Collection: Museum of Barnstaple and North Devon

Collection-level records:

• Collection history (Collection development policy)

  The Museum was founded by North Devon District Council in 1989, with significant parts of the collections deriving from its predecessors, the Barnstaple Literary and Scientific Institute (1845), later re-founded as the North Devon Athenaeum in 1889 and St. Anne’s Chapel Museum, established by the Barnstaple Borough Council in 1923.

  Parts of the historic North Devon Athenaeum collection held by the museum are still the property of the North Devon Athenaeum, now a library and archive based at Barnstaple Library. The Regimental Collection of the Royal Devon Yeomanry is also held on loan. The museum is the repository for excavated archaeology and associated archives from the northern part of Devon.

  Source: Collection development policy

  Date: 2021

  Licence: CC BY-NC

• Collection overview (Collection development policy)

  The collections number over 80,000 items which are of all periods and from all over the world. However the emphasis is upon natural or man-made items with significance to the natural and human social history of Barnstaple, the North Devon District Council area and northern Devon (with adjacent parts of North Cornwall and Somerset). The Royal Devon Yeomanry Collection is a County of Devonshire collection.

  Archaeology: material from the Palaeolithic period to the 18th century, including local excavated and chance finds, the archives of the North Devon Rescue Archaeology Unit 1984-1990, and other northern Devon excavations.

  North Devon Pottery from the mediaeval period to the present day, including pieces by the Fishleys of Fremington and the Art Potters C.H.Brannam, Alexander Lauder & William Baron, and the important collection and archives of C.H.Brannam Ltd;

  This collection is considered to be of international significance and includes excavated archaeology from 14th , 16th and 17th century kiln sites in Barnstaple, 17th century kiln sites elsewhere in North Devon and the archives of C.H.Brannam Ltd from 1879 to 2007.

  Photographs, prints and documents, mainly of local interest (including portraits, topographic pictures and maps)

  Social history items from architectural to decorative, mostly local including domestic, recreational and working life, trades, industries, local government and education.

  Ethnographic items from New Zealand, Africa, North America etc.

  Fine art, focusing on local views and significant local painters, including Joseph Kennedy, F. R. Lee, Francis Carruthers Gould, Brian Chugg, Wilfred Avery and Vernon Boyle.

  Decorative arts: locally used or produced items and comparative material, including church silver and pewter (particularly the Stanley Thomas Collection of West Country Pewter and the Keith Abraham Collection of Barnstaple silver spoons) and the important furniture collection and archives of Shapland and Petter of Barnstaple.

  Numismatics, including tokens, medallions and coins and a small collection of banknotes

  Geological material (over 5,000 specimens) including the Townsend Hall Collection, the Ethel Partridge Collection, the Inkerman Rogers Collection plus other local and non-local comparative material.

  Natural History material (local and non-local) including vertebrate, invertebrate and herbaria, including the Hore collection of algae and the Sharland herbarium and historic birds egg collections.

  Militaria, including the Royal Devon Yeomanry Museum Trust Collection and other Royal Devon Yeomanry, Devonshire Regiment, and earlier material.

  Source: Collection development policy

  Date: 2021

  Licence: CC BY-NC