Bridgewater School

In August 2022, during archaeological monitoring in a dump/tip site of the historic Bridgewater School, adjacent to St Mary’s Anglican Church and Cemetery in Old Main Road, Bridgewater, various artefacts dating back to the late 1800's were found.

The area exhumed measured around one metre by one metre by 300 millimetres deep.

The artefacts recorded were typical of a c1890 to c1910 period and contained several date-able and interesting items in the form of bottles, shotgun cartridges, ceramic fragments and a leather boot.

Photographs by Darren Watton 2024

Chamberlains bottle

This bottle is inscribed with “CHAMBERLAIN’S COLIC AND DIARRHOEA REMEDY” on the front and “DES MOINES IA. USA” along the edge, dating from 1906-1938.

Notably, in 1906, a Canadian mother reportedly killed her child with just three drops of this remedy, as it contained opium.

Since “cholera” is not included on the label, this appears to be an early 1900s version.

Ink bottles

These two ink bottles feature crack-off finishes, commonly seen on two-piece mould ink bottles with irregularly broken tops.

Crack-off finishes date from 1850 to 1920, with this variety typically found at sites from 1890 to 1910. Considering that the site housed a school dating back to around 1885, the presence of these ink bottles is not surprising.

Drake & Co bottle

This bottle most likely dates from 1890 to 1910 and is embossed with DRAKE & CO IRISH MOSS HOBART on the facing panel.

It would have been typically used to hold Irish Moss, a remedy derived from a type of seaweed (Chondrus crispus) that was popular for treating respiratory issues such as coughs, colds, and bronchitis.

Woods bottle

This bottle dates from 1900-1910 and is embossed WOODS GREAT PEPPERMINT CURE FOR COUGHS AND COLDS.

It would have contained “Wood’s Great Peppermint Cure” which was used for the relief of coughs and colds.

The cure was the creation of chemist, W. E. Woods. Woods first set up shop in Hastings, New Zealand in 1881 before moving to Wellington and eventually to Sydney, where he died in 1927. His company, W. E. Woods & Co., New Zealand remained active after his death.

Shotgun cartridges

These shotgun cartridges were uncovered at the study area. The casings are embossed with:

• Eley No 12 Gastight cartridge (1885-1914)
• Eley London No 12 (1895-1919)
• Kynock No 12 Brimingham (Two of these) - Likely date approx. 1880-1918
• Nobel, or Eley-Kynoch, or Eley Nobel or Eley N.I. (Nobel Industries)
• British make - top and bottom of circle, straight 12 either side.

Earlier cartridges (pre-1870s) tend to be embossed as typical Eley Bro’s and other cartridges.

Eley is a British company who have manufactured ammunition since 1828. Incised cartridge heads tend to be post 1870s technological changes.