A rare 18th century brass pipe tamper of political interest, for John Duck, circa 1763, the shaped flat section handle cast with a bust portrait of Charles I, inscribed in stylised script to the back ‘Wilkes & Liberty, I will Survive & drink His Health for 45’, inscribed to the tamper end ‘Jn. Duck, 45’ centred by two pipes, in good untouched condition.
Wilkes & Liberty relates to the ‘Wilkes and Liberty’ movement of the 1760s and 1770s, in which John Wilkes stood up for the masses against Parliament and the Government. ’45’ relates to his attacks on George III’s speech endorsing the Paris Peace Treaty of 1763 in issue number 45 of his weekly journal, the North Briton (newspaper) this also being synonymous with the Jacobite Rising of 1745, known as ‘The 45’. In support of Wilkes, the people chanted ‘Wilkes, Liberty and Number 45’. John Wilkes (1725-1797) was a radical, a magistrate, journalist and politician. Presumably the use of Charles I confirms the rebellious political nature combined with his well-known image.
