Clay tobacco pipes, repaired

1819–48

These tobacco pipes have been repaired with resin and twine where their fragile stems broke, suggesting that their owners couldn’t afford to buy new pipes to replace them. There were 1,500 fragments of or complete convict-era clay tobacco pipes –known as steamers to the convicts – recovered by archaeologists from underfloor and underground areas of the Hyde Park Barracks. The small size and shape of the bowls of these pipes was typical of those made in the early 19th century, when convicts lived at the Barracks. They were found among other convict-era objects, which further confirms their use by convicts.

Many convicts enjoyed smoking as a welcome relief from the brutality and drudgery of convict life. Tobacco, which convicts called weed, was not part of their rations but was an important black market commodity that they could buy with the few coins they earned by working on Saturday afternoons, by gambling, or by selling stolen goods. Pipes were also available to buy at the pubs and markets, but not all convicts had coins to spare, so it’s not surprising that the convict owners of these pipes valued them enough to repair them.