significance to this remarkable assemblage.

The client, office developer Akeler, who supported the excavation also sponsored a highly successful field trip for local children to see the excavation results. Click here to see a report.

This site report is extracted from MoLAS 2005: annual review