BSG.BS.01238 — Harris Seal, Bacon Curer

Found in North Devon, 20mm x 25mm.

Two seals of the same type - one side has .HARRIS. curved down around the outer border above and CALNE.WILTS curved upwards around the outer border below a Crown, which occupies the centre. The other side has BACON curved above CURERS curved below.

Thomas Harris was the first to use the process of bacon curing on a large scale in 1770 and finally took out a patent for it in 1864. In 1983 it finally closed its large factories at Calne.

A drawing of Thomas Harris's bacon factory, behind High Street, in 1887 can be found here and photograph here. The demolition of the factories with a commentary by an old employee can be seen here.