Peterloo, Henry Hunt and Francis Burdett commemorative pottery.
On Monday August 16th 1819 approximately 15 people attending a mass meeting in Manchester were to lose their lives violently. Transfer printed pottery was produced to commemorate the tragedy. Transfer prints for other tragic events, for example the Death of Nelson, show a portrait of the deceased and Britannia weeping at a tomb, and those for the Swaithe Main Colliery disaster, a roll call of the dead. The Peterloo transfers do not identify the individuals who suffered. The images of violence and the personal tragedy of the 15 are used to politically symbolise the attack against the liberty of the people.
Peterloo beaker.
A small beaker showing a cavalryman riding over a woman. She is holding a flag on which is written "LIBERTY OR DEATH". The horse is also about to trample on banners displaying "NO CORN LAWS" and "HUNT & LIBERTY". The scene is titled "MURDERD (sic) ON THE PLAINS OF PETERLOO". The image is symbolic, the two people shown are not identified, however on the list of fatalities there is a Mary Heyes (Hays) of Chorlton Green, Manchester , "Knocked down trampled by cavalry..."
http://www.peterloomassacre.org/names.html
http://www.peterloomassacre.org/names.html
Peterloo jug.
A pink lustre decorated jug with portrait of "HENRY HUNT Esq.r" captioned "THE PERSEVERING ADVOCATE of the PEOPLE'S RIGHTS." The reverse shows the same scene as the mug above.
Henry Hunt puzzle jug 1819.
This jug, dated 1819 as a presentation piece for "S. Edge" , does not refer to Peterloo so may have been made before. The word "Perjury" may refer to his trial although his imprisonment was not until 1820. The portrait transfer includes a rolled up "Bill of Rights", a Phrygian cap with "Liberty" and a flag with "Universal Suffrage" flying from a tower.
Either side of the portrait transfer are verses as follows:
May the Rose of England never blow
Nor the Thistle of Scotland never grow
Nor the Harp of Ireland never play
Till HENRY HUNT has won the day
(surrounded by roses, thistles, shamrock and a harp)
Henry Hunt that pillar bright
The father of the poor
Kind heaven will protect
And from villains keep secure
(with a "Magna Carta" scroll and flags showing "Liberty & Protection" and "PERJURY". The second verse may refer to the dangers of his imprisonment.
There is a tube which starts at the bottom of the jug, is concealed by the handle and connects to the spouts. The "puzzle" works by holding the jug upright, stopping two of the spouts with finger tips while sucking on the third.
Either side of the portrait transfer are verses as follows:
May the Rose of England never blow
Nor the Thistle of Scotland never grow
Nor the Harp of Ireland never play
Till HENRY HUNT has won the day
(surrounded by roses, thistles, shamrock and a harp)
Henry Hunt that pillar bright
The father of the poor
Kind heaven will protect
And from villains keep secure
(with a "Magna Carta" scroll and flags showing "Liberty & Protection" and "PERJURY". The second verse may refer to the dangers of his imprisonment.
There is a tube which starts at the bottom of the jug, is concealed by the handle and connects to the spouts. The "puzzle" works by holding the jug upright, stopping two of the spouts with finger tips while sucking on the third.
Peterloo Plates from "The political house that Jack built".
These two plates have transfers taken from the 1819 Reformist pamphlet "The Political House that Jack Built". https://archive.org/details/politicalhouseth1819hone/page/n13
Of the many George Cruickshank illustrations in the pamphlet it appears that these are the only ones seen on pottery. The plates are quite deep so may have been soup plates. They are the actual plates that appear in the books by John May and Lincoln Hallinan (Commemorative Pottery 1780 - 1900 (1972) and British Commemoratives: Royalty, Politics, War and Sport. (1995) respectively.)
The first has a scene of the massacre with survivors in the foreground captioned, "What man seeing this, and having human feelings, does not blush, and hang his head to think himself a man?" The massacre scene again shows a female figure being trampled on.
Of the many George Cruickshank illustrations in the pamphlet it appears that these are the only ones seen on pottery. The plates are quite deep so may have been soup plates. They are the actual plates that appear in the books by John May and Lincoln Hallinan (Commemorative Pottery 1780 - 1900 (1972) and British Commemoratives: Royalty, Politics, War and Sport. (1995) respectively.)
The first has a scene of the massacre with survivors in the foreground captioned, "What man seeing this, and having human feelings, does not blush, and hang his head to think himself a man?" The massacre scene again shows a female figure being trampled on.
The second plate show 3 men identified as Sidmouth, Castlereagh and Canning with the caption, "Dream after dream ensues, and still they dream that they shall succeed and still are disappointed". Sidmouth (Henry Addington) was Home Secretary, Castlereagh was Leader of the House of Commons and Canning M.P. for Liverpool. In the pamphlet they are described as "The Guilty Trio".
Francis Burdett.
Francis Burdett was an M.P. and energetic Reformer who in 1810 was imprisoned in the Tower of London for libelling the House of Commons. Phillip's Pottery of Sunderland produced commemorative mugs and bowls in creamware at this time. Burdett was also outraged by the events of Peterloo and once again was imprisoned for publishing a seditious libel.
This jug, dated 1820, uses the same transfer that appeared on the 1810 creamware except that "Phillip's" has been changed to "DIXON". The caption reads; "SIR FRANCIS BURDETT THE CHAMPION OF BRITISH FREEDOM" "Engraved by T Robson for DIXON & Co Sunderland Pottery". This jug also commemorates the General Election of 1820. On one side is written "Powlett for Ever" and on the other "Lambton for EVER". Both were re-elected M.P.s for Durham. The jug is dedicated to "Wm & Eliz Parkin Westauckland (sic) 1820".
Two of the following 3 items are not dated. The mugs may be circa 1819 rather than 1810.
This silver lustre decorated mug has a portrait with the caption, "Sir Francis Burdett Bart M.P. The determined enemy of corruption& the constitutional friend of his SOVEREIGN."
A slightly different transfer on this silver lustre decorated jug. Burdett's name does not appear under his portrait, but there is the same "determined enemy..." caption as the above mug.The reverse has:
Sir FRANCIS BURDETT
Bart MP
Committed to the Tower
6 April 1810
by the House of Commons for firmly
and disinterestedly asserting
the legal rights of
the British
people.
Sir FRANCIS BURDETT
Bart MP
Committed to the Tower
6 April 1810
by the House of Commons for firmly
and disinterestedly asserting
the legal rights of
the British
people.
A canary yellow decorated mug with the verse:
The sun of Old England
Can never be sett
While Freedom is seen
Hand-in-hand with Burdett
A free British Spirit
Runs high in his veins
So here's to the right
Which unfetter'd
remains.
The sun of Old England
Can never be sett
While Freedom is seen
Hand-in-hand with Burdett
A free British Spirit
Runs high in his veins
So here's to the right
Which unfetter'd
remains.