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Peace & Plenty jug on eBay - any ideas?

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neilh:
Hi folks,

I noticed this piece on eBay today.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/PRESSED-GLASS-COMMEMORATIVE-PEACE-AND-PLENTY-JUG-/170533985893?pt=UK_Art_Glass

The owner thinks it is 20th century commemorative, but I have the suspicion with the "peace & plenty" on it, and what look like ears of corn, it could be a Corn Law commemorative, possibly quite early, circa 1850.

There are several of these "Peace & Plenty" glass pieces out there. Has anyone got a firm idea on the maker for any of them, or a thought on the date?

David E:
Wasn't pressed glass in the UK introduced after 1850? I thought it was something like 1860-70, but could be mistaken. The dimpled effect for the lettering is also seen from Victorian times right up to the 1930s, so a wide date range to aim at.

neilh:
I believe pressed glass in the UK started in Birmingham in 1831 with the Rice Harris works. I have read a 19th century article which states that pressed glass production probably migrated to the northeast in 1835. The books are silent on my main interest, Manchester glass, but I think the Manchester factories were also producing pressed glass in the 1830s. I have written proof that Molineaux & Webb were making pressed glass in 1843, and pattern designs which I believe go back to 1837 or earlier. I also have a piece of pressed glass which I believe to date to circa 1840 and made by Molineaux Webb.

Early pressings are very rough and if you look at the eBay jug you can see the pattern of raised dots around the rim is very uneven, which led me to think that it is early.

"Peace & Plenty" was a rallying cry for the Anti Corn Law League in the 1840s. There is a pressed glass plate of Corn Law campaigner John Bright with the words "Peace & Plenty" on it. I have strong circumstantial evidence that this was made by Molineaux Webb and would maybe date to circa 1850. I was hoping therefore that this jug might be part of a Corn Law set if you like, but the style of the jug does not look like Manchester to me. More of a northeast style I would say. There's also a large "Peace & Plenty" plate.

David E:
Thanks for clearing that up - on checking this would appear to be the case, so earlier than I first thought. I was probably thinking of  when a certain manufacturer started pressing glass!

BTW, there are a few pages relating to Manchester glasshouses in Francis Buckley's Old English Glass Houses, ISBN: 9780900682469, where Thomas Molineaux is mentioned. it is rather expensive but can be bought from the Science of Glass Technology (www.sgt.org) - good book but no index so a real PITA to find anything...

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neilh:
I have a copy of Old English Glass Houses. The section on Manchester is actually incorrect. It says Maginnis Molineaux & Co split up into Maginnis & Co, Thomas Molineaux and William Robinson, but Robinson was never part of Maginnis Molineaux & Co.

There was a short lived firm called Robinson, Perrin & Maginnis which split up and I believe led to William Robinson opening a glass works in Hulme.

I'm including a photo of my John Bright Peace & Plenty plate so this thread will still make a little sense once the eBay item has gone...

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