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Initials and Names

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Bottle seal with initials I and B, separated by a small diamond. Initials stand for John Bayne, property owner between 1687 and 1701. Seal in a private collection. Photograph by Dr. Julia King, St. Mary’s College of Maryland, from 18CH621. Wine bottle seal with letters RI enclosed within a circle. RI stands for Angelica property owner Catholic planter Richard Johns in late 17th and early 18th century (as early as 1677 to 1717). The letter I is a common colonial substitute for the letter J, from 18CV60, illustration shown beside it.Wine bottle seal with letters RI enclosed within a circle. RI stands for Angelica property owner Catholic planter Richard Johns in late 17th and early 18th century (as early as 1677 to 1717). The letter I is a common colonial substitute for the letter J, from 18CV60, illustration shown beside it. Wine bottle seal with letter N molded inside a circle, 38 mm diameter. Property owned and occupied by Quaker planter Richard Johns in late 17th and early 18th century (as early as 1677 to 1717).illustration shown bieside it, from18CV60.Wine bottle seal with letter N molded inside a circle, 38 mm diameter. Property owned and occupied by Quaker planter Richard Johns in late 17th and early 18th century (as early as 1677 to 1717).illustration shown bieside it, from18CV60.
18CH621


 18CV60-1 18CV60-2
Wine bottle seal with letter N formed from separate letterhead pressed onto molten seal. Dumbrell (1983:186) refers to this type of seal as a “matrice seal”, from 18CV60.Wine bottle seal with letter N formed from separate letterhead pressed onto molten seal. Dumbrell (1983:186) refers to this type of seal as a “matrice seal”, from 18CV60. Wine bottle seal with the letters C & P formed from separate letterheads held together for impressing onto the molten glass of the seal. Dumbrell (1983:186) refers to this type of seal as a “matrice seal”, from18CV60.Wine bottle seal with the letters C & P formed from separate letterheads held together for impressing onto the molten glass of the seal. Dumbrell (1983:186) refers to this type of seal as a “matrice seal”, from18CV60. Wine bottle seal molded with letters WC, from 18CV84.Wine bottle seal molded with letters WC, from 18CV84.
18CV60-3


 18CV60-4 18CV84
Illustration of a wine bottle seal with initials R and a ligatured A and E or F enclosed in a beaded border, from 18CV91. Illustration of a wine bottle seal with letter N enclosed within a beaded border, from 18CV91. Wine bottle seal molded with letters IR and date 1771, from 18CV344.Wine bottle seal molded with letters IR and date 1771, from 18CV344.
18CV91-1


 18CV91-2 18CV344
Molded initials I and S, separated by a stemmed flower motif, all enclosed in a beaded circle, from 18CV350. Wine bottle seal molded … Nevitt inside a beaded circle, with indeterminate first initial, from 18D058.Wine bottle seal molded … Nevitt inside a beaded circle, with indeterminate first initial, from 18D058. llustration of a wine bottle seal with initial T and an indeterminate second initial (N or M?) inside a beaded border, from 18DO58.
18CV350


 18DO58-1 18DO58-2
Wine bottle seal molded with letters TE an the date 1741. The T and E are separated by two dots., from 18KE357.Wine bottle seal molded with letters TE an the date 1741. The T and E are separated by two dots., from 18KE357. Wine bottle seal molded with name B Ogle, from 18PR135. Wine bottle seal molded with ligatured initials T and A inside a beaded circle. McNulty (2004) refers to conjoined initials as “ligatured”, from 18PR175.
18KE357


 18PR135 18PR175
Wine bottle seal with initials RD inside a beaded border. R & D separated by a small dot, 45 mm diameter, from 18PR705.Wine bottle seal with initials RD inside a beaded border. R & D separated by a small dot, 45 mm diameter, from 18PR705. Wine bottle seal molded with initials RD enclosed within a circle, 31 mm diameter, from 18PR705.Wine bottle seal molded with initials RD enclosed within a circle, 31 mm diameter, from 18PR705. Illustration of a wine bottle seal with initials RD inside a partially beaded border, 30 mm diameter, from 18PR705.
18PR705-1


 18PR705-2 18PR705-3
Wine bottle seal molded with name Hannah Dickinson in cursive script, dated 1741, 42 mm diameter, from 18QU28.   Wine bottle seal with “IOHN MOR_IS 1741”, in private collection, from 18ST711.
18QU28   18ST711


Copyright © 2002 by Maryland Archaeological Conservation Lab
Updated:  12/31/2012

Bottle seal with initials I and B, separated by a small diamond. Initials stand for John Bayne, property owner between 1687 and 1701. Seal in a private collection. Photograph by Dr. Julia King, St. Mary’s College of Maryland, from 18CH621. Wine bottle seal with letters RI enclosed within a circle. RI stands for Angelica property owner Catholic planter Richard Johns in late 17th and early 18th century (as early as 1677 to 1717). The letter I is a common colonial substitute for the letter J, from 18CV60, illustration shown beside it. Wine bottle seal with letters RI enclosed within a circle. RI stands for Angelica property owner Catholic planter Richard Johns in late 17th and early 18th century (as early as 1677 to 1717). The letter I is a common colonial substitute for the letter J, from 18CV60, illustration shown beside it. Wine bottle seal with letter N molded inside a circle, 38 mm diameter. Property owned and occupied by Quaker planter Richard Johns in late 17th and early 18th century (as early as 1677 to 1717).illustration shown bieside it, from18CV60. Wine bottle seal with letter N molded inside a circle, 38 mm diameter. Property owned and occupied by Quaker planter Richard Johns in late 17th and early 18th century (as early as 1677 to 1717).illustration shown bieside it, from18CV60. Wine bottle seal with letter N formed from separate letterhead pressed onto molten seal. Dumbrell (1983:186) refers to this type of seal as a “matrice seal”, from 18CV60. Wine bottle seal with letter N formed from separate letterhead pressed onto molten seal. Dumbrell (1983:186) refers to this type of seal as a “matrice seal”, from 18CV60. Wine bottle seal with the letters C & P formed from separate letterheads held together for impressing onto the molten glass of the seal. Dumbrell (1983:186) refers to this type of seal as a “matrice seal”, from18CV60. Wine bottle seal with the letters C & P formed from separate letterheads held together for impressing onto the molten glass of the seal. Dumbrell (1983:186) refers to this type of seal as a “matrice seal”, from18CV60. Wine bottle seal molded with letters WC, from 18CV84. Wine bottle seal molded with letters WC, from 18CV84. Illustration of a wine bottle seal with initials R and a ligatured A and E or F enclosed in a beaded border, from 18CV91. Illustration of a wine bottle seal with letter N enclosed within a beaded border, from 18CV91. Wine bottle seal molded with letters IR and date 1771, from 18CV344. Wine bottle seal molded with letters IR and date 1771, from 18CV344. Molded initials I and S, separated by a stemmed flower motif, all enclosed in a beaded circle, from 18CV350. Wine bottle seal molded … Nevitt inside a beaded circle, with indeterminate first initial, from 18D058. Wine bottle seal molded … Nevitt inside a beaded circle, with indeterminate first initial, from 18D058. llustration of a wine bottle seal with initial T and an indeterminate second initial (N or M?) inside a beaded border, from 18DO58. Wine bottle seal molded with letters TE an the date 1741. The T and E are separated by two dots., from 18KE357. Wine bottle seal molded with letters TE an the date 1741. The T and E are separated by two dots., from 18KE357. Wine bottle seal molded with name B Ogle, from 18PR135. Wine bottle seal molded with ligatured initials T and A inside a beaded circle. McNulty (2004) refers to conjoined initials as “ligatured”, from 18PR175. Wine bottle seal molded with initials RD enclosed within a circle, 31 mm diameter, from 18PR705. Wine bottle seal molded with initials RD enclosed within a circle, 31 mm diameter, from 18PR705. Illustration of a wine bottle seal with initials RD inside a partially beaded border, 30 mm diameter, from 18PR705. Wine bottle seal with initials RD inside a beaded border. R & D separated by a small dot, 45 mm diameter, from 18PR705. Wine bottle seal with initials RD inside a beaded border. R & D separated by a small dot, 45 mm diameter, from 18PR705. Wine bottle seal molded with name Hannah Dickinson in cursive script, dated 1741, 42 mm diameter, from 18QU28. Wine bottle seal with “IOHN MOR_IS 1741”, in private collection, from 18ST711.