Hundreds of these little goblets (about 4″ / 10cm tall) were commissioned by Bollington Urban District Council after the end of World War I (WWI). 800 were ordered, plus a further order (council notes suggest 100), from a company called Mather Hall, which no longer exists. One goblet was presented to each man from Bollington and Kerridge who fought in and returned from the war. The further order was to enable a goblet to be presented to the relatives of each of the fallen soldiers. This latter appears to have been a supplementary decision from the council at a later date.[1]
There seem to be only a few remaining in existence today. Every now and then a family comes forward having found one in the belongings of a departed loved one.
The lettering on the goblets reads ‘Bollington’ under the shield. Within the circle of the shield are the numbers ‘1914’ and ‘1919’. While the war ended in 1918 non-combat activities continued well into 1919 before soldiers were sent home and demobilised.
The shield surround is segmented with each segment in a different colour.
The goblets were presented on 14th March 1921; all of Bollington’s ex-servicemen were invited to a meeting at the Sunday School (where the library is today) to be presented with his cup. Bollington War Memorial was built and dedicated on 28th November 1920.
There are many unknowns relating to these cups:
Did the families of those killed in the war also receive one? YES but … we now know that BUDC ordered additional goblets for the families of the fallen soldiers. Families of the dead were also presented with a ‘Dead man’s Penny’. This was a plaque, several inches in diameter, which bore a vague resemblance to a one penny coin (picture right).- What do the colours mean?
- How many more are out there? Not many. A couple have been kindly donated to the Cheshire Regiment museum and four more have been very kindly donated to the Discovery Centre collection, and we know of one in a private collection.
If you know the answer to any of these questions, or you have one in your family, please contact the webmaster.
Bollington and Kerridge War Memorials
Kerridge War Memorial
Acknowledgements
- We are especially grateful to Susan Poynton who has carried out research into these goblets. We’ve been calling them cups, but when they were acquired by BUDC they were actually referred to as goblets, so we have changed all references to ‘cups’ into goblets!
Your Historic Documents
Please don't chuck out those historic documents and pictures! Find out why here.