Tankard commemorating the ship 'Integrity'.

A silver tankard of tapering cylindrical form with a hinged lid. The body has two deep reeded bands, repeated on the lid, and a handle of square section terminating above the lid in leaf decoration and an open 'chairback' thumbpiece. The flat lid is engraved with a ship under sail wearing a British ensign, pennant and Union jack with a scroll above inscribed: 'INTEGRITY'. The monogram 'JEG' is inscribed on the front of the body in foliate capitals.

The 'Integrity' was a ship of 400 tons built in 1780 at Whitby in Yorkshire, and originally owned by E Lock. John Edward Gibson, whose monogram appears on the tankard, was master of the 'Integrity' on her regular London to Quebec voyages between 1781-91, probably taking emigrants to Canada. After that the vessel continued on the same route until 1796. This piece of silver was clearly a personal possession of Gibson, and although its history is not known for certain, it was possibly engraved as a presentation piece from the owners at the end of his period of service, just four years after the tankard was made.

Whitby, where the 'Integrity’ was built, has a long tradition of shipbuilding, and became highly important in this trade in the late 18th century. Whitby yards produced everything from small fishing vessels and trading sloops to colliers, whaling ships and emigrant vessels, as well as timber ships transporting important shipbuilding supplies from the Baltic.