Hidebound`s sale of leather tankards and leather leather jacks covers a very wide range of customers which inevitably includes historic re-enacters. We have had complaints that we mark all our vessels with a Hidebound stamp and that they would prefer no markings so as not to compromise their hobby. Our answer tends to surprise them.
William of Orange, being the William III we hand carve in to the body of some our tankards, was the first monarch to legalise the measured pint in England. However, the problem of under size measures had been a very long running problem which was originally addressed by The Company of Boutilliers shortly after their formation as a City Guild in 1373. Some jack makers made theirl vessels too small and some “Ale Wives” poured more pitch in to the Jacks to reduce their capacity even further. “Ale wives” were often pilloried for this. The Company of Boutilliers finally issued an edict that “all makers of “leatheren jacks” shall place their mark on the outside of the vessel so that, if complaints were received, they could be identified as acting against the public interest.
So, Hidebound Ltd is actually following historical precedent in embossing the Hidebound name on all Hidebound made objects.