Historical information

Allen & Hanburys was founded in 1715 in Old Plough Court, Lombard Street, London, by Silvanus Bevan, a Welshman, apothecary, and a Quaker. Bevan and his brother, Timothy, who became his partner and later succeeded him, were known for their just dealings and the integrity and quality of their drugs. The company grew into a respected pharmaceutical center and had established a strong reputation with American doctors by the late 18th century.
William Allen, FRS, also a Quaker, and well-known scientist, joined the firm in 1792 and rose quickly to become the dominant personality. His second wife was a member of the Hanbury family who had produced several learned scientists. On Allen's death, the Hanbury family assumed control of the company.
The growth of the company was continuous, but it was in the second part of the 19th century that developments on a large scale took place. Factories were built at Ware, Hertfordshire, and Bethnal Green in East London.
The factory at Ware specialised in infants' foods, dietetic products, medicated pastilles, malt preparations as well as galenical preparations, beginning production in 1892. The brands included Allenburys Nº1 and Nº2 foods (essentially milk foods for babies up to six months), and Allenburys Nº 3 (malted farinaceous food, six months and older). Allenburys Rusks was a suitable first solid food for infants.
Allenburys claimed to be pioneers in Great Britain in the production of pastilles, and thus the Ware factory also produced Allenburys Glycerine and Black Currant Pastilles, amongst another 80 different kinds of medicated and crystallised pastilles.
Allen and Hanburys were one of the first manufacturers of cod liver oil in Great Britain, and owned factories in the Lofoten Islands (Norway) as well as at Hull and Aberdeen taking cod directly from the North Sea.
The Bethnal Green factory carried much of the administrative and scientific side of the business, which included research, analytical control, chemistry, pharmacy, and pharmacology. In this plant, galenical preparations, pills, tablets, capsules, and other classes of pharmaceutical and medical goods were prepared.
The company had overseas branches in Lindsay, Ontario, Durban, India, Shanghai, Australia, and Buenos Aires, and agencies in many other countries. The company address was for many years at 37 Lombard Street, London EC.
Allen and Hanburys Ltd were absorbed by Glaxo Laboratories in 1958 under the name Glaxo Smith Kline, the company, used the Allen and Hanburys name for the specialist respiratory division until it was phased out in 2013.

Significance

An early baby feeding bottle was made by the Allen & Hanburys company between 1891 to around 1920. The item is significant as it was used to feed babies the new manufactured baby milk formula's made by Allen & Hanburys that were gaining in popularity towards the end of the Victorian era.

Physical description

Baby feeding bottle clear glass curved with flat bottom and measuring scale, teat opening at one end and filling hole without stopper at the other end.

Inscriptions & markings

Allenburys Feeder AD 1715