Wine bottles were frequently adorned with bottle seals – round glass pieces applied to the glass body and containing information about the bottle’s owner, such as their name, initial, a date, or crest. Two bottle seals have been uncovered at Colonial Dorchester, both bearing the name A. McNeill and both seals recovered from excavations of the Izard House (Lot 17). Historic documents indicate that this residence was rented out to Dr. Archibald McNeill.

Hume, Ivor Noel. 1969. A Guide to Artifacts of Colonial America. University of Pennsylvania Press. Philadelphia, PA.

Carnes-McNaughton, Linda, and Mark U. Wilde-Ramsing. 2008. “Queen Anne’s Revenge Shipwreck Project: Preliminary Glassware and Bottle Analysis from Shipwreck 31CR314, Queen Anne’s Revenge Site.” Research Report and Bulletin Series QAR-R-08-02.

Veit, Richard, and Paul R. Huey. 2014. “’New Bottles Made with My Crest’: Colonial Bottle Seals from Eastern North America, a Gazetteer and Interpretation.” Northeast Historical Archaeology, Vol. 43, Art. 4, pg. 54-91.