Jugs with applied slip and moulded decoration were characteristic of the pottery making centres in Normandy in the 13th century. Many of their products have been found in excavations in England, especially in and around port cities such as Southampton. Undoubtedly, this technique of ceramic decoration influenced the pottery-making centres in England.

In the centre of the jug is a round brooch made of 10 applied pads of clay, each depressed by thumb towards the body. This type of ring brooch was popular in medieval dress in the latter part of the 13th and into the first part of the 14th century. There are other examples of anthropomorphic jugs with ring brooches from this period in the British Museum and in the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum in Coventry.

There has been much speculation over the 'thumbing' found around the footrim of medieval jugs and as seen in this example. Many of the jugs that display this feature have convex, or 'sagging' bottoms. It has been considered that the thumbing was done to counteract this sagging thus enabling the jug to rest more securely on a flat surface without rolling. However, recent experimentation by a potter who has made extensive study of medieval ceramic manufacturing techniques has thrown much new light on this issue.

It had previously been believed that the convex ('sagging') bases on medieval jugs was due to the still wet pot being lifted from the turning wheel. However, if this were the case, the wet clay would have torn rather than sagged. It seems that the sag was created deliberately by the potter when the pot was still on the wheel. The base of the jug could be pressed outwards from the inside of the jug. This would also reduce the amount of contact between the jug and the surface of the wheel and actually aid in its safe removal.

Tests were undertaken using replica medieval jugs with convex bottoms. When filled with liquids, these jugs were stable when placed on a table and did not roll about as had been previously assumed. Additionally, the fact that these jugs had rounded bottoms meant that they could be tilted whilst on the table and their contents poured into drinking containers without having to lift the heavy jugs.

These experiments would indicate then that the thumbed footrim feature on medieval jugs was purely decorative rather than functional. However, other experiments on medieval kiln firing techniques and practices show that the thumbed footrim had a practical function. In order to maximise the space in the kiln, the pots were stacked upside down on top of each other. This means that the top of one pot would come into contact with the bottom of another. By reducing the amount of contact between these pots the separation of any that may have fused together from dripping glaze would be made easier with much less risk of damage.