Explore collections

History of the museum & its buildings

The museum’s early history is closely linked with the Woolhope Naturalist’s Field Club which was founded in 1851 at a meeting of the Literary, Philosophical and Natural History Institution of Hereford, itself founded in 1836 as the Herefordshire Natural History, Philosophical, Antiquarian, and Literary Society.

Money for the building of a museum was offered by the President of the Club Mr. James Rankin (later Sir) during his Presidential retirement speech of February 22^nd, 1870. At the meeting of the Club’s Museum Committee on February 23^rd 1871 a recommendation to build a museum with the addition of a public library was passed. The necessary funds were available, the Town Council had given the project its support and it was hoped that the Town Council would adopt the 1855 Public Libraries Act. On May 2^nd 1871 a joint Woolhope Club/Town Council committee convened “to consider the offer of J Rankin, Esq., to purchase a site and erect suitable buildings for a Free Library and Museum in the City of in connexion [sic] with the Woolhope Naturalists’ Field club.” The resolution to do this was passed and the wheels set in motion to achieve this end. Hereford Museum and Library was opened in 1874. The collections created by members of the Woolhope Naturalists’ Field Club, mostly of geological and archaeological material but with a significant proportion of botanical specimens, formed the basis of the new Museum.

The Woolhope Naturalists’ Field Club was, in its prime, a leading scientific society with significant original work on geology, zoology, botany and mycology appearing in its Transactions. The bulk of the early archaeological investigations carried out in Herefordshire were published in the Transactions from 1866, along with a wealth of detail about the county’s buildings, customs, and the host of other factors that together make up the character of Herefordshire.

In 1912 a new Art Gallery was added to the Museum/Library building. In 1928 the City acquired the Old House, and in 1966 (later Churchill House) Museum was acquired. In 1973, the Hatton Art Gallery was added to the existing building at Churchill Museum, opening in 1974, exclusively to display and store the works of Brian Hatton. Since the closure of Churchill House Museum in 2002 the Hatton collection has been displayed in rotation in the Museum at Broad Street.

From 1974 to 1998, the Counties of Herefordshire and Worcestershire were joined forming the of and . The museum was then run by Hereford City Council and no longer had a countywide remit. This responsibility was vested in the new Hereford & Worcester County Museum at Hartlebury. did however continue to acquire some objects from the county and retained a county perspective throughout. The two counties were re-divided into Herefordshire and Worcestershire on 1^st April 1998, and the Museum once again became the Herefordshire county museum, called Hereford Museum and Art Gallery and the museum service was re-named Herefordshire Heritage Services. The new Herefordshire Heritage Services assimilated the Heritage Centres in Ross-on-Wye, Bromyard and Ledbury in 1998.

The museum service had a number of stores away from its main museum buildings, which were scattered around the City of Hereford in up to fifteen different locations. To consolidate the collections in one storage facility, Herefordshire Council purchased a building in 2000, an old BT repeater station, with the purpose of finding ways to improve and expand it to provide a fully functioning environmentally controlled store enabling wider public access. A four-phase forward plan was developed to proceed in stages with generous support provided by the Heritage Lottery Fund. Phase 1 refurbishment started in 2000 with Phase 2 completed in 2004. Phase 3 saw the new build and completion of the Museum Resource and Learning Centre (MRLC) officially opened in April 2008. Phase 4 was the intended refurbishment and conversion of the Broad Street building to sole museum use to increase access to the collections through expanded displays.

In 2002 the museum moved out of Churchill House Museum and transferred the collections into the new Museum Resource and Learning Centre. The Bromyard Heritage Centre was closed around the same time. In late 2013 the Ledbury Heritage Centre and in Spring 2014 the Market House Heritage Centre in Ross-on-Wye were transferred out of the ownership of Herefordshire Council Museum Service, through Community Asset Transfer. Management by the Museum Service ceased and many of the collections removed to temporary or permanent storage at the Museum Resource & Learning Centre.

In 2020 plans are being developed to put in a bid to the Stronger Towns Fund initiative which includes a project to redevelop the Broad Street Museum site. If successful, this would create a new museum facility ‘The Marches Experience Museum’ [working title] adding additional new build floor space and occupying the whole of the building on the existing footprint of the Broad Street site. [This would complete Phase 4 of the original intentions of the HLF project which funded the development of the MRLC].

Herefordshire Museum Service is currently responsible for the following sites:

• Museum Resource and Learning Centre.
• Hereford Museum & Art Gallery.
• Broad Street.
• The Old House Museum now known as the Black and White House Museum.

History of the Collections

The early collections were formed by members of the Woolhope Naturalist’s Field Club and its precursor institutions in the mid-19^th century and comprised mostly geological, archaeological and botanical specimens. Once established the museum received local donations and the collections expanded under the guidance of various curators, notable among them Mr. F.C. Morgan in the 1930s.

The Friends of Hereford Museum and Art Gallery was set up in 1928 to assist in the purchase of works of art for the collection, and over the years have also contributed to or donated items of costume, decorative art and social history including a gypsy caravan.

The costume collection in the early 20^th century benefited from the gift of items from the collector C.W. Cunnington, and the work of celebrated local First World War artist Brian Hatton was acquired in the 1960s and 1970s. A significant collection of documentary items belonging to Hereford-born David Garrick, 18^th century actor and producer, was purchased through auction in 1992 by Hereford City Council.

Individual curators and external factors inevitably influenced the development of the collections, but the overall resulting collection covers most areas of natural and human history, some with regional and national significance. The result is a broad-based collection of Herefordshire material with some items from elsewhere.

History of the Social History, Photographic and Documentary Collections

The Social History collection was initially actively developed to rescue dying trades, occupations, methods and tools, and through time included everyday domestic artefacts and many other aspects of social history.

The majority of the Social History, photography and documentary collections were developed gradually through donations.

The Friends of Hereford Art Gallery purchased a gypsy caravan for the museum in 1939 and had it restored in 1978 and the judge’s coach was acquired in the mid 1980s.

Several individual collections have been acquired, such as Alfred Watkins’ photographic equipment, Vernon Morris’ 19^th century artefacts and the Philla Davis and Lettice Sandford collections of straw work.

In 1992 the City of Hereford purchased at auction a large collection of papers and ephemera belonging to the renowned 18^th century Shakespearean actor David Garrick, who was born in Hereford in 1717.

There have been significant developments with respect to the photographic collections since 2005. A number of boxes of photographs held in the old museum stores were discovered as part of the final move of objects to the MRLC in Friar Street. In 2011 the museum acquired 4,300 glass plate negatives taken by Mr. T.H. Winterbourn, a commercial photographer based in Leominster from 1870 – 1922, and transferred the large collections of glass plates / lantern slides from Mr. A. Watkins, Mr F. C. Morgan, Miss M. Wright and Mr. Willson that were housed at the Library. A donation of a small collection of images taken by Mr. Tilley of Ledbury was acquired around the same time.

A deposition of material relating to Ross-on-Wye was transferred in 2014 as the Market House Heritage Centre was asset-transferred to another organisation.

History of the Archaeology Collections

Archaeological investigation and collecting in the county began before the museum was established. By the late 19^th century and start of the 20^th century archaeological activity became closely linked to the Woolhope Naturalist’s Field Club and the early development of the museum. Collecting archaeological material from excavations and the acquisition of non-excavated finds has continued throughout the life of the museum. Some private collections have been deposited in the museum, such as the important collection of Mesolithic and Neolithic flint work collected by Gavin Robinson in the hills in the south-west of the county, and the field walking flint finds of A.E. Brown, surveyor to the Forestry Commission, in the 1960s

The City of Hereford Excavation Committee, a section of the Woolhope Naturalists Field Club, became the City of in 1974, one of the earliest independent rescue archaeology units in the country. The Unit excavated much of the archaeological material recovered from the City of up until its demise in 1996. Excavations in the wider county which had originally been carried out under the auspices of the Woolhope Naturalist’s Field Club, was from 1974 undertaken by the Hereford and Worcester County Archaeology Unit. Since 1998 various commercial archaeological contractors have carried out archaeological work both in the City and the county.

Since the establishment of developer-led and contractor archaeology in the post PPG16 years (now PPS5), 1990 onwards, the nature of the archaeological archive from investigation and excavation has changed. The emphasis is on preservation in situ and minimal excavation such as watching briefs and trial trenches, and the resulting archive is increasingly paper and digital based with fewer artefacts recovered. As a consequence, the past large-scale excavations such as those at Croft Ambrey, Sutton Walls, Kenchester (Magnis) and Kenchester 1977 (Stretton Sugwas), were no longer practised, except through the research excavations undertaken by Herefordshire Archaeology, Herefordshire Council (set up 1998). From 1998 until its re-organisation in 2013, Herefordshire’s Archaeology carried out non-developer-led archaeological investigations and surveys across the county, including at several notable locations such as Credenhill hillfort, Doward hillfort, Croft Castle, and the Olchon Valley.

Hereford City Council ran the museum between 1974-1998. During this time the museum only accepted excavated archives from Hereford City, although it continued to acquire individual finds from the wider county and retained a county perspective throughout. The material archives from county excavations went to the and at Hartlebury, Worcestershire. When Herefordshire gained unitary status on 1^st April 1998, the archaeological material from held at Hartlebury was transferred to the re-named and .

Since before 1998 the museum has been the recognised repository for archaeological material recovered from excavation and investigation in the county of Herefordshire including the City. It was approved by the MLA/Museums and Galleries Commission/Resource and was recognised by English Heritage as suitable for the storage of English Heritage funded archaeological projects with its associated storage grant scheme. The new Museum Resource and Learning Centre in Hereford (2004-present) gained full Accreditation as a museum in 2006 under the MLA scheme and has retained this status through re-Accreditation in 2008 and in 2012 under Arts Council England (ACE).

The collections have been formed through donation, deposition or purchase from: archaeological investigative processes including excavation, sampling, coring, survey and field walking; chance finds; metal detected finds; private collections; purchased items; and items acquired through the Treasure Act 1996 (revised 2003). In the past 15 years, through the Treasure system, the museum has been able to add some very interesting and locally important items of Treasure into its collections. The discovery of an extremely significant ninth century Viking hoard of treasure, known as the Herefordshire Hoard (previously the Leominster Hoard), was made public in 2019 following a lengthy police investigation. The museum has expressed its desire to acquire the hoard if able to raise the funds to purchase it. If successful this would be the most important acquisition the museum will ever have made.

History of the Numismatic, Arms and Armour and Ethnographic Collections

Archaeological numismatics have been acquired through excavation, field walking, donation and purchase of chance or metal detected finds. Development of the collections of Hereford Mint and other Medieval coins was through commercial purchase in the early to middle years of the life of the museum.

The gradual development of the collection was augmented by the acquisition of coin hoards and by the large archive of coins recovered from the Roman town of Magna through excavation and private collections in the early part of the 20^th century. Coin hoards since 1996 are classed as Treasure as defined by the Treasure Act (1996). Most coin hoards in the earlier collections came from the later Roman period, such as the Llangarron and Bishopstone hoards, but since the Treasure Act 1996 coin hoards from other periods have been acquired. An early 15^th century medieval coin hoard of 86 coins, probably associated with the incursions and upheavals associated with the Own Glyn Dwr rebellion, was the first hoard to be acquired under the new act. More recently a number of Roman coin hoards incorporating early Roman and republican coins have been recovered from the north west of the county, and several small post-medieval hoards/purse losses have come though the Treasure system such as a Civil War four coin group from Putley south of Hereford.

The Social History numismatic collections have largely been acquired as single pieces. Medals and badges are often accompanied by associated documentation, costume and photographs. A number of more recent coins were donated via a local solicitor’s office, and have helped to create a comprehensive modern coin collection. The Walter Pilley collection of seals was a major bequest in 1913

Arms and armour, acquired through gift, purchase, archaeological investigation, chance finds, metal detected finds, includes individual donations of items relating to service uniforms, medals, trophies and awards. More recently acquisitions were made from material acquired by amnesty from the West Mercia Police Authority.

The small but varied collection of ethnographic material was formed from three main donations of material; a bequest from Reverend P H S Strong in the 1896, Fitzchandler in the early 20^th century, and Philla Davis in the late 20^th century. The museum once held other collections, but these were transferred to other museums by the 1970s.

History of the Fine & Decorative Art & Furniture Collections

The Fine & Decorative Art & Furniture collections have been acquired gradually since the establishment of the Museum in 1874, most as individual items or small groups; though there have been some larger depositions such as the gifts and bequest of work by the wartime artist Brian Hatton by his sister Marjorie, the bulk of which was accessioned in 1975. The Brumwell collection of oriental china and bronze, was bequeathed by Gwendolyn Kate Brumwell (d.1978) widow of Charles E. Brumwell (d.1951) who was a local bookshop owner and collector. Cecil L. Marriott, a local auctioneer, estate agent and valuer, donated a large collection of glass and china in 1965 and bequeathed other items on his death in 1969. Mrs. C.C. Garrard donated a large collection of miniature jugs in 1940. A deposition of wood engravings was made by Dr. Malcomson, a former chairman of the Friends of Hereford Museums and Arts in 1982. This contains a selection of work by members of the Society of Wood Engravers.

Acquisitions have been made through The Friends of Hereford Museum and Art Gallery which was set up in 1928 with a fund for the purchase of works of art for the permanent collection. The Librarian/Curator F C Morgan made judicious additions to the collection in the 1930s sometimes through the Friends. The Friends later became a countywide organisation ‘The Friends of Herefordshire Museums and Arts’ (established in 1977) and it has continued to support the acquisition of works of art to this day.

The Herefordshire College of Art and Design deposited the so-called ‘Hereford Collection’ at the Museum in 1996. It contains mostly prints from the 20^th century which had been acquired by the college for teaching purposes but had fallen into disuse and was under threat.

The methods of collecting which have traditionally provided material for the collection are still current. Most works of art have been offered as gifts or bequests and many items have been purchased, often with a combination of funding sources. Key sources of funding are the Friends of Herefordshire Museums and Arts, the MLA/V&A Purchase Grant Fund (formerly the MGC/V&A Purchase Grant Fund or the Resource/V&A Purchase Grant Fund), the National Art Collections Fund (now known as Art Fund), together with the small Herefordshire Heritage Services Purchase of Exhibits budget. The Museum has previously been a member of the Contemporary Art Society and received works from this source, but this membership is no longer maintained since it is not a specific aim of the collecting policy to collect contemporary works without a local significance. The acquisition of works through exhibitions in the Art Gallery ‘in lieu of commission’ has been a source of additions to the collection, providing criteria are met.

The furniture collection was augmented in 1929 by the purchase of a number of 16-17^th century items for display in the Old House when it opened as a museum but otherwise has grown gradually.

History of the costume & textile collections

The costume & textile collection has mostly been locally donated, as individual or small related groups of items. There were significant donations made in the early to mid-20^th century by The Friends of Hereford Museum and Art Gallery, and several items from C W Cunnington, colleague and friend of the curator FC Morgan, who extensively studied the collection for his publications on the history of costume.

History of the Natural History and Geology collections

The origins of the geological and botanical collections can be traced back to the Herefordshire Literary and Philosophical Society, founded in 1836 and the Woolhope Club founded in 1851, both several years before the opening of the Museum in 1874. Collections from both societies passed over to the museum once a building was available to house them and Woolhope Club members continued to add specimens up until the end of the nineteenth century. Historically the geological, entomological and botanical collections have been the most important holdings, although as the collections are sorted and re-curated, a number of other important collections have been re-discovered. The West stratigraphic collection, re-curated in 2004, represents a previously un-recognised but wide ranging representation of Herefordshire rock types.

The nationally renowned amateur entomologist, Dr T.A. Chapman donated a large collection in the late nineteenth century and urged other Woolhope Club Members to do the same. Dr. John Wood of Tarrington also bequeathed his important insect collection to the Museum, but these were passed to the (Natural History), , in 1949. Wood was a pioneer worker on the Phoridae (Diptera or “scuttle flies”) and the collection he built up is of international importance. That the Library and Museum Committee agreed to give this collection to the nation was far-sighted and correct.

The entomological collections were actively developed from 1979 to 2002 through the efforts of the Natural History Curator Jonathan Cooter. The Reynolds and Knight Lepidoptera collection were bequeathed to the museum in 1999 by a notable local entomologist.

Source: Collection development policy

Date: 2020

Licence: CC BY-NC

The Museum holds around 150,000 objects which tell the history and stories of Herefordshire and its people.

These collections are owned predominately by Herefordshire Council with a small number of items on loan: about 0.1%.

The vast majority of the collections are of Herefordshire origin or linked to Herefordshire people and places, and comprise Archaeology, Social History, Costume and Textiles, Fine Art, Decorative Art, Furniture, Documents, Photographs, Numismatics, Arms and Armour, Ethnography, and Natural Sciences including Geology.

The Costume & Textile collection is of national significance with items from the 17^th century to the present day. It includes some fine examples of 18^th century women’s and men’s dress, a comprehensive range of men’s, women’s and children’s costume from the 19^th century, and a group of 19^th-20^th century agricultural smocks.

The Fine Art collection features a significant number of early English watercolours, mainly landscapes, dating from the late 18^th to mid-19^th centuries. It has a relatively rich selection of work from artists with local associations, particularly the work of early 20^th century artist Brian Hatton, and includes some works from national and internationally famous artists such as JMW Turner. Prints from the 18^th century, and wood engravings are also well represented. The Decorative Art collection features a range of English pottery and porcelain including some good quality studio ceramics, together with glass, pewter and silverware, mostly dating from the 17^th century onwards. There are also small groups of Continental or Oriental items. The furniture collections include an important group of 17^th and 18^thcentury domestic oak furniture on display in the Old House and 19^th century chairs by Phillip Clissett of Bosbury.

Amongst the Natual History collection the geology, herbarium and parts of the invertebrate collections are the most important. Some parts of these are of national significance. There are good local entomological specimens and a local collection of vertebrates including a fine sturgeon caught in the River Wye in the mid-19^th century.

The Archaeological collections are primarily of Herefordshire origin and are particularly strong in the Iron Age and Roman periods. Material of Palaeolithic and Mesolithic date from King Arthur’s Cave is of national significance, and there are some fine groups of Mesolithic and Neolithic lithics particularly from the western hills in the county. There are substantial collections of excavated Middle-Late Saxon, Medieval and post-medieval collections from the City of Hereford, Hereford Cathedral, villages, towns, moated sites and castles. There is an expanding archaeological documentary archive relating to archaeological works in the county.

The Social History collection is large and diverse, including local crafts, trades, agricultural implements, wheeled vehicles, numerous domestic artefacts and documentary archives. The collection is largely of 19^th –20^th century date, but there is some 17^th and 18^th century material including an important group of ironwork. A collection of photographic equipment and items belonging to Alfred Watkins, a Victorian antiquarian, inventor and author of the Ley Line theory, is of local and national relevance.

The most significant element of the documentary collection is the collection of documents, papers and ephemera which belonged to David Garrick the famous 18^th century Shakespearean actor.

The collection of photographs is an important resource for local imagery and past trades, and dates from the mid-19^th century to the present day. It currently includes several significant collections of the work of local photographic artists, Alfred Watkins, Thomas Henry Winterbourn, Mr.Tilley and the F. C. Morgan collections including work from several local photographers: Miss. M. Wight, Mr. Wilson as well as Alfred Watkins. The latter also includes a large number of images of the Museum collection in the early part of the last century. These are mainly either glass plate negatives or magic lantern slides. There is also a considerable collection of photographs of local scenes and people, not all of which have any reference to a named photographer.

The Ethnographic collection is relatively small and represent items gathered by individuals during the late 19^th to 20^th century and it includes some items of religious significance. A Jewish Torah Scroll in the collection was presented in 2012, on a long term renewable loan, to the local Jewish Community.

The collection of Numismatics is greatest in the area of Roman coinage, with two large hoards and individual coins recovered from the Roman town of Magna at Kenchester.

Arms and Armour includes some fine Medieval and Civil War pieces including the famous Roaring Meg Mortar and its associated shell from the siege of Goodrich Castle currently on loan to English Heritage and displayed at Goodrich Castle.

Social History Collections

The Social History collection may be characterised as ‘Herefordshire-based’ in that it reflects the rural crafts and trades which operated within the county at particular times – there have been deliberate attempts by some past curators to capture evidence of some of these activities before they disappeared. The collection contains small groups of material representing such activities: thatching tools, saddlery tools, or trapping devices, for example.

The majority of items date from the mid-19th century onwards to the present day. One significant group dates from the 17^th and 18^th century; these are mainly items of domestic ironwork.

The collection includes artefacts representing crafts, trades and industries, home life, social and civic institutions, science, transport, recreation, religion, and printed items, packaging, ephemera, a collection of cameras, photographic equipment, photographs and glass plate negatives. The David Garrick Collection of papers is a key part of the Documentary collections.

Larger items includes agricultural tools, implements and machinery, some industrial machinery (i.e. lathes), bicycles, domestic furniture and fittings, wheeled vehicles including agricultural vehicles, the Judge’s coach, a French Victoria carriage, a traveller wagon/gypsy caravan, the Kington tramway cart and Hereford workhouse bier.

Archaeology collections

The Museum is the recognised repository for archaeological material recovered from the county of Herefordshire.

Current holdings

The archaeological collections are made up of finds and documentary archives. The finds (objects) comprise all materials types: ceramic (pottery and building material), fired clay, animal bird and fish bone, human bone, shell, leather, fibre, plant remains and other ecofacts, stone, flint and minerals. The documentary archive consists of paper records, books, cards, drawings on film and paper, photographs, negatives, transparencies, x-rays, digital images and digital information

The archaeological collections are mostly derived from the main collecting area of Herefordshire. A small part of the collections represent cultures and periods outside Herefordshire, from and abroad, and include some fine comparative material.

Local collections

Herefordshire’s human history is represented by all periods: Palaeolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman, Anglo-Saxon, Medieval, Post Medieval and Historic. In addition to material evidence the collections also comprise documentary archives resulting from the archaeological process, including paper, drawings, digital and photographic archives.

The prehistoric period is fairly well represented by groups and individual lithic finds, The late Mesolithic/Neolithic Gavin Robinson flint collection from the hills in west of the county are of particular importance, as are the A.E. Brown flint collections and field notebooks. The Palaeolithic and Mesolithic archive from investigations at King Arthur’s Cave in the south of the county is of national significance, and is primarily faunal in character. Evidence for Late Neolithic and Bronze Age people has been increasing in the last ten years with cairn and cist burials discovered in the west of the county (Olchon), round house buildings uncovered in the vicinity of Hereford City (Asda site, Rotherwas ring road), and ‘ritual’ sites found on the Rotherwas ring road and as metalwork hoards (Pencoyd). Some of the material from these discoveries has not yet been received by the museum.

The county collections are strongest in the Iron Age and Roman periods as large scale excavations have taken place on major sites for these periods, such as at Croft Ambrey and Sutton Walls hill forts, and more recent investigative work on other Iron Age hillforts such as Credenhill, The Doward and Eaton Camp. The Roman collections comprise large material archives from the Roman towns of Magna and Ariconium iron making town. Smaller Roman towns, such as Stretton Grandison, Blackwardine and Leintwardine and villa farmsteads, such as Huntsham and Kenchester/Stretton Sugwas, also produce a wealth of material evidence.

Hereford City excavations from the late 1960s onwards, provide a rich resource for the medieval and post-medieval period. The Anglo-Saxon settlement in Hereford is best represented in its later stages, with limited middle Anglo-Saxon material represented. Across the county evidence of Anglo-Saxon people is still largely absent from the archaeological record, despite the early establishment of many of the churches in the area. Discoveries in the last 5-10 years have helped redress this balance somewhat, with, for example, the discovery of early Anglo-Saxon burials around Merlin’s Cave in the south and at Stretton Grandison, a Middle Saxon royal watermill at Marden and individual metal detected finds.

Medieval archaeology is well represented through the monastic and religious establishments (Craswall, Dore, Blackfriars), moated houses and castles (Wallingstones, Richards Castle), villages, and the towns of Leominster and Ledbury, Ross-on-Wye and Bromyard have smaller associated medieval collections.

Post-medieval and historical archaeology from the City of Hereford, has some good groups of 17^th, 18^th and 19^th century assemblages. An under-representation of industrial archaeology is largely because Herefordshire’s economy has been dominated by farming and rural industries. There is some material evidence for local pottery production (such as at Birkley/Lingen and Whitney), brick production, clay pipe manufacture (Pipe Aston area) and industrial activities from settlement sites. The 17^th century glass working site at St. Weonards is of regional/national importance, linked to the Huguenot glass tradition established in the Weald of Kent.

In general the metal collections are not as well represented as the ceramic collections, and organics such as leather and textiles are very sparse. The survival rate of these materials is poor in agriculturally active land, and there has been little recovery of archaeological material from waterlogged deposits. A small quantity of human remains, less than 100 individuals represented, are largely of pre-Christian date (see Human Remains Policy and Inventory, revised 2016)

The independent museums at Kington and Leominster also hold small collections of local archaeological material.

Archaeological Documentary archive

The archaeological documentary archive comprises notebooks, recording sheets, reports, notes, plans, drawings on paper and film, photographs and transparencies, microfiche, x-ray, film, video and digital data (text and image). These relate to archaeological investigations carried out in the county of Herefordshire.

Material excavated since 1998 is only accepted into the museum if accompanied by its documentary archive. Not all the excavations carried out before those dates have associated documentary material: there is an ongoing process to locate and secure this information.

With the increase of short non-intrusive archaeological investigations carried out in advance of building development and groundworks, there is a resulting increase in the amount of documentary archive being created with few associated finds. This area of the archaeological collections is currently growing.

Non-local collections

A small, but significant, quantity of non-local archaeological artefacts has been acquired in past years. These include ceramics and metal objects from Greek, Etruscan, Italian Roman, Cypriot and Egyptian cultures, and lithic artefacts from across Britain, Ireland, France and Saharan Africa. They provide good comparanda and are useful for educational and world culture displays

Numismatic Collections

The numismatic collection includes monetary items, medals, badges and seals from archaeological and social historical periods. The medal and badge collection reflects the involvement that local people have had in serving in various campaigns, at home and abroad, and highlights the achievements of specific individuals within Herefordshire. It also aims to show the diverse range of societies that have existed in the county.

The numismatic collections comprise coins, bank notes, tokens, jettons, medalets, checks, coin weights, produce seals, quality seals, personal/institutional seals, seal casts, medals and badges.

The collections date from the Iron Age to modern periods. Only a few coins of Iron Age date currently exist in the collections although numerous others have been found by individuals across the county of which two have entered the collections through the Treasure process. There are two large Roman coin hoards, a number of smaller hoards and a large and comprehensive collection of Roman coins from the Roman town of Magna. The Saxon and Medieval coinage includes several from the Hereford Mint but is not fully representative. The Canon Pyon coin hoard of 86 silver hammered coins dating to the 14^th century may be the only artefacts in the country that directly relate to the rebellious incursions of Own Glyn Dwr in the early 15th century. Recent acquisitions of small Post medieval purse losses include a Civil War group from Putley.

Tokens and jettons of the Medieval period are poorly represented, except for a few 15^th-17^th century simple lead tokens. There is a good collection of 17^th-18^th century trade tokens including local Herefordshire trade tokens. A large number of 19^th-20^th century hop tokens reflect the importance of the hop industry in the area.

The museum has a sizeable collection of seal casts made in the 19^th-20^th centuries, taken from seals of medieval to 19^th century date, largely provided by the Pilley Collection. A small number of seal matrices also exist, including a fine 15^th century silver pedestal seal fob cut with a device of coat of arms with oak leaves and dragons flanking the shield which may be linked to the Baskerville family and acquired through the Treasure system in 2008. A Medieval small enamelled silver vervel (hawking pendant tag) possibly associated with the Duke of Norfolk was acquired through the Treasure system 2010, along with several other vervels of later date. Seals such as papal bullae and industrial/wool seals are under-represented. Several Roman seal rings are held in the Roman collections.

There are approximately 500 medals and badges in the collection including some in sets of varying number. These include awards by military and civic authorities, as well as a number of sporting medals and society badges. About one third of this collection is military in nature; the remainder are civilian and/or civic commemoratives and awards.

Arms and Armour

The Arms and Armour collection comprises archaeological and social history artefacts.

The people of Herefordshire have always had a major part to play in the defence of a ‘border’ area of the country: from the time of Iron Age hillforts, through Roman occupation on the ‘edge’ of the Roman Empire, the changing boundaries of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, the Norman and Medieval English-Welsh castles and Marcher Lords and into the Civil War. The county played a part in the wars of the 18^th-19^th centuries, two Great Wars of the early 20^th century, and is currently associated with the SAS.

Herefordshire Museum Service holds a range of arms and armour from the Iron Age period to modern times, including mementoes and trophies collected abroad by Herefordians. The Iron Age, Roman, Medieval and Civil War pieces include several of interest: a Roman military pickaxe (dolabra), a 3^rd century Roman spatha, two pattern-welded 10-11^th century Late Saxon spearheads, a 15^th century Medieval barbuta helmet possibly associated with the Battle of Mortimer’s Cross in 1461, Medieval arrowheads from Hereford Castle, and the Roaring Meg mortar and mortar shell used at the siege of Goodrich Castle (currently on loan to English Heritage and on display at Goodrich Castle).

The Social History collection is divided into firearms, edged weapons and armour. The Firearms collection ranges from military rifles and pistols to sporting weapons and humane killers, used for veterinary practice. The edged weapons collection ranges from swords and bayonets dating between the 17^th and 20^th centuries, mostly military. There is also a collection of official staves most of which relate to the civic institutions of the county. Within the Arms and Armour collection there is also a collection of cannonballs from within the county, shot making and cartridge filling equipment as well as a good archery collection. Sections of the collection are extremely good, such as the type series of Lee-Metford and Lee-Enfield rifles.

Ethnographic Collections

The areas of origin of the Ethnographic collection include Africa, Asia, America, and the South Pacific. Apart from a small core of related ethnographic material, there are items of ethnography spread across others areas of the collections, including Chinese, Japanese, Indian and European in Costume & Textiles, Chinese and Japanese ceramics and decorative art in Applied Arts.

The collections mainly reflect the lives of local Herefordshire people living and working overseas over the years.

Photographic

The photographic collections comprises material evidence relating to the history of the county and the histories of people who have lived and worked here in the past and the present.

Current holdings include mid-19^th century up to the present day: Mr. T.H. Winterbourn, a commercial photographer based in Leominster from 1870-1922, the large collections of glass plates / lantern slides from Mr. Alfred Watkins, Mr F. C. Morgan, Miss M. Wright and Mr. Willson that were housed at the Library, and a donation of a small collection of images taken by Mr. Tilley of Ledbury. Many prints are copies of the original photograph.

Subject areas represented include; local events, local industries, trades and crafts, leisure activities, living conditions, buildings and customs and beliefs.

Fine Art

The aim of the collection has changed over the years since the Museum was established. In the early years the collections included works without specific local connections. These have been added to over the years establishing a base of material representing some key areas of art history, notably English watercolours of the early 19^th century. Other parts of the collection have focussed on works with some local connections.

European

The number of works in the collection representing non-British artists is small. Artists represented include for example George de Galard, Josef van Aken, and one picture by an artist of the School of Rubens.

British

The collection of British art forms the bulk of the collection. One of the strengths of the collection is the significant number of English watercolours dating from the late 18^th to mid-19^th century.

Many of these pictures in watercolour and oil represent local views by artists who visited the area such as J.M.W. Turner, Thomas Girtin, John and Cornelius Varley, Peter de Wint, William Callow, John Warwick Smith, Edward Dayes, Francis Grose and Thomas Hearne.

A number of artists represented are native to the county or lived in the area for a time. David Cox lived and taught painting in Hereford from 1814 to 1827. Joshua Cristall lived and worked at Goodrich, Herefordshire from 1822-1841. John Scarlett-Davis was a native of Leominster and Joseph Murray Ince lived and worked in Presteigne from around 1806 to 1826 and thereafter for other periods of his life. The collection holds significant numbers of work by each of these artists. There is a large collection of work by the First World War artist and native of Hereford, Brian Hatton who was tragically killed (aged 28) in 1916. Hatton’s work as a boy and young man was extremely promising and he showed a prodigious talent. Until its closure in 2002 the Hatton Gallery at Churchill House displayed his work but since 2011 his work has been shown in an area of the Art Gallery dedicated to him. The Gill family of artists also have associations with Hereford and are represented in the collection including Edmund Ward Gill, William Ward Gill, Edmund Mariner Gill and George Reynolds Gill. There is a significant collection of work by the artist John Ward (a native of Hereford) including a deposition of his sketches from World War II and a group of work from his student days.

Modern

Late 19th and 20th century artists represented in the collection include: John Piper, Dame Laura Knight, Joseph Southall, Gilbert Spencer, Bernard Ninnes, Ellis Silas, Philip Wilson Steer and G F Watts.

A small number of contemporary works in various media by less well known artists have been collected, as a result of exhibitions held in the Art Gallery, but in general the number of such works is very small.

Prints

The collection is rich in prints showing various techniques and subject matter from the late 18^th century to the present day. There are some theatrical prints, topographical views and 20^th century works including some abstract studies. The print collection includes a few Japanese prints. There is a small collection of prints, known as the Malcomson Collection, given to the Museum by Dr. Malcomson (former Chairman of the Friends of Herefordshire Museums and Arts) in 1982. This contains mainly wood engravings by members of the Society of Wood Engravers. This (then defunct) group was resurrected by Malcomson’s peers after his death in 1984. The Society has exhibited in the occasionally.

The so-called ‘Hereford Collection’ formerly housed by the Herefordshire College of Art has been deposited with the Museum Service. It includes a number of works by 20^th century artists, mostly represented in print. It also includes a small quantity of studio ceramics which is included as part of the Decorative Art Collection.

Topographical

Topographical views are mainly, though not exclusively, prints from the late 18^th and 19^th century. This is not an exhaustive collection; rather it has grown with sporadic acquisitions from various sources. These vary in quality and historic significance but are an invaluable record for local historians. It complements the small collections held in the Herefordshire Archives Service and the Herefordshire Libraries and Information Service (the latter mostly in bound volumes).

Sculpture

Very few three dimensional works have been collected over the years. Notable examples of sculpture are a wooden carving of a mongoose by Elizabeth Frink, driftwood sculpture of a grebe by Guy Taplin, a figure of an eagle by Walenty Pytel and a bronze figure of Marsayus Evolving by Timothy Easton. There is also a bust of Churchill by Sandy O’Connor.

Decorative Art

The Decorative Art collection includes large quantities of ceramics and smaller quantities of glass, silverware, pewter ware, clocks and watches. It also includes a number of small items such as trinket boxes and scent bottles which are sometimes considered costume accessories.

The ceramics collection represents several individual manufacturers such as Wedgwood, Spode, and . There are relatively small quantities of material from each source; most date from the 18^th and 19^th centuries. There are also some examples of Herefordshire wares, such as ‘Whitney ware’ from the 17^th and 18^th centuries.

Most items are British in origin, although there is some foreign material including Chinese ceramics.

Modern ceramics are represented by a small group of pieces by studio potters, including some by local potters such as Michael and Sheila Casson and Peter Sparrey.

The Hereford Collection described in the Fine Art collection also includes a small but significant group of studio ceramics including work by Lucie Rie and David Leach.

The Decorative Art collection overlaps somewhat with the Social History collection in the areas representing domestic tableware of an ‘everyday’ quality. However the distinctions are clearer when individual items are considered in terms of their quality and context of use. There is also an overlap with the Archaeological collections where pots such as 17^th –19^th century slip-ware may be considered as an item of archaeology if it happens to have been excavated but an item of Decorative Art when acquired from other sources.

The glass collection consists mainly of drinking vessels of 18^th and 19^th centuries and although small in size it contains some very fine pieces. There are a few examples of modern ‘studio’ glass.

The silver collection is also of small size but contains pieces of high quality. Most are domestic pieces, a few dating from the 17^th century, though most are later. There are some silver plate items and some commemorative, trophy and ecclesiastical items.

There are a small number of pocket watches and clocks, including long case clocks. Those of local manufacture or retail are of particular relevance.

The existing collection is not comprehensive in any sense; there are numerous chronological and typological gaps. However, taken as a whole it represents a significant body of reference material, much of it is of high quality and aesthetically appealing with great display potential.

Furniture Collections

The collection considered in this section overlaps with items of furniture which are currently contained in the Social History collection. ‘The Furniture Collection’ includes items of both low and high status and quality.

The collection contains an important group of 17^th and 18^th century examples of traditional ‘oak’ domestic furniture including beds, chests, chairs and tables displayed in the Old House.

It contains a small group of chairs designed and made by Philip Clissett of Bosbury in the late 19^th century representing the craft of the chair ‘bodger’ working in coppiced woodland; although Clissett made the whole chair and not just the turned elements. These are significant because Clissett taught Ernest Gimson (of the Arts and Crafts movement fame) about chair making in1890.

There are a few other examples of fine furniture, from various periods, such as a large Dutch inlaid cabinet and a large 19^th century hybrid-style cabinet with lavish oriental decoration (including Japanese lacquerware and inlay and Chinese style carved elements).

Costume & Textile Collections

The collections comprise an historical representation of the costumes and textiles relating to Herefordshire which reflect local differences as well as national trends.

The costume collection consists of women’s, men’s and children’s costume and accessories, civil and military uniforms, textiles and a small amount of foreign costume.

Women’s costume includes – a large collection of dresses dating from the first half of the 18th century to present day. The 18th and early 19th century is very well represented in terms of dresses and accessories. These include:-aprons, blouses, bodices, bonnets (soft) and hats (one rare fine split straw hat reputedly belonging to Queen Anne), boots and bottines, bustles, capes, cape shawls, shawl pelerines, cloaks and mantles, coats, collars and cuffs, corsetry, drawers, combinations, crinolines, dressing gowns and jackets, fichus, fronts and shirts, gloves, mittens and muffs, house caps, jackets and boleros, nightwear, pattens, pellises, petticoats, riding habits, shawls, shoes, skirts, sleeves, slippers, stockings, underbodices and chemises, veils and hats. dress patterns, belts, bracelets, brooches, buckles, buttons, card cases, chatelaines, combs, dress holders, ear ornaments, fans, head ornaments, fobs, garters, handbags, handkerchiefs, hat-pins, links and studs, lockets and pendants, materials and trimmings, muffs, necklaces, parasols, pockets, purses, rings, scarves, scent bottles, seals, spectacles, sticks, umbrellas, wig curlers and wig stands, glove stretchers, hair curlers, snuff boxes and shawl fasteners.

Men’s costume includes – civil uniform, coats, gloves, hats (including one reputedly belonging to ), liveries, neckwear, nightwear, overcoats, shirts, shoes, boots, socks and stockings, suits, trousers, underwear. There is a large representative selection of waistcoats dating from early 18th century and a fine collection of Herefordshire smocks and smocks from other local regions.

The collection of children’s costume contains bonnets, caps, capes, cloaks, dresses, gloves, pinafores, school uniforms, robes, gowns, shoes, boots, stockings, underwear and nightwear. There are dresses dating from the 18th century.

There is a large collection of military uniform, mainly from local regiments and dating from the late 18th century.

The textile collection includes lace, quilts dating from the 17^th century to present day, bedcovers, household linens, dress lengths, a large collection of needlework samplers dating from the 17^th century, beadwork, hangings, 17th century stumpwork, examples of crewelwork and needlework tools and pin-cushions. There is also a rare journeyman’s book from the late 18^th century.

There is a small category of foreign costume and textiles that includes Polish and Chinese costume, and Indian, African and Coptic textiles.

Natural History and Geology Collections

Vertebrates

The bulk of this collection consists of birds, many of local origin and many of the earlier specimens being shot specifically to be made into museum mounts. More recent acquisitions have been of specimens that have suffered accidental death. There are 250 birds, 100 mammals and sundry other vertebrates including a fine sturgeon caught in the River Wye.

A large proportion of the bird egg collection, mostly in individual clutches with accompanying field data, was divided between Slimbridge Wildfowl trust and Hereford Museum before being donated.

Several fish specimens appear missing from the collection. One large mounted pike specimen was retrieved in 2011 form a public house in Worcestershire.

Entomological collections

This is by far the largest section of the Natural History collection with approximately 10,000 specimens. Although it had been assumed that it was likely to increase when the collecting policy was first drawn up, through field collecting carried out in an effort to record this neglected aspect of the county’s wildlife, in fact only occasional specimens have been added to the collection since 2002. The Reynolds and Knight Lepidoptera collection are mostly locally collected collections, the Chapman collection combines British Lepidoptera with overseas Coleoptera material.

Many small collections have been obtained since 1979 largely through the efforts of the former Natural History Curator. These have been curated to high standards, each with an inventory. They include small but important collections of Hymenoptera [bees and wasps], Trichoptera [caddis flies] and Arachnida [spiders] totalling about 1500 specimens. The Arachnida collection and several other more recently collected items are preserved in alcohol rather than pinned.

There is a small conchology collection, which is currently being sorted, cleaned and re-packed but needs a visit by a conchology expert to assess it.

There is a small collection of bee and wasp nests, items relating to bee-keeping and odd items representing other taxa and forms, including several fluid preserved mounts.

Geology collections

There are currently 4501 specimens (3416 fossils, 1121 minerals, petrological and soil sample specimens).

The majority of the palaeontological collections are Herefordshire specimens from the Silurian and Devonian periods of geological time, those eras with greatest geographical coverage in the county. Historic specimens from the founding collections remain within the collection, although in common with most other smaller regional museums, type material, such as the famous block of fossil fish from the Ledbury area is now at the Natural History Museum, represented instead by a good plaster cast. The collection strengths are the fish, Leintwardine canyon material (including several starfish and Eurypterids) and the trilobites. Material generally has good locality data and is well identified. The trilobites and fish have new catalogues.

The mineral collection is largely non-Hereford but it is a good representative collection of British minerals, with some high quality specimens and is useful for identification and teaching

The West petrological collection has recently been sorted and re-ordered according to the hand written catalogue, though the views expressed in the catalogue are eccentric, the collection represents a very thorough and well documented stratigraphic collection of all Herefordshire rock types and their local subdivisions. Its recent sorting according to the previously lost catalogue represents an important re-discovery of what had previously been regarded as an un-important collection.

Sub-fossil or Pleistocene palaeontological material from King Arthur’s cave is currently classified as archaeological, with only a limited number of specimens within the geology collection, this is despite extensive gravel deposits of the correct age occurring in the county. The collection does include fine historic plaster models of Pleistocene fauna, which were the subject of a Graduate Research project at UCL in 2015.

Botany

The collection includes the herbarium of Dr. Bull, one of the founder members of the Woolhope Club, together with smaller collections, for example the collection of perry pear and cider apple foliage and of fruit tree seeds and pips. The full herbarium collection was surveyed in 1992 by Dr. Gwynn Ellis, Department of Botany, National Museum of Wales.

Handling Collections

The handling collections are a collection of artefacts acquired specifically for educational and handling use and for the creation of interactives displays. They not accessioned into the museum collections and are not governed by this Collections development policy, but by the Handling Collections Policy 2016-19. These collections have a specific use and their lifespan will be shortened due to direct handling.

Source: Collection development policy

Date: 2020

Licence: CC BY-NC

Founding collections

Doncaster Museum opened in March 1910. The museum started with 1006 objects, which were owned by the Doncaster Microscopic and General Scientific Society. These collections included archaeology, natural history, geology, ethnography, arms, ceramics, prints, medals, “bygones” and coins.

Cusworth became the main repository for Social History when it opened in 1967. The first curator there, John Goodchild had a free rein to collect objects for the new museum, and collected archives and industrial history objects. Later curators focussed more on collecting country house and social history objects. Bernard Cuttriss had his own separate museum within Cusworth in the 1960s, mainly of Victorian social history and militaria and some of this material was amalgamated into the main collections.

Significant Curators and donors

EF Gilmour, director from 1952 to 1967 was a natural history specialist, with a particular interest in long horned beetles (Cerambycidae). Gilmour acquired a large number of Cerambycids for the collection, some of which are type specimens, and some of which have an uncertain provenance.

In 1964, Doncaster Museum moved into its present building on Chequer Road. As the museum was larger than the previous building, and Gilmour had plans to expand the collections to give them more of a “World View”, he acquired a large amount of natural sciences material from other museums which was at the time surplus to their requirements. These included Carlisle, Kilmarnock, Chelmsford and Scarborough Museums. Gilmour also acquired some material from the Imperial Institute, where he had worked in the 1940s. This material forms part of the World Cultures and Natural Sciences collections

In the 1950s and early 1960s, Doncaster Museum had a zoo containing up to 400 animals. Many of the animals found their way into the museum’s collections after they had died.

In the 1980s, Anne Hull Grundy donated around 600 pieces of jewellery, decorative art and art medals to Doncaster Museum.

Frank Brangwyn was a major donor to the art gallery, donating 66 pieces of his work in 1944. The Contemporary Art Society has gifted 72 works to the art gallery since 1952.

Don Bramley, a volunteer, collected around 300 geological specimens for the museum.

In 1974, the museum was given the E M Morehouse collection of Mollusca which consisted of around 5500 lots of shells.

The first archaeological objects were given to the museum by ex-Mayor, William Cotterill Clarke. His collection includes some of ‘s earliest and most important prehistoric artefacts. The archaeological/Antiquities collection was further augmented by the museum’s first curator Henry Corbett who appears to have collected together archaeological artefacts from collectors/donors around and adjoining the borough.

Other key acquisitions

After the First World War, the museum acquired a large number of “souvenirs” from the war, including helmets, swords and shells. A tank was given to the town after the war and stood outside the Beechfield Museum until 1938.

In the 1930s Professor C.E. Whiting of Durham University undertook excavations at Sutton Common Prehistoric Marsh Fort, Hampole Medieval Priory, Barnburgh Medieval Chapel and Stancil Roman Villa. Finds from these sites found their way into the collections at the museum.

In the 1950s-70s the archaeology collections were increased and excavations in Doncaster town centre produced large archives, relating to the Roman Fort and Vicus (Civil Settlement) and the Norman to pre Tudor Town. With the introduction of PPG16 (The Planning Policy Guidance for Development and Archaeology) in 1996 the museum saw an increase in professional archaeological archives, covering the whole borough.

The first work of art to enter the collection was Miss E.M Wilde’s painting, Low Tide, which the corporation purchased from the ‘Summer Exhibition of Modern Art’ held at Beechfield in 1912. From that time the collection has gradually grown through a mixture of purchases, gifts and bequests.

Many objects in our collection have been bought with grant aid, including a number of racing cups from Doncaster Racecourse, 3 paintings by Joseph Wright, Giants Refreshed by Terence Cuneo and a large number of decorative art pieces.

Key disposals

In 1933, a large amount of natural history material was destroyed due to infestation.

Since 2003, the collection has undergone several rationalisation projects. This was due to the fact that past collecting, particularly in the 1970s and 1980s was very prolific, leaving a collection with many duplicate objects, objects which were not relevant to the Doncaster Borough and objects in poor condition. Staff restructures during this period left fewer specialist and curatorial staff to look after the collection adequately. Objects were disposed via donation to other museums and education services and community projects, destruction where material was in poor condition, and sale as a last resort.

In 2004, following the refurbishment of Cusworth Hall and move of the collection to an off-site store, around 1300 pieces of social history were disposed.

In 2008, around 2000 pieces of costume were disposed.

In 2012-14, Around 4000 objects were disposed as part of the Taking Stock Project.

In 2013 7000 palaeontological specimens were allocated for disposal to other museums as part of the CIRCA project.

Source: Collection development policy

Date: 2018

Licence: CC BY-NC

At present (2018) the following collections have a member of staff with expertise in that particular field

• Social and Local History
• Archaeology (Including Antiquities)
• World Cultures
• Fine and Decorative Arts

Other collections are not supported by in-house expertise. For these we would actively look to recruit volunteers or honorary curators with knowledge relevant to these collections. We would also look to apply for grants to take on a temporary staff member to facilitate the curation of these collections. We would also look at accessing external expertise and working in partnership with other organisations and individuals.

Social History

The Social History collections comprise around 35,000 items illustrating the themes of working, domestic, personal and community life from around 1700 to the present day, with particular reference to the geographical area now covered by the Doncaster Borough (hereafter referred to as the Doncaster area). They include printed ephemera, and objects such as domestic equipment, working tools (both agricultural and industrial), costume and textiles, photographic collections, and scientific instruments.

Military items are placed with the Military History collection. Artefacts retrieved due to excavation, metal detecting or fieldwork are placed in the Archaeology collection. Historic taxidermy specimens are placed with the Natural Sciences collection. Pieces from the potteries and other decorative art and jewellery are placed in the Decorative Art collection. Horseracing material is placed with the Horseracing collection. Objects relating more specifically to local history are placed within the Local History collection.

In terms of paper collections, paper ephemera such as greetings cards, displayable posters and newspapers, and photographs which are objects in themselves (eg framed) are part of the social or local history collection. Written primary source material will be collected by Doncaster Archives. The Local Studies library will collect photographs of Doncaster, oral history recordings and published material relating to Doncaster, e.g. maps, books etc.

Particular strengths of the collection are:

• Toys and games
• Domestic life from around 1880-1960
• Tools used by blacksmiths/wheelwrights/coopers and farmers.
• Women’s clothing from 1800-1950

Some of the more important objects include:

• Long case clock by Benjamin Huntsman

Local History

The Local History collections comprise around 20,000 items illustrating the themes of working, domestic, personal and community life in Doncaster from around 1700 to the present day. They include printed ephemera, and objects such as domestic equipment, working tools (both agricultural and industrial), shop material, cultural items, banners, furniture and photographs. This collection also includes objects relating to Doncasters’s civic history.

Particular strengths of the collection are:

• The lives of coalminers and their families
• Railway work and history
• Objects relating to Doncaster Council

Some of the more important objects include:

• Estate cabinet and other furniture belonging to the Battie-Wrightson family of Cusworth Hall
• Embroidery depicting the Cadeby colliery disaster of 1912
• Italian sugar bag sent to in 1985 by a mining family during the miner’s strike.
• Luke Bagshaw collection of studio photographs.

Military History

Heritage Doncaster’s own Military History collection has 1300 items with the majority coming from regiments raised in Yorkshire. These include West Riding Yeomanry Cavalry Corps (including Yorkshire Hussars, 1^st West Yorkshire Yeomanry, Yorkshire Dragoons and Yorkshire Yeomanry) and elements of the Royal Engineers and Royal Artillery stationed in . The collection is distinct from the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry regimental collection.

Strengths of the collection are:

• Uniforms
• Uniform accessories, including belts, buckles and buttons
• Medals

Some of the more important objects include:

• A muster roll from the 1790s
• Arctic discoveries medal, 1850s
• Sword belonging to William Wrightson of Cusworth Hall

Coins, Banknotes and Trade Tokens

The Coin collection contains around 4,000 coins, of which a percentage are foreign. The collection covers coins and banknotes from the Iron Age to the modern day. The collection of tokens of around 800 is national in scope, with examples from most counties. There are around 70 Trade tokens from the area, particularly from the 1660s.

Strengths of the collection are:

• Roman coinage of the Western Empire
• Trade tokens

The Museum holds a number of important Roman and Medieval coin hoards and some important small groups of coins, not necessarily classed as hoards. These include:

Some of the more important objects include

• An Iron Age Coreiltauvian Stater
• Harald Hadrada Penny
• Denarius of Elagabalus

Archaeology

Heritage Doncaster has an extensive Archaeology collection consisting of around 15,000 individual items and approximately 5 tonnes of material quantified in bulk (ceramic and building materials, bones etc). Much of the bulk archaeology was generated by excavation in town centre during the 1960s and 1970s. The collections consist almost entirely of material from Doncaster and South Yorkshire, with some holdings from other British sites.

Strengths of the collection are:

• The core strengths of the collection lie in the Roman and Medieval (c1100- 1500) periods, with a relatively strong early Prehistoric collection ranging from the early Mesolithic until the early Bronze Age.

Key major site archives include:

• • Doncaster (Town Centre) Roman Fort and Vicus
  • Doncaster (Town Centre) Medieval town including Hallgate Potteries and Medieval Quayside developments
  • Roman Potteries:- Rossington Bridge, Cantley and Besacarr, Blaxton and Branton
  • Conisbrough and Tickhill Castle excavation archives
  • Sutton Common
  • Bawtry Church Street
  • Hickleton Church
  • The Humberhead Levels Archaeological Survey

Some of the more important objects include:

• • Viking female grave goods
  • Early Bronze Age burial group from Dockinhill
  • Sutton Common ladder

Rossington dagger

Antiquities

The Antiquities collection consists of around 400 pieces of foreign material, particularly from the Classical World of ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt.

Particular strengths of the collection are:

• Material from Ancient Egypt
• Cypriot glass objects

3.6.3 Some of the more important objects include:

• Egyptian makeup pallet
• Egyptian canopic jar
• Peruvian pot from the Moche civilisation

World Cultures (Ethnography)

Heritage Doncaster holds around 3,000 World Cultures objects. There are four main elements to the collection:

A discreet collection of World Cultures material dating from 1911 – roughly 1980. This comprises of items gifted to the museum in an ad-hoc manner over a period of time.

A collection gifted to Doncaster Borough Corporation by the Church Missionary Society (CMS) in return for the Corporation’s generous support of the Society. This material is of particular interest as it comprises domestic and everyday artefacts.

A small collection of items from the Imperial Institute.

Items from the Peake collection (formerly of Bawtry Hall), principally of weapons

Additionally there is material from ‘CEZMS’ = Church of England Zenana Missionary Society (active in India, Sri Lanka and China) and from the collections of Wakefield Museums (identified by the recorded donor – Richard Van Riel.

Strengths of the collection are:

• West African material
• South (and West) African Beadwork
• Jewellery – African and Asian
• Costume/fabrics – particularly Asian (, , SE Asia) and African (Particularly West and )
• Brasswork – both African and Indian
• Weaponry – particularly Oceania and Africa

Some of the more important objects include:

• Yoruba puppets
• Nigerian saddle
• Somalian beadwork platters

Decorative Art

The Decorative Art collection contains around 5,000 items, the main categories of which are estimated as follows:

• Ceramics (about 40% from the Yorkshire potteries) 3,000
• Jewellery (mostly Hull-Grundy collection) 460
• Treen 370
• Textiles (samplers, needlework, lace) 300
• Glassware 270
• Metalwork (mostly silver) 170
• Art medals and medallions 140
• Other (clocks, watches, enamels, lacquerwork etc) 200

The ceramic and glass collections include examples of English pottery and glassware from around 1600 to the present, and examples of porcelain from all the major English factories. Other highlights include the small representative collection of Doncaster Gold Cups (horseracing) and the Gerald Shaw collection of treen.

Strengths of the collections:

Of greatest significance is Heritage Doncaster’s collection of pieces from the Yorkshire potteries, of which the Heather Lawrence collection forms the centrepiece. Don, Rockingham and other factories are particularly well represented.

Some of the more important objects include:

• Elkington table centrepieces, owned by the Jackson family who owned Radiance Toffee
• Cooke tankard
• Lalique glass dish

Fine Art

The Fine Art collection consists of paintings (oil and watercolour), prints, drawings, sculptures, bronzes and art photographs. There are around 1750 items in the collection in these general categories:

• Oil paintings 300
• Watercolours 350
• Prints 770
• Drawings 230
• Sculpture/bronzes 40
• Art photographs 40

Significant elements within this collection are watercolours by late 19^th to early 20^th century artists, a collection of etchings and drawings by Frank Brangwyn and prints from 1800-1850. (There are also works of local historical, topographical and biographical interest).

Some of the more important pieces include:

• paintings of Alderman William Brooke and his daughter and son-in-law by Joseph Wright of Derby
• Giants Refreshed by Terence Cuneo

Horseracing

The horseracing collections is composed of Fine Art, Decorative Art, Social History material and printed ephemera. These comprise:

• Racing trophies – particularly from the Doncaster Gold Cup with trophies ranging in date from 1779-1984.
• Paintings, drawings and engravings of racing at and also of individual horses connected with either the Doncaster Gold Cup or the St Leger. Particularly noteworthy is the collection of racing paintings by J.F. Herring senior.
• Racing and betting equipment and ephemera such as race cards, silks, tickets and broadsheets.

Natural Sciences

There are around 400,000 specimens in the Natural Sciences collection.

Categories can be broken down approximately as:

• Mammals (mounted, skins, spirit-preserved, skeletal) 1620
• Birds (mounted, skins, skeletal, eggs) 10,000
• Herptiles (mounted and spirit preserved) 400
• Fish (mounted and spirit-preserved) 200
• Mollusca (shells only) 200,000
• Entomology (diptera, coleoptera, hymenoptera, lepidoptera) 160,000
• Palaeoentomological collections
• Spirit preserved athropods and other invertebrates 800 tubes
• Botanical specimens, including algae, fungi and seed plants 6,000
• The collection includes specimens from the Doncaster Zoo.

British Mammals – a good representative collection of British species, including an extensive series of skins and associated skulls of some rodents (e.g. mice from coalmines). There is a modest collection of world species, including game heads. Of particular note is a hybrid Quagga foal, a unique mount dating from 1830 by Doncaster taxidermist Hugh Reid.

Birds and birds’ eggs – a fairly representative world collection, but especially British specimens. Sources from which these have been acquired include local country houses, named skin collectors and modern casualties. The birds’ egg collection is largely from local collectors.

Herptiles

There is a modest collection of world species, including specimens from the old Doncaster Zoo.

Fish – There is a modest collection of fish, which is of wide geographical provenance, although mostly British. The historic taxidermy includes include two Yorkshire Sturgeons and a non-local Tench by J. Cooper & Sons of Hounslow.

Mollusca

There are two main collections of molluscs, the collection of J.A. Hargreaves (British species, at least half from ) and the collection of E.M. Morehouse (world species). The strength of the mollusc collection lies in freshwater and land specimens.

Entomology

The Lepidoptera collections are mainly of British species. There are also some foreign specimens. Most families are represented in the world Coleoptera collection, which contains the Cerambycidae collection of E.F. Gilmour, including type and figured specimens. The Diptera collection is particularly strong in material from Yorkshire, North Wales and the Scottish Highlands. There are also some exotic Diptera. There is a regionally important collection of British Hymenoptera species, also some foreign specimens. Heritage Doncaster has an important collection of Palaeoentomological specimens, particularly from the Humberhead Levels.

Spirit-preserved anthropods

Heritage Doncaster has spirit-preserved British species of insects in their immature stages, ectoparasites (external parasites), Arachnida (spiders etc), Malacostraca (e.g. woodlice), Diplopoda (millipedes), Chilopoda (centipedes) etc.

Botany

The Botany collection comprises a small collection of 19^th century, unlocalised seaweeds and a collection of lichens of national scope, Bryophytes, Peridophytes and seed plants. The collection includes a large British collection comprising the H. & J.H. Payne herbarium which is of British scope with a Yorkshire emphasis, the H.H. Corbett herbarium of mainly Doncaster material and also recently-collected material, especially from staff collecting for the Doncaster Plant Recording Project – now the Doncaster Botanical Atlas Project.

Environmental Records

Heritage Doncaster has maintained species-based card indexes of all recorded groups of flora and fauna (except birds) since 1963. However these are regarded as a research resource rather than as an accessioned part of the museum collections.

The collections therefore consist of:

• The original notebooks and papers of local and regional naturalists, including staff notebooks and natural history societies
• Annotated floras
• Local estates and hunting archives relating to property in the area

Strengths

• British birds and eggs
• Local taxidermy
• Mounted specimens
• Cerambycidae collection
• Diptera collection
• Hyde Collection

Geology and Palaeontology

Current collections

The geology collections are made up of three parts: palaeontology; mineralogy; petrology.

Palaeontology – The palaeontology collection currently consists of an estimated 3,000+ individual items, mainly from the UK but includes some foreign specimens. The strengths of the collection are based around Carboniferous plant remains, primarily deriving from local deposits across the Doncaster area. The Jurassic Period is well illustrated with many specimens deriving from the Yorkshire coast and beyond.

Mineralogy – The mineralogy collections are currently made up of two distinctly stored collections: the comprehensive, chemically arranged mineralogy collection; the more recent precious and semi-precious gems.

Petrology – The petrology (rock) collections are in three parts: igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic petrology. The igneous and metamorphic are discrete collections.

Strengths of collection

Perceived strengths of the collection are largely around regional Carboniferous and material. However locally within the borough the Carboniferous collections are not as comprehensive as would be expected.

Some of the more important specimens include:

• A near complete ichthyosaur from Dorset
• A collection of 23 eurypterids from Scotland
• A dinosaur egg from France
• Bisat and Culpin collections
• Shark egg case

Digital collections

Heritage Doncaster does not have a digital collection at present, but we are looking to develop this.

Source: Collection development policy

Date: 2018

Licence: CC BY-NC