Posted by: Blog Administrator
on Jul 29, 2009
Tagged in:
uncovered ,
treatment ,
sword ,
ornate hanging attachments ,
Objects ,
News ,
Labs ,
Kelly Abbott ,
helmet ,
grave items ,
grave burial ,
Fragments ,
finds ,
excavation ,
contract conservator ,
conservation ,
chin ,
Bognor
We thought it was time for another update on the grave burial from Bognor Regis as yet more exciting finds have been uncovered.
The Helmet
The latest stage of the excavation has seen the helmet completely uncovered with the discovery of an attachment that would have held a chin strap in place. Although damaged the helmet is in one piece and, thanks to the painstaking work of our contract conservator Kelly Abbott, is ready to be lifted free of the surrounding soil. Read on to see some additional images of the helmet attachments........
Posted by: Blog Administrator
on Jul 15, 2009
Tagged in:
www.wiltshire.gov.uk/community/ ,
words ,
with Latin inscriptions ,
Wiltshire Community History web site ,
wills ,
Wick Hill in Bremhill ,
trust ,
short histories ,
school ,
Salisbury Diocesan Court ,
river Avon ,
property ,
prints ,
population tables ,
plotted ,
photographs ,
Maud Heath ,
maps ,
locations ,
local history questions ,
local authors ,
literary associations ,
Links ,
Langley Burrell ,
land ,
Kellaways ,
information ,
historic buildings ,
forebears ,
finance ,
early books ,
e-mailed replies ,
discovery ,
diarist Francis Kilvert ,
curate ,
county ,
civil parish ,
church ,
Chippenham Market ,
chapel ,
causeway ,
aerial ,
a three faced block sundial ,
9 ,
64 arches ,
400 ,
40 Mummers’ plays ,
1966 Memorial plaque ,
1870s ,
1857 ,
1773 ,
1698 ,
15th century pathway ,
1530s ,
1474 ,
12 foot high monument ,
100 completed communities ,
000 folk songs
The Wiltshire Community History web site – http://history.wiltshire.gov.uk/community/ - has scored a century this week. 100 completed communities are now on the site with the recent appearance of Langley Burrell. This is the parish where the diarist Francis Kilvert served his father as curate in the 1870s and recorded many local people and events.
The Church of St. Peter, Langley Burrell, where the diarist Francis Kilvert was curate
Every completed community has short histories of the civil parish and of each church, chapel and school. There are maps from 1773, prints and photographs old and new, population tables, and information on historic buildings, local authors and literary associations. Links take you to all archaeological sites in each parish and to all wills proved at Salisbury Diocesan Court between the 1530s and 1857.
You can also ask us local history questions and get e-mailed replies, look at about 9,400 pages from important early books on Wiltshire, find the words of over 1,000 folk songs and over 40 Mummers’ plays collected in the county, and see locations of photographs and sites plotted on aerial photographs and maps.
Back in Langley Burrell you find information on another famous resident, Maud Heath. In 1474 she gave property and land to finance a causeway from the top of Wick Hill in Bremhill to Chippenham Market. The trust she set up continued to maintain it and you can still walk this 15th century pathway today.
Part of the 1811 structure of 64 arches that carries Maud Heath’s Causeway over the lowlands by the river Avon
In 1698 the Maud Heath Trust erected this 12 foot high monument by the river at Kellaways. This features a three faced block sundial with Latin inscriptions
1966 Memorial plaque to Francis Kilvert in Langley Burrell Church
Posted by: Blog Administrator
on Jul 14, 2009
Tagged in:
Wiltshire ,
unidentified ,
Sue Casas ,
pacify ,
mystery objects ,
leather ,
late 19th/early 20th century livestock blindfold ,
identity ,
guessed ,
glass wasp ,
fly trap ,
correctly ,
Chippenham Museum ,
Castle Combe Museum ,
animal ,
2 ,
1939-1945
Congratulations to Sue Casas who has correctly guessed the identity of 2 of the mystery objects.
No. 1 is a late 19th/early 20th century livestock blindfold. Made from leather this would have been used to pacify an animal that had become agitated by covering it's eyes. Animals are still sometimes blindfolded during transport or some veterinary procedures, as it lowers the heart rate and makes them less stressed. This example is from the collection of Chippenham Museum.
No. 2 is a glass wasp or fly trap from Castle Combe Museum. Still used today this style of trap would be baited with a sticky sugary solution to attract the wasps, who would fly in the hole at the base. Once inside they become disorientated and are unable to fly out, and end their time drowning in the sticky solution. Due to their inability to fly directly upwards bees are quite safe from this sort of trap, as they cannot fly in.
No. 3 remains unidentified. I wish we did have part of a dalek in one of Wiltshire's museums but I'm afraid this is not the case. To help you on your way I'll give you a clue. The object dates from the period 1939-1945. Have another look at the photograph below and see if you get any sudden flashes of inspiration! Good luck, Tim
Mystery Object Number Three
Posted by: Blog Administrator
on Jul 3, 2009
Tagged in:
www.workhouses.org.uk ,
Workhouse ,
Workhouse ,
Wiltshire Registration Service ,
Swindon ,
Stratton St Margaret ,
Secret ,
roads ,
Registrar General ,
registers ,
Ordnance Survey map ,
New Accessions ,
Living ,
institutions ,
inmates ,
informative ,
History Centre ,
Highworth Road ,
Highworth ,
family historians ,
enquiry ,
disgrace of the workhouse ,
Devizes ,
death certificate ,
copy certificate ,
Commercial Road ,
Chippenham Burgage Map ,
certificates@wiltshire.gov.uk ,
certificate ,
birth ,
ancestor ,
address ,
acquired ,
acquired ,
accessible ,
1923 ,
1909 ,
1904 birth ,
1820
An interesting enquiry recently came in from a person seeking corroboration of the birth of her ancestor in Highworth and Swindon workhouse in 1909. This child’s birth certificate gave her address as 8 Highworth Road, Stratton St Margaret.
Devizes OS Map of Workhouse, 1923
It provided an example of the implementation of the advice of the Registrar General, who in 1904 suggested that the birth and death certificates of inmates should have a euphemistic address, one that spared the family the disgrace of the workhouse.
The correspondent will send this example to the website www.workhouses.org.uk which alerted her to this practice, which has interesting implications for family historians. Intrigued by this I did a spot check on two births in the Devizes workhouse in December 1909. The birth register gave the address as 7 Commercial Road, Devizes. In each case the address was for the roads in which the institutions stood.
Checking the Devizes example was possible because all but the most current registers of the Wiltshire Registration Service are held in the History Centre. Its copy certificate service is now based at the History Centre. Its email address is certificates@wiltshire.gov.uk. Read on to find out about some of our new accessions......
Posted by: Blog Administrator
on Jul 2, 2009
Tagged in:
villa ,
uniform ,
uncovered ,
travel ,
St. Laurence School ,
soldier ,
slave ,
sites ,
RomanEmpire ,
Romanclothes ,
Roman Family Fun ,
rations ,
quiz ,
past ,
Objects ,
mosaics ,
mosaicist ,
Monday 27th July2009 ,
Living Roman Wiltshire ,
life ,
identify ,
finds ,
excavations ,
event ,
dug up ,
children ,
Bradford on Avon ,
Bath ,
archaeologist ,
10am – 12 ,
1.30pm – 3.30pm ,
01249 705529
Would the life of a Roman soldier suit you - free uniform, good rations, chance to travel? Perhaps you would prefer the life of a mosaicist, travelling from villa to villa to complete mosaics of the latest fashion for the owners? What if you were a household slave travelling with her mistress to Bath to take the waters - would a life of servitude be a good choice? Come to our Roman Family Fun day on Monday 27th July 2009 and you can find out what it was like for people living in Wiltshire when it was part of the Roman Empire. Read on to find out more......
Excavation at St. Laurence School, Bradford on Avon
