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There were a wide range of bottle types used by the British Military. This page details many of the different poison bottles that were used.
Victorian
Poison Bottles
By the mid nineteenth century public concern over accidental and non-accidental poisonings had reached the point where the British government was taking action. In 1863 “A Bill for the Prevention of Accidental Poisoning” was introduced to the house. The bill called for all poisons to be stored in special hexagonal bottles prominently labeled poison along with directions for use. Although the bill did not pass, many companies around the world adopted special bottles for poisons. The two main colours adopted were cobalt blue and an emerald green. The bottles also had distinctive shapes often with raised ribs or other designs and raised letters with the word poison. Two factors were at play, first, many people were illiterate so the colour would be associated with poison, second, in dim light the bottles would have a distinctive feel. Because of the attractive colour and unique designs Victorian poison bottles are particularly favoured by collectors.
These are found in a variety of sizes, mostly in dark cobalt blue and to a lesser extent emerald green.
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#201001: Square blue poison 1oz N 2.7 cm. Square Height: 9.4 cm. |
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#201002: Square blue poison 2oz N 3.2 cm. Square Height: 10.5 cm. |
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The wax seal on this two ounce poison, identical to the one above, clearly shows the Royal Navy seal. The partial lettering appears to be an M on the upper left and EPOT (likely DEPOT) on the upper right. The word Deptford is clearly printed at the bottom. The wax seal is placed over a paper label which has only tiny portions remaining. The partial printing on the label is “ALTY S” with the wax seal obscuring anything after the S. This may have read ADMIRALTY SEAL indicating where there was seal was to be placed. Below this is a hand written 67 or possibly 64. The contents of the bottle were likely hand written on the missing label. The
Deptford Dockyard was founded in 1513 by Henry VIII on the |
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#201002v: Wide Mouth Square blue poison 2oz 3.4 cm. Square Height: 10 cm.
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201003v. Square blue poison marked 4 5.2 cm. Square Height: 14.3 cm.
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This was a photo provided by Geoff Clarke of New Zealand showing three different
numbered bottles in this series.
These appeared in a New Zealand bottle auction list a few years ago with the
description copied below. It becomes clear that the number on many of
these bottles likely refers to contents instead of volume. |
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12 oz blue poison with ground stopper 6.3 cm. Square with beveled corners Height: 15.5 cm. Height with stopper: 17.6 This style likely predates the ribbed versions bearing the words poison.
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This bottle is a reconstructed example recovered in Bermuda. The measurement are not available but are likely similar to the colourless 17 ½ . This image was scanned from an older photograph. Photo courtesy of Chriss Addams of Bermuda.
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#2001003: Square blue poison 4oz N 4 cm. Square Height: 13 cm.
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#201004: Square blue poison 8oz N 5.2 cm. Square Height: 14.5 cm. |
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#201005: Square blue poison 16oz N 6.7 cm. Square Height: 16.4 cm. |
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#201006: Square blue poison 24oz N 7.7 cm. Square Height: 19.0 cm. |
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32 ounce? |
Was a 32 ounce size made? |
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#301008: Hexagonal blue poison Base 3.3 cm. (widest point) Height 8.8 cm.
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The bottle
on the left was found in |
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#301009: Hexagonal blue poison Base 4.0 cm. (widest point) Height: 11.2 cm. |
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#301010: Hexagonal blue poison Base 4.4 cm. (widest point) Height: 14.3 cm. |
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#301011:
Hexagonal blue poison Base 5.1 cm. (widest point) Height: 16 cm. |
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18 oz Hexagonal blue poison Very large cobalt blue hexagonal poison with arrow above the word POISON. (18 oz) 22.86 c. x 7.62 cm.
Photos kindly provided by Vernon Erwin.
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Back of hexagonal poisons showing ribbing |
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National Health Insurance label: Finds from around the world suggest these
bottles were associated with the Royal Navy but were they also used for a
government run National Health Insurance? This very rare labeled bottle was
found in England.
Height 14 cm. A photo of this bottle appeared in the ABC Magazine and this is the reply from the editor ABC Magazine published in 2005 in Issue 23 page 23: “An intriguing find; the broad arrow certainly indicates a UK military issue and it therefore seems reasonable to assume the N stands for navy. National Insurance on the label refers to the National Insurance Act of 1911 which was one of the earliest steps towards the creation of the current welfare state. It was first proposed in the 1908 “Peoples Budget” of David Lloyd George and the scheme came into effect in July 1912, with the aim of creating a national system of insurance for working people against illness and unemployment. All wage-earners aged 16 and 70 were obliged to contribute 4 pence per week, while employers paid 3 pence and the state 2 pence, In return workers were entitled to a level of free medical care and advice and a dole of 7 shillings per week for up to 15 weeks per year in the event of unemployment. My guess is that Timothy Whites bought up (or were supplied with) a job lot of navy-issue poisons during a period of national shortage ( perhaps WW1) for use in the UK’s first free medical care system. " |
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At least one size in this series was produced in the typical emerald green used for Victorian poisons. Photo kindly provided by Alan Blakeman BBR Auctions England in October 2007 No dimensions or provenience were provided. |
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| Hexagonal poisons: Large Arrow | ||
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Hexagonal blue poison
Very small cobalt blue hexagonal poison with a "Footed" arrow below the word POISON. Base 3.175 cm. Height: 8.25 cm Photos kindly provided by Vernon Erwin. |
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#302010:
Hexagonal blue poison Base 3.5 cm. Height: 11.0 cm.
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#3002011:
Hexagonal blue poison Base 3.8 cm. Height: 13.5 cm.
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#3002012: Hexagonal blue poison Base 5.7 cm. Height: 16.0 cm.
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#3002013: Hexagonal blue poison with "WD" and Base 5.7 cm. Height: 16.0 cm. Marked WD with an arrow, opposite side has three ribbed panels and NOT TO BE TAKEN. This bottle was found in County Meath, Ireland. As far as I know this particular variation has only been found in Ireland. |
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| Etched Admiralty Arrow Bottles: | ||
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Machine made acid etched green hexagonal poison with 3 ribbed panels. This
bottle was originally found in Cyprus. These bottles have also been found
in blue and probably date sometime between the first and second war.
Base 2.8 cm. (widest point) Height: 8.0 cm. |
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Machine made acid etched green hexagonal poison with 3 ribbed panels. Blurred
manufacturer's mark on base. Probably dates from around the time of the
second world war.
Base 5.5 cm. (widest point) Height: 18.0 cm. |
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Machine made acid etched green round poison with one half ribbed and a black
screw cap. On base a 1 above a 2 and a maker's mark.
These bottles were part of a military surplus sale in London just after the second war. I have a few extra examples of these bottles. Base diameter 3.1 cm. Height: 5.0 cm.
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Large round green ribbed poison bottle with stopper and a "Medical
Depot-Deptford" wax seal, plus a small acid etched arrow on the lower
back. Height:
22.86 cm. Base
10.16 cm.
Photos kindly provided by Vernon Erwin.
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| OTHER Admiralty Arrow Poisons | ||
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Emerald green applied lip poison bottle with one half of the bottle ribbed (the
other half smooth) and a colourless stopper that
appears to be original. This bottle likely dates to around the WW1 era and is
marked with a broad arrow and the number 40 on the base. The volume is in fact
40 ounces and the height is 25.5 cm. (29. 0 with the stopper) and 9.5 cm. in
diameter. It would be interesting to see if similar marked bottles turn up in
an archaeological context.
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Blue Not to Be Taken poison with arrow on base An unusual cobalt blue hexagonal 'Not To Be Taken' poison with the arrow embossed on the base. Height: 15.24 cm Base: 5.08 cm Photos kindly provided by Vernon Erwin.
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Click on each picture to see larger images.
This site created by Tom Bown and maintained by Linda Bown. Email us with comments.
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IMPORTANT NOTICE: The images presented at this online gallery are copyright-protected © worldwide by Tom Bown. Any downloading, copying, distributing or other unauthorized use without prior written consent of the copyright holder is strictly forbidden.
Last updated Nov 2009
