Mixed Mudlarked Drop earrings

Historical Information

Type: Brown Betty Replica Lid Fragment
Fabric: Earthenware
Date: Early 20th Century
Find Location: The Thames Estuary, UK

Extra Information:

This is a sherd of a seaworn London Pottery farmhouse Brown Betty–style teapot from the late Victorian to early 20th century.

This piece is made from a white clay rather than the typical red clay associated with the original Brown Betty teapots—suggesting that it is a later copy, made to imitate the style of the original.

The Brown Betty, a charming teapot with a distinctive manganese brown glaze known as Rockingham glaze, is steeped in history. Originating from the red clay found in Stoke-on-Trent, Britain, around 1695, this clay was pivotal in creating ceramics that retained heat exceptionally well. This discovery led to its use in crafting teapots as early as the seventeenth century.

Initially, these teapots had a tall structure resembling coffee pots, but by the nineteenth century they had evolved into the rounded shape we associate with the Brown Betty today. The unique Rockingham glaze—applied and allowed to drip down the sides before firing—gave each pot its characteristic streaky appearance.

During the Victorian era, the zenith of tea’s popularity, the Brown Betty was celebrated for producing superior tea, thanks to its design which allowed tea leaves the freedom to unfurl and swirl, infusing the water with a full-bodied flavour and minimal bitterness.

The findings on these earrings are Stainless Steel and the piece of pottery is coated in resin for protection and preservation.