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Codd's mineral water bottle supplied by
Charles Marchant, a baker and confectioner with premises
at 31 Broad Street and 86 -88 Castle Street, Reading.
His business was in operation from at least 1887 until
1898 when it appears to have been taken over by William
and Francis Marchant, most likely sons of Charles. Once
the business was registered to William and Francis Marchant,
one might assume that C. Marchant bottles were no longer
available and on this basis, the bottle could have been
supplied anytime between 1887 and 1898. |
Almost complete Codd's
mineral water bottle made by Allen and Sons of Basingstoke.
In 1890 Allen is recorded in the Kelly's Hampshire directory
as a chemist and mineral water make in Basingstoke.
The bottles must post date this due to the lack of reference
to the Sons.. |
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Almost complete Codd's mineral
water bottle made by Allen and Sons of Basingstoke and
Aldershot. By 1895, Allen is also recorded in Aldershot.
This would suggest that the bottles were purchased when
the new branch was opened but with single branch bottles
still being available. This dates the bottles to 1891-1894/5 |
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Other Victorian objects |
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The neck and part of the label
of an 'Encore' whisky bottle survive. It is not possible
to date this bottle but it does give a clue as to what
the Victorian excavators were drinking! |
This intact bottle is a standard
octagonal pale blue medicinal bottle. It was not a bottle
for measured medicine as it lacks the typical measuring
lines and embossed writing. Unembossed bottles were frequently
used for hair restoratives such as cures for baldness
(Stockton 1981, 81) but equally it is very similar in
shape to the Eno's fruit salts which were a laxative (ibid
85). |
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A 'black' glass bottle, embossed
on the base with Amsterdam and Wyn.ndfockink, the latter
probably a family name. This is likely to be a Dutch beer
bottle, made of dark glass to prevent light getting to
the beer and 'turning' it (Stockton 1981, 146). It has
a completely smooth surface required for use with paper
labels (the common method of making bottles in a mould
created lines of ridges) (Stockton 152). |
Half a Victorian teacup survives,
though in fragments and now reconstructed. It does not
have a maker's stamp so the source us unknown. |
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Trade directories were produced for
each county and listed all tradesmen who were known to
be active at the time. Although they were not 100% accurate,
they are useful in indicating when our local Victorian
objects might have been produced. This in turn suggests
when the pit was dug and therefore in which part of the
town the Roman objects in the pit might have originated.
For more information on Victorian methodology, please
click here. |
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Details of all the objects found in
the rubbish pit, Roman and Victorian, are included in
the archive. To find out about more Victorian rubbish,
please click here. |
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