Silver flagon, of slightly tapering cylindrical form with plain 'S'scroll handle with cast thumbpiece, the front engraved with armorials within a circle inscribed 'The gift of Thomas Kaddy' above another inscription 'This pot belongeth to the Parish Church of Great Alhallowe's in Thamstret London 1608', London hallmarks for 1608-9, maker's mark of Simon Owen.

Silver flagon, of slightly tapering cylindrical form with plain 'S'scroll handle with cast thumbpiece, the front prick-dot engraved with armorials within a circle inscribed 'The gift of Thomas Kaddy' above another inscription 'This pot belongeth to the Parish Church orf Great Alhallowe's in Thamstret London 1608', London hallmarks for 1608-9, maker's mark of Simon Owen.

The upper rim of the flagon embellished with a band of ovolos, the slightly domed lid with a tongue fluted border beneath a further band of ovolos and the top applied with a flattened disc finial bearing the smae armorials and inscription as on the front.

Private Collection

All-Hallows-the-Great was a church in the City of London, located on what is now Upper Thames Street, first mentioned in 1235. Destroyed in the Great Fire of London of 1666, the church was rebuilt by the office of Sir Christopher Wren. All-Hallows-the-Great was demolished in 1894. This Communion silver was passed to the ownership of St Michael's Paternoster Royal in 1893 and susequently to St James's Garlickhythe in 1954.

'The Lord's Supper'
A general improvement in the furnishing of English churches took place after the accession of James I in 1603. By the 1620s, most parishes possessed not only a communion cup and paten but also an alms dish and flagon. The advent of alms dishes reflected the new emphasis on collecting gifts of money (alms) for the poor instead of for the church. Many more flagons were made in response to ecclesiastical regulations of 1603 that ordered the provision of suitable vessels to contain wine for the communion cup.

Gifts by parishioners revived after decades of comparative neglect. Wealthy local patrons commissioned costly silver vessels to beautify the altar for the 'Lord's Supper', as the communion service was often termed. These were larger and more practical than earlier Protestant vessels and often came as matching sets. Benefactors also donated domestic flagons, dishes and cups for use in the church.

This is one of a pair of flagons given by Thomas Kaddy to the London parish church of All Hallows the Great in 1608.

After the accession of James I in 1603, there was a general improvement in the furnishing of English churches. Gifts by parishioners revived after decades of comparative neglect and wealthy local patrons commissioned costly silver vessels to beautify the altar. These were larger and more practical than earlier Protestant vessels and often came as matching sets. Also, new ecclesiastical regulations ordered the provision of suitable vessels to contain wine for the communion cup. This led to the manufacture of many flagons for church use. While domestic flagons from this period have often been melted down, the ones used in churches are more likely to survive.

LOAN:ST MICHAEL PATE.1