Cardinal Wolsey Milk Jug

Doulton stoneware was established in 1853 by brothers Henry and John Doulton in Satffordshire, England. Between 1837 - 1901 Doultons became Britain's top manufacturer of sanitary ware and artistic pottery.in 1901 Doulton was granted royal warrant and became known as Royal Doulton. The company has become synonymous with the production of the finest English china. This item is part of Shakespearean characters series ware pattern 3596.

Thomas Wolsey (c. March 1473[1] – 29 November 1530) was an English archbishop, statesman and a cardinal of the Catholic Church. When Henry VIII became King of England in 1509, Wolsey became the King's almoner. Wolsey's affairs prospered, and by 1514 he had become the controlling figure in virtually all matters of state. He also held important ecclesiastical appointments. These included the Archbishopric of York—the second most important role in the English church—and acting as papal legate. His appointment as a cardinal by Pope Leo X in 1515 gave him precedence over all other English clergy.

The highest political position Wolsey attained was Lord Chancellor, the King's chief adviser (formally, as his successor and disciple Thomas Cromwell was not). In that position, he enjoyed great freedom and was often depicted as an alter rex (other king). After failing to negotiate an annulment of Henry's marriage to Catherine of Aragon, Wolsey fell out of favour and was stripped of his government titles. He retreated to York to fulfil his ecclesiastical duties as archbishop, a position he nominally held but had neglected during his years in government. He was recalled to London to answer to charges of treason—charges Henry commonly used against ministers who fell out of his favour—but died on the way from natural causes.