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The Friends of Colchester
Museums
Fifty Sixth Annual Report 2004 – 2005
AGM dealing with the darker side of life in
our county. Included will be a lecture
The Society’s Fifty-sixth Annual
General Meeting was held on 14 June on witchcraft prosecutions in 17th
2005 in Lion Walk Church. Following century Essex, and a talk looking at
the formal part of the meeting, at which crime and suspicious deaths in and
about 40 members were present, Peter around Colchester.
Berridge gave an interesting talk (to a
much larger audience) on Colchester Subscriptions
Castle. The subject of his presentation
Subscriptions for 2005 became due for
focused on new evidence which may
renewal on 1st January. Please check
suggest that the castle has never been
that you have renewed your
substantially higher than it is at
membership (£7.50 single, £12 couple
present. Peter's talk concluded the first
and £18 family), and please contact the
half of this year's lecture series, which
Treasurer, Peter Evans, on 01206
will continue in the autumn (see
540990 if you are unsure of your
below).
current membership status.
Lecture Series 2005 Members who pay by standing order
are asked to check that they are paying
As noted above, we are half-way
the correct amount and to make any
through our current programme of
adjustments with their bank as
lectures which began in April with a
necessary.
talk on Camulodunum by Philip
Crummy. Other topics in the series
have included a talk by Michael
Gift Aid
Weaver on the famous ship burials at We would again like to thank all those
Sutton Hoo, John Ashdown-Hill members who have kindly agreed to
speaking about Colchester in the 15th complete a Gift Aid Certificate, which
century and other presentations on allows us to reclaim a sum of money
timber-frame buildings and water mills. equal to the tax that you have paid on
In September we begin a new the value of your subscription. For the
programme which, in the main, will be tax year 2004-05 we were able to
reclaim over £1,100 from the Inland
2 The Friends of Colchester Museums
Revenue, which will ultimately benefit
our local Museums Service. If you
have not yet completed a Gift Aid
Visit to Gressenhall Museum
Certificate, and would like to do so,
please contact the Treasurer on 01206 In May, several members enjoyed an
540990, who will be pleased to assist. interesting day visiting the Museum of
Please also note that we are able to Norfolk Life, at Gressenhall in Norfolk.
reclaim tax paid for subscriptions The Museum is housed in an old
dating back to April 2000. workhouse and many of the exhibits
depict life from that austere and
Membership Update forbidding environment.
Our membership remains steady at At the time of our visit a number of
582, which shows a slight increase over schoolchildren were visiting the
the same period last year. We would workhouse farm and were much taken
like to encourage all members to with the newly born piglets and lambs
spread the word about our vibrant (and so were we). Other displays
society. You may even like to consider featured old farm machinery, including
giving one of your relatives, or friends, the first car in Norfolk, a collection of
a Gift Membership for that special old engines and a real live farm cat!
occasion. It would be a great way of The recreated shops included a grocery
supporting your local museums, whilst store and a fascinating post office.
introducing your friends and family to
the benefits of becoming a Friend.
Visit to Sutton Hoo
Membership Figures 1991-2005
In July over 50 Friends enjoyed an
1991 105 (increase) excellent day's outing at Sutton Hoo.
1992 137 (32) The weather was favourable and the
company even more so. There was
1993 183 (46) much to see and do, including the
1994 185 (2) viewing of many display items in the
1995 212 (27) new exhibition hall. The highlight of
the day, however, was the excellent tour
1996 304 (92) of the burial mounds given by our able
1997 322 (18) guide Michael Weaver.
1998 353 (49)
1999 365 (12)
Museum News
In 2004, the Friends Committee alerted
2000 418 (53) the Museum to an interesting collection
2001 439 (21) of documents that were on sale at the
2002 590 (151) Castle Bookshop, and then helped the
Museum acquire a selection of them.
2003 563 (-27) The collection was amassed by the
2004 572 (9) Buckingham family through the middle
years of the last century, not as a result
2005 582 (10)
3 The Friends of Colchester Museums
continues Colchester Museums’
of any intentional activity, but rather successful track record of attracting
through keeping documents safe and additional funding from outside the
squirreling away the odd piece of Borough Council.
ephemera that took their fancy. The
collection includes an account book for On 2 August the Mayor of Colchester,
Drury Farm Dairy on Maldon Road, a Cllr Terry Sutton officially opened the
1934 Christmas gift catalogue from refurbished wildlife garden in the
Sands & Son’s and a flyer for Achmed grounds of the town’s Natural History
The Strong’s wrestling bout at the Corn Museum. The partnership project
Exchange in 1964. The result is a between the Museum and Colchester
fascinating insight into the life of a Natural History Society (CNHS)
Colchester family and of the town itself resulted in improved access to, and
from the 1920s to the 60s. This interpretation of the area, which is
February the Friends bought a linocut managed for wildlife.
by the Rowhedge artist, Alan Woods, of
the Ballast Quay at Fingringhoe Wick. The work was funded by a grant of
The print is doubly important as a local £5,000 from the Cory Environmental
view and also as an addition to the Trust in Colchester, together with
Museum’s print collecting initiative, money from Essex Rural Renaissance
which aims to build up a body of work Fund, CNHS and the Museum’s own
by the best local printmakers. Specialisms Fund. This enabled a
series of raised habitat beds to be built
On 26 July the new Anglo-Saxon and together with improved access linking
Norman gallery opened at the Castle. the front and rear entrances. Around
Visitors will benefit from improved 200 wild flower and herb plants, a
access to the collection and will learn pond and willow fencing were also
about the changes affecting the installed and a garden guide and quiz
Colchester area from the coming of the leaflets produced.
Anglo-Saxons to the Norman Conquest.
The project involved BTCV and CNHS
The gallery includes a number of new volunteers and also commemorates the
finds, some of which were purchased Society’s Golden Jubilee.
with the support of the Friends. These
include a gold ring belonging to the Jerry Bowdrey Curator of Natural History
Tom Hodgson, Curator of Social History
wife of a barbarian chieftain, an Anglo- Philip Wise, Curator of Archaeology
Saxon leatherworker’s stamp and the
pommel of a Viking sword. A feature Tea & Talks Lectures
of the new gallery is the attention given (Colchester Castle - Autumn 2005)
to the influence of the Vikings in north-
east Essex and, in particular, the Battle October 29 - Dr Malcolm Gaskill
of Maldon. The new gallery has been The East Anglian Witch-craze of 1645-
funded by the Wolfson Museums and 1647: the Colchester Connection
Galleries Improvement Fund and this
4 The Friends of Colchester Museums
became increasingly warlike and
November 5 - Dr Paul Sealey increasing aggression led to the
Rulers, Warriors & Druids: Essex development of territorial states
150 BC - AD 50 presided over by war lords. Some of
November 12 - Patrick Denney these leaders became the first kings of
Life on the Home Front in WW2 Essex. They rewarded their warrior
retinues with gold coins, such as those
November 19 - Andrew Phillips from a hoard at Heybridge. Finds from
Rise of Modern Colchester a burial of national importance at
December 3 - Peter Berridge Kelvedon show how warriors waged
Life & Times of Agatha Christie war in the 1st century BC. Other
features of the exhibition include a
All lectures will start at 3pm and reconstruction of an Iron Age funerary
conclude about 4.30pm. Special cost to pyre, burnt pottery from a pyre at
Friends is £2.50 for each lecture, or £10 Heybridge, replicas of iron currency
for all (non members £3 per ticket or bars from Stanway, some of the earliest
£12 for all five). Light refreshments writing from Britain scratched on
included. To book your place please pottery and a series of painted
phone 01206 282937. reconstructions of life in the period.
It is hoped that members of the Friends
will be invited to a special preview of
Exhibition - Castle Museum the exhibition on Monday, 5 December
(opening 6 December 2005)
2005 (further details to follow)
'Rulers, Warriors and Druids - Essex
communities conquered by Rome
Clacton and District Local
The exhibition looks at developments in History Society
society in Iron Age Essex from 150 BC You are invited to step back in time to
until the Roman invasion of AD 43. share in a celebration of 20 years of the
Trade with the Roman world across the Clacton & District Local History
English Channel made aristocracies in Society. The event will take place on
the county richer then ever before; this Sunday, 9 October at the West Cliff
new wealth was flaunted in a series of Theatre, Clacton between 11am and
magnificent graves. The richest were 5.30pm. Numerous local history
discovered on the outskirts of displays will be presented, including an
Colchester at Stanway and belong to archive film showing by the East
native leaders cremated at the time of Anglia Film Archive (a small charge for
the Roman invasion. One of them was a this). A number of talks by eminent
Druid priest, buried with one of the local speakers will also be offered
oldest sets of surgical instruments in throughout the day, and the event is
Europe. But this contact with Rome being officially opened by Steve
came with a price tag. Imports of wine Scruton from BBC Essex.
and other commodities were paid for
with slaves taken by force. Society
5 The Friends of Colchester Museums
Local & Family History Courses
Starting September 2005
Grey Friars College (to enrol phone - 01206 542242)
Local History: Building & Landscape - Course code: L362
Wednesday evenings 7 - 9pm (10 weeks)
Start date - 14 September
Tutor - Patrick Denney
Meeting Your Ancestors - Course code: G572 (10 weeks)
Friday evenings 7 - 9pm
Start date - 16 September
Tutor - Patrick Denney
Local & Family History - Course code: L539 (10 weeks)
Friday afternoons 1 - 3pm
Start date - 16 September
Tutor - Patrick Denney
University of Essex - Local History Centre
Certificate in Local History - based on the history of Essex. (one year)
MA in Local & Regional History - based on the history of Essex & Suffolk.
For details contact: Admissions Tutor, Department of History, University of
Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester. Tel: 01206\873333
News from Colchester Recalled
Opening Shortly
The new Colchester Recalled archive room in the Museum Resource
Centre will hold 2,000 hours of recordings of local memories.
Wanted
Volunteers to help index and catalogue the collection
Volunteers to help record more memories of our oldest citizens
An assistant manager for the COLCHESTER RECALLED
magazine
Short articles for the COLCHESTER RECALLED magazine
If you are interested contact Andrew Phillips (01205 546775) or
Patrick Denney (01206 796822)
6 The Friends of Colchester Museums
Linocut of Fingringhoe
by Alan Woods
(purchased by the Friends
in 2005)
Sutton Hoo - July 2005
