History Of Kilner

  • The original Kilner Jar was invented by John Kilner in the 1840’s at the Kilner Glass Works in Thornhill Lees, Dewsbury. In 1886 the Kilner family opened a second glass works in Conisbrough in the Don Valley. This second glass works was run by Caleb Kilner, grandson of John Kilner, and his cousin Kilner Bateson. Starting with only 70 employees the Conisbrough glassworks grew to employ over 500 people. Along with running the glass works Caleb Kilner was also president, then Vice President of the Yorkshire Glass Bottle Manufacturers Association and he served on the Committee of the National Glass Bottle Manufacturers Association.
  • In 1862 one of the Kilner glass work factories won the only medal awarded to British Glass Bottle Makers at the Great International Exhibition held in London. Throughout the 1870’s and 1880’s the Kilner family business went on to win medals and awards in Paris, Philadelphia, Sydney and Melbourne.
  • Despite the commercial success enjoyed by the Kilner family other glass bottle manufacturers were quick to copy the design of the Kilner Jar and the Kilner family were forced into bankruptcy in 1937 selling the patents and trademarks for the original Kilner Jar design to the United Glass Bottle Company.
  • In 2000 The Rayware Group purchased the design, patent and trademark for the original Kilner Jar and remains committed to developing the much loved and respected brand.
  • The traditional design of the Kilner Jar has changed over the years since its conception but the principle has remained the same.
  • The first Kilner Jar consisted of a glass lid which fitted over the top of jar and was secured using a metal screw band, later jars changed only slightly with the glass lid fitting inside the neck instead of across the top. Following this was the “Ravenhead Red Top” where the metal screw band was replaced by a plastic one which came in colours, red, orange or brown.
  • Present day Kilner jars now come in 2 styles. The Cliptop which has a glass lid and rubber seal and closes using a metal clip and the preserve jar which features a 2 part lid, a metal screw band and a metal vacuum seal disc, along with a selection of vital preserving accessories.
  • The Kilner brand has recently featured in two hit BBC TV shows “Who do you think you are?” and the Great “British Bake Off”.
  • The famous motoring journalist and Top Gear Presenter Jeremy Clarkson discovered that the founding member of the Kilner Glass Works, John Kilner is his great, great, great grandfather.
  • To this day the Kilner name is synonymous with preserves and remains a brand with designs which have stood the test of time for over 150 years.

History Of Preserving

  • Before the introduction of 24 hour shopping, cupboards stocked with tinned produce and fridge freezers full of prepared food, the only way to store food and excess produce was to preserve it.
  • The Romans were the first to record their methods for preserving fruit and producing jam to store for the harder winter months when fruit was scarce. Following the fall of the Romans, jam making was not seen again until the return of the crusaders from the Middle East.
  • Originally jams were made using sweeteners such as honey, but as sugar began to be imported from the British colonies this became the preferred sweetener.
  • Whilst the knowledge of jam making was coming from the West, the knowledge of producing chutneys prevailed from the East, India to be precise. Where jam making relied on sugar, chutneys relied on a mixture of salt, vinegar, sugar and spices.
  • The recipe for the ‘traditional’ British condiment, Piccalilli, can be traced back to 1747 when it was known as Indian Pickle or Indian Piccalillo.
  • A common problem when producing the first jams and chutneys was storing it. In order to stop the preserves from spoiling the storage container needed to be airtight. Various methods were tried such as using a cork and sealing it with wax but none of the methods gave consistent results. It wasn’t until the mid nineteenth century, when Caleb Kilner developed the revolutionary glass plug and liner method, that a reliable and safe method of storing food became available.
  • The end of rationing and the availability of mass produced food since the 1950's has meant the art of home preserving has gradually been reduced in the UK to artisans and traditionalists who have been educated through generations on the best and most successful methods and recipes. Fortunately over the last decade pickling and preserving has enjoyed a significant resurgence. Understandably we have become more aware of where our food comes from, how it is produced and the effect it has on our environment. Allotments, small holdings and even small garden patches have mushroomed all over the country as we have turned into a nation who enjoy producing our own fruit and vegetables with excess food being preserved, pickled and stored all year around.
  • What used to be a necessity has become an enjoyable and rewarding pastime as preserving has kick started small enterprises specializing in fine organic jams, pickles and chutneys not to mention the large and growing gifting business.
  • Caleb Kilner's simple preserving idea designed and produced over 100 years revolutionized food storage and still plays an integral part in successful food preserving today.