Collection: Armagh County Museum

Collection-level records:

• Collection history (Collection development policy)

  Armagh Natural History and Philosophical Society’s museum is the foundation of Armagh County Museum’s collection. The Society was established in 1839 and from 1856 occupied the former Charlemont Place School on The Mall East, Armagh City. In 1930 Armagh County Council acquired the premises by lease. A curator was appointed who built on the Society’s collection and in 1937 Armagh County Museum was officially opened as Ireland’s first County Museum.

  Examples of significant acquisitions are:

  The Tenison Collection of archaeological objects acquired by The Philosophical Society in 1861 is an important corpus of Irish stone, bronze and wooden objects is unrivalled in any other regional museum in Northern Ireland. (c.250 objects)

  The Hull-Grundy collection of jewellery donated by Mrs Hull-Grundy between 1975 and 1982. Consists of c.150 examples of Victorian costume jewellery many made of Irish Bog Oak.

  The Buchanan Toy Collection consists of early 20th century toys donated by Professor R.H. Buchanan, (c270 objects).

  Rhodes donation consists of c130 objects ranging from archaeological objects to eighteenth century costume, fine furniture, paintings and silver connected with Gervais family.

  Caledon Coin Collection consists of a small but significant collection of coins including 10 early hammered pieces, the earliest being a David II groat c1360. They are part of a hoard discovered in 1851.

  Nelson Butterfly Collection consists of c1600 moths and butterflies collected by county Armagh naturalist Phyllis Ismay Nelson between 1940 and 1979.

  The Dougan Collection is a valuable collection of c70,000 documents (probate, leases, miscellaneous legal papers) from several Armagh solicitor’s office.

  The Scott Photographic Collection consists of c350,000 photographic negatives from a local studio of significant value to Armagh’s social history covering the period 1950 – 78.

  The D.P. Martin Portrait Collection consists of c700 photographic portraits (cabinet cards and Carte DeVisites), of Armagh people with biographical notes covering the period 1860 – 1930.

  The T.G.F. Paterson Manuscript Collection comprises 280 notebooks (c.25,000 pages) of mostly manuscript notes relating to all aspects of the history, archaeology, genealogy and folklore of the county and further afield.

  The Blacker Manuscripts consists of 10 books of manuscript notes by William and Stewart Blacker (Co. Armagh 19^th century politicians and soldiers). Contains primary source material relating to foundation of Orange Order and an important history of Armagh Militia.

  Charlemont Estate Papers consists of rentals, leases, estate maps and accounts (18^th and 19^th century) relating to Lord Charlemont’s estate in Co. Armagh.

  The Philip B Wilson Library consists of over 2,000 volumes. Subjects include local history, church history, agriculture, archaeology, Irish Military history, transport history and architecture. It also includes a collection of 700 rare volumes relating to Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). Also a Methodist Book Collection containing over 1,500 rare texts and volumes.

  The most significant collectors were T.G.F. Paterson and D.R.M. Weatherup whose combined time as curators spanned 63 years.

  Paterson was instrumental in creating a coherent collection in areas such as fine and applied art, human history, archaeology, and folklife. Weatherup’s continued to consolidate in these areas also strengthening the Natural History and transport collection. Both men built up the fine library (c6000 vols) and archive that is regarded as one of the most important local studies collections in Northern Ireland.

  Source: Collection development policy

  Date: Not known

  Licence: CC BY-NC

• Collection overview (Collection development policy)

  The extent of Armagh County Museum’s collection is in the range of 360,000 items. The collections are diverse and span all time periods, concentrating on County Armagh, its people, built heritage and landscape. They can be classified within six broad subject areas.

  • Art
  • Folk Life
  • Human History
  • Transport and Industry
  • Natural Sciences
  • Support Collection

  Art

  The art collections include fine and applied art most with close connections to county Armagh. In excess of 3,500 items, the art collection contains paintings, works on paper, ceramics, silver, jewellery, furniture, and textiles. Typically the fine art comprises the work of artists with Armagh connections, portraits of Armagh people or topographical works depicting aspects of county Armagh. It is one of the largest collections of public art in Northern Ireland.

  Folk Life

  A proportionally small but significant part of the collection focuses on rural traditions and ways of life county Armagh in the context neighbouring counties. The collections fall into two categories: Expressive and Material Culture.

  Expressive Culture

  Concentrating on folklore and language; the collections in this area are mainly note books of the first curator, T.G.F. Paterson but also include objects such as paper ephemera, regalia, religious objects and folk art.

  Material Culture

  The Material Culture collections cover the subject areas of domestic life and textiles. There is also a collection (c.60 items), of agricultural tools and equipment.

  Domestic Life, comprising objects associated with the ‘home’ and home-making activities such as household management, housework and childrearing. Objects include toys (c.600 items), ceramic and glass ware (c.250 items), furniture (c.60 items) and general household equipment, complemented by photographs and archive material.

  Textiles (c.600 items), reflecting local textile production and use including patchwork quilts, lace, samplers, and hand-woven linen.

  Human History

  The Human History collections reflect evidence of people and events from the earliest settlers, through the main archaeological and historical periods up to the present day.

  Archaeology, (c.4300 items), with a particular emphasis on material from counties Armagh, Down and Tyrone and mostly dating to the Neolithic and Bronze Age periods.

  History, collections cover a very wide range of objects relating to the political, social and economic history of Ulster especially county Armagh, from the early medieval period to the present. These encompass archival materials such as photographs (c.320,000), maps (c.350), paper ephemera (c.5,000), books (c.6,000), weaponry (c.170), coins, banknotes, medals and tokens (c.800). Covered in more detail in section 5 below.

  Transport and Industry

  The Transport collections cover all forms of transport built or used in county Armagh, mostly eighteenth century and later.

  The collections include:

  Rail, road and water transport

  A fine collection of Irish railway equipment, ephemera and uniforms with an emphasis on rail and tramways that operated in county Armagh and surrounding districts, eg. Great Northern Railway, Ulster Railway and Clogher Valley Railway.

  Smaller collections of similar items connected with road and canal transport.

  Natural Sciences

  The Natural Sciences collections have particular emphasis on the geology and zoology of the county but also surrounding areas.

  Geology, over 200 examples of mostly local geological material (rocks, fossils and minerals).

  Zoology, consisting of terrestrial invertebrates, mainly insects and molluscs totalling (c.2000), marine invertebrates and vertebrates, mainly birds and mammals (c. 200). Significant among this section is the Phyllis Ismay Nelson (1907-79) collection of moths and butterflies.

  A small amount of related material including drawings and natural science field-books, photographs, and field notebooks.

  Support Collection

  Unaccessioned objects used for learning and research include the handling collection and most modern books in the reference library. These are used as part of the museum’s learning programme and by students and researchers. They are nevertheless catalogued but are differentiated from accessioned objects by the prefix SCA.

  Archival holdings

  There are several archival collections in Armagh County Museum, outlined below.

  Map Collection

  Both printed and manuscript maps (c550 items) ranging from nineteenth century OS 6″ series to estate maps, valuation maps and architectural plans.

  Photographic Collections

  D.P.Martin collection of photographic portraits (620 items) of Armagh people with biographical information.

  Weatherup transparencies, (c4000) colour slides taken by former curator recording the changing face of County Armagh between c1965 – 1985.

  Scott Collection (c350,000), black and white negatives from Armagh photographic studio made between c1950 – 1976.

  Museum Photographic Print Collection, (c4500 items) mostly black and white photos acquired by the museum, recording the people and places of County Armagh.

  Postcard Collection, (c2000 items) containing photographic postcard views of Co. Armagh and the wider area in the north of Ireland.

  Estate Papers

  Charlemont estate papers, (c100 items) including estate maps, rentals, leases, expense books etc relating to Lord Charlemont’s estates in Co Armagh

  Local Studies Sources

  T.G.F. Paterson manuscript collection comprises 280 notebooks (c.25,000 pages) of mostly manuscript notes relating to all aspects of the history, archaeology, genealogy and folklore of the county and further afield.

  Dougan Collection is an important archive for the study of genealogy and local studies in the Armagh area. Many of the papers (c70,000) derive from several local solicitors’ offices including Joshua Peel and Munroe & Anderson. They include, estate papers, probate papers and documents relating to property.

  Museum Library collection consists of c11,500 books and pamphlets on all aspects of the history of county Armagh and to a lesser extent Irish history. Includes some rare 17^th century books. Including collections of scarce Quaker and Methodist books.

  Blacker Manuscripts, are a collection of daybooks, diaries, memoirs and albums compiled by William Blacker and other members of the Blacker family c1813-1880 (15 volumes). Contains important accounts of military and political events most notably events connected to the origin of Orange Order.

  AE Archive is a collection of personal belongings, drafts of poems and plays as well as several hundred letters written by the polymath George Russell (AE). Largest collection of papers relating to AE outside the USA.

  Source: Collection development policy

  Date:

  Licence: CC BY-NC