Kitchen scales

Food preparation was labour intensive during the Victorian period as all foods were unprocessed and had to be prepared daily.    Kitchen scales made from heavy black cast iron and steel, with a light metal dish and two weights. The pan is made from pressed steel and clad with copper plate. The accompanying weights are black iron. The pan has a hand cut block of steel welded to the underside. Whilst this may have been a repair, the other side of the scales does not have an equivalent block to make the scales balance correctly.   These scales were used on Chapeltown Farm and Dairy, near Dumfries, to weigh butter.