17th Lancers
Toy Soldier Set
ca. 1900 (manufactured)
ca. 1900 (manufactured)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
William Britain (1828-1906) established himself as a toymaker in north-east London in the 1840s. He originally made mechanical toys and moved on to model soldiers in the 1890s. It is his son, William Britain Junior (1860-1933) who is credited with inventing the hollow-casting process for which the company became famous.
These sets were given to the museum by the daughter of the original owner, Henry Oswald Brown, born in 1891. Henry lived in Lincoln until 1903 and several of the boxes carry the mark of a shop in Lincoln, where no doubt these sets were bought. There were some military connections on his mother’s side of the family. Both his uncle and great uncle were members of a local militia force (a forerunner of the Territorial Army). Henry himself joined the TA prior to WWI and later went on to serve in both World Wars. The soldiers, which he obviously prized and took great care of, were the only toys Henry kept from his childhood.
These sets were given to the museum by the daughter of the original owner, Henry Oswald Brown, born in 1891. Henry lived in Lincoln until 1903 and several of the boxes carry the mark of a shop in Lincoln, where no doubt these sets were bought. There were some military connections on his mother’s side of the family. Both his uncle and great uncle were members of a local militia force (a forerunner of the Territorial Army). Henry himself joined the TA prior to WWI and later went on to serve in both World Wars. The soldiers, which he obviously prized and took great care of, were the only toys Henry kept from his childhood.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
|
| Title | 17th Lancers (manufacturer's title) |
| Brief description | Boxed set of four lead toy soldiers, 17th Lancers, made in England by Britains in about 1900 |
| Dimensions |
|
| Production type | Mass produced |
| Credit line | Given by Patricia Brown |
| Summary | William Britain (1828-1906) established himself as a toymaker in north-east London in the 1840s. He originally made mechanical toys and moved on to model soldiers in the 1890s. It is his son, William Britain Junior (1860-1933) who is credited with inventing the hollow-casting process for which the company became famous. These sets were given to the museum by the daughter of the original owner, Henry Oswald Brown, born in 1891. Henry lived in Lincoln until 1903 and several of the boxes carry the mark of a shop in Lincoln, where no doubt these sets were bought. There were some military connections on his mother’s side of the family. Both his uncle and great uncle were members of a local militia force (a forerunner of the Territorial Army). Henry himself joined the TA prior to WWI and later went on to serve in both World Wars. The soldiers, which he obviously prized and took great care of, were the only toys Henry kept from his childhood. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | B.114:1, 2-2009 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | April 20, 2010 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
