Brass Tap
Description
This tap would have been used to decant liquid from a barrel or cistern. This ornate copper alloy tap has a chamfered end which would have been inserted into a vessel, possibly with a mallet. The decorative key may have been removable, ensuring the holder had control of the supply. A number of spirit barrels and fragments were recovered from wreck. These were smaller than other barrels (height approx. 440mm) and had bung holes in the end and in one of the side staves. Beer and sometimes wine were readily available aboard ship, and was in fact preferred to water, which never tasted fresh. Spirits, on the other hand, were meted out carefully. The men’s rum tot was rationed in such a way to prevent rowdy drunkenness and inability to work the ship. Stronger drink was certainly aboard as the personal property of the officers, but forbidden to ordinary sailors. Rum, gin, whisky, brandy and the like were stored in the ‘spirits locker,’ which on some vessels was a sizable room guarded night and day by an armed marine.
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Object Detail
Height: 85mm