of course, date from the revolution of 1688, when party feeling on the one side ran as high in favour of Dutch William as it did on the other in favour of the House of Stuart. Many of them were undoubtedly produced in Ireland, the more interesting commemorating the battle of the Boyne. Some bear the portrait of the King—generally crossing the Boyne on horseback. Such specimens are exceedingly rare. Later ones bear only an inscription, “To the Immortal Memory,” or “To the Immortal Memory of the glorious King William,” with possibly a rosebud. These are, of course, more ordinary, but are still worth collecting, providing the purchaser can assure himself that they have not been specially prepared for his benefit.
The phrase above quoted is possibly a reminiscence of the toast given at Orange meetings: “To the glorious, pious, and immortal memory of the great and good King William, who freed us from Pope and popery, knavery and slavery, brass money and wooden shoes”—quite a creditable record of achievements.
The “boot” glasses, to which we refer among the freaks, were probably made in large numbers in George III.’s reign to testify to the national hatred of Lord Bute, whose punning emblem, “the boot,” was burnt by the mob in a thousand bonfires, whether justly or unjustly history fails to say. But there is no doubt that Bute was hated with a fury almost without precedent, and the King’s mother, whose favourite he was, was hated with equal intensity. In 1763 a jack-boot and a petticoat were publicly burnt at Temple Bar, and a crowned ass led through the streets by a man in a Scottish plaid. Boot glasses are generally from four and a half to five inches in height. They are often moulded to represent lacings in the front and trimmings at the sides, and were doubtless used for strong waters, cordials, and liqueurs.
Memorial glasses inscribed with the names of our great seamen are, of course, numerous. One to Admiral Hawke, inscribed “Success to the British Fleet” and dated 20th November 1759, was evidently made in commemoration of the battle of Quiberon Bay, in which that great seaman, deliberately ignoring the fighting instructions, flung convention to the winds and won a startling victory, and freed Britain from the dread of a French invasion. Similar glasses
| A “FIAT” GLASS SHEWING STUART ROSE WITH SIX PETALS. | UNION GLASS, CIRCA. 1801. | ARMORIAL GLASS. | WILLIAMITE GLASS. |
FIG. 21.
bear the names of Boscawen, Rodney, Anson, Keppel, and Nelson.
The “Nelson” glasses, as may be supposed, are particularly interesting. Some bear the hero’s portrait; others are adorned with a representation of his famous flagship; others, again, were made in commemoration of his death and his burial in St Paul’s Cathedral.