American Toby Jug Museum 

Duke of Wellington character jug produced by Wood & Sons of Burslem, England, circa 1980. The great British general, Arthur Wellesley (1769-1852), the first Duke of Wellington, was born in Dublin, Ireland. A brilliant soldier and servant of the British state, Wellington joined the army in 1787, gained experience in India and was awarded a knighthood for his services. He became a Member of Parliament in 1805, but in 1809 was asked to return to command the British Army in the Peninsular War in Spain, where his army successfully wore down and drove out the invading French. In 1814 he was granted the title of Duke of Wellington. When Napoleon escaped from Elba, Wellington, through his sheer determination and brilliant strategy, defeated him at Waterloo in 1815 in a historic battle that determined the fate of Europe. Resuming his political career, Wellesley was Prime Minister of England from 1828 to 1830 and again for a few months in 1834. He retired from public life in 1846 and died at Walmer Castle six years later.