George III silver tankard

As a particularly good example from the period in both design and quality, this late 18th century silver tankard features an open-work thumbpiece surmounting the cover and decorated with reeded girdles around the upper and lower parts of the body. The interior is gilded.

The maker's mark is indistinct and is attributed to John Denzilow, but the hallmarks are crisp.

A tankard is a lidded drinking vessel. Unlidded drinking vessels with a handle are called mugs. Although it seems strange now to drink out of a lidded vessel this was the norm until the second half of the 18th century. Perhaps this was because ceilings were not plastered underneath, so without a lid you stood the risk of having dirt, straw and spiders dropping into your ale.