a- L: 17.1cm W: 7.5cm H: 11.4cm
b- L: 12.0cm W: 5.2cm H: 16.0cm
A rectangular butter mould made of brown hardwood.
a- The mould is shaped like a rectangular prism. The long sides are shorter along the height and create a small space between the top and the sides. The top face overhangs over the short sides and has a hole in its centre to accommodate the plunger.
b- The plunger is rectangular, with a cylindrical handle extending from the centre of the back of the plate. The back plate has two screws sticking out of it that act as a depth stop against the lid of the mould. The press plate shows a simple geometric pattern of two parallel lines running along each edge of the rectangle.
This butter mold would produce loaves of butter similar to the ones modern consumers are accustomed to. A mold this size would produce 1-pound loaves. The plunger served a double-function: it squeezed the butter to extract any remaining buttermilk, and it impressed a proprietary pattern into the top of the loaf.
