By Alex Glenn • Published: 01 Apr 2021 • 11:41
Queen Victoria's Boer War Chocolate Discovered in an Attic Credit: Twitter
QUEEN VICTORIA’S Boer War chocolate discovered in an attic at Oxburgh Hall.
National Trust conservators have discovered a 121-year-old chocolate bar at Oxburgh Hall, hidden away in the attic. The National Trust property is located near Swaffham, and the chocolate was still in its original wrapper and tin. The chocolate dates back to 1900, when Queen Victoria commissioned over 100,000 tins to be made.
According to the National Trust “Queen Victoria commissioned the country’s three principal chocolate manufacturers Cadbury, Fry and Rowntree, to undertake the order. As pacifist Quakers that opposed the war, all three manufacturers refused to accept payment for the order and originally donated the chocolate in unbranded tins.
“However, the Queen insisted the troops knew they were getting British chocolate and the firms backed down, marking some bars. The tins themselves were never branded.
“It’s unclear which of the three manufacturers made the chocolate discovered at Oxburgh.”
The discovery which has been labelled as a “remarkable find” was found in a Boer War helmet case, and belonged to the 8th Baronet, Sir Henry Edward Paston-Bedingfeld.
The National Trust‘s cultural heritage curator, Anna Forrest, explained that the chocolate was a memento of the Boer war and explained that, “Although it no longer looks appetising and is well past its use-by date – you wouldn’t want it as your Easter treat – it is still complete and a remarkable find.
“We can only assume the 8th Baronet kept the chocolate with the helmet as a memento of his time in the Boer War.”
In 1900 the chocolates were issued to troops located in South Africa as the Queen hoped to gift every officer and soldier a box of chocolates with the inscription ‘South Africa 1900’. The boxes were also commissioned to have ‘I wish you a happy New Year’ in the Queen’s handwriting.
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Originally from the UK, Alex is based in Almeria and is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com.
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