Travelling Apothecary’s Cabinet

This apothecary’s chest was made in Germany. It contains instruments for dispensing medicines as well as for medical procedures such as bloodletting. It has silver gilt containers that would have held medicines and could be locked shut for easy transport.

This cabinet is believed to have belonged to Oliver Cromwell. In later life he had a number of medical complaints, including bouts of the ‘ague’, a strain of malaria. This was common in Europe in the 1600s, particularly in marshland areas such as the Fens. Cromwell is also thought to suffered from kidney stones, and a combination of these factors led to his death in September 1658.