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English blackjack leather jug. With silver collar, hallmarked Birmingham 1915 and silver maker's mark for T H Hazlewood & Co. The base of the leather jug is stamped with the makers name, D.K. Murray, Winchester. An early 20th century version, copying leather jugs that were typically first seen in British medieval and Tudor-era households and taverns that became popular due to their durability and practicality.
Dimensions: 28cm/ 11 inches (height) x 16cm/ 6¼ inches (width) x 11cm/ 4⅜ inches (depth).
The vessels were made from, so called, "jack" leather, created by soaking or boiling cowhide in hot water and then drying it on a mould to make it stiff and hard. The interior was then coated with a black substance, typically a mixture of brewer's pitch, pine resin, or beeswax, to make it watertight. This internal coating is the most widely accepted explanation for the "black" in "blackjack".