Dear WW: "Wattle and daub" is a lot older than Plymouth,MA. One of the most pressing needs of ancient housing was some semblance of air-tightness. So gooey clay patted onto a criss-cross of finger sized rods from plants growing in marshy areas helped a lot. Of course when the clay dried, it shrank and cracked. But it was relatively resistant to fire, and cracks would have second application of very wet clay.
Here is a URL to a modern version of wattle and daub. But they are cheating and using lathes that would not have been available until fairly recently!

http://www.wealddown.co.uk/poplar-cottage-construction-thatch-wattle-and-daub.htm