Stirling Stoup
Download media
Object number01238
TitleStirling Stoup
Stirling Pint
Stirling Jug
Stirling Pint
Stirling Jug
Creator Robert Borthwick (caster)
DescriptionAt more than 500 years old, the Stirling Jug - or Scots Pint - is one of the oldest objects belonging to the Royal Burgh of Stirling. We have discovered that it was made in Edinburgh Castle at the Royal Armoury in around 1511, most likely by no less a person than the King’s Master Gun Maker, Robert Borthwick. A slightly different challenge from his usual job of making cannons for the Scottish army and navy!
The Stirling Jug was important to the whole of Scotland as it became the standard size for measuring volume – both for liquids and for dry goods such as grain. This remained the case until the Union of Parliaments in 1707. Its status is reflected in both its material (it is cast in bronze) and its size - it holds an impressive 3 imperial pints (roughly 1.7 litres).
It is an object of solid and dependable beauty, decorated simply with two small shields. The one near the rim is recognisable as the lion rampant, a symbol found on the Royal Arms of Scotland. The second shield shows what we believe to be the infant Jesus, the jug was made while Scotland was still a Catholic country. When later copies were made after the Reformation in 1560, this was changed to one showing the town’s own symbol, the Stirling Wolf.
Production placeEdinburgh
Production date 1523
Object nameJug, Pint Measure
MaterialBronze
TechniqueCast
Dimensions
base Diameter: 160 mm
top Diameter: 119 mm
top Diameter: 105 mm
interior Depth: 155 mm
whole Height: 168 mm
whole Height: 185 mm
whole volume: 1701.4 ounce
top Diameter: 119 mm
top Diameter: 105 mm
interior Depth: 155 mm
whole Height: 168 mm
whole Height: 185 mm
whole volume: 1701.4 ounce