When my book was published, I received a phone call. The lady at the other end was polite, but she wanted me to know she was annoyed. I had photographed some figures in her small collection for possible inclusion in my book, and I was a little embarrassed at having been able to include just one....so I held my breath! No, it was not the fact a mere lone figure had made it into the book. What had her really ticked was that I had not included her Roger Giles.
Well, you could have bowled me over with a feather. Firstly, I had not photographed her Roger Giles. Secondly, she had not even shown it to me. So I drew a deep breath and told her the truth: I had not included a Roger Giles because the cut-off date for my book was 1835 and I was not sure of the earliest possible date for a Roger Giles figure.
Well, since that time, I have come across three pearlware figures of Roger Giles that I believe date c1835, so perhaps Roger would have made it into the book, if I had seen him. As you can see below, the figure is small--about 4 inches high--and serves as a pepper pot (the hat is pierced and the opening beneath can be closed with a cork).
![](/uploads/1/0/8/9/1089253/4342493.jpg?148x196)
Staffordshire figure depicting Roger Giles. Picture courtesy of Andrew Dando Antiques.
![](/uploads/1/0/8/9/1089253/1771740.jpg?155x262)
'Sherratt' style Staffordshire figure depicting Roger Giles.
So why is Roger Giles squatting immodestly with his trousers pulled down? He is laying eggs of course! Roger Giles was a Devonshire jack-of-all-trades who supposedly advertised on a signboard to sell his fresh eggs, newly laid by him every day. I have found several versions of this rambling grammatical disaster, some claiming to be copied from a handbill, others claiming to be copied from a signboard. I am frustrated at not being able to pin a date to Roger Giles's attempt at marketing--not yet, anyway.
For a long time I did not want to own a Roger Giles because I thought the figure unattractively crude. Then I found my little Roger Giles, above, and I was smitten. Like the example in Andrew Dando's photograph, my figure is colorful and charming. A good early Roger Giles is difficult to find, but then the fun is in the search--and the reward is life-long. Happy hunting!