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OswaldCollection name: Oswald Pipe Collection: Adrian Oswald (1908-2001) was one of the founding fathers of post-medieval archaeology in Britain and at the forefront of the development of pipe studies worldwide. A few years before his death his relatively small pipe collection was acquired by Richard Le Cheminant (see LIVNP 2014.02) who either assimilated it into his own or set pieces to one side as potential for swapping with other collectors. In 2014 the residue of Oswald's collection, together with his research papers, was purchased for the Archive from Le Cheminant’s widow (2014.01). The surviving part of the Oswald collection now consists of 633 pipes, 448 of which are Dutch and the result of correspondence with the Dutch researcher Frits Friederich of Haarlem. This group of Dutch pipes was selected by Friederich to provide Oswald with a good cross-section of Dutch production over time; some of the pipes bear the calculation of his famous HBO formula written on them in pencil. There is also a small but attractive collection of 27 nineteenth-century French pipes. Other pieces from Oswald’s collection, now not identifiable, are almost certainly contained within the residual Le Cheminant material donated to the Archive in 2014 and 2016, while others will have been dispersed with the bulk of the Le Cheminant pipe collection, which was sold at auction. Research Papers: Adrian Oswald's substantial collection of research notes, papers and published works was purchased for the Archive from Richard Le Cheminant’s widow in 2014. It consists of 193 discrete elements including books and periodicals, bound offprint collections, correspondence, draft reports, makers’ lists, tobacconists’ lists, and his manuscript indexes of marked and decorated pipes. Of special importance is the Oswald index the marks found on pipes; arranged alphabetically by makers’ initial (LIVNP 2014.01.192 - see below). Taken together these research papers document the development of pipe studies worldwide in the period 1950 to 2000 in a unique way and provide a major resource for future research. The Oswald Pipe Mark Index The mark index is one of the most important items in the Oswald collection and comprises several hundered pages containing sketches of pipe marks with associated notes as to provenance and possible maker of each. These pages are arranged alphabetically by surname and then by Christian name (i.e., AA, BA, CA, DA, etc.). Each different combination of initials starts with a typed list giving details of the sketched examples that follow, including a provenance for each piece, which collection or source the example is from, and the maker, where known. Each page of typed notes is numbered at the top in brackets, and these numbers start again at (1) for each different surname initial so that, for example, the marks with the surname inital H are typed on sheets numbered from (1) to (18). As more marks were added to the index, it was sometimes necessary to add more sheets within the sequence, which have A, B, C, etc., added as a suffix. So, there are actually three sheets, numbered (1) A, (1) B and (1) C, in the 'H' sequence, before sheet (2) is reached. These sheet numbers are usually duplicated on the sheet of associated drawings, so that the correct sheet of typed notes can be readily identified. The typed notes and drawings are also individually numbered so that each section of text can be cross-referred to the individual sketched example (i.e., 1, 2, 3, etc.). Occasionally there are further sub-divisions, if there is more than one example illustrated (i.e., 1a, 1b, 1c, 2a, 2b, etc). Therefore, if you wish to look up a mark that reads DH you look through the surname initial H section until you come to the page(s) with the Christian name initial D. The individual numbered descriptions can then be cross-referred to the numbered sketches on the relevant sheet of drawings, which should also share the same page number. Although it seems rather complex, this numbering system allowed Oswald to add new pages of material to the ever-growing index in a systematic way so that the notes and drawings could always be matched up. The sketches themselves are often of very poor quality, but they are sufficient to identify the type of pipe or mark depicted and are often just quick copies of published material, which can be tracked down if a better drawing or further information about the individual pipe is required. This index was only ever compiled as a personal record for Oswald's own use and never intended to be published. But it is by far the largest and most comprehensive index of British pipe marks ever compiled and now provides a valuable research tool for anyone else seeking to identify or find parallels for a partiuclar mark. To use this valuable resource, click on the relevant file(s) below, which are arranged by surname initial, to search the Oswald mark index. Please note that larger groups (i.e., those with the surname intials B, C, P, S and W) have been divided into two files to make them easier to download.
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