Antique Staffordshire Souter Johnny Toby Jug

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Antique Staffordshire Toby mug featuring the character "Souter Johnny" circa 1860. Souter Johnny (sometimes spelled "Johnnie") was a character immortalized … Read more Antique Staffordshire Toby mug featuring the character "Souter Johnny" circa 1860. Souter Johnny (sometimes spelled "Johnnie") was a character immortalized in the poem "Tam O'Shanter" by Robert Burns. He is depicted in late 18th century garb holding a jug of ale and wearing a nightcap.

From the website of the National Trust for Scotland: "The character of Souter Johnnie became famous worldwide thanks to his appearance in a few lines of one of Robert Burns’s greatest narrative poems, 'Tam o’ Shanter.' Burns describes him as an old friend of the protagonist, Tam, with whom he spends his time drinking in Ayr’s public houses on market days, often returning home late. Even though the story was based on an old legend, Burns’s characters were inspired by real people that he met over the years. John Davidson was the man behind Souter Johnnie, a shoemaker who lived in the small village of Kirkoswald, in Ayrshire." See less