Hello and thank you for looking at my listing. You are bidding for one Brown Jug from Arthur Wood that celebrates "The Diverting History of John Gilpin" which was a comic ballad penned by the 18th-century poet, William Cowper. 

Gilpin was said to be a wealthy draper from London, who owned land at Olney, Buckinghamshire, near where Cowper lived. The poem tells how he lost control of his borrowed horse and was separated from his wife and children who travelled in a chaise, whilst on an outing to the Bell Inn, Edmonton to celebrate their wedding anniversary of "twice ten tedious years". The horse bolted soon after leaving home and John Gilpin was forced to hang on, upon arriving in Edmonton his wife was waiting at the inn and cried "The dinner waits, and we are tired", Gilpin said, "So am I!". But the horse had other ideas: "But yet his horse was not a whit Inclined to tarry there; For why?--his owner had a house, full ten miles off, at Ware". After arriving at Ware the horse bolted again, Mrs Gilpin persuaded an ostler to chase after John and bring him back, but he only managed to scare the horse into a faster gallop! After further adventures, such as being mistaken for a thief and chased by six gentlemen also on horseback, John Gilpin and the horse end up back home in Cheapside, London.

The jug is decorated with the horse's head mounted proudly on the handle plus two scenes from Gilpin's ride, one where he is galloping past the Bell Inn where his wife and children are leaning out of a window and the other depicts him being chased.

While photographing and describing the items as accurately as possible, I understand you may have questions. If this is the case, please don't hesitate to message me. You can zoom in on the photos to see more detail. Items are sold as seen.

Good luck!