When I was a kid on the island
of Taiwan my friend Robert Taylor and I carved our initials, and the
year, into the trunk of trees. We wanted to tell the world and history
that we passed this way. Tile makers of past centuries wanted to make
their mark too. Occasionally, a tile maker would write his initials
onto a tile or the date or a design while the clay was still wet.
After firing the tile, the inscription was permanent. Unlike shake
or composition shingles, ceramic roof tiles can last for hundreds
and even thousands of years.
On display in the archaeology museum are red tiles that can be dated
to particular centuries, and in at least once case, to a specific
day more than a hundred years ago.
The pointed tile at left comes
from the Gorgier Chateau, is signed by the tile-maker 'FIRIO'
and dates to 1618.
The tile here
comes from the Maison de la Couronne in the village of Valangin
and dates between 1767 and 1768. If you go to still ancient and very
beautiful town of Valangin
you will see that the roofs are still make of red tile. On this tile
is a human figure made up of a series of points.
We know exactly where this
tile comes from. It was a shingle in the building at Faubourg de L'Hopital
in the town of Neuchâtel, a street in Neuchâtel
you can still walk down. The tile dates to 1768. On the tile are inscribed
the initials 'GF', and a symbol. Perhaps the symbol identifies the
tile-maker just as stonemasons sometimes carved a symbol in the stone
they were carving to identify themselves or their guild.
Most the roofs in Neuchâtel
are still made of red tile. Recently the owner of a building in Neuchâtel
put a new red
tile roof on his ancient building. This event was the perfect
opportunity to record the tiling of Neuchâtel roof. Many of
the same techniques that were used centuries ago are used today.
Pointed tile from Gorgier
Chateau, 1618. Enlarge 
Tile from Maison
de la Couronne, Valangin, 1767-1768.
Enlarge 
Tile from the town
of Neuchâtel, 1768. Enlarge
Tile from Chateau Gorgier, 1842
Tile from the town
of Cressier, 15-16th centuries. Enlarge 
Tile from Neuchâtel
dating from the 18th and 19th centuries. 
Tile from Le Landeron,
1832 
Pointed tile from
Colombier, 1622. Enlarge 
Tile from Auvernier,
1599. 
Tile from Cressier,
15th century.
Enlarge 