The Burning Question: Frequencies of Tobacco Consumption in Postmedieval (16th–19th c. ce) England and the Netherlands

Abstract

The frequency of tobacco use during the postmedieval period is widely underexplored; this has repercussions for our understanding of the intoxicant's health impacts during this time. Our study assesses the frequency rates of tobacco consumption in different social groups in England and the Netherlands, two countries in which tobacco use became quickly incorporated into the sociocultural fabric after its introduction to Europe in the 16th century. We assessed frequencies of evidence for tobacco use in 380 English and 318 Dutch individuals, using osteoarchaeological and biomolecular analyses. We examined use-rates in individuals from three different socioeconomic backgrounds: rural agricultural (Barton-upon-Humber; Middenbeemster), urban high-middle (St James's Gardens Burial Ground; Zwolle), and urban low-middle (St James's Gardens Burial Ground; Arnhem) status. Our results indicate high usage rates in Dutch men (63.6%–98.1%), who overwhelmingly demonstrate evidence for pipe-usage, and similar rates among English men and women (39.6%–64.2%), regardless of socioeconomic status. Women from both countries were highly unlikely to present with evidence for pipe-usage, indicating a preference for an alternative means of consumption, and were also far more likely to present with evidence for tobacco-usage in older age. Our results directly contradict the historical notion that women, particularly well-to-do women in the 19th century, were not consuming tobacco, but identify that its use perhaps became more socially acceptable as women aged. Further, we identify differences in the presence of pipe notches in different groups, which could indicate the preference for different ways of consuming tobacco according to gender, socioeconomic background, occupation, and differing norms between countries. This analysis provides nuance to historical concepts of who was, and was not, smoking during the postmedieval period, and paves the way for understanding the long-term health implications of a drug that has had vast and enduring repercussions for European society.