The Seventeenth-Century Brewhouse at Ferryland, Newfoundland

Summary

Built between 1622 and 1623, the brewhouse structure at George Calvert’s Ferryland plantation stood for a about two decades, before being removed as part of David Kirke’s reorganization of the colony in the early 1640s. As beer and bread, which were also produced in the brewhouse, were staples of the English diet, this appeared to be an unusual choice. Analysis of the associated material culture and architectural remains provides insight into the organization of Calvert’s colony. It also illustrates the social and economic changes heralded by the arrival of David Kirke in Newfoundland. This paper examines the material culture and architecture of the brewhouse and explores the changing role of alcohol in 17th-century Newfoundland society, as shown in the evolution of the Ferryland plantation under its two proprietors.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2018   •
• Through the Bar Window: An Examination of Alcohol and Drinking Spaces in the Archaeological Record

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 695