Buyer protection
Donkey milk knowledge archive · Historical source
Donkey milk as a business: a handbill from Knightsbridge, London (1789)
In 1789, Robert Hammond of Knightsbridge defended himself in a handbill against competitors who falsely claimed to be successors of his house. His house, he wrote, had been supplying customers with donkey milk for over 60 years.
- Author
- Robert Hammond, donkey milk dealer in Knightsbridge
- Work
- Handbill “To the Nobility, Gentry, and Others” (printed by H. Reynell, Piccadilly)
- Passage
- Single-sheet print, dated “Knightsbridge, March the 1st, 1789”
- Time & place
- 1 March 1789 · England (London, Knightsbridge)
- Type of source
- Advertising handbill
In the original words
What the original says
certain Persons selling Asses Milk, have falsly and deceitfully assumed themselves to be the Successors of Lowther, Payne, Hoare, and Hammond, of Knightsbridge
certain persons selling donkey milk had falsely and deceitfully passed themselves off as successors of Lowther, Payne, Hoare and Hammond of Knightsbridge
N. B. The Royal Family have been served with Asses Milk by this House, more than Sixty Years.
Postscript: the royal family has been supplied with donkey milk by this house for more than sixty years.
English rendering: our own translation by the DON DONKEY’S editorial team, following the sense of the text.
Background
Who, when, what kind of text
In 18th-century London, donkey milk was a business: dealers kept she-asses on the outskirts of the city and delivered the milk fresh to their customers. Knightsbridge, then still a suburb west of the city, was one of the locations.
The handbill is a business notice, not a medical text. It shows that donkey milk was so sought after that there were disputes over names and origin – an early form of brand protection.
Content
What the source reports about donkey milk
Hammond writes that he had repeatedly received complaints from customers: other donkey milk sellers were passing themselves off as successors of the house of “Lowther, Payne, Hoare, and Hammond” and selling milk of inferior quality.
He makes clear that he is the only successor and lives in the same house – “next to Morley’s Floor-Cloth Manufactory” – that his predecessors had occupied for over sixty years. There, thanks to the feed and special care of the she-asses, the milk had always been valued by the physicians (“Gentlemen of the Faculty”).
A postscript states that the house had been supplying the royal family with donkey milk for more than sixty years.
At a glance
Figures & facts from the source
Critical assessment
How reliable is this source?
Type of source
An original single-sheet print from the Eighteenth Century Collection, digitised in fully legible form. It documents the donkey milk trade in London at first hand.
Advertising claims
Statements such as supplying the royal family or the special quality are a dealer’s self-promotion and have not been independently verified.
Today’s assessment
The sheet says nothing about health effects, but much about demand, competition and delivery practice. It is a testimony to economic history, not to medicine.
Our assessment
We find this sheet particularly appealing: as early as 1789, it was about the origin and feeding of the animals – and about imitators. We reproduce the advertising claims as what they are: self-promotion.
References
Sources to check
- Primary sourceDigital copy of the handbill (archive.org)
https://archive.org/details/bim_eighteenth-century_to-the-nobility-gentry-_hammond-robert-of-knig_1789
More sources and studies in the research archive. Summarised by the DON DONKEY’S editorial team, as of November 2026.
The source summarised above does not come from DON DONKEY’S® and does not refer to our products. It serves solely to inform about knowledge of donkey milk.
DON DONKEY’S® donkey milk and donkey milk powder are foods. They are not intended to prevent, treat or cure any disease and do not replace medical advice.
From our shop
DON DONKEY’S® donkey milk
100 % donkey milk · raw milk, frozen
On this page we reproduce a source on donkey milk. Independently of that, you will find our donkey milk here: 100 % donkey milk, frozen as raw milk.
100 ml bottle / 100ml · Unit price: €249,00 / 1 l · incl. VAT, plus shipping
Also in our shop
Donkey Milk Powder
Donkey milk in powder form
For anyone who prefers it longer-lasting: our donkey milk in powder form – easy to store and portion.
20g · Unit price: €1.245,00 / 1 kg · incl. VAT, plus shipping