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Spice boxes were once common in many cottage and farmhouse kitchens to store spices. This one is a round tin box with six compartments for different spices and has a pit in the centre which holds a small nutmeg grater. Nothing is known of its origins.

1 spice box: metal (tin); good condition

MERL 'Catalogue index' card – 'The origin of this box is unknown. // Spice boxes were very common objects in cottages and farmhouses in the past. This one is a round tin box, with 6 compartments for different spices. A round pit in the centre holds a small round nutmeg grater, 3 inches long, with a mushroom-shaped top. The box is 6 inches in diameter. The lid is attached by a pin at the back and fastened down with a catch at the front. There is a green wooden knob on the top.', Lavinia Smith Catalogue (D60/28) - 'A list of the contents of the East Hendred museum. July 5 1940 // 613. Spicebox with a nutmeg grater in it.' (The entry appears to be crossed out in pencil in Smith's catalogue)

Rippon, Miss Dorothy May Lyddon (Agent)