what are the chances that James Robin 1844 was from North Shields

[dooly]

hi all, i have imported this amazing and very large "Sunderland" luster jug from France, it has been in the same family for years and was used as a flower vase up until the day i found it, I collect this kind of local pottery with the images of Tynemouth on them. The family could find no reference to a Robin side to there family and had no north east connections.

They are very few and far between unlike the common ones with the bridges or sailing themes.

they are unmarked with the pottery which made them but have been pinned down to the Carr pottery North shields.

most i have in the collection are called death mugs which some have peoples names on them and the date in black (earliest i have so far is 1861)

this on the other hand is missing the "Death" poem and has Red/brown lettering making me think it could be a "Birth" jug what do you think could he be from North shields area and a sailor ?

the problem is the size it is way bigger than all but one i have ever see, this was in the carr family and was from there pottery show room and was made for advertising. a normal sailor would not have been allowed to take up so much space on board ship so how did it end up in france

And was he a local man ?

[philipsearching]

The poem is not what I would expect to see on a birth or christening jug.  My feeling is that it is more likely to have been presented on a significant birthday or retirement.

Searching with Robin as either a surname or a second Christan name, FreeBMD shows no matching births in 1844 and out of the deaths between 1844 and 1930 there is only one which might match (in Haverfordwest in 1853)

I can't solve the mystery, but I can (and do!) envy you this remarkable piece of pottery.

All the best
Philip

[jora]

There seems to be a full stop after the name Robin. Could it indicate an abbreviation of a longer name, not being enough room to print it on in full on the jug?

Robinson would be a much more usual name in this area.

[AlisdairGB]

A very quick "Google" shows a similar jug, dated 1845 , in a Brighton Museum

http://searchcollections.brighton-hove-rpml.org.uk/detail.php?t=objects&type=browse&f=place_made&s=Tyneside%2C+England%2C+United+Kingdom%2C+Europe&record=3

[lizdb]

The person who got this jug may not have been from the north at all, but as you suggest maybe a sailor.

We have a similar style jug in our family (with rellies in Australia!) which came from Sunderland. It is marked with the names John and Elizabeth Edmonds.
They were ag labs who never left the Sussex coast. Their son , also John, however went to sea and was involved in the coastal shipping too and from Sunderland bringing coal down to Littlehampton. Therefore it seeks likely he bought the jug for his parents at some time (and presumably managed to transport it home!)

As yours has just the one name, it could have been bought to mark a birth, or be a gift for a brother or cousin.