2011/5/1-18

Restora, Brown Draught or Etherous Extract,

This is a square wooden box containing ten bottles of Lincolnshire drench, a medical preparation for livestock, produced by Osmond and Sons Ltd. They include two bottles of ‘Restora’, a fever cordial and influenza drink, and eight bottles of ‘Brown draught or etherous extract’, seven of which still contain a small amount of liquid. A label on the box reads ‘established over 70 years…’ which dates the bottles to the late 1920s.

The box has four labels fixed to its sides of which one is legible: 'Osmond & Son Ltd., Grimsby, Proprietors of the old original Lincolnshire drenches for horses, sheep and cattle'. Two Restora glass bottles with cork and seal stoppers hold no contents. Labelled as 'The celebrated old Lincolnshire Pick-me-up drink. Directions for use. Osmond & Son Ltd., Spalding, Lincs. price 18/- per dozen. Eight Brown Draught or Etherous Extract glass bottles with stoppers and metal seal, seven still with liquid contents.: labels give instructions for use and contents of preparation as containing 0.042 g Belladonna Alkaloids and 0.00026 g Ether Soluble Alkaloids of Aconite per 100 ml. Osmond & Son Ltd., Gt. Grimsby and Wellington N.Z. Chemical analysis of contents through Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy by University of Reading, Chemistry Department: α-Pinene/β-Pinene (Turpentine), Ethanol and Camphor. The contents should therefor be classed as FLAMMABLE. See object file for detailed analysis. Seven corrugated cardboard protective sleeves with same labels as the Brown Draught bottles.

MERL 'Handwritten accession' form (Museum of English Rural Life) – 'Description: Box containing ten glass bottles of Osmonds ‘Restora’ and ‘Brown Draught or Etherous Extract’. Label on the wooden box reads ‘Established over 70 years…’, dating the products to the mid to late 1920s (the company started in 1854). Products appear to have been intended for general livestock use. // Associated information: This and other items were acquired from the estate of the late Annie Butler via her daughter, Diane Merchant. The farm at Grendon Underwood had been in the family for 500 years or so. Many of the artefacts there had been used by Diane Merchant’s grandfather and great grandfather. The material was being cleared out from outhouses in preparation for sale of the property. Larger items were also offered but were in a poor state of repair. This included a farm elevator, hay rake, reaper-binder, and several carts.', Previous description on Adlib – ‘Five-sided wooden box containing 10 bottles of Lincolnshire drench, seven in protective corrugated card sleeves. Drench produced by Osmonds. Label on the box reads 'established over 70 years...', dating the products to the mid to late 1920s (the company having started in 1854). Products appear to have been intended for general livestock use. They include two bottles of 'Restora' (fever cordial and influenza drink) and eight bottles of 'Brown Draught or etherous extract.' Seven bottles of 'Brown Draught' still contain liquid. Chemical analysis: Turpentine, Ethanol and Camphor. The contents should therefore be classed as FLAMMABLE.’

1925 - 1925

Medical preparation, Box

Wood, Glass, Paper

Merchant, Diane (Agent)
Reed, Paul (Agent)