My interest in clay pipes as an amateur archaeologist and clay pipe maker are shared with you here...

I began collecting clay pipes in the 1970's and since then my knowledge and appreciation of this topic has grown though I sometimes feel that I only know half of what there is to know. As with any subject of interest there are so many aspects within study going off like the branches of a tree and here are just a few examples...

Since 1998 I have been active in answering questions from readers on the www about clay pipes and
still do occasionally help out though I do much less of this these days.
You might find the Society for Clay Pipe Research a useful link to look up. They also have a facebook page too where lots of people share their finds and ask for information.

About my own interest in this topic - How it all began

My interest in clay pipes began as a family shared hobby with siblings when I was a child. Days out often involved exploring the villages and countryside learning about nature and local history; and where ever there was old looking soil we often found fragments of these broken pipes as well as assorted pottery which indicated that people of past times had been active in the area. On lucky occasions I found other nice items such as a pipe-clay dog toy and part of a Tudor period jug hangle with a woman's face. Sometimes stoneage flints would be spotted too.

The first finds were simply smashed pieces of pipe stem and bowl that stood out against the darker soil. They had small intricate patterns on them such as leaves and flowers, some with parts of pictures or even words and names. They looked almost natural in some ways with weathered surfaces and the way the stems and bowls had broken but the elegant shapes were very eye-catching quite unlike anything else I had seen.

When you were young and living in Devon back in the 1970's you were taught all about the famous legends and the people that lived here, especially the Tudor Sea Captains that sailed to America to set up the Colonies and Queen Elizabeth I. Devon has so many historic families and old castles and in a way their stories live on and spoke to me from the past - I felt as though I wanted to reach out and touch them. I was told that some of the pieces of broken pipe that I found might date back to the time of Sir Walter Raleigh and I liked the thought of finding the very first pipes he had ever smoked although I later realised that people all over the country had them, especially by the end of the 17th Century.

So over the years I would find pieces of clay pipes, and complete bowls and in the late 70's to late 90's I was also researching old bottle dumps in the area and making finds there as well as looking around antique and bric-a-brac shops. When the WWW took off my website helped to make connections with people all around the world and I was able to learn a lot faster and chat with thousands of people who had found clay pipes. Also there were online auctions where clay pipes could be found - my collection grew and grew and I think I must have had around 3500 at one time though I have drastically reduced the size of my collection now.

Hayes Barton in Devon, England. Birth place of Sir Walter Raleigh the famous Devon born Sea Captain and Privateer who founded the Virginia Colony in the New World and was later sent in search of El Dorado Gold in South America. He is also known for making the habit of smoking in England popular in the Tudor period. Religious leaders of the time as well as King James Ist were not keen on the idea of this filthy habit and people were persecuted for smoking. I wonder what Sir Walter would have to say about the recent smoking bans; history has once again come a full circle. Perhaps blowing bubbles is the healthier option!

It is said that when his servant first saw him smoking he thought that he was on fire and threw water over his head! It is not known exactly where this event took place although many have said it was in Ireland where he owned property. I have made up a little ditty which I hope you will find amusing.

The earliest clay pipes known in England and Europe are generally thought to date from c.1580-1600 (see image above) and are thought to have been small versions copied from styles smoked by the Native Indian tribes of the North/East American Continent. English mariners setting up the first colonies there were introduced to smoking which was cermonial but it was not long before smoking was taken up as a habit by mariners who travelled from port to port around the globe. The site of Historic Jamestown has recovered early examples during archaeological excavations and Sir Walter Raleigh's Colony at Roanoke Island is one of the places where the clay pipe was seen and recorded by John White.

Although the use of tobacco leaves was known by Europeans since the time of Columbus in 1492 only small amounts were brought back as an exotic herb for medicinal experimentation at first. The ancient people of Ecuador were using pipes as long ago as 500-300 BC and the region of Central America first colonised by visiting Europeans would have been very diverse in what it had to offer. It is not until the mid to late 16th Century that we begin to find written references to the smoking of clay pipes in England.

Tobacco would have been smoked, sniffed and chewed by mariners and as we so often read about the oceans of the world at this time were used by traders, fishermen and of course pirates. Exactly who arrived back smoking a pipe is not known but pirates, privateers and early sailors were the first to bring it to the attention of people here in England and the smoking of a clay pipe was taken up very quickly.

Smoking attracted a lot of publicity among the rich Courtiers and soon after the common people. Sir Walter Raleigh is said to have made the habit more popular and also offered Queen Elizabeth a pipe. Smoking also attracted a lot of bad publicity and it was not long before Religious figures and King James (when he came to power) were condemning it as a filthy evil thing. However, crops of tobacco were grown in England and by the 1620's hundreds of men, women and children were taking up smoking.

Clay Pipes c.1600-1720

The earliest clays pipes made were produced in England and Holland and had tiny bowls - no more than a pinch of tobacco being so expensive. By 1620 the habit was spreading rapidly and with crops supplying demand for consumption the price dropped. So the bowls were made bigger by potters who were now setting themselves up as pipe makers in their own right.

Throughtout the 17th Century the trend was for the pipe bowls to get bigger and the stems longer as makers became more confident and local fashions encouraged bowl styles. As usual the larger cities such as London as well as Amsterdam in the Netherlands provided the better products and regional pipe making areas also developed with their own quality products. There was a time in this Century that King James finally tried to wipe out smoking and had the crops destroyed but because the people were not favourable to this move it was decided to ban crops in England and have the Virgina Colonies import the product with tax duty applied.

By 1700 the clay pipe industry, like many others involved in trade, reached a peak and the pipe in the picture above with the makers initials on the side is a good example of how much larger the bowls had become and how the form had taken on a more refined upright shape rather than the bulbous forms of the earlier smaller pieces.

The pipe on the left of this picture is an early Devon pipe made around 1610-1620. You can see the size of it compared with a much later 1700-1720 period Devon pipe which is much more the modern size of a pipe bowl.

In the early 18th Century records of port books at Exeter in Devon, reveal that over 2 million clay pipes were being made and exported to places like Spain, America and Canada each year! Those figures do not include the numbers being made for local consumption but would also be very high. This would have been going on all over the country and especially where production was near to a Port. During the middle of the 18th Century the English clay pipe industry went into decline, mainly due to loss of trade within Europe for various reasons, America wanting to become independant, and the habit of snuff becoming more fashionable in the upper classes. Pipes continued to be made in lesser numbers and the style of bowl gradually evolved into the form that was in fashion during the Napoleonic Period of 1790-1820.

The following image shows typical clay pipes from London dating from the 1580's smaller ones through to the larger ones of the late 18th century. You can see the earlier smaller ones have bulbous shaped bowls with either a small spur or a flat heel on the base. These shapes remain the same until the end of the 17th century gradually getting bigger as tobacco got cheaper. Then in london a lot of the styles suddenly became long and tubular in the 1700's. After that in the first half of the 18th century the shapes changed again to an upright sort of style. Also in the mid 18th century the smaller spur types come into fashion which are covered in the Armorial Pipe information below.

Armorial Clay Pipes c.1740-1790

These two images show very typical "armorial" designs recovered from London. They seem to have come into fashion around the middle of the 18th century and the bowl shape and form of decoration is very unique. They were copied around England but the majority of them and the best executed designs seem to turn up in London or major ports including Southampton/Portsmouth area. They often carry coats of arms with Unicorns/Lions and really detailed shields with tiny lettering. A few show St George and the Dragon, Bacchus, Admiral Vernon's Victories, Other london associated arms. These would have been pipes with very long stems, some curved. They were likely the best detailed pipes available in their time.

1790-1820 style Napoleonic Period

Typical Napoleonic War period pipe bowls showing the shape of the spur on the base. Although decades earlier most (but not all) plain pipes had a flat heel on the base of the bowl this was gradually phased out and by about 1760 spur pipes were the norm. English pipes often remained plain although in some areas decoration began to be used more often. Themes on pipes in the second half of the 18th Century were often military emblems or Coats of Arms with large floral designs (not to be mistaken for the many produced also in the 19th Century - earlier pieces have very subtle bowl shapes). In the 1790 to 1820 period the pipe bowls have this more distinctive shape as shown in these images. After the battle of Trafalgar a pipe was produced showing Nelson with a lowered flag on one side and Britannia on the other.

Although numbers of pipes were not produced in the same quantity as the early 18th Century it seems that around the 1790's the industry took on a new lease of life and began to increase rapidly once again to reach a peak in the 1840-60's.

Hole sizes in Pipe Stems - A way of dating?

English Pipes: 1650, 1800, 1850

In the archaeological studies carried out on clay pipes (and believe me there are many!) mathematical formula's have been applied to explore the possibilities of dating them by the size of the hole in the stem. While these have been prooved to work fairly well where large groups (usually dozens-hundreds) have been found it is not always possible to date a random piece of broken stem by the size of the hole because there are many other factors that come into play. The thickness of the stem, surface finish and porosity, alignment of sides, tool marks, junction at base of the bowl etc. are just some of these. However, the larger thick more weathered pipe stems that are often found with a bigger hole in the middle tend to be earlier from the 17th-18th Centuries, whereas thinner stems with even sides, smoother surfaces and much smaller holes tend to be from the 19th Century. It is worth mentioning also here that Dutch pipes of the 18th Century have very long narrow stems with smaller holes whereas English pipes of the same period tend to have larger holes so this is another thing to be considered according to where finds are made. During the Victorian period some pipes were made in such a hurry and without thought for the smoker that the hole in the stem was not always practical or even joined with the bowl.

In my experience as a clay pipe maker of replica's for all periods I sometimes simply take the nearest piece of wire to hand according to the length or style of the pipe I am making. I am sure pipe makers of past times did the same, especially if taking on apprentices. The Manchester firm of Pollocks even used umbrella spokes at one time! Very often smoker's prefer a hole that allows them to drink or sip tobacco rather than having to suck really hard through a hole that keeps blocking up.

Decorated Style English Pipes 1830-1860 Period

A group of typical English clay pipes dating from the early Victorian period. These have very delicate thin walled bowls and often a narrow pointed spur with initials of the maker on the side. Ribs, Scallops and Leaf designs were common then often also incorporating symbolism for taverns or masonics. A number of English makers were also producing simple face styles, usually military dragoons, turks or druids. Some of the scalloped and ribbed bowls are very elegant with the lines following the curve of the bowl perfectly. Finds of this period are very frequent in gardens as the 1840's was a peak time for production. Often only the bases of the bowls survive but they can be enough to identify the time period and sometimes the maker which is highly useful for archaeologists and local history groups. The ones featured in the picture here were made in Bristol as well as the Isle of Wight.

On the example below the mould lines are not trimmed well because it saved time in production at a period when these early English fancy pipes were in high demand. The mould engraving is often also very simple and you can see where the tools have often slipped.

Victorian Period Fancy Pipes and the 20th Century Decline

RAOB pipes

A very common pipe design occuring with dozens of variations and still made today. These were produced from about 1850 but most often date from about 1860 to 1930. They are usually short "cutty" (4 inch working men's pipe) with thick bowls or "straw" (slightly longer narrow stem of about 7 inches) with thinner more elegant bowls.

The Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffalo's is a society which was formed in the mid 19th century. Records show that the seeds were first sewn in about 1822 by the theatrical fraternity but the Buffs as we know it surfaced some years later. The first charter formalising the RAOB was written in 1866. There are records of early ceremonies and the first mention found of clay pipes being used was in 1848. In that Initiation ceremony the pipe was broken over the candidates head. There is no mention of the design or style of the pipe used and sometimes a plain churchwarden pipe is used instead of the type with horns on the bowl. In the modern initiation ceremony the candidate breaks the pipe near his heart (its less traumatic). In senior ceremonies a pipe is broken on the candidates shoulder. The RAOB are still very active today doing much charity work.
(Information kindly supplied by an RAOB member with thanks.)

Sometimes the RAOB pipes were signed by members of the lodge and kept as keepsakes. There must have been many thousands of Buff members in the population because I would say next to the very common plain pipes that are found, the RAOB pipes are next.

Irish Theme Pipes

Irish pipes are extremely common and were mainly made during the later 19th - 20th Centuries and still made today. Political and Patriotic topics are usually the case with slogan's relating to Home Rule, United Ireland and names of politicians. Sometimes the head of Parnell is moulded as on the example shown here. The Harp and Shamrock also appear in many forms on these pipes and a number of plain bowls have "Dublin" or "O'Brien" or "Mayo St" impressed on the back - not all originate from Ireland as most were later made in Scotland and by Northern English makers for Irish people after the decline of production in that country. Irish and Scottish pipes turn up globally in great numbers as many folk emigrated and are very popular with smokers and family historians.

Sport pipes

A popular theme from the c.1880's onwards are sport pipes. Football is the most common with many variations of normal sized pipes and also miniatures and giant versions made. Other sporting pipes included, boxing, horse riding, tennis, running, cricket, golf and fishing. Sometimes clubs had batches made with their local names and slogan's on the stem.

Dickens, Black man, Sailor

Three English Figural pipes made in the 1860-1920 period. Charles Dickens, Black man, Sailor. These are all nice pieces for people to collect and variations of them exist as well as other subjects including Women, Animals, Military people, Politicians etc. The Black man and the Sailor pipes were often used to advertise brands of the best tobacco.

Royalty portrayed on Clay Pipes

Although members of the Dutch Royal Family were portrayed on clays as early as the 17th Century it was not until the 19th Century that the majority of Royal Theme pipes were produced. Queen Victoria seems to have been very popular with versions not only showing her on the side of the bowl but with the entire bowl shaped as her head. A few typical examples are shown in this image from my collection. These were made by English, French, German and Dutch pipe makers.

Claw Pipes

The Claw Pipe was created in many forms too - very popular and common to find. The big eagle claws are very striking, some fitted with a stem of another material ans some with a clay stem. Other bird claws include chicken claws and some are so simple and badly made they only just look like bird claws. Early claw pipes seem to have come into fashion c.1840's and were popular through to the 1930's. They are still made today.

Horse

Many animals were depicted on pipes including horses, dogs, cats, pigs, buffalo's, bears, foxes. This horse pipe made late in the 19th century uses the entire animal in a well balanced way.

Miniature Owl Cigarette Pipes

Smaller pipes were also made and often follow the same themes as normal sized pieces. These two amazing mini owl pipes are big enough to hold a cigarette or were used for blowing bubbles. These were found in a dump dating 1910-1926.

Childrens Toy Pipes c.1890-1930

Pipes were not always made for smoking and smaller ones like these were made for children to blow bubbles. A number of themes include: flowers, leaves, birds, baskets and rabbits - some were made with incorporated whistles. The style of this group with the little rounded bowls and arched stems were made by English firms such as the Southern Family of Broseley but also imported from Germany (the word Germany sometimes seen on the stem). They come in several colours of clay including red and brown, also with a glazed varnish on them.

Giant Pipes

The large pipes, known as cadger's or advertiques were created as display pieces for tobacco shop windows and also for novelty value. They were also sometimes used at functions where they were lit and passed around a group of smokers. A number of variations of the St.Nicholas pipe exist as well as a large black man's head, The Crystal Palace Exhibition and Football. You can read more about these by following the link on my main pipe index page.

  Click here... Lots more info about "Cadger" clay pipes

Dutch Clay Pipes

Dutch clay pipes were made from c.1610 and right up until the c.1960's. They are a whole amazing study in their own right so here is a link for more information on these. A lot of Dutch clay pipes have always been a favorite of mine and I enjoy collecting these.
There are good books on Dutch pipes - many available through the Pipe Museum of Amsterdam and featured in the book section further down this page. Also a lot of Dutch pipes had makers marks which have been very well studied with books to cover them.

  Click here to learn more

Fish Pipes

One of my favorite designs which depicts a fish made by the Southern Family of Broseley in the 19th Century but also still made today at the Museum there. Some have better details than others and imported French versions come with bright coloured glazes on them like the other one shown here in close detail.

Tulip

Floral design depicting a tulip and with coloured glazes. Made by the factory of L.Fiolet of St Omer in France. Lots of botanical theme pipes exist and there are some amazing coloured examples. They came into fashion in the c.1840's and popular from then on. There are some early Dutch pipes with flower designs and pipes with makers marks in flower design but these are not to be confused with the main 19th century variations.

Pipes by John Pollock & Co of Manchester, England.

This world famous company was founded in 1879 and was making them for 111 years until 1990 for collectors and smokers. Originals of these designs can be dug up from old bottle dumps or found in cellars and attics the world over. Sometimes it is hard to tell an original from a modern one, however, they are all made from the original moulds.

French Figurals

These amazing moulded French figural pipes were produced in huge numbers from the 1840's right up until the 1920's. Artists were employed to make masters from which three or four piece metal moulds were made. Then production of literally thousands of them was carried out in factories that employed hundreds of staff. These pipes are found all over the world and although not one-off carved pieces (like Meerschaum pipes) are very attractive to collectors. The use of coloured clays, amber wash, and hand painted glazes does make each one slightly different though.

The firms of Gambier of Paris and Fiolet of St.Omer in France appear to be the most common but there were other major names all making exotic looking clays as well as the simple plain styles that were wanted by smokers. In the group shown here characters such as Druids, Jupiter and Jacob are shown. Military Generals, Turks and the artist Rubens. I have shown the stamped marks of L.F (Fiolet) and J.G (Gambier) which can sometimes be found on the base.

Dantan by Gambier

The Duchess of Devon by Charles Crop

Charles Crop (& Sons) was a famous London firm who produced many elaborate well made pipes from the 1840's until 1924. They designed large numbers of very realistic looking portrait pipes as well as animals, bird claws and large display pieces. Often the designs have registration numbers on them and some were copied by other makers. This marvellous pipe is thought to depict the 18th Century Duchess of Devon, Georgiana Cavendish with her very large fashionable hat as painted by Gainsborough. Peter Hammond, a clay pipe collector with much knowledge, has done very detailed studies of Crop pipes.

Regional English Styles c.1650-1750

The general shape of the English clay pipe bowl was similar all over the country until about the middle of the 17th century. At this time the industry really began to flourish and by the 1720 period there were pipe makers in all the major towns and cities. The size of the bowl had doubled to hold more tobacco which had become very affordable and the style of the bowl varied from region to region. Leading centres such as London and Bristol produced elegant slender shapes that contrasted with the thicker rugged looking pipes smoked by country folk. The photograph here shows a variety of these from locations including London, Bristol, Devon, Wiltshire, Shropshire and the North of England.

Jacob Pipes

They were one of the most popular figural clay pipes ever designed and were highly favoured by smokers not only because of the lavish design but because as the clay was smoked it absorbed the juices and the bowl "seasoned" to a rich brown, thus, coloured glazes (because they were opaque) would stand out brightly.

Figural Pipes

French, Dutch and English figural pipes made between about 1860 and 1925. Animals, Birds, Fish, Famous people and various creatures.

Illustrations of 378 Clay Pipes by Heather Coleman...

The illustrations here drawn by myself can be viewed online through this website.

[1] Old Style English Pipes c.1600-1750   [2] c.1790-1820 Ribs and Leaf designs   [3] c.1790-1830 Ribs, Dots, Dashes, Leaf designs   [4] c.1790-1820 Prince of Wales emblem   [5] c.1790-1820 Prince of Wales emblem and Mixed Designs   [6] c.1790-1820 Prince of Wales emblem, Abstract Floral designs   [7] c.1790-1860 Ribs, Dots, Emblems, Floral   [8] c.1840-1860 Ribs, Scallop, Leaf designs   [9] c.1840-1860 Ribs, Floral, Emblems, Maritime   [10] c.1840-1860 Floral, Symbolic, Heads   [11] c.1860-1960 period, Plain designs   [12] c.1880-1930 Irish Pipes   [13] Late 19th Century-1930 RAOB Pipes   [14] c.1860-1960 Commemorative, Abstract, Floral   [15] c.1870-1930 Sport themes, Parachute jumps   [16] c.1870-1930 Commemorative, Advertising   [17] c.1860-1930 Floral, Abstract designs   [18] c.1840-1930 Bird Claws   [19] c.1860-1930 Plant designs   [20] c.1870-1930 Animals, Hands, Fish   [21] c.1910-1930 Miniature Pipes 1   [22] c.1890-1960 Miniature Pipes 2   [23] c.1860-1910 Heads 1   [24] c.1880-1910 Heads 2   [25] c.1880-1930 Large Advertique Pipes   [26] c.1880-1930 Exotic Head designs 1

  Books and other Publications about Clay Tobacco Pipes

A few of the now well known Dawnmist Studio pipes I made from c.1998 onwards.
These pipes are occasionally available for sale when time and health allows,
I have been making less of them in recent years.

Click here to find out more

Visit the Dawnmist Studio Clay Pipe Hall of Fame!

Click here

From January to March 2016 I was invited to do an exhibition of some of my collection at Exeter's Royal Albert Memorial Museum here in Devon. The exhibition went very well and I was also invited to do a radio interview for BBC Radio Devon as well as a TV feature for BBC Spotlight.