When civil dudgeons first grew high, And out he rode a-colonelling.
But scandal there is which has settled heavily on the cup and its donors. It is stated that at the time of its gift to the church of Westbury, Mary the Countess had been dead a year and was buried in a turnip field. This Elizabethan cup made its public appearance in the middle of the reign of Charles II, and the said inscription would seem to have been placed upon it by the “Collonel” to screen the fact that his wife was dead. It would appear to have been for a long time in domestic use before it was handed over to the custody of the Church. It bears the London hall-mark for 1585.
[Illustration: PEPYS STANDING CUP AND COVER. _c._ 1677.
With inscription in shield at base, “Samuel Pepys. Admiralitati Angl: Secretis & Societ: Pannif: Lond: Mr. An. MDCLXXVII.”
(_By courtesy of the Company of Clothworkers._)]
As has already been said, the stoneware vessels of the Low Countries came into England and were in common use in the time of Elizabeth. Fine examples of mottled “tiger ware” with silver mounts were evidently used by more luxurious possessors, and such specimens bring enormous prices under the hammer. The celebrated West Malling Elizabethan jug sold at Christie’s, in 1903, for £1,522. This example was described as Fulham delft or stoneware, splashed purple, orange, green, and other colours, in the style of the old Chinese, and mounted with neck-band, handle mount, body-straps, foot and cover, of silver-gilt. It has the London hall-mark of 1581, the year after Drake returned in the _Golden Hind_ from his voyage around the world. The maker’s mark is a _fleur-de-lis_ stamped in intaglio, repeated on cover, neck-band, and foot. Its height is 9ⁱ/₂ inches. The weight of silver straps is only 9 oz. “It may have been used for sacred purposes,” says one of the journalistic critics, who marvelled at the price, “but without doubt is nothing more than an old sack-pot.”
We illustrate an example with silver-mounted cover and foot, about 1570 in date, which shows the type of jugs of Tudor days of this class.
There are many examples of this kind of tankard. The Vintners’ Company has one of delft mounted in silver-gilt with cover with inscription, “Think and Thank,” and “Thank David Gitting for this.” It bears a date 1563. The dates of most of the specimens of this class of stoneware or delft flagon range from about 1560 to about 1595.