On the west wall of the north aisle of St Bartholomew's Church in Crewkerne is a brass memorial to Adam Martin of Seaborough, who died in 1678. The memorial shows the coat of arms of Adam Martin. At top of the coat of arms is a monkey looking at its reflection in a mirror. This was supposed to have been the inspiration for a late 19th century advert for Monkey Brand scouring soap. The memorial was moved from its original position in the south transept in 1937.
Monkey Brand abrasive scouring soap, which was probably made from pumice, was first produced by Benjamin Brooke & Co Ltd in Philadelphia in the 1880s. In 1899 William Lever of Lever Brothers bought the company and production was transferred to Port Sunlight near Liverpool. It was sold in an orange paper package, which featured a monkey studying its reflection in a hand-held mirror. I have not found any explanations as to how and why the Martin coat of arms came to be used to advertise Monkey Brand soap, so maybe it is just a coincidence.
No comments:
Post a Comment