badge
- Museum number
- 1863,0920.1
- Description
-
Silver badge of Admiralty bargemen, or Waterman's badge; cast and chased, a central gilded anchor and chain in a red-painted oval with a scallop shell flanked dolphins at the top, and a cannon, cannon balls and banners between C-scrolls, and various marine instruments below. The back with six loops for attaching to a jacket. Mounted on red felted wool cloth, backed with dark blue wool fabric, with the remains of pink tapes for suspension at the top. Stamped on the front in the centre of the C-scrolls with London hallmarks and maker's mark.
- Production date
- 1804-1805
- Dimensions
-
Length: 25 centimetres (circa)
-
Width: 20 centimetres (circa)
- $Inscriptions
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- Curator's comments
- Waterman's badges were worn as licence badges by those who operated ferries across the Thames. Similar examples from the 18th century are held by the Museum of London and by the Society of Antiquaries of London. For contemporary images of Thames Watermen wearing the badges on their sleeves, see www.portcities.org.uk
For a Bow porcelain figure of a Thames Waterman, see 1887,0307,II.3.
The maker's mark I P in an oval is possibly that of John Prosser, smallworker, mark entered 4.4 1796 (Grimwade1990, p. 118, no. 1590).
- Location
- Not on display
- Acquisition date
- 1863
- Department
- Britain, Europe and Prehistory
- Registration number
- 1863,0920.1
