s Silver Wine Cup, Made in London in 1625 - Hull Museums Collections

Silver Wine Cup, Made in London in 1625

Israel Popple gave this cup to Hull’s Merchants' Company in 1648. The Merchants' Company later became extinct. Its silver went to the Town Hall for safe keeping in 1707. Six of these silver cups are still owned by the council and are on display in the Guildhall. The Merchants' Company was a group of traders who had great powers in Hull from 1577. They had a special Merchants' Hall and no one could trade from Hull without their permission. This wine cup is engraved: ‘The guift of Israel Popple to the Marchants hall 1648’. Israel Popple was Chamberlain of Hull in 1629 and Sheriff in 1674. The Kingston upon Hull Merchants' Company was incorporated by Letters Patent dated 11th May 1577. This was under the title of ‘The Governor, Assistants, and Fellowship of Merchants inhabiting the Town of Kingston upon Hull’. This charter gave the merchants great powers and privileges, including the power to make bye-laws. Meetings of the merchants were held in the Merchants' Hall for 120 years. The Hall doesn’t exist any more. The seal, or badge, of the Hull Merchants was a ship with three crowns above it. After more than a century’s existence the Merchants' Company gradually became extinct. On 13th February 1707 Aldermen Hydes, Trippett and Mould were ordered by the bench ‘to take care that the Plate and Books in the Merchants' Hall to be removed to the Town’s Hall for their better security in regard to the Governor’s absence and that Courts there are very seldom kept.’ (B.B. 8 f.567)