Scottish Pewter 1600-1850

The churches in Scotland were some of the biggest consumers of pewter cups and pots in the late 1600’s. Piles of cups and pots were needed to accommodate the hordes that descended on the churches for baptisms, communions, and other sacraments, and since the nobility were sometimes prohibited from using private chapels for baptism, the crowds would be in the local church. Once it was silver cups that were used for communions, but after the Reformation reached Scotland, and smaller churches sprang up, you had congregations that couldn’t afford silver. The market for pewter increased.

For merchants of wine, beer, and other liquids, mass-produced pewter cups and lavers became essential. Since alcohol was often taxed, they needed a standardized cup that would always have the same measurement inside. There were standard pewter cups for ale, wine, and other alcoholic drinks common in Scotland, and some were custom made with a particular enameled emblem of the city or the merchant.

Pewter was always a cheap alternative to silver. It has a low melting point, so it’s easier to smelt, and it’s an alloy. So it can be made of several different metals, never reliant on anything in particular. Since it was cheaper than silver and stronger than ceramic, it was great for anything that required rough wear (like rowdy pubs.) The author, Peter Spencer Davies, is not an art historian, but a collector. He writes this book from the perspective of someone who appreciates fine antiquities.