Century-old chocolate bars from Queen Victoria discovered in attic

A box of 122-year-old chocolate bars, that were sent to troops fighting in the Boer War, has been discovered in an attic.

The tin of Rowntree's chocolate, made in York in 1899, was found at a house in Immingham, North East Lincolnshire.

They were sent as gifts on behalf of Queen Victoria, and this box only has one piece of chocolate missing.

Paul Cooper, of Eddisons auctioneers, said it was "incredibly rare" to find a tin still containing the chocolate.

It was discovered in a box of household junk and is believed to have belonged to the homeowner's late husband's grandfather, who fought in the Boer War.

Mr Cooper said: "It is incidentally some of the most controversial chocolate ever made, a royal commission that triggered a row involving all of the country's most famous chocolate makers.

"The Queen had decided to cheer up her troops fighting in the war, which was going rather badly at the time, by personally paying for a seasonal gift tin of chocolate to be sent to every ordinary soldier.

"The problem was that Rowntree, Cadbury and Fry were all owned by Quakers. They were pacifists, opposed to the war and appalled by the idea of being seen to profit from the fighting."

The firms decided to donate the chocolate free of charge in unbranded tins, but some of the chocolate was marked with the name of the company that made it, Mr Cooper explained.

The dozen bars discovered in Immingham are stamped with the Rowntree's name.

The tin will be auctioned on Tuesday and is expected to fetch up to £200.

The Second Boer War, also known as the Boer War, was fought between 1899 and 1902 between the British Empire and two independent Boer states who were vying for control of South Africa.

It ended with the signing of the Treaty of Vereeniging in May 1902 and the Boers accepted British sovereignty with limited self-government.

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