Topic: Spirit measures - cut, pressed, pub, Scottish, 1/4 gill

[Paul S.]

I won't give the height, or the wording, both of which may well give the game away.      Haven't done well in the past with attempts at a quiz  -  you're all too clever  -  but don't believe I've seen one of these before, so it may last for more than five minutes
Whatever else, I think it's an interesting piece although now no longer used for its original purpose, and perhaps unusual in glass maybe.?

[keith]

Got me,a  vase for one stick of celery?

[Carolyn Preston]

I'm thinking bulb vase, but I wouldn't begin to guess the maker.

Carolyn

[Mosquito]

Seems to be an engraved line around the top, so I'm guessing a spirit measure ?

[Paul S.]

Obviously nowhere near difficult enough  -  Steven is correct with spirit measure, although I think this one is more interesting to us than the usual modern metal cups  -  it is in fact a quarter gill measure.
Apparently the 1⁄4 gill was previously the most common measure in Scotland, and may still remain as the standard measure in pubs in Ireland  -  although I think most measures are now based on metric equivalents .    It seems that in England we had a smaller spirits capacity of one sixth of a gill.
Around the top of this example is engraved '1/4 gill' - (with Steven's line), and the dark blob is in fact a lead seal which goes penetrates the thickness of the glass and is stamped on the outside with a crown followed by ER and the no. 35.          However, of most interest is the engraving around the lower portion which says "Richardson's Patent B623".    There is slice cutting round the neck and punties around the base, and it stands 3.3/4" tall  -  most of the base is taken up with the ground/polished pontil depression.         The script is quite florid, and looks earlier than I'd associate with Elizabeth's reign.
Anyway, just thought it was interesting, and if anyone wishes to add anything please feel free.

P.S.    commiserations to Carolyn and Keith

[chopin-liszt]

There used to be a pub in Edinburgh (it may still be there) called "The Quarter Gill".
I've just googled. There are Quarter Gills in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dundee.

However... it would appear to be a new "retro" thing to call pubs!
I can't seem to find any references to the really old original ones. 

(I thought it was a vinagrette, but too late to make a contribution.)

[Paul S.]

quote from Sue........."(I thought it was a vinagrette, but too late to make a contribution.)"...........nope - whether made before or after doesn't matter  -  you had a guess, and although utterly and completely wide of the mark, I can add you to the list of failed attempts.        I seem unable to generate a really good quiz question, but this way at least I can increase the number of failed guesses, which makes me feel as though I got a little mileage out of it.
My dear old granny carried a small bottle (much smaller than this in fact) in her handbag, which was for smelling salts, which is what I'm assuming you are implying, and this contained a quantity of crystals soaked in ammonia on the top of which was a small pad of cotton wool.        From memory it was potent, and might have vanquished almost any unwelcome odour.   I believe they were often made in silver.
However, I admire your honesty

What perhaps I might have said was.............do people think this is the Richardson that we refer to when speaking of glass?

[chopin-liszt]

I didn't mean a nosegay vinagrette, I meant an individual vinegar vinagrette. Missing a partner for oil.

Smelling salts were introduced when fashionable women had frequent fainting episodes caused by lace-up corsets which were far too tight.
The shock of the stink was meant to bring them round. 

[Paul S.]

ahhhh, now I seeeeeeee ..............probably what you meant to say was a cruet for a liquid condiment - although it would have been missing its stopper and should have had a pouring lip.           I had some idea that your sort were also for waiving under the nose when walking in areas populated by the working classes.

[keith]

Great find Paul.I've a number of pewter measures with similar marks,one of my books does mention glass measures but says very little apart than any marked (stencilled) pieces are unlikely to be before 1880.