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John Ellis (Manufacturer)

This mug is made of cream earthenware with a brown-dipped rim. The body has been moulded in two halves and incorporates a design, in low relief, of countrymen and trees. It is thought to have been made by John Ellis of Bristol. It was used by the donor's family who have lived at Sackers Green near Great Cornard, Suffolk, for about three hundred years.

1 mug: [earthenware]; fair condition: cracked rim , chipped

Letter, MERL to V&A, 11 February 1981 - ...'I must confess I had not previously noticed that the mug was moulded in two halves - the join can be detected along the line of the trees I mentioned. // Furthermore, this mug shows, like many other utensils found in rural households, that country people were not quite so dependent on locally made products as some people make out...', Letter, V&A to MERL, 4 February 1981 – ...'The V&A has an almost identical mug, but without the brown-dipped rim, marked Ellis Bristol, and I think it is safe to attribute your piece to him. Little is known of John Ellis, except that he worked at Bristol and/or Bovey Tracey in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The body of the specimen in the V&A is a hard, fine earthenware with a lead glaze, the piece being moulded in two halves. In ceramic terms, mugs of this type are certainly at the lower end of the market, and would indeed be very suitable for farmhouse use. Since Bristol was a port trading with many places around Britain, it seems quite likely that the mug reached Suffolk by sea rather than by land...', Letter, MERL to V&A, 20 January 1981 - ...'I have designed an exhibition on the way of life of farmers which is shortly to open, and amongst objects chosen for one of the displays is this mug shown in the enclosed photograph. It is of significance from our point of view because it comes from a farmhouse in Suffolk which the same family has occupied for 300 years. Furthermore, it seems typical of the fairly simple earthenware that found its way into the countryside in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. // Unfortunately I am not too sure about its date and provenance. Just a few extra details: it is 12.9cms high, the maximum diameter, at the base, is 9.9cms. The base is in effect a 'standing rim', because the bottom of the mug is set up about 1cm, inside the rim. The design consists of two trees, opposite each other, between which are scenes of countrymen, from the waist upwards, wearing loose clothing and floppy hats. One of the two trees is exactly on the line of the handle, and the quality of the relief generally, is rather poor...'

Bristol, Bovey Tracey

1780 - 1780

Ceramic, earthenware, Glaze

Fired, Glazed