An Early English Bell Ringers Jug; Probably Gestingthorpe, c.1680 - 1700.

An Early English Bell Ringers Jug; Probably Gestingthorpe, c.1680 - 1700.

Exceptionally large, this jug is the type associated with the country pottery tradition, and was probably used as a bell ringers jug, or perhaps a harvest jug. Both pursuits required a large capacity vessel to hold copious amounts of ale, ready to relieve the many thirsty workers involved.

It is at Gestingthorpe on the Essex border, that such jugs were manufactured. And, although our jug bears no inscription, it is this wonderful oversized globular form, and manganese rich glaze, that is strongly characteristic of the Gestingthorpe potters of the late seventeenth and eighteenth century.

It goes without saying; a scarce and delightful example of early country pottery.