Phase II and Phase III Archaeological Database and Inventory
18ST75 Upper Notley
Diagnostic Artifact Data
Features
Summary
Site 18ST75, known as the Upper Notley Site, is the archeological remains associated with a mid-late 18th century standing structure and trash pit, as well as an earlier 18th century dwelling west of Leonardtown in St. Mary’s County. The standing mid-late 18th century structure on site, known as Notley Hall (MIHP# SM-77), is a modestly scaled brick and frame structure whose somewhat unusual dimensions (22 feet wide by 28 feet, 10 inches deep) and massive 8 inch thick brick gable wall with two large chimneys combine to produce a rather novel appearance. The Hall is 1 ½ storey high over an almost complete cellar, with one large and two small rooms on the first floor positioned back-to-back and three attic chambers above. Various alterations were made during renovations conducted during the 1930s, the most conspicuous being the addition of a kitchen wing to the south gable end. The site is situated on top of a hill overlooking an unnamed tributary of Manahowic Creek to the northeast, and the floodplain of the Wicomico River to the west. The site is mostly lawn today, but the surrounding landscape is largely in agriculture. Soils at the site are Chillum loams.
Very little is known of the pre-1800 history of the site. This unfortunate circumstance stems from the loss in a courthouse fire in 1831 nearly all of the St. Mary’s County land records dating prior to 1800. It is known that the property was patented by Dr. Thomas Gerard in the year 1650 as part of a 1500 acre tract known as Basford Manor. Later, Thomas Notley, governor of the colony from 1676 until his death in 1679, is thought to have come into possession of the land and to have resided there.
Local tradition suggests that Governor Notley resided at Notley Hall (i.e. the site), or in an earlier structure thought to have been located there. The presence of 17th century Dutch yellow brick in the Notley Hall structure is pointed to as evidence of an early date for the structure. However, a positively identified 17th century site (18ST74) is known to be located along the Wicomico River less than a mile from Notley Hall. Surface collection of the area, traditionally known as the site of Lower Notley Hall, has yielded a wide range of 17th century artifacts as well as a number of yellow brick of apparent Dutch origin. This site may well have been the source of the yellow brick that appears to have been primarily used as noggin at Notley Hall. In addition, the location of 18ST74 and its undoubted 17th century date greatly strengthen the possibility that it and not Notley Hall was the site of Governor Notley’s residence.
Notley Hall was owned by the well-known Thomas family of St. Mary’s County until ca. 1870. It is not known how long the property had belonged to the Thomases, however. Tax assessments for the years 1793 and 1798 include an Elizabeth Thomas as a property owner and in 1798 she is listed as owning a, “dwelling house…kitchen…carriage house…cornhouse and stables (and) Meathouse…all one story of wood situated in the Forrest near Chaptico”, Upper St. Clements Hundred. However, the dwelling house dimensions given in this listing (30 by 32 feet) do not match Notley Hall (28 ft 10 in X 22 ft) and it remains uncertain whether the assessed property and Notley Hall were one and the same.
The somewhat unusual appearance of Notley Hall, the knowledge that the tract of land on which the Hall is located was patented in the 17th century, and a rumor that brick ruins were located nearby probably combined to form the basis for a widely held belief that Notley Hall is the survivor, either in part or as a whole, of a larger 17th century structure. However, neither the architectural nor the historical evidence reinforces that belief. Instead, the Hall’s architectural characteristics suggest a construction date of circa 1750-1800 as much more realistic. Further, no evidence exists to support the contention that the Hall was originally a wing added to a larger edifice. The presence of reused yellow brick suggests the location nearby of an earlier structure from which those brick were salvaged. That structure may well have been Lower Notley Hall (18ST74). Finally, while the available documentary evidence is slight, it appears much more plausible that Lower Notley Hall was the residence of Governor Thomas Notley.
The site was examined archeologically in 1981 during a salvage archeology project. The work was undertaken in order to examine areas slated (at the time) to be disturbed by construction related to the restoration of Notley Hall and to recover evidence pertaining to the Hall’s date of construction. In so doing, the local tradition which holds that the Hall is a survivor of a larger, older structure was also tested.
The fieldwork at 18ST75 entailed: (1) controlled surface collection of most of a 91 X 61 m plowed area immediately surrounding the Hall, (2) excavation of shovel test pits in a systematic pattern within the unplowed yard areas adjacent to the structure in areas where construction was to take place, and (3) additional subsurface testing, based on the analysis of the results of the surface collection and excavation of shovel test pits in two areas. The two areas intensively investigated were directly adjacent to the Hall’s south gable end and also approximately 30.5 m southeast in the plowed field. Both of these areas were investigated through large block excavations.
Surface collection was carried out in 3.05 X 3.05 m (10 X 10 ft) grid squares across the agricultural fields surrounding Notley Hall. All artifacts except oyster shell and red brick were collected and saved. The surface collection revealed that 18th century artifacts were largely concentrated in the south field, and most of the materials came from an area of the field where a marked concentration of yellow brick fragments was encountered. Based on these findings, one of the two block excavation areas was sited here.
A total of 47 shovel test pits (STPs) were excavated at 3.05 m (10 ft) intervals in the yard areas of the site. These revealed results generally similar to the overall pattern of artifact distribution seen in the controlled surface collection: artifacts concentrated near the hall and diminishing with distance from the structure. Most of the materials were 19th-20th century in age. Only six 18th century artifacts were recovered: 2 Rhenish gray salt-glazed stoneware sherds, 1 Iberian olive jar, 1 tin-glazed earthenware sherd, 1 manganese-glazed earthenware sherd, and one wine bottle glass base fragment. No subsurface features were encountered. In addition to the systematic STPs, several exploratory STPs were dug in the side yard south of the Hall in an area where local tradition held that brick foundations were located. This testing resulted in the almost immediate discovery of various subsurface brick features. On the basis of this result, the block excavations in this area were undertaken.
The large block excavations entailed the stripping of top soil from large, irregularly-shaped areas in the south side yard of Notley Hall and an area about 30.5 m southeast of the structure. Excavations in the side yard demonstrated that Notley Hall is not a survivor of an older building. However, remains of an earlier structure (brick foundations) were encountered in this area. Red bricks from this earlier structure were, rather, salvaged and reused in the construction of Notley Hall. A 17th century site, Lower Notley Hall (18ST74), has been found located less than a mile distant and it appears to have been the source of a quantity of yellow bricks that were salvaged in order to shore up a weakened wall in the earlier structure at 18ST75. Subsequently, when the life of that earlier dwelling no longer could be extended via repairs, the structure was demolished and bricks were salvaged and reused along with additional yellow brick from Lower Notley Hall in the construction of Notley Hall at 18ST75.
In the block excavation area in the field to the southeast of the structure, a large refuse pit was encountered. An abundance of the same red and yellow brick from the earlier 18ST75 structure was encountered. The locale may represent a refuse deposit dating from the time of the demolition of the earlier dwelling and the construction of Notley Hall. The artifacts from this refuse pit represent a potentially very valuable resource in the establishment of a date for the construction of Notley Hall. However, the retrieved artifacts cannot be dated more precisely than ca. 1720-1775. In combination with the architectural evidence, which points to a ca. 1750-1800 construction date, the trash pit data suggests construction date of between 1750 and 1775 for Notley Hall.
The entire Notley Hall artifact assemblage spans the period from ca. 1720 to present. Much of the diagnostic 18th century materials appear to be related to the occupation of the earlier structure, presumably 1720 to 1750/1775. A full accounting of the assemblage is not available in the full site report, but 18th century ceramics are fully cataloged, and 18th century artifacts from the trash pit feature and particularly noteworthy objects are also discussed. The 1981 assemblage included 1 iron hoe fragment, 1 complete broad hoe, 1 harness/tack part, 12 complete Dutch yellow bricks, a bone needle case with a screw top, 7 Baker-type earthenware, 5 dark brown lead-glazed earthenware sherds, 60 tin-glazed earthenware sherds, 84 Buckley sherds, 25 Staffordshire sherds, 12 maganese-mottled sherds, 28 buff-bodied earthenware, 2 pearlware, 1 creamware (Whieldon), 11 Chinese porcelain sherds, 25 Rhenish gray salt-glazed stoneware sherds, 34 white-glazed stoneware sherds, 13 English brown stoneware, 1 Iberian ceramic olive jar, 41 redware sherds, 40 wine bottle fragments, 117 other bottle glass fragments, 2 utensils, 27 pig bones, 6 cow bones, 55 unidentified mammal bones, 12 snapping turtle bones, 1 glass bead, and 3 bones from a domestic cat.
Notley Hall (18ST75) appears to be a mid-late 18th century structure that replaced an earlier dwelling that may have been built as early as 1720 and which underwent various repairs before its demise. The construction details of the early 18th, with ground laid sills and a very irregular floor plan, suggest a relatively informal structure that was replaced by a more substantial, albeit still somewhat unusual, mid-to-late 18th century building (Notley Hall). Both of these structures in-turn appear to have utilized yellow bricks salvaged from the site of Lower Notley Hall.
Based on the 1981 research at 18ST75, Upper Notley appears to be a significant archeological resource. Intact features and artifact deposits were encountered in situ with diagnostic materials. The research results were useful in answer questions about the site’s history and the construction details of Notley Hall. Though the foundation remnants of the earlier dwelling at 18ST75 appear to have been capped during the construction that followed the 1981 work, it is conceivable that outbuildings or other cultural deposits may be present in the fields surrounding the site. 18ST75 should continue to be considered a significant archeological resource.
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