Tin of Jeyes Fluid

This tin of Jeyes Fluid Mark II carries a local family story and a global brand into the 21st century. It tells the story of Northampton born brothers Philadelphus Jeyes II (1814-1893), successful entrepreneur and inventor, and John Jeyes (1817-1892), successful inventor and unfortunate entrepreneur.

Jeyes & Co. Chemist and Druggist was founded in 1810, at 6 The Drapery, Northampton by Philadelphus Jeyes I (1780-1828), who developed pharmacies across the county. Philadelphus Jeyes II inherited the business from his father.

John, a botanist and inventor of many disinfectants including Jeyes Fluid, patented in 1877. After moving to London and building a Jeyes fluid factory in his garden in Plaistow, he sold the brand, name, royal warrants and award-winning product patents to Jeyes Sanitary Compounds Co Ltd in 1885. However, Philadelphus II wished to continue using the family name and a ‘prolonged legal wrangle’ to prevent him using the name continued until the 1920s. A single apostrophe ensured continuous success as Jeyes’s Northamptonshire brand, still used by the family today, having retained their pharmacy links as Jeyes Chemist in Earls Barton.

John Jeyes died a poor man – his name and brand were acquired by Henkel of Germany in 2016 but this tin represents the courage and fortitude of a Northampton family business to defend its name against the power of a corporate company. The Jeyes family motto ‘Tenax et Fidelis’ remains - Philadelphus and John Jeyes –– tenacious and faithful.

Number 69 of the objects selected for the A History of Northamptonshire in 100 Objects exhibition 2025.