Highlights From Our Collection

Here you can find more information about some of our favourite items in the collection.

• Turner picture of Malmesbury Abbey
• Malmesbury Roman coin hoard
• Athelstan Penny
• Athelstan Replica Sword
• Iron Age Querns
• 18th century Fire Pump
• 19th century drawing of the top of the High Street
• A late medieval ampulla
• The Malmesbury Yard
• A leaded stained glass roundel from the White Lion Inn
• A 19th century quilt from Cole Park
• Jackets from Cole Park

Athelstan Replica Sword

On display in the museum is an archaeologically accurate replica of a sword in the Anglo Saxon tradition, such as would have been used by King Athelstan (924-939).

Our museum is named for this First King of all England and we also have on display a coin of his reign displaying his crowned head.

Swords were highly valued possessions not just as weapons but bearing symbolism around sovereignty, chivalry, nobility, status and have even been imbued with spiritual power in truth seeking, purity and cutting away ignorance.

The sword was commissioned by the King Athelstan First King of All England Trust on behalf of the Masonic Order of Athelstan, King Athelstan Memorial Trust and is on long term loan to the Museum from the Masonic Order.

The Iron Age Querns found in 2012

The Iron Age querns found during the excavation at St Joseph’s School are on display.

The stones are so heavy that two people can only just lift them together, so the strength and skill involved in creating this flour-milling tool can only be imagined.

The archaeologist thinks that one stone was broken during manufacture, at the time of the Iron Age, and was discarded on the site. However, another is an undamaged example of a Quern stone. Two such rounded stones were worked together using a pole in the middle that was pushed backwards and forwards to create the grinding action.

Athelstan Museum is grateful to St Joseph’s School and the Avon Archaeological Unit for this recent gift.

Fire Pump

Until recently, this was on loan to Wiltshire Fire Museum. It has now been returned, has undergone conservation treatment and is on display in the Tourist Information Centre. The 4 man manual fire engine, more strictly pump, was probably made by Samuel Phillips of New Surrey Street, Blackfriars, London in the second half of the 18th century; Richard Newsham, a pearl button maker from London made similar engines.

Samuel Phillips started making fire engines in 1760; in 1797 the firm became Phillips and Hopwood.

Josiah Wedgwood of pottery fame ordered in 1781 a one third size engine for his factory. It cost £40 but with extras; buckets, hoses, nozzles and special box the total was £58-17s-3d. Not good enough – Josiah had his name painted on each side; it cost him another 2 shillings.

The fire pump would have been conveyed to the fire by horse and cart, and then dragged as close to the fire as possible. Water would be fetched in buckets from the nearest source by a stream of helpers. The water was poured into the reservoir and 4 men pumping as hard as they could, would force the water up the hose so it could be played on the fire.

Not all houses were protected. If you were insured a plaque was displayed on the front. Subscribers had their fire put out free but had to pay for oiling and greasing the hose afterwards.

In 1974 a series of four commemorative stamps featuring fire engines was issued. The 10p stamp featured a Samuel Phillips fire engine.

“Top of the High Street” by F.Messiter

The original drawing for this was done in 1818 by F Messiter. Our print of his drawing is an 1860 Lithograph, credited to W Hanks of Malmesbury. It seems to have been acquired by the museum in 1978. In 2008 we also acquired a coloured version of this print as part of the major bequest from collector Richard Hatchwell.

Interesting things to note in the picture include the two inns in the Market Cross. The Green Dragon on the site of the Raj, and the Prince and Princess on the site of the Whole Hog.

A Medieval Souvenir

One of the metal detector finds from the Garsdon area, now on permanent display in the Museum, is a beautiful, late medieval ampulla.  The growth in the hobby of metal detecting has increased the number of medieval ampullae found across the country and reported to the Portable Antiquities Scheme.  

This small trinket sheds quite a lot of light on the religious, social and cultural aspects of medieval life.  Made from lead, they are often found in cultivated fields, as was the ampulla in the Museum.

The ‘Malmesbury Yard’

This object is the ‘Malmesbury Yard’, and an associated letter of 1893 from James Ward, County Inspector of Weights and Measures. These items came into the museum in 1978 or soon before. Unfortunately we have no record of how they arrived.

The letter details the verification of the Malmesbury Yard against the Wiltshire standard in 1893. The first page is reproduced below.

The following extracts from the letter are particularly notable:

“The Standard Yard and Ell of the Borough of Malmesbury is dated 1654, being the time of the Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell.
…
The Standard has been very carefully compared with the Standard Yard No. 2174, verified by the Board of Trade Standards department Feb 11 1891 for the use of the County of Wilts, and the length of the Malmesbury Yard which is between the two shorter pillars is, notwithstanding its extreme antiquity and amount of usage it has undergone, now at the present day within .005in or one two-hundredth part of an inch of the said Standard 2174.
…
the Standard of the Borough of Malmesbury is undoubtedly an instrument of value and too much care cannot be taken in preserving it.
…
I have taken the liberty of enclosing the Standard in a Mahogany case, which may assist in protecting from damage, so interesting and valuable a relic of ancient times”

The White Lion Inn

This is the former hostelry in Gloucester Street; which probably dates back as far as the 12th century; and occasionally still opens its doors for Museum/Civic Trust events, thanks to current owners Frances and Paul Smith.
One of Collection Team member Christina Staff’s favourite items in the museum collection is this fabulous leaded stained glass roundel from the inn.

Charles Vernon’s Malmesbury’s Past, People and Places reports that the window was removed and donated to Athelstan Museum when the White Lion closed in 1970. The glass has been identified as 14th or 15th century. The inscription reads ‘O Mercy’. Its most recent outing from the Store was for the excellent U3A Local History Society display about Malmesbury Pubs and Inns.

The best known story about the White Lion is surely that of Hannah Twynnoy, and it does not need repeating here. However, it is a good reason to show another item from the collection. An image of poor Hannah’s encounter with the tiger, by Colin Forward. Unfortunately we only have a copy, rather than an original print, but it is a favourite of mine.

Drawing of Hannah Twynnoy by Colin Forward for a Souvenir Pamphlet on the occasion of a senior staff E.K.Cole Ltd party in 1956.  “From the original foolscap dyeline pamphlet.  They used a purple dye to print things in the drawing office at E K COLE … the original would have been drawn on their standard tracing paper using Indian ink.” (Tristan Forward).

The White Lion building itself looks quite different today than it did even in this photograph of 1878, also in the museum collection.

The bow window was removed in 1964 as it was being damaged by high vehicles. According to the museum catalogue, this picture was taken by William Hanks of Malmesbury. As an aside from the White Lion itself, the wider street scene is also interesting. In case anyone needs orienting, this is looking down to the mirror.

The Cole Park Quilt

By Janet Casselden

This quilt in our collection has not been on display since before I started volunteering at the museum in 2008 and when I found out that we had it I got very enthusiastic about seeing it. However, it was not until we moved everything to the new store that I eventually saw it unwrapped.

In June of last year I was able to get the quilt out for a study session in the old Moravian Church. Members of my Art Quilt group attended and were able to look closely at the fabric and stitches. Some of the fabric appears to be the sort used for making dresses in the early 19th century, as worn by Jane Austen and her friends, suggesting that the initial dating could be correct?

It was a particular pleasure to be able to show this item from our collection to a group who were as delighted as me to get up close to something handmade almost 200 years ago.

Two Georgian Jackets from Cole Park

By Janet Casselden

These fantastic jackets came into the collection from Cole Park before 1978 and were probably worn in the late 18^th century by a member of the Lovell family.

They are items I have shown during the textile study days I have been able to hold since our purchase and refurbishment of the old Moravian Church.

As the photos show they are garments with a fair amount of ‘bling’ which shines when either sunlight or artificial light catches. When the pocket flaps are lifted the fabric of one and the embroidery of the second glows even without extra light! This section of both garments shows very little sign of wear as there are no actual pockets.