麻豆社

Supplies of herb materials used in the preparation of medicines, which had previously been imported, were cut off by the war in Europe.

Head teacher Mrs Annie Bailey instigated the children of Kings Cliffe Endowed School and those at home as part of a national effort to gather herbs and plant materials in and around King鈥檚 Cliffe during World War One and up to1919.

Once harvested, Mrs Bailey also arranged for the drying, packing and transport of the produce which was bought up by Messrs Brook Parker & Co Ltd, manufacturing Chemists & Wholesale Drug Merchants, of Bradford.

A wide variety of herbs were collected by the cwt (hundred weight), from Aconite root to St John鈥檚 wort with added requests for Dandelion root for which they would pay fifty six shillings a cwt. The herbs were hung up to dry in a range of small outbuildings at Mrs Bailey鈥檚 home before being despatched by goods train.

Location: Kings Cliffe Endowed School, Peterborough PE8 6XN
Image: Female teaching staff at the school, courtesy of Sue Trow Smith

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