"Earl Grey's mixture" (tea) antedated (?) to 1884 (cf. OED Appeals, citing 1891)

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

There are multiple matches in 1884 for "Earl Grey's Tea" according to
the Nineteenth Century British Library Newspapers database of Gale
CENGAGE Learning.

I can confirm Stephen's information that there is a match in 1884 that
is visible in a full newspaper image scan. The database highlighted
the matching words in green:

[Begin database match description]
Multiple Advertisements and Notices .
The Morning Post (London, England), Monday, June 30, 1884; pg. 7;
Issue 34951. 19th Century British Library Newspapers: Part II.
[End database match descriptions]

[Begin excerpt]
          THE Celebrated TEA, EARL GREY'S
                              MIXTURE.
This choice Tea can only be obtained of the Introducers and
                         Sole Proprietors,
                     CHARLTON and CO.,
20, Jermyn-street, near Regent-street, late of 198, Piccadilly.
Importers of the Genuine Nepaul Pepper, Madras Currie Powder,
                 and other India Condiments.
[End excerpt]

There were two earlier matches but I was unable to see the matching
text in the page images. Nothing was highlighted in green. The matches
may be present somewhere but I did not find them in a quick visual
scan.

[Begin database match descriptions]
Multiple Advertisements and Notices.
The Morning Post (London, England), Thursday, June 19, 1884; pg. [1];
Issue 34942. (39564 words).

Multiple Advertisements and Notices.
The Morning Post (London, England), Thursday, June 26, 1884; pg. [1];
Issue 34948. (34451 words).
[Begin database match descriptions]

Garson

On Sat, Oct 13, 2012 at 9:15 AM, Stephen Goranson <goranson at duke.edu> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Stephen Goranson <goranson at DUKE.EDU>
> Subject:      "Earl Grey's mixture" (tea) antedated (?) to 1884 (cf. OED
>               Appeals, citing 1891)
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> The British Newspaper Archive has "Earl Grey's mixture" in seven advertisements for tea, all from 1884.
> They are only OCR snippets, but the eight tend to confirm one another as the same text in the London Standard and the [London] Morning Post. Here is the earliest, 19 June 1884:
>
> "...TEA, EARL GREY'S MIXTURE. This choice Tea can only be obtained of the Introducers and Sole Proprietors, CHARLTON and CO., 20, Jermyn-street, near Regent-street."
>
> http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/search/results/1883-01-01/1885-12-31?basicsearch=%22earl%20grey%27s%20mixture%22&phrasesearch=earl%20grey%27s%20mixture&sortorder=score
>
> Just as speculation, might this tea be named not for the second Earl Grey, Charles (1764-1845), as various contradictory stories have it, but his now less famous son, the third Earl Grey, Henry (1802-1894)?
>
> Stephen Goranson
> www.duke.edu/~goranson
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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