4th August 1754
Bout. a bottle of Daffees Eliexir 15d


Google comes up trumps again! I put the name of the patent medicine into the search box and used Thomas's spelling of the name (not of Elixir, I can spell that!).

"Do you mean Daffy's Elixir?"

Well, of course I do! It was a very famous patent medicine created by the Rev. Thomas Daffy, Vicar of Redmile, which is between Nottingham and Grantham. The first date of marketing the cure-all, which seems to have been mostly a laxative for the cure of "stones and gravel", is not recorded but by 1673 it had a considerable reputation. The name went on to become a generic for quack medicines and was sold well into the 19th century with some sources suggesting that it was sold right up until the 1950s! Older Bottles bearing the name are worth £90-£140! This one is a design used from the late 18th century. Thomas's bottle may have looked like this.

You will find more about this nostrum and its creator here.