Appearances are not always what they seem.

These beautiful and brightly coloured glass bottles are in fact poison bottles. You can see in raised lettering the words ‘Not to be Taken’ and ‘Poison’.

They come from a large collection of items originally from two Oldham chemist shops – Mark Brelsford Chemist at Greenacres Moor and J & J Thompson Limited, Chadderton.

In Victorian times, tales of poisonings grabbed the headlines such as the notorious case of Mary Ann Cotton, who some claim was Britain’s first female serial killer.

However, the reality was often very tragic. Many deaths were caused simply by accident as poisons were far too easily obtained and not labelled properly.

Until the 1850s, there was virtually no regulation of poisonous substances.

Anyone could buy them over the counter from the grocers.

You could purchase deadly rat poison, ammonia or arsenic and take it home unlabelled (along with your food shopping!) in any container you chose to be filled.

Customers would recycle old food jars and drinks bottles. It comes as little surprise to learn that inevitable mix-ups happened.

Hundreds of cases of accidental deaths by poisoning were recorded every year.

This was made worst as in Victorian homes there was no electricity.

People needing medicine in the middle of the night, would reach for their bottle by candlelight and sometimes reached for the wrong one. To stop these unnecessary deaths, chemists, doctors and glass companies started to patent different shapes that were designed to feel tactile to the touch. The distinctive ridges, bumps and grooves made sure you would know immediately, without looking, that you were holding a poison bottle.

Bottles were also manufactured in bright colours such as cobalt blue and emerald green.

As many people were illiterate a label didn’t help. Instead the colour was associated with poison. The Poisons and Pharmacy Act of 1908 made the use of these warning bottles law.

These examples in our collection date from the 1860s right through to the 1920s.