British Empire in a Bottle
Tools and trades of the Bottle Family of Harrietsham, Kent, in the UK cover fourteen generations from the late 16th century to the present, spanning trades over three continents. The Bottle family is among the most famous families of artisans around the world for they have been indispensable in the villages where they lived and worked in Kent County, South East of London and their history can be traced back fourteen generations. The Bottles’ work has encompassed many essential trades over the centuries while always adapting to the needs of their constituencies, from land surveying and map making to carpentry and woodworking, from collar and harness making and saddler to miller and maltster, paper maker, mayor, or even doctor….The Bottle family tools shown here include some fine carpentry tools made by William Bottle, Robert Bottle, and Ferdinando Bottle, mostly in the 18th century.
What makes the Bottle family so unique among the known historical families of artisans and Compagnons spanning over several generations is the diversity of trades they covered. In comparison, the famous Italian Lusuerg family of Modena and Rome was known for instrument making. They worked for the Italian Court in the late 17th and early 18th century; the Cole family (Benjamin Senior and Junior) in England was known for mathematical instrument making and for surveying and map-making for several generations; the Missaglia’s were Italian armorers; the Helms Schmidt were German armorers, jewelers, and locksmiths for many generations. Canivet and the Bergerons of Paris, France, specialized in one trade only, be it mathematical and drawing instrument making or woodworking respectively. The Bottles however, have left their imprint on many trades in an entire region of England and their tools all bear a unique, identifiable, signature containing the letter “B” stylized as if it contained the figure “8” inside.
No trace in the family’s history seems to relate directly to the number eight of the Bottle signature. As discussed further in the chapter Symbols by Numbers, the symbolic significance of the numeral eight is based on the cosmic balance of four times two or two to the power three and some Compagnons believed it represented a mediation between the sky represented as a circle and the earth as a square. As a result, eight-branch stars can be found in numerous carpenter tools. Also, the number eight is often closely associated with the farrier and horse related trades as were several generations of Bottles who were saddlers and harness makers. The perfect horseshoe forged in the last thousand years would almost inevitably have eight holes (or “etampures”) for the eight nails attaching it to the hoof.
Another symbolic tie to the square and circle is the famous Bottle family Dial House of Harrietsham. Rebuilt in the 1700’s, by Benjamin Bottle (1732-1807), the house is still owned and maintained by a member of the Bottle family two hundred and fifty years later. The sun dial on the front wall of the house still works, with the shadow of the square indicating the time of day on the circle of the dial.
The sun dial is also a discreet, indirect, Compagnon and Freemason symbol, since it contains the representation of the Compass (via the circle) and the Square in the center to project the shadow of the sun that gives the time of day. Also as a distinguishable trademark of the Bottles, the initial preceding the last name “Bottle” or the letter “B” would generally be separated by an ‘x’ as in “F x B” for the signature of Ferdinando Bottle (1715-1745), “B x B” the signature of Robert Bottle (1704-1768), or “W x Bottle” for William Bottle (1757-1833). Several woodworking tools marked “B x B” and dated between 1750 and 1754 can be seen at the Maidstone Museum in Kent. An entire display case at the Museum is dedicated to the Bottle family.
Table 2: Bottle Family members
The table below provides a partial account of the Bottle family members and the main trade they were known to conduct.
Robert Bottle (1622-1705), Maltster
Robert Bottle (1654-1742), Carpenter
Thomas Bottle (1662-1726), Maltster
Alexander Bottle (1679-1764), Surveyor, Map Maker and Carpenter
Robert Bottle (1704-1768), Carpenter
Alexander Bottle (1708-1797), Surveyor, Map Maker, and Miller
Ferdinando Bottle (1715-1745), Surveyor, Map Maker, and Carpenter
Thomas Bottle (1719-1779), Miller
Benjamin Bottle (1732-1807), Surveyor, Map Maker, Carpenter, and Joiner
Alexander Bottle (1734-1818), Miller
William Bottle (1757-1833), Collar and Harness Maker
Benjamin Bottle (1759-1839), Miller
Alexander Bottle (1761-1793), Butcher
Robert Thomas Bottle (1761-1849), Surveyor, Map Maker, and Carpenter
Ferdinando Bottle (1763-1857), Wheelwright
William Bottle (1777-1827), Surveyor, Architect
William Iddenden Bottle (1782-1853), Harness Maker
William Bottle (1788-1870), Collar and Harness Maker, Saddler, Farmer
Edward Bottle (1789-1865), Carpenter
Alexander Bottle (1793-1890), Toll Farmer
Robert Thomas Bottle (1798-1876), Carpenter, Post Master
Benjamin Bottle (1800-1844), Cooper
William Bottle (1803-1881), Harness Maker
William Bottle (1806-1896), Carpenter and Builder
Amelia Bottle (1809-1887), Dress Maker
William Eversfield Bottle (1810-1874), Toll Farmer
Harry Bottle (1810-1861), Saddler
Friend Bottle (1812-1891), Harness Maker Master
Alexander Bottle (1817-1907), Chemist, Veterinary Surgeon, Mayor
William Bottle (1837-1877), Cooper
Robert Thomas Bottle (1838-1915), Carpenter and Builder
Alexander Bottle (1842-1908), Doctor
William Bottle (1876-1909), Carpenter
Edward James Bottle (1878-1949), Carpenter and Builder
Probably the most famous among the family is Alexander Bottle born in Hythe in 1817. He trained as a chemist and became a veterinary surgeon. He served the town of Dover as alderman in 1877, mayor in 1878, borough magistrate in 1879, and other functions until 1885. He also served as President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain.
Another, more recent, famous Bottle was Professor Bob Bottle, an expert whose contributions on the subject of noise were much respected. A transcript of the UK Parliament public hearings on April 25, 1996, has Professor Bob Bottle addressing the House of the Lords regarding the British Rail project of a channel tunnel rail link. He pleads vigorously for the proper noise barriers. He is recorded saying: “In villages such as Harrietsham, in my constituency, which will be sandwiched between the channel tunnel rail link, the new M20, and the old A20, all in one tiny gap, there is a great need for proper protection.”
The villages where the Bottle family can be first traced are all within a thirty-mile radius around Harrietsham, Kent. The Bottles births and deaths, weddings and baptisms throughout the 17th to the 19th centuries, are recorded mainly in the villages and towns of Ulcombe, Hollingbourne, Lenham, Maidstone, Stalisfield, Hythe, Sandgate, and Dover, besides Harrietsham considered the starting point in Kent County of the Bottles saga. The village of Harrietsham shows traces of Roman and Saxon settlements. The village was given by Duke William the Conqueror to Robert de Crevecoeur his long-time companion, to thank him for his help during the battle of Hastings in 1066.
Six Bottle Family Carpenter's or Cabinetmaker's Tools, Harrietsham, Kent, England, 18th century, a back saw marked on the handle "BxB 1785," a boxwood square marked "x B x Bottle 1760," with brass blade, a spoke shave marked "Bottle" on both handles and "WxB" between the two blade posts, a turned wood-handled screw awl marked "BxB" on the underside of the handle, and two molding planes, marked "FxB," one dated 1739 and the other 1742.
Stone tools and other evidence gathered in the Maidstone Museum of Kent demonstrate that ancestors of the Saxons lived in the Maidstone area over ten thousand years ago. The Museum, with its strong archeological department, exhibits significant finds from the Bronze Age, Iron Age, and later Roman and Saxon periods. Maidstone was recognized as a town in 1549 when it was granted a royal charter by king Edward VI (1537-1553), the first Protestant ruler of England. By the 18th century, Maidstone had become the official and legal center of Kent.
Family members assembled an extraordinary amount of historic material, especially by the last three generations under the guidance and leadership of John Bottle (born in 1932). With the help of the entire Bottle family, John tackled the formidable task of establishing a family tree based on relatively well maintained church and Parish records in the Kent region, tax and official journal entries, and voting records. This was also made possible by many personal archives and diaries kept by family members and passed down over several generations or sometimes given to local institutions including the Maidstone Museum. The Bottle diaries and letters provide a good insight in the life of these artisans and master craftsmen in the course of the historical events they witnessed, for example the Great Fire of London in 1666.
In a letter she writes to her nephew, Lilian Annie Bottle (1876-1963) describes the life of the Bottles in the 17th century: “In the diary it said that one night they saw a big fire, and, as usual, all the able bodied men went along to help fight it but they couldn’t get near it, and as far as any of them went, men from there had gone on farther, and those who had returned, said it was as far away as ever, and folks at the end of their journey had gone off and no one knew where it was, and it must be a dreadful fire. No news came the next day, and at night the fire was far worse, and they all were terrified, as they thought it must be the end of the world, and the flames of Hell spreading towards them. So they all gathered on a hill, and spent the night in prayer. Of course, they couldn’t think of anywhere large enough to make such a blaze. Next day, the news came through that London was on fire and they were mightily relieved.”
According to Rex A. Leaver, the author of an extensive historical account of the Bottles, their lives, and times, it is quite plausible that the Bottle family in Kent originated from the Huguenots, the French Protestants who emigrated from France after the massacre of Saint Bartholomew in 1572. It appears the Huguenots settled mainly in East Anglia and Kent. The Public Record Office of Chancery Lane has two “Bottle-like” entries: Catherine Boutel in 1594 and Caterinne Bottel in 1695. Both records are in French, relating to one being a witness at a baptism, the other a godparent.
Yet, other family records point to the Bottles being originally from South Scotland. In her letter, Lilian Annie Bottle narrates: “The families came from South Scotland in the 1500’s. There was always fighting among the chiefs in those days, and our folks were on the losing side in one scrimmage. The father and a son were imprisoned and executed, and three sons, Robert, Benjamin, and Alexander, escaped to England. Presumably they came by ship to the Thames estuary, and went up the North Downs to a tiny hamlet called Stalisfield, right away from everywhere. It is quite out of the world and no main roads go near it. It is about six miles East of Harrietsham. The sons or grandsons of the first comers moved down into the valley at Harrietsham in the 1500’s and there, the descendants have been ever since. There were Robert, Benjamin, and Alexander Bottles, and a Ferdinando, of all names! My father had brothers Robert and Benjamin, and an uncle Ferdinando.”
A summary of the 17th and 18th century generations provides a good sense of how the family evolved to approximately two thousand descendants in the region and in which types of trades it became active. The surviving tools of the Bottle family are a testimony to their fine workmanship. Among these tools, several classic molding planes can be found today. Molding planes have been a British specialty for over three centuries. Unlike the Dutch planemakers who carved the body of their planes decoratively, not for working features, the British makers have always been the recognized experts in Europe at creating special shapes on the sole of the planes so that the irons or blades of the corresponding shape can create unique moldings out of wood. Some were especially designed for making bookcases, others windowsills, doorframes, or handrails.
As it appears that carpentry and woodworking were their main trades, many of the Bottle family tools are planes, precisely created for their woodworking use. The Bottles created their own tools, as was the tradition among the Compagnons between the 16th and 19th centuries.