American Toby Jug Museum 

Friar Tuck character jug produced by J. Fryer Limited of Tunstall, England, circa 1960 using its Oldcourt Ware tradename. Friar Tuck is a priest from old English folklore, and, as legend describes, "a man of girth and mirth who liked his venison pasties washed down with a stoup of pilfered sack." Armed with a sword, bow and merry temperament, Friar Tuck was one of Robin Hood's best-known men, the outlaws' genial chaplain and father-confessor. But even before he and Robin met, he was known as one of the best swordsmen and archers in the land. When Robin first came across Tuck, he did not know the identity of the fat friar. Although he does not feature in the earliest ballads about the outlaw chief, Friar Tuck was probably introduced when May Day festivities, folk plays and Morris dances became a feature of the traditional Robin Hood games. He also figures in Sir Walter Scott's "Ivanhoe" where he is described as "a huge, beetle-browed, broad-shouldered brother of the gray frock and cowl, who looked much more like a thief than a clergyman." The twisted rope of Friar Tuck's belt forms the handle of the jug.