60/28/1

This is an earthenware cream pot, for storing and marketing cream. It has a dark brown glaze on the inside and a cream-coloured glaze on the inside. It may have had a wood fibre disc to close it. The pot came from the University of Reading's Department of Dairying, probably when the Department was based on the Shinfield Estate, Reading.

1 cream jar : glazed earthenware; good condition

MERL miscellaneous note, Greta Bertram, 25 January 2013 – Objects 60/22–60/31 were all used by the ‘Department of Dairying’ at the University of Reading. The name of the department has changed several times over the years, as has its location. It began as the British Dairy Institute in 1888, and was based in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, until 1908. It later became the Department of Dairying and was based at the Shinfield Estate in Reading, which was purchased by the University in 1921. In 1982 it became the Dairy Unit of the Department of Food Sciences on the Whiteknights Campus in Reading. See ’The University of Reading, Department of Dairying, the history of an unusual university department over its first hundred years’ by James Rothwell for full details. A memo from Margaret Fuller at MERL to Miss A. Sheppard at the Department of Dairying in 1960 asks whether the three curd breakers (60/24/1–3), a wooden skimmer (annotated by Miss Sheppard as being a ‘butter scoop’) (60/25) and a large coopered item (annotated by Miss Sheppard as being a ‘Cheshire cheese mould’) (60/23) were used in the Department. Miss Sheppard has annotated that ‘all were used in the department when at Aylesbury between 1888–1908’., MERL 'Handwritten accession' form (Museum of English Rural Life) – 'Standard museum name: … // Accession number: … // Classification: … // Negative number: … // Acquisition method: … // Acquired from: … // Date: … // Store: … // Condition: … // Recorder: KCS // Date: 22/3/94 // Description: (1) A small earthenware cream jar glazed dark brown on the outside and cream on the inside. It widens out from the base to the shoulder and then narrows again to the neck. The jar may have been closed by means of a wood fibre disc. // (2) A large cream jar glazed dark brown on the outside and the inside. It widens out from the base to the shoulder and then narrows again to the neck. Inscribed Price 22 Bristol. // Dimensions: (1) Height 13.3cm. Diameter at top 6.3cm. Diam. at base 6.3cm. // (2) Height 17cm. Diameter at top 9.5cm. Diam. at base 10.5cm. // Associated information: (1) For the storage & marketing of cream. // (2) For the storage of cream. // Clayware was used to keep down the temperature of things likely to spoil in the heat. // References: The Country Kitchen: John Vince.', MERL ‘History Artefacts’ card – 'User: Dept. Dairying University of Reading'

Ceramic, earthenware, Glaze

Fired, Glazed