Collection: King John’s House and Museum

Collection-level records:

• Collection history (Collection development policy)

  Before 2001, the Trust was only responsible for a much smaller establishment, comprising King John’s House and Tudor Cottage, both wholly owned by the Trust. The old gun shop (No 13 Church Street) and the surrounding gardens were in private hands. The Trust only had pedestrian access to the entrance of King John’s House.

  The exhibits then displayed were those lent by Miss Moody (the last of the ‘gun shop’ Moodys). They came from members of Miss Moody’s private trust and were in the separate care of an ‘Exhibits Trust’ (not a registered charity). The individuals who lent items to this Exhibits Trust have since died, so tracing ownership, although complicated, is now being investigated.

  In 2001 the Trust took over the running of the old Moody gun shop building and gardens (now leased from Test Valley Borough Council) and began to collect items in its own right. Initially, it also accepted some long-term loans that were relevant to the complex in its care. Most of these came from the Hampshire County Museum Service, now the Hampshire Cultural Trust.

  In 2013 the Trust became owners of the most significant long-term loan in its care, namely the Moody Collection, which has particular relevance to 13 Church Street. This was transferred to the Trust by the executor of the last owner.

  In 2019 a further long-term loan of relevant, local archaeological material was received from the Hampshire Cultural Trust.

  Source: Collection development policy

  Date: 2023

  Licence: CC BY-NC

• Collection overview (Collection development policy)

  The current collections focus on the local history of Romsey and district, the most important being those that specifically relate to King John’s House, its fabric and archaeology, and to 13 Church Street and the Moody family. The collections have been acquired over time in a variety of ways and under a variety of terms, as follows:

  • • Trust Collection, comprising artefacts loaned by various local inhabitants (since deceased) to the Moody Private Trust.
    • King John’s House & Tudor Cottage Trust Collection (KJH&TC Trust), comprising items donated into the direct ownership of the Trust.
    • Moody Collection (Trust-owned since 2013), comprising important memorabilia of the family that owned the whole museum complex until 1974 (No 13 Church Street from 1875, run as a home + gun shop, cutlery and field sports business; the rest of the site from 1918).
    • NOTE: The Moodys were responsible for instigating the original identification of KJH in 1927 and opening it to the public thereafter.
    • Exhibits Francis J. Green FSA Collection, comprising artefacts mainly displayed in the Moody Parlour scene and currently recorded in simple inventory format.
    • The Hampshire Cultural Trust has provided long-term loans of furniture, historic guns, social history and archaeological items, all on five-year rolling programmes.
    • There are some other long-term loans of assorted individual items

  Short-Term Loans are negotiated for specific exhibitions, usually for about 3 months. Long-term loans will be avoided in the future unless of high significance.

  Source: Collection development policy

  Date: 2023

  Licence: CC BY-NC