Harsh Reality Display

This rushlight holder is made of wrought iron with a wooden base. The jaws are counterweighted to grip the rushlight. It dates from the eighteenth century and has the initials ‘J.W.’ burnt onto the base.  Rushes were peeled and the pith was weathered and immersed in hot bacon fat and left to dry, before being burned. They were normally about 12 inches long and one of this length would burn for about half an hour. The use of the rushlight became extremely common after the introduction of the tax on candles in 1709. This tax remained in force until 1831. Most rushlight holders, therefore, date from the 18th and early 19th centuries.

This comb-back Windsor chair, and another of the same [77/234], were bequeathed by Miss Ellis on the condition that they were not to be separated. She had purchased them from a gentleman some years earlier who had stipulated the same – that they should not be separated – and Miss Ellis followed this in her will.

The comb-back is so called because the horizontal ‘crest’ rail at the top of the chair, into which the sticks are socketed, was said to resemble the spine of a comb with the sticks acting as its teeth!

This is a ‘Homcam’ canning machine for domestic use. Previous methods of food storage included drying, fermenting and salting foods. Canning foodstuffs at home was not possible until the late 18th century. In 1810 Englishman Peter Durand introduced a method for sealing food in “unbreakable” tin cans. In recent years, the popularity of reuseable storage has risen as shoppers want to move away from one use plastic containers.

This cage lantern came from near Hull, in the East Riding of Yorkshire. It was probably designed to be fixed onto a wall. It contains two candle holders.

This candle holder is a cobbler’s light or ‘snob’s light’. It consists of a tubular candle holder, made of sheet iron, mounted on a flat metal base and supported on a base block of elm. The arm is jointed so that the candle can be adjusted horizontally, and there is a slide so that the height of the candle can also be adjusted.

This is a large wooden salting tray with a lead lining and a drainage hole which is closed with a cork. It was used for preserving pork by covering it in brine. The brine used for salting was a mixture of water (2 to 3 gallons), salt (4 lbs) and half a bottle of port wine. The tray originally belonged to the donor’s grandfather and was later used by the donor’s father, a market gardener who also kept pigs, in the 1920s and 1930s.

This money collecting box was used by the Compton branch of the National Union of Agricultural Workers. The donor was the Secretary of the Compton branch from 1947-1985, and the box was put on the table at monthly meetings to collect money for members in need. At this time, the union was a powerful force in the political sphere; it was the thirteenth largest British trade union in 1962, with 131,000 members.

The MERL holds the archive of the union, which contains written and printed material on their political, social and financial activities.

These are plaster casts of Joseph Arch’s hands. Arch was the president of the National Agricultural Labourers Union (1872-1892), the first successful rural union to be established. Nothing is known about the casting process. You can learn more about Joseph Arch and the NALU here.

This is a sash used by the Banner Captain of the National Union of Agricultural Workers. The sash is made of green grosgrain with gold fringe. The metallic thread embroidery details a plough, clasped hands, leaves, lettering with a hook and eye fastening and a gold rosette. The sash is inscribed ‘NUAW, Romford & District Branches, Banner Captain’. It was made by George Tutill in London, and was used in Romford, Essex.