Ceramics are a common find at Turpin’s Island. For today’s artefact of the week, we are going to look at some early 20th-century sherds with a “fibre” pattern! These ceramics have a white base and a blue pattern that resembles tree branches. It was first designed in England and became popular in the United States and Canada. Fig. 1 The Fibre ceramics found this week at Turpin’s Island The intricate design seems like it would take a steady hand to paint, but it was actually p

An exciting find from this week’s excavations is a clay tobacco pipe bowl recovered from Unit 3A on Turpin’s Island! Fig. 1 The clay tobacco pipe bowl that was found this week! Interestingly, this pipe bowl can tell us a lot about the people who occupied the island during the last 500 years. Fig.2 Unit 3A, shown in the red box This particular artefact is the bowl of a clay tobacco pipe, likely produced in England, which were common personal items among European fishermen in

Among the first finds of the season is a sherd of refined earthenware ceramic decorated with a shell-edged style (Figure 1). Shell-edged decorative techniques were commonly used on white earthenware plates and dishes by British potters from the mid-1700s, with their popularity waning around a century later. The sherd highlighted here could have been brought over by European settlers or merchants. Fig 1. Piece of shell-edged ceramic found at Turpin’s Island Shelled edges are f

Week Two of Memorial University's 2026 Field School on Turpin’s Island, Little St. Lawrence We have now finished our second week at Turpin’s Island, which means we are halfway through the 2026 field season! Many of the students have completed their initial test pits; however, Test Pits 57, 58, and 59 are still actively undergoing excavation, with new features being discovered and several artifacts recovered! We have had a very eventful week, with significantly more time in th

As week one comes to a close for the 2026 season for Turpin’s Island, findings have brought much excitement to the team. Today’s artefact of the week comes in the form of Normandy coarse stoneware (Fig. 1) found on just the second day of excavation! Ceramics and stoneware are common on the site, and Grès Normand (Normandy Stoneware), a type of stoneware originating from Lower Normandy, France. This is not the first example of Normandy Stoneware to be found on Turpin’s Island

One of our notable Artifacts of the Week from Turpin’s Island is a fragment of Breton coarse earthenware, which was found in Test Pit #59 during the first week of the 2026 field school! This small fragment originates from Brittany, a region in northwestern France that was pivotal in crewing and provisioning the majority of France’s cod fishing ships between the 16th and 19th centuries. Its presence at Turpin’s Island sherd testifies to French fishing activity, specifically by

Week One of Memorial University's 2026 Field School on Turpin’s Island, Little St. Lawrence The Department of Archaeology at Memorial University has just wrapped up its first week at Turpin’s Island for the 2026 season. A team of students led by Dr. Catherine Losier was able to open five test pits this week, most of which are showing promise and have already yielded several artefacts. Here’s a breakdown of what happened this week! Fig. 1 Official team picture of 2026, looking

Countdown to the start of Memorial University's 2026 Field School on Turpin’s Island in Little St. Lawrence! Returning this year with much anticipation, a new group of archaeology students from Memorial University will be continuing previous excavations on the Turpin’s Island site!! From May 25th to June 19th, 2026, new and old faces are excited to immerse themselves in the community on the Boot! Working in collaboration with the local families and residents of Little and Gre

Week Four of Memorial University's 2025 Field School on Turpin’s Island, Little St. Lawrence Fig. 1 Turpin's Island 2025 official t-shirt...

An exciting find from the third week of excavations on Turpin’s Island, we present a small brass buckle, found while sifting through a...

Our recent archaeological excavations on Turpin’s Island have unburied a fascinating bone button! This artefact, perhaps dating from the...

Week Three of Memorial University's 2025 Field School on Turpin’s Island, Little St. Lawrence We are halfway there! Excavations have...

Thus far, nails are among the most noteworthy artifacts from our excavations. They were excavated in nearly every Test Pit on the...

We have uncovered many different pieces of rusty metal during our excavation at Turpin’s Island, but none have been more intact and...

Week Two of Memorial University's 2025 Field School on Turpin’s Island, Little St. Lawrence “Spoiled”, as we say in NL, with the gorgeous...

For today’s artifact of the week, we have a piece of porcelain associated with the Newman & Co. occupation. This beautiful sherd of...

Just as in the 2024 excavation, ceramics (such as whiteware!) have been a common find across the test pits excavated on Turpin’s Island...

Week One of Memorial University's 2025 Field School on Turpin’s Island, Little St. Lawrence The Memorial University’s Department of...

Countdown to the start of Memorial University's 2025 Field School on Turpin’s Island in Little St. Lawrence! Don't hesitate to come visit...

One of the many interesting artifacts found during our excavations is the Basque tile! These tiles have been found in several test pits...