Tees Archaeology have recently had the chance to identify and find out some information of the bottle photographed below.
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BENSLEY BROTHERS GLASS BOTTLE
“Hamilton” type bottle
DESCRIPTION
Length : approximately 17 centimetres
Maximum diameter : approximately 6.5 centimetres
Minimum diameter : approximately 3 centimetres
Weight : approximately 323 grammes
Material : moulded glass; clear, green-tinged
On one side, the bottle bears a moulded design. It is detailed below, the lettering, etc. being arranged top to bottom, with upper case used as on the artefact.
The lettering above the shield curves upwards
whilst that below, curves downwards
BENSLEY BROTHERS
TRADE MARK
West Hartlepool armorial shield, surmounted by the crest of what appears to be a “Sea-Hart” (cervine head & upper body + piscine tail) facing L and holding an Anchor in its fore-hooves
Motto ribbon beneath shield : E MARE EX INDUSTRIA
WEST HARTLEPOOL
OBSERVATIONS
Artificial mineral waters were invented by Joseph Priestley in 1772, and soon became popular. The Swiss aerated mineral water manufacturer, Jacobs Schweppes, is accredited with beginning the commercial manufacture of mineral waters at his Bristol site in 1792.
Carbonated drinks bottles were stoppered with corks, but if the cork dried out, it tended to shrink, thereby releasing the gas pressure in the bottle, so that its contents went “flat”. To overcome this problem, a bottle with an ovoid body, which had to be stored on its side and thus kept the cork moist, was introduced. The earliest was patented by William Hamilton in 1814 – hence, such bottles are referred to as “Hamiltons”, or (more colloquially) as “Hammies”. The design remained popular, particularly for soda waters, until at least 1916, even though one disadvantage of this pointed-base design was that the bottle could roll around and might fall off a table or shelf.
Scrutiny of a number of local directories yielded the following entries (or lack thereof) for a relevant firm named Bensley Brothers, of West Hartlepool :
Morris, Harrison, and Co.’s Commercial Directory and Gazetteer of the County of Durham 1861 ~ no entry found
Kelly’s Directory of Hartlepool and West Hartlepool 1885 ~ no entry found
Kelly’s Directory of Durham, Northumberland, Cumberland and Westmorland 1894 ~ Bensley Brothers, mineral water manufacturers,
46 Stockton Street, West Hartlepool
Ward’s Directory of Darlington, Hartlepool, West Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Stockton, Thornaby and their surrounding villages 1900-1
~ James Bensley, mineral water manufacturer, 46 Stockton Street, West Hartlepool
Ward’s Directory of Darlington, Hartlepool, West Hartlepool, Redcar and Coatham, Middlesbrough, Stockton, Thornaby and their surrounding villages 1912-13 ~ no entry found
Kelly’s Directory of Durham and Northumberland 1929 ~ no entry found
Kelly’s Directory of Durham and Northumberland 1934 ~ no entry found
Further research would, of course, be required, but the above data initially suggests an approximate date for the bottle of circa 1890 – 1900.
The design of the West Hartlepool coat of arms, as shown on the bottle, is also of interest. The “official” version of the arms ~ or, at least, that found most prevalently (see below) ~ has as its crest a hart emerging from a pool, with what appears to be intended as a block-built wall at each end of the pool.
In contrast, the arms depicted on the bottle feature a “Sea-Hart”, complete with fishy tail, and there are no walls flanking the pool. Whether this design variation was deliberate ~ perhaps to avoid conflict with the civic authorities ~ or whether it was the consequence of careless draughtsmanship would require further research to determine.
“Hamilton” type bottle
DESCRIPTION
Length : approximately 17 centimetres
Maximum diameter : approximately 6.5 centimetres
Minimum diameter : approximately 3 centimetres
Weight : approximately 323 grammes
Material : moulded glass; clear, green-tinged
On one side, the bottle bears a moulded design. It is detailed below, the lettering, etc. being arranged top to bottom, with upper case used as on the artefact.
The lettering above the shield curves upwards
whilst that below, curves downwards
BENSLEY BROTHERS
TRADE MARK
West Hartlepool armorial shield, surmounted by the crest of what appears to be a “Sea-Hart” (cervine head & upper body + piscine tail) facing L and holding an Anchor in its fore-hooves
Motto ribbon beneath shield : E MARE EX INDUSTRIA
WEST HARTLEPOOL
OBSERVATIONS
Artificial mineral waters were invented by Joseph Priestley in 1772, and soon became popular. The Swiss aerated mineral water manufacturer, Jacobs Schweppes, is accredited with beginning the commercial manufacture of mineral waters at his Bristol site in 1792.
Carbonated drinks bottles were stoppered with corks, but if the cork dried out, it tended to shrink, thereby releasing the gas pressure in the bottle, so that its contents went “flat”. To overcome this problem, a bottle with an ovoid body, which had to be stored on its side and thus kept the cork moist, was introduced. The earliest was patented by William Hamilton in 1814 – hence, such bottles are referred to as “Hamiltons”, or (more colloquially) as “Hammies”. The design remained popular, particularly for soda waters, until at least 1916, even though one disadvantage of this pointed-base design was that the bottle could roll around and might fall off a table or shelf.
Scrutiny of a number of local directories yielded the following entries (or lack thereof) for a relevant firm named Bensley Brothers, of West Hartlepool :
Morris, Harrison, and Co.’s Commercial Directory and Gazetteer of the County of Durham 1861 ~ no entry found
Kelly’s Directory of Hartlepool and West Hartlepool 1885 ~ no entry found
Kelly’s Directory of Durham, Northumberland, Cumberland and Westmorland 1894 ~ Bensley Brothers, mineral water manufacturers,
46 Stockton Street, West Hartlepool
Ward’s Directory of Darlington, Hartlepool, West Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Stockton, Thornaby and their surrounding villages 1900-1
~ James Bensley, mineral water manufacturer, 46 Stockton Street, West Hartlepool
Ward’s Directory of Darlington, Hartlepool, West Hartlepool, Redcar and Coatham, Middlesbrough, Stockton, Thornaby and their surrounding villages 1912-13 ~ no entry found
Kelly’s Directory of Durham and Northumberland 1929 ~ no entry found
Kelly’s Directory of Durham and Northumberland 1934 ~ no entry found
Further research would, of course, be required, but the above data initially suggests an approximate date for the bottle of circa 1890 – 1900.
The design of the West Hartlepool coat of arms, as shown on the bottle, is also of interest. The “official” version of the arms ~ or, at least, that found most prevalently (see below) ~ has as its crest a hart emerging from a pool, with what appears to be intended as a block-built wall at each end of the pool.
In contrast, the arms depicted on the bottle feature a “Sea-Hart”, complete with fishy tail, and there are no walls flanking the pool. Whether this design variation was deliberate ~ perhaps to avoid conflict with the civic authorities ~ or whether it was the consequence of careless draughtsmanship would require further research to determine.
Tees Archaeology would like to thank JH for all her hard work researching this bottle.
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