Were reformed in jug (4)
I believe the answer is:
ewer
'jug' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
'were reformed' is the wordplay.
'reformed' is an anagram indicator.
'were' anagrammed gives 'EWER'.
'in' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for ewer that I've seen before include "Water-jar" , "Large water jug" , "A wide-mouthed water jug" , "Open vessel with handle and spout" , "Jar for water" .)