Leather Water Bottle, 1600s

This type of water bottle was used by both Royalist and Parliamentary Forces during the English Civil Wars.  The bottle is made of three pieces of leather that have been stitched together.  The two holes on the top would have another piece of leather threaded through them to act as a shoulder strap.  Leather was used to make the bottle affordable, it was also easy to cut and shape during the manufacturing process.  Additionally, because leather swells when it gets wet, simply filling the bottle ensured there would be no leaks.  The front of this bottle has been decorated with punch marks.  This would have been done by the soldier it was issued to as a way of passing the time during quite periods and to make it easier to tell if it was his bottle or someone else’s.