Item LL 76410 Ointment Jar - Whiteware, Black, Transfer-printed England, London (Fragment)

Summary

This ceramic jar was excavated at the Commonwealth Block site between 1988 and 2003. It was manufactured for Holloway's ointment which contained opium. The address printed on the jar suggests it was manufactured before1867, when Holloway's moved from The Strand to Oxford Street, London.

Health and hygiene.
'Cleanliness is next to Godliness'. This is a difficult maxim to follow when 'there is not one bath in sixty', when sewerage gathers in cesspits and open drainage channels line the streets.But the residents of Little Lon did practice personal hygiene. Archaeologists have uncovered toothbrushes and toothpaste pots, scent bottles, soap dishes, combs and hairbrushes.
Clean teeth and neat hair did not guarantee good health however. Doctors were expensive, so ordinary people had to rely on medicines like Holloway's Ointment and Hall's Vegetable Pain Conqueror as well as Chinese herbal remedies. Children were dosed weekly with the laxative castor oil, to keep their bowels regular.

Physical Description

This is a small, white jar with black writing and neutral glaze. It has no lid and is almost complete except for large chip on top and small one on base. There is a crack on one side which extends across the base.

Physical Description

Small, white jar with black writing No lid Almost complete, large chip in top and small one on base Crack on one side, extending across base. Previously recorded as pre-1867. Previous Name/Identification: ceramic jar which once contained Holloway's ointment.