Ambrose Crowley’s plant at Swalwell was built in the first decade of the eighteenth century, a mile downstream from Winlaton Mill, his existing factory in the Derwent Valley. When inventoried in 1728, which may have been the occasion for the drawing up of this plan, the Swalwell works included two steel furnaces (although only one, “No. 4,” with its conical chimney, is shown here), associated forge hammers, a slitting mill, a blade mill, four anchor shops, air furnaces valued at £100, three warehouses, five hoe makers’ shops, and shops for the making of frying pans, patten rings, and nails. Courtesy of the Tyne and Wear Archives Service, DX104/1. Not to be reproduced without permission.
Welcome to Commonplace, a destination for exploring and exchanging ideas about early American history and culture. A bit less formal than a scholarly journal, a bit more scholarly than a popular magazine, Commonplace speaks—and listens—to scholars, museum curators, teachers, hobbyists, and just about anyone interested in American history before 1900. It is for all sorts of people to read about all sorts of things relating to early American life—from architecture to literature, from politics to parlor manners. It’s a place to find insightful analysis of early American history as it is discussed in scholarly literature, as it manifests on the evening news, as it is curated in museums, big and small; as it is performed in documentary and dramatic films and as it shows up in everyday life.
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How to cite Commonplace articles:
Author, “Title of Article,” Commonplace: the journal of early American life, date accessed, URL.
Sophie White, “Trading Looks Race, Religion and Dress in French America,” Commonplace: the journal of early American life, accessed September 30, 2019, https://commonplace.online/article/trading-looks-race-religion-dress-french-america/
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