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Historic goblet returned to Aylesbury
A11 Week 28 MCBH DP Presentation of Ducky cup which has been returned to Aylesbury after 200 years - pictured at Bucks County Museum with the cup is Aylesbury Club secretary John Stanks, Sarah Gray - Museum Manager Aylesbury Club president Ray Ghent and Will Phillips - collections officer
A GOBLET won by an Aylesbury duck breeder more than 150 years ago has been returned to the town.
The trophy was awarded to John ‘Ducky’ Weston in 1857 for his first-place prize-winning Aylesbury Ducks at the Preston and North Lancs Poultry Show.
The piece was rediscovered by president of The Aylesbury Club, Ray Ghent, while he was online researching the Weston family – famous for breeding ducks in the town for more than 200 years.
Mr Ghent found the goblet was on sale at an antique dealers in Berkshire, and with the support and donations from the club members of around £700, he ensured that the cup was returned to its Aylesbury home.
Mr Ghent said: “It’s very significant, in that Aylesbury is known worldwide for its ducks.
“To be able to say we’ve found this goblet is fantastic. “It’s a very important part of our history.
“We are delighted to have brought this wonderful object back to Aylesbury and it will take pride of place at our annual duck dinner.
“The cup must have made it out of the family at some point, and could well have travelled all around the country, before ending up in Bracknell.
“As well as winning the cup, Mr Weston was also awarded with prize money of £2 at the show.”
The hallmarked silver goblet, measuring less than six inches tall and inscribed to John Weston, will go on show at the Bucks County Museum from July 23 in its new exhibition, 100 Treasures from the Collection.
Here, the cup will stand beside other duck-related articles, including stuffed Aylesbury ducks from the museum’s natural history collection.
Social history collections officer at the museum, Will Phillips, said: “The goblet is a fantastic object of local significance.
“The Aylesbury duck is an icon of the town, and will join other related items in the museum’s collection, including a ‘duck flat’ (a type of basket made especially for carrying the ducks to market) and historical photographs of another Ducky Weston and his prize birds taken in the 1950s.”
The trophy was presented to the museum on Thursday by members of The Aylesbury Club.
Also present at the event were modern-day relations of the Weston family, Ann Humm and Jane Munger.
Mrs Humm, 66, of Bedgrove, says it is wonderful to have the cup back in its hometown.
She said: “It’s lovely. I think it’s great, but I’m intrigued to know where it’s been all these years!
“My family bred ducks at the Aylesbury Farm for more than 200 years. I grew up there until I got married.
“Sadly, the cost just got too much and it was turned into housing in the late ’60s to early ’70s. I know there are many other trophies and medals, but I have no idea where they could be.”
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Weather for Aylesbury
Saturday 26 May 2012
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Temperature: 11 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: East
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Temperature: 11 C to 24 C
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GOWEST
Tuesday, July 19, 2011 at 12:41 PMThis is just the sort of 'good news' story we all like reading about. Well done the Herald for reporting on it. It is also good to see people like Ray Ghent pursueing the story and tracking the history. Its a pity that more local people like Ray do not appeciate the town's rich heritage.
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