Going Up the Country: A Comparison of Elite Ceramic Consumption Patterns in Charleston and the Carolina Frontier

Summary

The backcountry regions of colonial America are often believed to be inhabited by a population of rustic settlers who lack the behaviors and material culture associated with the genteel society present in socially competitive urban centers. Although many researchers have previously examined the differences between urban and backcountry lifeways in South Carolina, few have focused on members of the elite upper class or had the opportunity to examine both the urban and rural life of the same family. However, recent investigations at the Charleston and backcountry homes of the wealthy Brewton/Motte family are now providing such data. During the late 18th century, Miles Brewton and his sister Rebecca Motte owned and lived in both the Miles Brewton House, located in Charleston and Mount Joseph Plantation, located along the Congaree River in the colony’s interior. This paper discusses the comparison of the ceramic assemblages of the two sites to explore rural and urban consumption patterns, social status, and the relationship between Charleston and the surrounding rural communities.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Rags to Riches: the Creation and Legacy of the Carolina Colony   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2014

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): SYM-63,09