history of blackjacks
In the fifteenth century they were called ” jacks ” ; New College, Oxford, in 1414 pur-chased ” four leather jacks two holding a gallon each and two a pottle each, the four costing four shillings and eightpence.” The vessels were not known as black jacks till the sixteenth century, being occasionally described before then as ” Jacke of leather to drinke in.” The word jack was used for various articles—there were ” kitchen jacks” to turn the roasting spits, and leather coats were ” jacks of defence.” This defensive coat was known in England for several centuries as “the jack,” and when adopted by the French archers was called ” jaque d’Anglois ” ; the prefix ” black ” was no doubt added to the drinking jack to distinguish it from this leather jerkin, which would generally be made of buff leather and as a rule of lighter colour ; the vessels were not known as “black jacks” jacks till the sixteenth century, the full title was used in 1567 when Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, purchased a black jack for one shilling.
The black jack was a feature of the cellars, butteries, and dining halls of our ancient hospitals, colleges and grammar schools till modern times. The chief reason for its survival in such places is that the jack was essentially a vessel for the refectory or the baronial hail; it held a high place while the ancient mode of living prevailed, and every man of substance took his meals in his hall with his family and servants. When more luxurious fashions came in and the lord took his meals privately in parlor or dining room, the leathern pot remained in the servants’ hall with the exception of those that were silver mounted.
Jacks and mugs are now so rarely to be found and when offered for sale reach such high prices that the temptation to manufacture shams is great, a mug with straight sides is easily made, but spurious specimens are easy to detect, in such false pots the bottom is often flush with the sides. The genuine jack had always a deeply-recessed bottom (the best way to make it water-tight), as the seams projected considerably and the bottom always being liable to swag with the weight of the contents might bulge and so wear through or prevent the pot standing. In a genuine black jack the handles are always a part of the same piece of leather as the body of the vessel, and continuous with it; all jacks with handles stitched on are shams.
Jacks and mugs are now so rarely to be found and when offered for sale reach such high prices that the temptation to manufacture shams is great, a mug with straight sides is easily made, but spurious specimens are easy to detect, in such false pots the bottom is often flush with the sides. The genuine jack had always a deeply-recessed bottom (the best way to make it water-tight), as the seams projected considerably and the bottom always being liable to swag with the weight of the contents might bulge and so wear through or prevent the pot standing. In a genuine black jack the handles are always a part of the same piece of leather as the body of the vessel, and continuous with it; all jacks with handles stitched on are shams.