Silver, London hallmarks for 1617–18; maker’s mark ‘TC’ or ‘TO’

Lent by the Rector and Churchwardens of St Nicolas Parish Church, Witham.

‘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.

Maker's mark, TC or TO

This dish is of a standard domestic type, made for serving fruit or sweetmeats but it was given to the church of St Nicholas in Essex when still new, in 1617. It may have been used as an alms dish, though the scratches on the surface suggest it also acted as a paten, on which the priest cut up and served the communion bread.

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