A romanticist
since childhood, I devoured every historical novel about seafaring
that I could find. Having always read in tales about the "sailors
drinking from their leather jacks," in 1983 I started researching
and experimenting with them.
As a result, since
then we have been selling our mugs around the country as Ye
Dragon and Unicorn, in renaissance faires, colonial
festivals and catalogues.
Our leather mugs are
indeed an authentic bit of history. From Neolithic Britain to
the American Industrial Revolution of the 1840's, leather cups
were the "Tupperware" of the age. In archaic English, 'jacked'
meant boiled, and leather jacks were leather cups boiled in
pitch. British sailors were known as Jolly Tars or Jack Tars.
Their cups, on shipboard and in public houses, were these tarred
leather cups. They were practical, for leather was constantly
available in those days before refrigeration and plastics, and
tar was used for everything from the roof to oakum to the cow
to medicines. Such mugs were durable, cheap to manufacture and
too light to be fatal in brawls (an important consideration).
Presumably, one grew accustomed to the tarry taste, and no one
lived long enough to die from any cancer associated with the
tar.
We make our modern
reproductions from safe vegetable tanned leather, softwoods,
and pure canning paraffin, such as Grandmother used when preserving
jams and jellies. Intended for wine and ale, they work well
for all cold drinks. Impervious to alcohol , mild acids, and
soap, they are not, however, suited for hot coffee and tea,
microwaves or dishwashers!
Due
to age and attrition, we are the last full-time muggers in the
country.
Bill and Sandy
(his long suffering wife) Cantieri
Bill and Sandy Cantieri
Ye dragon & unicorn
310 Hillside Ave.
Lancaster, Ohio 43130
740.654.0220
