Can I drink out of them?

Many ceramic antique pitchers are safe for pouring water or wine. You need to check the interior glaze for deep crazing, as bacteria can hide in fine cracks. Lead glazes on early slipware are a different matter. Acidic liquids like fruit juice or wine can leach lead from the surface, so keep those for display.

I found a big ceramic pitcher with a matching wash bowl at a car boot sale recently and I am wondering what people actually used them for in the house?

That is a washstand set. Before indoor plumbing, households kept these in bedrooms for morning washing. The pitcher held cold or warm water brought up from the kitchen, which you poured into the basin. They grew larger during the Victorian period. By the late nineteenth century, a high-status set might include soap dishes, a sponge bowl, and a slop pail.

How do you clean silver pitchers?

Wash them in warm soapy water with a soft cloth. Dry the metal immediately to prevent water spots forming on the surface. If the silver is tarnished, apply a mild silver polish sparingly. Rinse it thoroughly afterwards to remove any white residue from the chased decoration.

The spout on my pottery jug has a thin metal cap fitted right over the end of it, and I can't tell if it was made that way or added later?

That is an old repair. When a ceramic pouring lip chipped, owners often took the piece to a silversmith or tinker rather than throwing it away. The metalworker shaped a thin cap to cover the damage and pinned or glued it in place. These repairs document the history of the object. They show that the owner valued the piece enough to pay for skilled labour instead of buying a replacement.

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Antique Pitchers

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Antique pitchers are handled vessels with a pouring lip, historically used for serving water, ale, or wine at the table or for carrying washing water to a basin. They range from heavy salt-glazed stoneware to thin porcelain and hallmarked silver.