Taunton Cider Company Cider Mugs

In 1805, a local farmers co-operative had formed to produce cider at Norton Fitzwarren. By the early 1900s, the Reverend Cornish had started producing cider from these locally produced apples and pulp at the Heathfield Rectory. In 1911 the parish priest and the co-operative set-up the "Taunton Cider Company" in Norton Fitzwarren, to commercially produce his cider. By the 1980s Taunton Cider Company was second largest to Bulmers. In 1995 the company was bought by drinks company Mathew Clark plc for £256 million, which itself is now part of the Gaymers Cider Company. Taunton Cider company collected 400 different cider mugs dating back to 1780s and started making various promotional mugs with Wade potteries ( some in larger runs than these and cheaper modern designs such as this in 1977

However there is the '500' series of beautiful reproductions produced yearly limited 500 each of a copy of a mug in the historic collection. This series ran almost continuously from 1973 to 1985.

The first I can track down as an Xmas release