An Assemblage of Collegiate Ceramics: Mid-Nineteenth Century Dining at Trinity Hall,Cambridge

A large assemblage of ceramics related to dining at Trinity Hall, in which many of the vessels were marked with the name and/or the crest of the college, was recovered during recent excavations undertaken at Newmarket Road, Cambridge. The material, which was produced c. 1845–77 and deposited c. 1877–80, indicates that three distinct dining services were employed by Trinity Hall at this time. In addition to shedding considerable light into dining at this mid- nineteenth century college, the assemblage also indicates how ceramics were employed to visually denote status differences within the college. Other material within the assemblage, allied with the location of its disposal, provides significant information on how the material moved between its contexts of use and deposition. This also allows insights into how such large assemblages may be categorized and interpreted.