Window Lead

Window leads are the grooved lead strips used to hold together panes of glass in casement windows during the 16th through the 19th centuries. These window components were created by casting H-sectioned strips of lead, called “cames” and then cranking the came through a vise or hand-mill. During the milling process, window leads were marked on the interior with lines from the mill itself, called “reeds”, and sometimes with the initials of the mill maker, the glazier, or both, and a date. It is unclear why these marks were made, especially given their location concealed within the narrow channel that held the glass window pane. Perhaps the mark was a quality control method – if the window fell apart, the vice-maker or glazier could be identified and fined.

For archaeologists, marked window leads are a rare example of an artifact with an embossed date, thereby providing a terminus post quem (date after which) for the creation of a layer or feature. The window leads recovered at Jamestown include dates ranging from 1655 to 1694. This highlights the period during which glass windows were prevalent at Jamestown. Additionally, the lack of both window leads and window glass in early fort period contexts suggests that the first buildings on the site had either open air or simple cloth, wax paper, or shutter covered windows, or no windows at all.

Window leads have been found across much of James Fort, but notable numbers were recovered during excavations of the Wine Cellar, Drummond’s House, and in excavations inside and around the Church Tower and Memorial Church.  The markings on window leads found at Jamestown include the following:

Mark	Photo
W M 1655 * R d
. W W . 1671 .
.W.M. 1678 .
W.M. 1683. R.D
.W.M. 1686
1691*
*E.W * 1692 * W.C*
*EW * 1693 * RA
EW * 1694 * TB *

These marks, while useful for the dates they bear, are still mysterious to archaeologists. The initials which appear before the date and remain somewhat consistent over time are likely those of the vise-maker. Because no historical documentation or artifacts suggest a vice was imported to Jamestown when these window leads were made, it is possible that these window leads were milled before arriving. Additionally, the windows themselves might have been assembled before being shipped to the colony.

Further Reading:

Egan, Geoff. (2012) “Marked Window Leads,” Post-Medieval Archaeology, 46:2, 291-303

Riordan, Timothy B. (2016) ““The science and misteire of glazing”: Thoughts on the Use of Marked Window Leads in Archaeological Analysis,” Northeast Historical Archaeology: Vol. 45 45, Article 5.

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