The Wenlok Jug
The Wenlok Jug is one of the highlights of the collections and the centrepiece of the display welcoming visitors to Stockwood Discovery Centre.
The Wenlok Jug
The Wenlok Jug is a rare example of metalwork that can be associated with royalty from the 1400s and is decorated with coats of arms, badges and inscribed with the words “MY LORD WENLOK”.
How it came to the museum
In May 2005, Sotheby’s offered for sale as: Lot 47: My Lord Wenlok’s Tankard: an English Bronze Jug, late 14th or 15th Century. This was part of the contents from the Easton Neston Estate in Northamptonshire put up for sale by Lord Hesketh. The jug was brought by a London art dealer for the New York Metropolitan Museum. However, the Committee on the Export of Works of Art put an export ban in the jug after expert witnesses made the case that it was a nationally significant object for the study of metalworking. The export ban gave a temporary reprieve to the jug and an opportunity for a public organisation to the raise the funding needed to keep it in the country.
Because of its close associations with Luton and Bedfordshire, Museums Luton undertook the delicate process of trying to raise the funds to purchase the jug. The friends of the Luton Museums immediately pledges their support. The National Heritage memorial Fund and Art Fund gave major sums and the Headley Trust, Worshipful Company of Founders and other generous charities and individuals came forward too. The jug was saved and arrived in Luton in May 2006.
What we know of the Jug’s history
We know that the jug was in the possession of Thomas William Fermor the 4th Earl of Pomfret in 1831. It is not certain how it came to be in the possession of the family, although several of his ancestors were well known collectors. The Hesketh family married into the Fermor family in 1846 and it was only at the Hesketh auction in 2005 that the jug was brought back to public attention. A book about the jug from 1831 describes the jug and assumes that it was made for John, Lord Wenlok, but offers no explanation as to how it came into possession of the Fermor family.
We can learn more about the history of the jug from the symbols and wording that appear on it. The English royal arms, as generally used between 1340 and 1405, appear on the body of the jug. The Royal coat of arms is used to identify the head of state or the sovereign. There were a number of changes to the design of the coat of arms in this period and several monarchs reused the design of previous kings.
The Jug also bears an unknown maker’s or merchant’s mark on its neck. This would have been scratched into the mould before casting and is important, as two other similar jugs, in the British Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum, do not appear to have maker’s mark. The Wenlok Jug and its other contemporaries provide a unique opportunity for further research in medieval metal working and the wide social context. However, we can learn the most from the wording around the jug. The jug is embossed with the words, MY LORD WENLOK. This leads us to look at who might the jug have been made for.
Who might it belong to?
The inscription ‘MY LORD WENLOK’ is likely to relate to one of two people, John, the first Lord Wenlock, or his great-uncle William.
John, 1st Lord Wenlock (about 1400-1471)
In November 1460 John was made a Lord by King Edward IV. John’s main estates were in Bedfordshire, centred around Luton. He also managed estates in Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Middlesex and the Duchy of Cornwall. He started building a large house in Luton, called ‘Someries’. It was never finished, but its substantial ruin, near the airport, remains one of the earliest brick buildings in Bedfordshire. Lord Wenlock also rebuilt and extended the ‘Wenlock’ chapel in St. Mary’s Church in Luton around 1461. Lord Wenlock was MP for Bedfordshire in the 1430s to 1440s, and in 1455-56 was elected as Speaker of the House of Commons. He was also Sheriff of Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire in 1444-45. In July 1461 he was granted the office of Chief Butler of England. He died at the Battle of Tewkesbury in 1471 fighting with the Lancastrians in the Wars of the Roses.
William Wenlock (died 1391)
William was born at Wenlock in Shropshire. In 1373 he managed one third of the manor of Luton and the Hundred of Flitte. He was Master of Farley Hospital in Luton from at least 1377 until his death. As Master of Farley he also held the Lordships of Farley and Whipperley. William was also a Canon of St. Paul’s Cathedral from 1362, Archdeacon of Rochester from 1376 and recorded in 1381 as Canon of the King’s Chapel. William is buried in St Mary’s Church, Luton.
We hope that future research will help to date the Wenlok Jug more precisely.
The Wenlok Jug has inspired a series of community workshops where participants created their own version of the jug in clay. You can see some examples on display.
The Wenlok Jug is a rare example of metalwork that can be associated with royalty from the 1400s and is decorated with coats of arms, badges and inscribed with the words “MY LORD WENLOK”.
How it came to the museum
In May 2005, Sotheby’s offered for sale as: Lot 47: My Lord Wenlok’s Tankard: an English Bronze Jug, late 14th or 15th Century. This was part of the contents from the Easton Neston Estate in Northamptonshire put up for sale by Lord Hesketh. The jug was brought by a London art dealer for the New York Metropolitan Museum. However, the Committee on the Export of Works of Art put an export ban in the jug after expert witnesses made the case that it was a nationally significant object for the study of metalworking. The export ban gave a temporary reprieve to the jug and an opportunity for a public organisation to the raise the funding needed to keep it in the country.
Because of its close associations with Luton and Bedfordshire, Museums Luton undertook the delicate process of trying to raise the funds to purchase the jug. The friends of the Luton Museums immediately pledges their support. The National Heritage memorial Fund and Art Fund gave major sums and the Headley Trust, Worshipful Company of Founders and other generous charities and individuals came forward too. The jug was saved and arrived in Luton in May 2006.
What we know of the Jug’s history
We know that the jug was in the possession of Thomas William Fermor the 4th Earl of Pomfret in 1831. It is not certain how it came to be in the possession of the family, although several of his ancestors were well known collectors. The Hesketh family married into the Fermor family in 1846 and it was only at the Hesketh auction in 2005 that the jug was brought back to public attention. A book about the jug from 1831 describes the jug and assumes that it was made for John, Lord Wenlok, but offers no explanation as to how it came into possession of the Fermor family.
We can learn more about the history of the jug from the symbols and wording that appear on it. The English royal arms, as generally used between 1340 and 1405, appear on the body of the jug. The Royal coat of arms is used to identify the head of state or the sovereign. There were a number of changes to the design of the coat of arms in this period and several monarchs reused the design of previous kings.
The Jug also bears an unknown maker’s or merchant’s mark on its neck. This would have been scratched into the mould before casting and is important, as two other similar jugs, in the British Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum, do not appear to have maker’s mark. The Wenlok Jug and its other contemporaries provide a unique opportunity for further research in medieval metal working and the wide social context. However, we can learn the most from the wording around the jug. The jug is embossed with the words, MY LORD WENLOK. This leads us to look at who might the jug have been made for.
Who might it belong to?
The inscription ‘MY LORD WENLOK’ is likely to relate to one of two people, John, the first Lord Wenlock, or his great-uncle William.
John, 1st Lord Wenlock (about 1400-1471)
In November 1460 John was made a Lord by King Edward IV. John’s main estates were in Bedfordshire, centred around Luton. He also managed estates in Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Middlesex and the Duchy of Cornwall. He started building a large house in Luton, called ‘Someries’. It was never finished, but its substantial ruin, near the airport, remains one of the earliest brick buildings in Bedfordshire. Lord Wenlock also rebuilt and extended the ‘Wenlock’ chapel in St. Mary’s Church in Luton around 1461. Lord Wenlock was MP for Bedfordshire in the 1430s to 1440s, and in 1455-56 was elected as Speaker of the House of Commons. He was also Sheriff of Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire in 1444-45. In July 1461 he was granted the office of Chief Butler of England. He died at the Battle of Tewkesbury in 1471 fighting with the Lancastrians in the Wars of the Roses.
William Wenlock (died 1391)
William was born at Wenlock in Shropshire. In 1373 he managed one third of the manor of Luton and the Hundred of Flitte. He was Master of Farley Hospital in Luton from at least 1377 until his death. As Master of Farley he also held the Lordships of Farley and Whipperley. William was also a Canon of St. Paul’s Cathedral from 1362, Archdeacon of Rochester from 1376 and recorded in 1381 as Canon of the King’s Chapel. William is buried in St Mary’s Church, Luton.
We hope that future research will help to date the Wenlok Jug more precisely.
The Wenlok Jug has inspired a series of community workshops where participants created their own version of the jug in clay. You can see some examples on display.
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