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Lovely, little, early Victorian, cranberry glass, leech pot or jar

Demand for leeches in the 19th Century was high. It was common knowledge that most illnesses were caused by excess blood, which needed to be drained from the body and Britain imported millions of leeches a year from France

The leeches were sold to a pharmacists and physicians, who kept them in large jars. To stop the little blighters from escaping, cloth was tied over the top and, to facilitate that, the rims of the jars were turned out to form a pronounced lip. In order to allow a physician to take just a few leeches out on his calls, rather than carry the whole stock around, smaller versions of the pots were made. Blood-letting became so popular that many ordinary people bought these small jars of leeches and kept them at home, rather like we keep a box of paracetamol handy today

Smooth, polished pontil to base

Base and surface wear commensurate with age and use 

Lovely condition. No chips or cracks. There are a few minor surface scratches but nothing significant. Please examine photos carefully as these are part of the condition description

Approximate measurements:

Height: 7.4cm

Diameter of rim: 5.3cm

Weight: 104g

NOTE: The line of white dots you can see on some photos is the reflection of the LED strips we use for lighting. They are not marks on the glass