Rummer

Object Type
This rummer is entirely typical of the type made around 1790-1810, having a heavy, square press-moulded foot and capacious bowl. They were used mainly for beer or cider, but may also have been appropriate for mixer drinks such as brandy or rum diluted with water.

Time
British sea power was crucial to winning the war against Napoleon and the empire-building ambitions of the new French republic. After successive great sea battles, culminating in Trafalgar in 1805, the French fleet was completely destroyed, severing the supply line to Napoleon's expeditionary force in Egypt.

In the early years of the 19th century, while the French army was actively pushing into neighbouring European countries, the British public were hungry for naval victories and intensely proud of Admiral Lord Nelson, who died on board his flagship Victory at Trafalgar. In 1806, the large number of rummers rather sketchily engraved with Nelson's extraordinary funeral car confirm the great esteem in which he was held. This particular rummer probably dates from about 1800-1805, when the figure of Britannia ruling the waves was a highly popular image. The unidentified owner, 'JB', may well have had some naval connection.