Objects
Wassail Cup, Cup
Alcohol
Consumption
Company and drinking groups
5830ml
[Taken from catalogue entry]
A wassail bowl, dated 1685. The small urn attached to the lid, contains a small drinking cup of wood.
Inscription:
Round the rim, inscribed ‘C T of Boton fecit 1685’
In centre, ‘S W A’ in triangle, in similar script.
‘Wassail’ comes from the old English words ‘Waes hael’, meaning ‘Be whole’ or ‘Be well’. The ceremony of wassailing was popular at Christmas and New Year, when it was used in convivial gatherings. The wassail bowl would be decorated with ribbons and rosemary, then carried round the streets by maidens who sang carols as they went - this custom still survives in some parts of Yorkshire. A general recipe contained ale, apples and spice.
Wassail bowls are almost exclusively made from the ‘guaiacum tree’, a Brazilian tree known as the tree of life, or lignum vitae, thought to possess medicinal qualities.
[5830ml is approximately equivalent to a gallon and a quart of ale (5776ml)]
Creator
C T
[Not specified]
Wood turner
Production
Dates of Production: 1685
Consumer
S W A
[Not specified]
Consumption
Boton
Materials
Wood (inc. treen)
Museological Details
D.O.W/21
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