Toby and Character Jugs

Although the first Toby jug was made in the 18th century, their origins go back two hundred years to the German jugs in the shape of bears and then the later Staffordshire owl jugs. There is no agreement about how they received their name. Some people say it is based on Shakespeare's Sir Toby Belch but the majority of experts agree the most likely source is Toby Fillpot (or Philpot), a legendary drinker whose real name was Henry Elwes, reputed to have drunk two thousand gallons of strong ale.

The first known Toby jug was made in the late 18th century in the form of a seated man, wearing an 18th century tricorn hat, a white stock around his neck and the long coat, knee breeches and buckled shoes, typical of 18th century dress. The figure usually holds a tankard. This was followed by figures of a drunken parson, a convict, a miner with a blackened face and other recognisable stereotypical figures.

The father and son potters, both called Ralph Wood, of Staffordshire are credited with producing the first Toby jugs. These pieces were quite unlike the vividly coloured ones we see today. Their colours were drab blues, browns, yellows and greys.

Toby jugs increased in popularity and, during the 18th and 19th centuries, were manufactured by many potteries. The range of characters increased and included national and regional personalities. By the 19th century, many English and European companies were reproducing the original 18th centuries figures but in much brighter colours. During the 19th century, Toby jugs were made by European factories in both pottery and porcelain but these pieces often have no identifying marks.

*Picture copyright Thrift Store Addict used under the Creative Commons License

Because many of the early figures used in Toby jugs have been produced almost continuously, dating them can be difficult, especially for the new collector. The signs of a very early example include a subdued palette of colours, the centre of the tricorn hat is a removable lid and an impressed mark 'Ra WOOD BURSLEM'. Of course, none of these will guarantee that a piece is early or made by either the father or son, Ralph Wood.

Eleven Wilkinson Toby Jugs
Designed by Sir F Carruthers-Gould (1844-1925)Giclee Print
Buy at AllPosters.com

In 1815 Doulton began making Toby jugs still using subdued colours. Just over one hundred years later, one of Doulton's designers, Charles Noke, revamped the traditional design. Instead of a seated figure, his Toby jugs featured just the head and shoulders of the figure. These 'character' jugs, as they are called, were launched in 1934 with John Barleycorn who symbolised whisky.

This piece was such a huge success that other figures were quickly added. These included Sairey Gamp, Dick Turpin and John Peel (the historic fox hunting man, not the DJ).

Louis Armstrong Character Jug
from Royal Doulton

Doulton made a feature of the handles of their character jugs. Initially, most of their early jugs had plain handles although Dick Turpin's handle was in the form of a gun and some of the clown jugs had multi-coloured handles. Gradually, though, the handles were used to add information about the character. For example, the Duchess from 'Alice in Wonderland' has a handle in the shape of a flamingo while a character jug dating from 1947 of a Yeoman of the Guard (Beefeater) from the Tower of London has GR on the handle for George Rex. As can be seen on the picture above, the handle on Captain Hook is his nemesis, the Crocodile.

Current Royal Doulton character jugs include a Woman of the Territorial Army to celebrate the part they played in the Second World War. The handle on this jug features a glove, hammer and spanner. This is a limited edition of 250 and retails at £65. Last year, to celebrate the bicentenary of the Battle of Trafalgar, the company made a jug of Lord Nelson. This handle incorporated the bow of HMS Victory, the White Ensign flag and a cannon. The sale of this model from Royal Doulton was time limited to 2005 and sold for £150.

Set of 3 Sairey Gamp Royal Doulton Character Jugs
You could collect sets of jugs like this, or specialise in one size of each.

There are some basic points new collectors should check before buying. One UK dealer in Toby and character jugs advises buyers to look for hairline cracks. He says, "Hairline cracks can be difficult to spot so you need to look at the piece in a good light. You also need to check for repairs especially along the rim and the handle. Additionally, beware of seconds. On these, the centre of the Royal Doulton backstamp has been drilled out. These are not of great value in comparison to a first quality item of the same jug."

He also suggest that you should concentrate on a subject area that interests you otherwise your collection can quite quickly get out of hand because there are so many different versions of character jugs available. There are a number of series such as American Presidents and Characters from Literature. Many of these are available in different sizes so you can choose to collect one particular size or focus on collecting the items that are available in different sizes.

He also makes the point that catalogue prices can be inaccurate when deciding if you have found a bargain. Auction websites have driven down prices considerably but you do take the risk that the item may not be quite what it seems.

With care, collecting Toby and character jugs can be a colourful and rewarding hobby and your collection might eventually increase in value if you buy wisely.