Description

Summary: 20th century bone china tea cup with transfer print of the MARKET CROSS DEVIZES on the front, and on the reverse, the legend of Ruth Pierce, Potterne. 25th January 1753. Stamped Tytherleigh Devizes on the base. Tytherleigh's was a china and glass merchants, in Devizes, 1861-1988.

Identification note: Ruth Pierce on 25th January 1753, together with two other women, agreed to buy a sack of corn in the market and for each to pay her share. One of the women who collected the quotas found a deficiency and on asking Ruth to make up the amount was told she had paid her full share and that she ‘wished she might drop dead if she had not’. She rashly repeated this awful wish, when, to the consternation of the persons standing by, she instantly fell down and expired, having the money concealed in her hand. https://wshc.org.uk/blog/item/ruth-pierce-and-the-devizes-incident.html?category_id=11\n