First Church of Deerfield Pewter Flagon

From the collections of PVMA • Digital image © Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Assoc. • Image use information

About this item

English church authorities permitted only silver vessels to hold communion wine at Church of England services. They relaxed this rule after 1603, and this pewter flagon held communion wine for the Deerfield, Massachusetts, church in the 1680s. Like other Protestant churches, the Church of England believed the wine and bread used at the Lord’s Supper to be symbolic of, rather than the actual, transubstantiated body and blood of Christ. Although they considered themselves part of the Church of England, the Puritans disapproved of open communion for all worshippers. They chose instead to allow only people who made a public profession of faith and formally joined a church to share the Lord’s Supper.

Related Items

Details

Item typeCeremonial/Commemorative Objects
CreatorLupton (Attributed to), Thomas
Date1680–1700
PlaceDeerfield, Massachusetts; London, England
TopicReligion, Church, Meetings & Revivals
EraColonial settlement, 1620–1762
MaterialMetal
Process/FormatMetalworking
Catalog #MH.H.02
View this item in our curatorial database →
Lupton (Attributed to), Thomas. First Church of Deerfield Pewter Flagon. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/mh-h-02/. Accessed on December 6, 2024.

Please note: Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.