Barrels, Bales and Bags

[Capt. Sterling]

But can we trace those cones back to our time frame... I know they suit the Am. Rev. folks...along with the tea bricks, but from what I have heard tea was shipped loose earlier on...so I wonder about the sugar as well...

Edited April 22, 2009 by Capt. Sterling

[sutlerjon]

While I can't put a a date to it my understanding of the sugar cone thing was that they were about 3' tall and packed in the hold of the ship. Sent to your local dry goods, gen'l store, trading post, etc. and then busted up with the sugar nippers and sold by the lb.

At the time that was the norm, the american sugar industry hadn't emerged yet and this heavy brown was coming from the islands.

I just found this, check it out, it speaks of loaves and cones in the 15th century and beyond.

google history of sugar cone and you'll get this and a few more

sugar cone info

Edited April 22, 2009 by sutlerjon

[Iron Jon]

But can we trace those cones back to our time frame... I know they suit the Am. Rev. folks...along with the tea bricks, but from what I have heard tea was shipped loose earlier on...so I wonder about the sugar as well...

For what it's worth... from 1741

Records of the Admiralty Court held in Boston, Vol. V.

Deposition of Thomas Smith. November 30, 1741.

"... and also took of the said Briganteens Cargo five packets of Cotton, two hogsheads and half of Rum, One hogshead and four barrells of Sugar and Seven hundred weight of Loaf Sugar,..."

I'll see if I can find something earlier.

[Iron Jon]

The Diary of Samuel Pepys

Daily entries from the 17th century London diary

Friday 23 March 1659/60

Up early, carried my Lord’s will in a black box to Mr. William Montagu for him to keep for him. Then to the barber’s and put on my cravat there. So to my Lord again, who was almost ready to be gone and had staid for me. Hither came Gilb. Holland, and brought me a stick rapier and Shelston a sugar-loaf, and had brought his wife who he said was a very pretty woman to the Ship tavern hard by for me to see but I could not go.

[Littleneckhalfshell]

Being a Florida native myself... not to mention a sweet gal...LOL.... .... I think I remember seeing somewhere that sugar was molded into hard cones, that had to be scraped, or pieces broken off. I think they just wraped then in paper for storage....

See this page for more on the historical nature of how sugar was sold, Colonial Sugar cones,

http://acrowesgathering.ibloghere.com/3773...ugar+Cones.html

""From Medieval times to the 19th century, refined sugar was sold in solid form, often in cones, blocks or loaves. The standard unit of measure in the United States and United Kingdom (also used in recipes) was the pound and increments thereof.

"Sugar finally came to the 16th and 17th century consumer in blocks or cones, in varying degrees of refinement. ""

[michaelsbagley]

In browsing for info on soldiers of the time I stumbled across this reference to the shipping of sugar... Bold added by me.

By this vessel also come to Your Honours 273 hogsheads of sugar, 10,000 pounds of very good "oriaane," 136 sticks of log wood, as Your Honour will be able to ascertain from the signed bill of lading. request to be provided with 12 soldiers, one trumpeter, drummer, one carpenter, one cooper, if it should be that the ship had not yet put to sea for slaves. would then make shift with 6 soldiers.

From: 'America and West Indies: August 1700, 6-9', Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies, Volume 18: 1700 (1910), pp. 462-483. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.as...trquery=soldier Date accessed: 22 April 2009.

[Capt. Sterling]

Now the question becomes, did they pack em as loaves in the hogsheads or ship it loose? I have found a supposed sugar loaf in a coin circa 1657

http://time-lines.co.uk/tt-011486-18555-0.html

Edited April 22, 2009 by Capt. Sterling

[Animal]

From what I have been able to find, sugar seemed to be made into loaves/cones and packed into hogsheads and then placed into small boats and transfered to the ships anchored off shore. Here is a link to an image I found:

www.lunacommons.org/luna/servlet/detail/JCB~1~1~2014~3180005:Shipping-sugar

Animal

[Iron Jon]

From what I have been able to find, sugar seemed to be made into loaves/cones and packed into hogsheads and then placed into small boats and transfered to the ships anchored off shore.

Nice... here's another from the same site showing the loaves being made in Brazil, 1680's.

sugar loaves

and in Caribbean 1660's

sugar loaves 2

Edited April 25, 2009 by Iron Jon