American Toby Jug Museum 

Captain Bligh character jug modeled by Stanley J. Taylor and produced by Royal Doulton of Burslem, England, as the 1995 Character Jug of the Year. William Bligh (1754-1817) was immortalized in John Barrow's book, "The Mutiny of the Bounty and the Pitcairn Islands". An intelligent man, well-versed in science and mathematics and also a talented writer and illustrator, he joined the British Royal Navy in 1770. From 1776-79 he served as sailing master on Captain Cook's third voyage around the world. In 1787, at the age of thirty-three he was given command of The Bounty, with the mission to transport breadfruit from Tahiti to the West Indies. In April, 1789, the famous mutiny took place, led by Bligh's one-time friend, Fletcher Christian. Bligh and eighteen other crew members loyal to him were set adrift in the Bounty's launch, a twenty-three-foot-long open boat. Bligh sailed the launch valiantly, landing in Java on June 14 without any loss of life and traveling 3,618 miles in forty-seven days. Bligh eventually returned to England and his career in the Navy continued, seemingly unaffected by the mutiny. A navigation chart, palm tree and Bligh of the Bounty form the handle of the jug.