Georgian “Hodge Podge Club ” Glass c1770

Description

A rare Georgian engraved glass c1770. It has two cartouches around the bowl. one graved with the words HODGE PODGE and the other ‘5^th MAY 1752’. The engravings are of a very high standard. the lettering being feathered with polished detailing. Sits on a long tapering scale facet cut stem above a conical foot with snapped pontil.

Glasgow. in the 18th century. had a number of staple mercantile trades that underpinned its wealth. It is generally accepted that the curing and export of salmon and herring to the near continent was first and foremost amongst them. but the stock of the others tended to rise and fall in order of merit in accordance with the fortunes of those who sought to make there livelihoods therefrom – subject to the unpredictable and cyclical vagaries of business. Shipbuilding. cotton. sugar and iron all took their turns as the city’s pre-eminent business undertakings. as – in the middle of the century – did tobacco.

Having first imported “the addictive weed” from the Eastern Seaboard of the Americas in 1718. Glasgow embraced and exploited the trade so successfully that competitors in English ports were driven to the point of bankruptcy. The usually highly self-interested traders south of the border sought to band together to bring down their Glaswegian rivals. imploring the government of the day to intercede on their behalf. but their protestations fell on deaf ears and they failed dismally. By the midpoint of the century.Glasgow was in receipt of more than two thirds of all tobacco imported in to the UK. and traders were reaping the benefits accordingly.
 
The leading lights of the trade had. for some years. met fortnightly on a social basis at Cruikshank’s Tavern. and were wont to pass the evening in “so convivial or rather so jovial a manner” that they soon decided to structure their informal fraternity along more organised lines to preserve their happy clique. They began to take records of their meetings from 5th May 1752. with an initial determination to discuss weighty matters of the day and to muse upon literary or political issues soon falling out of favour to be replaced with an agenda of card games. dining and. more pertinently. drinking. The name of The Hodge Podge club was first recorded in these initial minutes. apparently being taken from the common term of reference for the thick vegetable broth on which members regularly dined. amidst profuse libations and uproarious toasts.
 
It was a stated regulation that “expensive liquors” were to be banished from club proceedings.

….and to their honour be it mentioned that.

banishing expensive liquors. they limited their

carousals to punch or toddy. to porter and

brandy ; stomach complaints not being at that

time come into fashion.

the rules of the club state clearly that 

“No wine except port wine shall be allowed

to be used at the ordinary meetings of the Club.

Madeira may be used on the Anniversary. but

no French wines shall ever be called for on any

pretence whatever. “

The rules of the club make for a very good read. there are restrictions on wagers with the fines invariably requiring bottles of anything alcoholic . though not French in origin. The club clearly took their drinking and their glasses seriously. It is reported in the history of the club that  “On 30th July. 1761. being the Anniversary.  a collection of 5s. from each member. amounting  to 65s. in all. was made ” in order to pay for  five dozen h.p glasses and charges attending  the bringing them from London. the same being   £3 2S – 3d  “

“On 10th December. 1767. Mr. Baird. “toying  with Mr. Dunlop. misfortunately broke two  glasses”. .” For this offence ” Master Baird paid  a crown and crowed like a cock at Christmas.”  

Thus it is evident that the glasses were first ordered in 1761 but it does not state when they arrived. It is also evident that many were broken and that fines were imposed to order replacements. a crown being almost exactly equivalent to the original purchase price of the glasses broken. It does state in the history of the club that three of the original glasses were remaining at the time the history was first written. Damages were anticipated by the founders of the club. 13 members do not require 60 glasses.  This is the second glass that we have had and the fifth that we know of. Dating must depend therefore on the glass itself. This glass has good tooling.  dark metal. the foot join is 18th century. the cutting is scalloped. all indications of an 18th century example. This may not and most probably ( 94 percent certainty) is not one of the original five dozen glasses. but it is certainly early no later than 1780 . Others have been on the market and claims that they date to 1761 are spurious or simply highly improbable at best based on the evidence available.  English lead. no chips cracks or restoration. it measures 6 ¾ inches tall with a 2 1/8 inch rim and 2 15/16 inch foot. Excellent dark metal and tooling and a good example of period cutting.