Stories from the past

Cathy Le Feuvre uncovers interesting artefacts held in the Jersey Heritage collections that reveal stories from the Island’s rural history

We all know the power of memories and often, objects from our past help us to remember our history. Paintings, photos and ornaments around the house may have special memories attached, like holidays or much-loved family members who are no longer with us.

The Jersey Museum tells the story of Jersey’s past through objects and artefacts but in addition to what’s on public display, there are many thousands more items that are held in storage.

In fact, 90% of artefacts held in the Jersey Heritage collections are kept in safe and secure storage on various sites. There are 24,000 items, including textiles, in the Social History Collection, nearly 12,500 works of art are kept in the Art Collection and more than 173,500 items make up the Archaeology Collection.

At the Jersey Heritage Augrès Object Store at the Sir Francis Cook Gallery in Trinity you will find 19,000 objects which tell the social history of Jersey, including artefacts which tell us a little about how people worked in the dairy industry in past times.

A Trocar and Cannula

Some people think cows have four stomachs but actually they have just one, with four distinct compartments – the rumen, reticulum, omasum and abomasum – all of which do different jobs to digest food.

Immediately after eating, the cow’s digestive process creates gas in the first and largest compartment, the rumen, and although the animal can eliminate most of the gases by belching, sometimes that doesn’t happen and the gas builds up, resulting in bloating and indigestion. Farmers can help relieve this by inserting a stomach tube but when that doesn’t work, more drastic action may be required.

This object dating from the 20th Century is a metal knife with a black plastic handle encased in a metal sheath. The instrument was used to stab into the cow’s rumen and then the knife was withdrawn leaving the sheath in so that gas could be released from the cow’s stomach to relieve that dastardly bloating.

Milk Fever Kit

Giving birth is a joyful time, but it can come with some dangers, and with cows it’s no different. Milk Fever (also known as hypocalcaemia) is caused by a temporary blood calcium deficiency that usually occurs around the time of calving. It’s one of the most common metabolic disorders in dairy cattle and it can result in a difficult labour, stillborn calves and even the sudden death of the mother, so early treatment is vital.

This object is a kit used in the treatment of milk fever in and around the 1940s. The kit comprises a rectangular metal lidded box containing a stainless steel syringe type implement - a needle, a cylinder with rounded ends that unscrews at the middle, a cylindrical pump, and a ridged tube. The instructions outline how the apparatus should be used to inject or syringe cows to help relieve milk fever. It involves inserting the needle directly into the teat on the udder… after the cow has been milked!

If you have questions or information about objects held in the Jersey Heritage collections you may contact:

E: archives@jerseyheritage.org | T: 833300 | www.jerseyheritage.org

A Trocar and Cannula Milk Fever Kit