Remains of wild game, wild fowl and fish are uncommon, despite their local abundance. These were inexpensive wares, often mass-produced, and generally lacking all but the most basic ornamentation. Stoneware is hard, relatively fine-textured and grey to light brown in colour. Pieces are often fairly thin. This was particularly true for bottles holding inks, dyes and shoe blacking which would have seeped into cracks in an unglazed surface.
Pieces are often quite thick.
Coarse earthenwares were used for many sorts of wet and dry storage, including very large crocks and vats, as well as small-mouthed jugs. Milk pans, shaped like large, flat-bottomed bowls, were used to allow the cream to rise to the surface of fresh milk and be skimmed for butter or made into cheese. Because of the porous nature of the fabric, glaze is necessary to make a coarse earthenware fully water-tight. Many coarse earthenwares are unglazed, particularly pieces such as flowerpots for which it is desirable that excess water drain through the body of the vessel. Deeper bowls, often buffwares decorated with bright coloured stripes under a clear lead glaze, were used for cooking and informal table service.