Bestandsgeschichte
MERL 'Handwritten catalogue' form – 'BOTTLE (BEER) // 17 x 7cm (height x diameter at base), stoneware cylindrical with tapered neck and swollen rim. // cream in colour with inscription in black: // 'John Simms // [pencil sketch] // Lichfield and Cannock'., MERL miscellaneous note – ‘Accessions 62/400 – 62/507. // Items given to the museum by Major R.A. Dyott, Manor of Freeford, Lichfield, Staffordshire. // He started the museum in 1912 and gathered items of local origin and kept things that had been in everyday use about the Manor and on the farms. He was friendly with the local smith, Tom Windridge who did jobs for him over many years. Much of the ironwork is made by Windridge and is so indicated on the acc. Sheets. // Nearly all the items were found or used locally – see topographical entries.’, MERL miscellaneous note – ‘Note on visit to Major R.A. Dyott, Manor of Freeford, Lichfield. // The Major said that he would be willing to give a large part of his collection to the Museum if we can arrange for transport. He knows quite a lot about the individual items and is prepared to dictate details to whoever goes to collect the material. // The collection is a mixture of the useful and the peculiar – I have listed some of the items below. // Small wagon, panel sided, red, in good condition kept inside, (has new oak cross floorboards – originals were lengthwise) plus shafts and ladders // A number of handtools and other items made by the local blacksmith – the Major told him to make one of everything so after the blacksmith’s death he would have them to hand – a number have found their way into the collection. // Domestic items include servants bells, set of beer ration mugs used when the beer was brewed at the Manor. Malt grinding mill, maids’ oil lamps, trivets, coffee mill, copper kitchen ware. Pewter plates // Domestic three cylinder water pump used for supply from a spring. It was made in 1845 and was replaced only after the War. Restored and in good condition. // Four hubs and some blacksmith’s wheelwrighting tools. // All the items above were made in the area of Freeford or in Lichfield itself – he wished to have a record of local material…’, MERL Object Handling Research, John Masters, February 2020 - 'How can this object be described? // A small cream glazed stoneware bottle with tapered neck, swollen rim and maker's inscription. It was made in the early 20th century. // What was the bottle used for? // Although catalogued as a beer bottle it was most likely used to contain ginger beer. It was sold by John Simms of Lichfield who manufactured mineral waters including ginger beer. However, at the start of the 20th century ginger beer was an alcoholic drink, although the alcohol level was relatively low. // What is Ginger Beer? // Ginger beer originated in England in the mid-1700s and was exported worldwide. This was made possible by the use of strong stoneware bottles that were sealed by a liquid- and gas-tight glaze (called ‘Bristol glaze’). The British Excise Regulations of 1855 required that the drink contained no more than 2% alcohol, and usually it was far less potent: hence ginger beer became popular with children. By the start of the 20th century it was produced commercially in almost every town in the United Kingdom. The ‘beer’ was often sold by street hawkers, and it was sometimes dispensed from a ‘beer engine’ – an elaborate device like an upright piano with beer pump handles that was pulled through the streets by a pony. // In 1935 there were more than 3000 producers of ginger beer in the United Kingdom; a few years ago only one British firm made the traditional brewed alcoholic product. Modern non-alcoholic ‘ginger beer’ is usually made with flavourings and carbonated with pressurised carbon dioxide. However traditional alcoholic ginger beers are enjoying a significant revival with a variety now available in supermarkets. Alcoholic ginger beer is also a constituent of several popular cocktails including the Moscow Mule and the Dark ‘n’ Stormy. // Technically speaking, ginger beer is not a beer. Whereas the production of beer involves the fermentation of a grain (typically barley or wheat) malted to turn its starch into sugar, ginger beer involves the fermentation of ginger and added sugar, typically molasses or cane sugar. Ginger beer is more related to the ‘small beers’ popular in Europe from Medieval times until Industrialization. A “Ginger Beer Plant” is a culture that is used to make traditional ginger beer. Before the advent of sodas and modern soft drinks, these weakly alcoholic, fermented beverages were typically brewed at home and provided a much safer alternative to often-contaminated water. // Stoneware Beer bottles // After it was brewed, ginger beer was corked inside stoneware bottles. Early stoneware bottles were usually fairly plain, brown in colour, and etched with the bottler’s name or city. Beginning in the 1880s, however, sleeker grey bottles with colourful shoulder slips and stamped logos designed to attract consumer attention became more popular. // Part of the reason for bottling in stoneware rather than glass bottles was cosmetic: ginger beer was usually unattractively cloudy in appearance. However, packaging was also functionally important in the export of ginger beer. England shipped large amounts of ginger beer to the U.S. and Canada beginning in the 1790s through the 19th century. // Though ginger beer was brewed regionally, England maintained market dominance in North America because English breweries used superior quality stoneware bottles that better maintained ginger beer’s effervescence and kept it cold. The bottles were sealed with liquid- and gas-tight Bristol Glaze and wired and corked shut to maintain carbon dioxide in solution. // The move from stoneware to glass bottles. // Stoneware was ideal for maintaining the quality of ginger beer even when exported, and also helped keep the contents cool. Stoneware bottles were also often very attractive. However, by the late 19th century several factors meant that glass bottles were to replace stoneware bottles. Refrigeration reduced the importance of stoneware to keep its contents cool. Glass bottles were much cheaper to produce than stoneware and also glass was much lighter, so transport costs were significantly reduced. There was also always a suspicion that stoneware was not washed thoroughly before reuse and the ability to be able to check glass bottles for cleanliness was very popular. By 1940 stoneware bottles had been replaced by glass bottles. // What are the differences between earthenware and stoneware? // Earthenware // Earthenware is clay fired at relatively low temperatures of between 1,000 to 1,150 degrees. This results in a hardened but brittle material which is slightly porous, therefore cannot be used to hold liquids until it is glazed and fired again to make it liquid-proof. // Stoneware // Stoneware is made from a particular clay which is fired at a higher temperature of 1,200°C. This results in a more durable material, with a denser, stone-like quality. The finished product will be liquid-proof and unlike earthenware, does not need to be glazed. However, it was often glazed to further improve its ability to be liquid and gas tight, and also to improve decoration. // The Snail and the Ginger Beer: Donoghue v Stevenson // In August 1928 May Donoghue, a shop assistant, entered a café in Paisley. The circumstances of her visit made legal history. A ginger beer was ordered for Mrs Donoghue who famously complained that, to her surprise and shock, a decomposed snail had tumbled from the bottle into her glass. Mrs Donoghue sued for the nervous shock she claimed to have suffered as a result. Her case against the manufacturer of the ginger beer was argued as far as the House of Lords. It is hard to overstate the importance of the decision in Donoghue v Stevenson. It represents, perhaps, the greatest contribution made by English and Scottish lawyers to the development of the common law. Donoghue v Stevenson made it clear that, even without a contract between the parties, a duty of care is owed by A to take reasonable care to avoid acts or omissions which could reasonably be foreseen as likely to cause injury to his neighbour: B. // (Please note: The bottle was made of dark, opaque glass not stoneware!).'
