Comments: The tin was
manufactured to contain their "Royal Wax Vestas" in their Fairfield
Works in Bow, London around 1885. It is nicely decorated in the
"Aesthetic Style" using black on gold printing, with a striker plate
on the rear of the tin and the front edge says "Registered Dec 20
1870 Made In England".
The two Quakers "William Bryant" and "Francis May"
formed their company around 1840 in London. By the 1850's they were
selling nearly 10,000,000 boxes of matches a year and in 1861 they
started their "model factory" in Bow. In 1888 they were the
target of a strike by the London match girls who were fighting for
better working conditions. The young girls and women were frequently
victims of the terrible disease called "phossy jaw" during their
fourteen hour daily shifts, which was caused by the use of white
phosphorus in the manufacture of early matches.
The "House of Commons" passed a bill in 1908 prohibiting the
use of this type of phosphorus in matches from 1911 onwards.
I remember the old Victorian brick built factory well, as I used to
travel pass it everyday on the train, on the way to school!To view other images of this item, please click here:
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