Robert Burns Ellisland Trust

Development Policy: Reflecting and Enriching Lives through Collections

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Name of museum: Ellisland Museum & Farm

Name of governing body: Robert Burns Ellisland Trust

Date on which this policy was approved by governing body: 08/11/2020

Policy review procedure: This policy will be published and reviewed from time to time, at least once every five years.

Date at which this policy is due for review: 08/11/ 2025

Museums Galleries Scotland will be notified of any changes to the collections development policy, and the implications of any such changes for the future of collections.

RBET Development Policy

1. Relationship to other relevant policies / plans of the organisation

1.1. The Trust’s statement of purpose is to protect, promote, and enrich the historic and natural environment at Ellisland to aid understanding and appreciation of the poet’s life and work, and to improve the health and wellbeing of all.

1.2. The governing body will ensure that both acquisition and disposal are carried out openly and with transparency.

1.3. By definition, Robert Burns Ellisland Trust (RBET, or ‘the Trust’) has a long-term purpose and holds collections in trust for the benefit of the public in relation to its stated objectives. The Trustees therefore accept the principle that sound curatorial reasons must be established before consideration is given to any acquisition to the collection, or the disposal of any items in the Trust’s collection.

1.4. Acquisitions outside the current stated policy will only be made in exceptional circumstances.

1.5. The Trust recognises its responsibility, when acquiring additions to its collections, to ensure that care of collections, documentation arrangements and use of collections will meet the requirements of the Museum Accreditation Standard. This includes using Spectrum primary procedures for collections management. It will take into account limitations on collecting imposed by such factors as staffing, storage and care of collection arrangements.

1.6. The Trust will undertake due diligence and make every effort not to acquire, whether by purchase, gift, bequest or exchange, any object or specimen unless the governing body or responsible officer is satisfied that the Trust can acquire a valid title to the item in question.

1.7. In exceptional cases, disposal may be motivated principally by financial reasons. The method of disposal will therefore be by sale and the procedures outlined below will be followed. In cases where disposal is motivated by financial reasons, the governing body will not undertake disposal unless it can be demonstrated that all the following exceptional circumstances are met in full:

• the disposal will significantly improve the long-term public benefit derived from the remaining collection

• the disposal will not be undertaken to generate short-term revenue (for example to meet a budget deficit)

• the disposal will be undertaken as a last resort after other sources of funding have been thoroughly explored

• extensive prior consultation with sector bodies has been undertaken

• the item under consideration lies outside the museum’s established permanent collection

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2. History of the collections

The Trust has been collecting material culture since its foundation in 1923. Collections held by the Trust are the things we, and the previous trust have purposefully selected to keep for the future and include material culture of value to Scotland principally through association with the poet, Robert Burns (1759-96). We use the word ‘collection’ to include our collections of material culture, archives, books, and photographs. We exclude from this term, anything that cannot be moved, such as buildings and monuments (with the exception of portable archaeology). Robert Burns took up the lease of Ellisland Farm in early May 1788. He brought his wife Jean Armour, and his two year-old son Robert (Bobby) to Ellisland in December that year. At Ellisland, Robert co-designed a six-apartment house (described as a “modest mansion” by visitors in 1789) for his growing family, with views over the River Nith. During his time at Ellisland, which he described as ‘the poet’s choice’, Burns wrote some of his best-known work, including Ae Fond Kiss, Auld Lang Syne, and Tam o’ Shanter. After promotion in the Excise, he moved with his family to Dumfries in November 1791. Ellisland continued to be farmed by a succession of owners until it was purchased by Mr George Williamson, a solicitor1 and one-time President of Edinburgh Burns Club. Following Williamson’s death the following year, a trust was set up by his brother, John Wilson Williamson, and assets disposed to it, 'for the purpose of their being set aside and established as a property for the British Nation'. Any income was to be used for the upkeep and maintenance of the whole site ‘in such a public manner in connection with the memory of Burns as they [the trustees] may decide’. From the outset of the trust, there was an expectation that the tenant of the farm would admit visitors to the farmhouse. The fledgling trust had issues with the sitting tenant, Mr Grierson, whom, they claimed was not keen to receive visitors on the pretence of ‘continual spring cleaning’.2 On the death of Mr Grierson, the trust advertised the lease of the entire farm with the option of retaining the farmhouse. Mr Findlay of Friars Carse Mains took the lease of the land and farm buildings, which then allowed the trust to advertise the farmhouse with stipulations about visitor access. ‘The house is let under the condition that one room will be reserved for relics and other things of interest relating to the Poet Burns, this room may be used by you [the tenant], but you will be expected to give careful supervision to the articles placed in the room. In this room will be kept a visitors book in which it is hoped all visitors will enter their names as they visit the house of which you will allow inspection at all reasonable times. It is not intended that visitors pry into your bedrooms, but the two end rooms and kitchen should be available for visitors to see…You will be informed, if possible, a day or two beforehand when a Club or Association of people intend to visit Ellisland, but for the casual visitor no notice can be given’.3 The first recorded acquisition appears to have been in 1928, a toddy rubber (chequered black and red cloth) said to have belonged to Agnes McLehose and used by Burns at Edinburgh, 1787-88, a gift from J M Harkom, on 5th August.

1 Hendry, Margaret L, ‘Ellisland’, in Burns Chronicle, 1966. p.44 2 Minute, 12th May 1932 3 Minute, 15th April 1933

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The second recorded objects in the collection were donations of books to the new trust. These are noted in the Minute of 5th June 1931 as ‘certain old books that were in the Dunscore Library’ which Burns was instrumental in founding. These books were given to the trust by at least three different individuals.4 At the same time, a portrait of the late John Wilson Williamson, brother of the donor of the farm, was received from his estate. No doubt eager to have an image of Burns on site, in the same year the trust purchased a bronze statuette of Burns by Henry Snell Gamley (1865-1928)5, a pupil of Édouard Lantéri and William Grant Stevenson. Gamley became a leading Scottish bronze sculptor involved in another Burns related sculpture, the memorial to Clarinda in Canongate churchyard, Edinburgh unveiled in 1922. In 1928, he hired Auguste Rodin’s studio in Paris6 to work on a statue of Robert Burns for export to Cheyenne, Wyoming. The Ellisland statue is a limited edition miniature taken from the model of the Wyoming statue, commissioned by an Ayrshire born widow of an American cattle rancher and unveiled in 1929. A plaster version of this is owned by Robert Burns Birthplace Museum7. Major gifts followed in 1937 and 1938. 1937: Miss Ferguson. Items of a domestic nature (Jean Armour’s cotton hat, pillow slip, clothes brush, nursing stool) 1938: Arthur Basil Simpson (three manuscripts with close connections to Burns’s time at Ellisland, including On Seeing a Wounded Hare Limp Past Me, and four panes of glass inscribed by the poet at the Hermitage) 1938: Reverend Dr James King Hewison, domestic items including the remnants of a spinet (once played to Burns) repurposed into a what-not, and a cup and saucer (which belonged to Elizabeth Burgess) In 1938, the trust resolved to purchase a safe ‘for storing the most valuable relics’ which speaks to the undertaking they had given donors as well as perhaps conditions at the farmhouse and the sporadic nature then of visitation.8 By 1940, the collection was valued at £2200, the equivalent of £125,000 in 2020.9 During the 1940s, there was a growing concern for the historic nature of the house. This had begun some years before: in 1938, the minutes record that an ‘original mantel shelf was also placed in its old position’.10 During this time, the trustees restated their mission, ‘Having in view that the chief purpose of this trust was the maintaining and preserving [of] the property entrusted to them as closely as possible to the state in which it existed in the time of Burns’.11 Since the trustees rejected an offer by the land tenant to occupy it as part of the lease on the basis that this would ‘overturn their policy regarding the historical and museum nature of the house’.12 However, this focus on authenticity was patchy. For example, to accommodate a farm worker, The Old Ballroom was converted to a dwelling house in 1932 and we can see from the planting around the site that additions were made which were knowingly inconsistent with the appearance of the site from the time of Burns. Intriguingly though, the trust specified that the colour scheme of the exterior should be white walls and green ‘unless specially ordered’ suggesting that this may have been the original pigmentation from the time of Burns.13

4 Minute, 5th June 1931 5 Minute, 19th November 1931 6 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Snell_Gamley accessed 25/09/20 7 http://www.burnsscotland.com/items/p/plaster-statue-of-robert-burns-after-henry-snell-gamley.aspx accessed 25/09/20 8 Minute, 16th May 1938 9 Bank of England Inflation Calculator, https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/monetary-policy/inflation/inflation-calculator accessed online 30/09/20 10 Minute, 22nd Mar 1938 11 Minute, 16th Oct 1940 12 Minute, 17th Oct 1941 13 Minute, 15th Sept 1930

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At some time during the 1940s a portrait of Burns was acquired since it is noted as damaged in 1948.14 In the same year, a grate was replicated for the spence based on what was thought to be the original in the birthplace museum, Alloway. Articles of furniture suitable to the period of Burns’s occupation appeared to be confined to what was referred to as ‘The Burns Room’ or spence.15 Other domestic items such as a dressing mirror owned by Burns were donated.

Despite these efforts, in a newspaper article in 1951, there was some dissatisfaction with the museum-like nature of the parlour. ‘it might be more in keeping with public taste if it were furnished as a farm parlour of Burns’s time, with a few good pieces rather than too many, and a discreet display of engravings and objects. The low grate, upon which the rain rattles down the straight-built chimney, two wooden armchairs, and the well-fitted bookcase make the beginnings of a homely room’.16

The relics were clearly important to the trustees who inspected them before meetings (e.g. 9th June 1948). Besides their interest, part of the reason might have been their concern over the willingness of tenant-custodians and the insurance premiums of the collection alone, insurance cover stipulated by previous donors.

Donations of farming equipment followed and a partnership with the National Museum of Scotland in the 1970s resulting in the redisplay of the Granary and farmyard in 1979, ‘to illustrate the seasonal round of farming’.17 This was funded by the Scottish Tourist Board, as part of the Burns Heritage Trail and included items on loan from Dumfries & Galloway Council. Another redisplay, this time including the farmhouse, took place in 1996, the focal point being encased displays in the spence. Collecting activity in the past three decades has been focused on Burnsiana (largely souvenirware) and books.

The collecting of books is understandable given Burns’s involvement in the setting up of the Monkland Friendly Society library, and, of course, his own writing career. The focus of collecting for trustees appears to have been to reconstitute in some way Burns’s own library as well as the 150 books or so made available in the circulating library, the choice of which was heavily influenced by Burns. Burns’s neighbour and collaborator, Robert Riddell described Burns’s role thus, ‘He was treasurer, librarian and censor to this little society, who will long to have a grateful of his public spirit and exertions for their improvement and information’. 18 In June 1931, some 40 books are recorded as being in the possession of the trust from the Dunscore Library Committee. Since the Monklands Circulating Library was sold off during Burns’s lifetime it is unclear how the trust came to own such a large number of these books, almost a third of the total library. Another major gift was from the library of Miss Jean Armour Burns Brown, some of which belonged to her great grandfather, the poet.

14 Minute, 3rd Feb 1948 15 Minute, 15th Apr 1937 16 ‘Ellisland’s Appeal: Need for Improvement at Nithsdale Farm Museum’. Np, 1951. 17 ‘Burns the Farmer goes on show’, Burns Chronicle 1981, p.40 18 http://www.robertburns.org/encyclopedia/MonklandFriendlySociety.638.shtml accessed online 30/09/2020

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3. An overview of current collections

3.1 The Trust has a significant material culture collection that relates principally to the life, work, and legacy of Robert Burns, his family and friends, and, specifically, to his time living at Ellisland and in Dumfriesshire (1788 – 1796). There are approximately 500 items in the collection (including both permanent and support items): Collection type No. Archives 20019 Books 107 Domestic 23 Burnsiana 37 Art 32 Ceramics 32 Tools 18 Furniture 21 Manuscripts 9 Photographs 8 Textiles 4 Arms 3 Musical instruments 1 Taxidermy 2 Archaeology 1 498

These collections are currently displayed or stored principally in the farmhouse and granary buildings.

3.2 The Trust manages two categories of collection:

3.2.1 Permanent Collection: These are items of significance and importance to the story of Ellisland or Robert Burns which the Trust commits to preserving in the long term and will only dispose of in exceptional circumstances. This is the accessioned collection.

3.2.2 Support Collection: These objects have little significance or importance to the story of Ellisland or Robert Burns. In many cases the support collection objects have been purchased, gifted of bequeathed to the Trust for set-dressing purposes, to illustrate the furnishing of the farmhouse or to demonstrate farming methods in a particular time period but the objects themselves have no direct link to the property. These collections are not accessioned and although the Trust cares for and manages these support collections, we do not commit to the same level of long-term preservation as our Permanent Collection.

19 Estimate of archive only recently returned to Ellisland from storage in Dumfries

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4. Themes and priorities for future collecting

4.1 The Trust develops collections to reflect and understand the life, work and legacy of Robert Burns and specifically his time at Ellisland Farm (1788-91) and, through them, to enrich the lives of everyone today. This drive to preserve what is special about Ellisland and, more generally, Burns heritage for the enjoyment of all is at the heart of the Trust’s mission.

4.2 The Trust collects to use not just to have: it is not enough for an object to have been originally used by Burns or his family at Ellisland for it to be acquired or retained. Therefore our priority for future collecting will be items which allow us to tell the story of Ellisland and Robert Burns in ways which enrich the lives of everyone today. In assessing significance we will also take into account relevance to our audiences, today and in the future (see Ellisland Museum & Farm: A Statement of Relevance and Significance, 2021).

4.3 The significance and relevance of an object to telling the story of Ellisland and Robert Burns is the main factor in deciding whether to accept an object into the collection, or to dispose of it.20 The Trust collects in four main areas:-

4.3.1 Items which are important in telling the story of Ellisland. This may include items which were once associated with the site, before and after Burns, but their ‘originality’ to the property is not enough – they must help tell an important part of the story of the property or those associated with it.

4.3.2 Items which are important in telling the story of Burns’s life, work, or legacy. This includes items relating to family, friends and contemporaries of Burns. There is particular interest in items associated with Burns’s domestic and work life at Ellisland, his literary output (especially songs).

4.3.3 Items of historical or artistic significance. In exceptional circumstances the Trust may acquire items which have no intrinsic connection to Ellisland but which have historical or artistic significance and, as such, are likely to appeal to visitors. One reason for this might be to ‘dress’ a room according to a particular period.

4.3.4 Items of local historical significance. This might include local archaeology, items which provide context to Burns’s period of occupancy at Ellisland, or objects which tell the story of the Trust itself.

5. Themes and priorities for rationalisation and disposal

5.1 The Trust recognises that the principles on which priorities for rationalisation and disposal are determined will be through a formal review process that identifies which collections are included and excluded from the review. The outcome of review and any subsequent rationalisation will not reduce the quality or significance of the collection and will result in a more useable, well managed collection.

20 Clearly there are many potential stories; the statement of significance and relevance provides guidance on the main narratives unique to Ellisland

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5.2 The procedures used will meet professional standards. The process will be documented, open and transparent. There will be clear communication and discussion with key stakeholders about the outcomes and the process.

5.3 The priority for rationalisation is from the Support Collection, where the Trust aims to reduce the quantity of non-indigenous material purchased and acquired as set-dressing, especially a farming collection built from the 1960s. This will only be carried out after careful consideration of the terms under which the collections were acquired, and will enable better care and interpretation of the permanent collection.

6. Legal and ethical framework for acquisition and disposal of items

6.1 The Trust recognises its responsibility to work within the parameters of the Museum Association Code of Ethics (2016) when considering acquisition and disposal.

7. Collecting policies of other museums

7.1. The Trust will take account of the collecting policies of other museums and other organisations collecting in the same or related areas or subject fields. It will consult with these organisations where conflicts of interest may arise or to define areas of specialism, in order to avoid unnecessary duplication and waste of resources.

7.2. Specific reference is made to the following museum(s)/organisation(s):

Burns Scotland partners, in particular Dumfries Museums and Robert Burns Birthplace Museum Sanquhar Tolbooth Museum James Paterson Museum, Moniaive Drumlanrig Castle and Country Park, Carronbridge National Museums of Scotland National Galleries of Scotland National Archives of Scotland National Library of Scotland Historic Environment Scotland

8. Archival holdings

8.1 Archive

There are two main elements to the Trust’s archive, the first of which is the institutional archive. This collection details how the Trust was founded, and how it has acquired and managed Ellisland; these archives outline the history of the Trust from its fledgling beginnings into the new charitable trust set up in 2020. They

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are principally indexed by a complete set of minutes from 1923 to the present day. The second element is the Special Archives and Collections: these are collections of papers, diaries, photos, scrapbooks, estate records and other documents linked with Ellisland which support or illuminate the site and its other collections (for example, providing information on provenance for the museum collection, including books). In managing both aspects of the archive, the museum will follow as far as possible the Archive Accreditation Service Scheme.21

8.2 Library collection

As noted above, the Trust owns a small but significant collection of just over 100 books. Of these, a number were owned by the poet himself, including his own copy of what he stated was his favourite book, Man of Feeling, by Henry MacKenzie. A substantial portion were added by the ‘Dunscore Library Committee’ (claiming to include volumes chosen by Burns for the Monkland Friendly Society Library, a circulating library Burns helped to set up and run, which was succeeded by the Dunscore Literary Institute, 1860-1926), books owned by Miss Jean Armour Burns Brown (the poet’s great granddaughter) some of which are said to have belonged to Burns, copies of books from the period of interest to Burns though not original to his library, and a quantity of reference books on Burns and the Burns cult. There is also an important collection of early magazines (such as 23 volumes of The Gentleman’s Magazine, 1733-56, and 10 volumes of Town and Country Magazine, 1769-90), some predating Burns, records relating to the Monkland library, and a number of philosophical, musical and theological publications from the mid to late 18th century. Of special interest is a volume of Wingate’s Arithmetick (1726) believed to have belonged to Burns himself, and a volume of History of Great Britain which originally belonged to the poet and which was inscribed by Robert Burns Junior to his daughter, Jane Emma Burns, on 8th June 1845. The book collection helps to show the interests of Burns and those involved in running the original charitable trust, and represent important research and study material.

9. Acquisition

9.1 Responsibility for decisions about the acquisition and disposal of items in the Permanent Collection rests with the Board of Trustees. Responsibility for managing the acquisitions and disposals processes is delegated by the Trustees to any member of staff who has collections responsibility or, in their absence, by a delegated trustee. The latter works closely with relevant curators, conservators and academics to ensure adequate research takes place prior to acquisition or disposal decisions being submitted for consideration. The Board then makes the final decision on acquisition and disposal but may delegate this responsibility to a sub group of trustees.

A significance assessment will be prepared as part of the acquisitions process. This will determine the germaneness of an item or group of items to the scope of the collection and assess its value (social, cultural, intellectual, financial, and rarity). It will also take into account the degree of relevance to the property’s target audiences, both now and in the future.

Born-digital material will be treated in exactly the same way as tangible material culture.

21 https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/archives-sector/archive-service-accreditation/ accessed online 27/11/2020

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Both the significance and condition will influence how a collection will be managed but there are other factors influencing sustainability. A collections impact assessment is carried out to determine the resource implications of bringing an object into the collection. This includes: storage space, staffing, financial resources, environmental conditions, conservation treatment, and an assessment of potential demand and scope for access by a broad range of users. As a general rule, the Trust only accepts items donated by gift or bequest on an unconditional basis. Only in exceptional circumstances will the Trust accept an item identical to one already in the collection. The Trust positively seeks opportunities to make its collections accessible to new and diverse audiences (see Access Policy: Connecting Audiences and Collections).

The condition of an item will have an effect both on the likelihood of acquiring it or its status within the collection. A condition assessment will be carried out for items considered for acquisition or for disposal.

9.2 The Trust will not acquire any object or specimen unless it is satisfied that the object or specimen has not been acquired in, or exported from, its country of origin (or any intermediate country in which it may have been legally owned) in violation of that country’s laws. (For the purposes of this paragraph ‘country of origin’ includes the United Kingdom).

9.3 In accordance with the provisions of the UNESCO 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property, which the UK ratified with effect from November 1 2002, The Trust will reject any items that have been illicitly traded. The Trust’s Board of Trustees will be guided by the national guidance on the responsible acquisition of cultural property issued by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in 2005.22

10. Human Remains 10.1 As the Trust may intend to acquire human remains under 100 years old, it will obtain the necessary licence under the Human Tissue Act 2004 and any subordinate legislation from time to time in force.

10.2 As the Trust may intend to acquire human remains from any period, it will follow the guidelines in the ‘Guidance for the Care of Human Remains in Scottish Museums’ issued by Museums Galleries Scotland in 2011.

11. Biological and geological material

11.1 So far as biological and geological material is concerned, the Trust will not acquire by any direct or indirect means any specimen that has been collected, sold or otherwise transferred in contravention of any national or

22 Combating Illicit Trade: Due diligence guidelines for museums, libraries and archives on collecting and borrowing cultural material. DCMS, October 2005

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international wildlife protection or natural history conservation law or treaty of the United Kingdom or any other country, except with the express consent of an appropriate outside authority.

12. Archaeological material

12.1 The Trust will not acquire archaeological material (including excavated ceramics) in any case where the governing body or responsible officer has any suspicion that the circumstances of their recovery involved a failure to follow the appropriate legal procedures.

12.2 In Scotland, under the laws of bona vacantia including Treasure Trove, the Crown has title to all ownerless objects including antiquities, although such material as human remains and environmental samples are not covered by the law of bona vacantia. Scottish material of chance finds and excavation assemblages are offered to museums through the treasure trove process and cannot therefore be legally acquired by means other than by allocation to Ellisland Museum & Farm by the Crown. However, where the Crown has chosen to forego its title to a portable antiquity or excavation assemblage, a Curator or other responsible person acting on behalf of Robert Burns Ellisland Trust can establish that valid title to the item in question has been acquired by ensuring that a certificate of ‘No Claim’ has been issued on behalf of the Crown.

13. Exceptions

13.1 Any exceptions to the above clauses will only be because the Trust is: • acting as an externally approved repository of last resort for material of local (UK) origin • acting with the permission of authorities with the requisite jurisdiction in the country of origin

In these cases the Trust will be open and transparent in the way it makes decisions and will act only with the express consent of an appropriate outside authority. The Trust will document when these exceptions occur.

14. Spoliation

14.1 The Trust will use the statement of principles ‘Spoliation of Works of Art during the Nazi, Holocaust and World War II period’, issued for non-national museums in 1999 by the Museums and Galleries Commission.

15. The Repatriation and Restitution of objects and human remains

15.1 The Trust’s Board of Trustees, acting on the advice of the museum’s professional staff, if any, may take a decision to return human remains (unless covered by the Guidance for the Care of Human Remains in Scottish Museums issued by MGS in 2011), objects or specimens to a country or people of origin. The Trust

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will take such decisions on a case by case basis, within its legal position and taking into account all ethical implications and available guidance. This will mean that the procedures described in 16.1-5 will be followed but the remaining procedures are not appropriate.

15.2 The disposal of human remains from museums in Scotland will follow the guidelines in the ‘Guidance for the Care of Human Remains in Scottish Museums’ issued by Museums Galleries Scotland in 2011.

15.3 The exception to this is that as, in accordance with the procedures of the Anatomy Act (1984) as amended by the Human Tissue (Scotland) Act (2006), the proper disposal of human remains in the Anatomy collection donated under the Anatomy Act is the legal duty of the Licensed Teacher of Anatomy. In exceptional circumstances the Licensed Teacher may be required to dispose of human remains and to have sole responsibility for the decision. The Board of Trustees will be informed of the decision and a clearly documented audit trail will be maintained.

16. Disposal procedures

16.1 All disposals will be undertaken with reference to the Spectrum 5.0 Primary Procedures on disposal.

16.2 The Trust’s Board of Trustees will confirm that it is legally free to dispose of an item. Agreements on disposal made with donors will also be taken into account.

16.3 When disposal of a museum object is being considered, the Trust will establish if it was acquired with the aid of an external funding organisation. In such cases, any conditions attached to the original grant will be followed. This may include repayment of the original grant and a proportion of the proceeds if the item is disposed of by sale.

16.4 When disposal is motivated by curatorial reasons the procedures outlined below will be followed and the method of disposal may be by gift, sale, exchange or as a last resort - destruction.

16.5 The decision to dispose of material from the collections will be taken by the Trustees only after full consideration of the reasons for disposal. Other factors including public benefit, the implications for the Trust’s collections and collections held by other museums and other organisations collecting the same material or in related fields will be considered. Expert advice will be obtained and the views of stakeholders such as donors, researchers, local and source communities and others served by The Trust will also be sought.

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16.6 A decision to dispose of a specimen or object, whether by gift, exchange, sale or destruction (in the case of an item too badly damaged or deteriorated to be of any use for the purposes of the collections or for reasons of health and safety), will be the responsibility of the Board of Trustees acting on the advice of professional curatorial staff as set out in Section 9, and not of the curator or manager of the collection acting alone.

16.7 Once a decision to dispose of material in the collection has been taken, priority will be given to retaining it within the public domain. It will therefore be offered in the first instance, by gift or sale, directly to Accredited Museums likely to be interested in its acquisition.

16.8 If the material is not acquired by any Accredited Museum to which it was offered as a gift or for sale, then the museum community at large will be advised of the intention to dispose of the material normally through a notice on the Museums Association’s ‘Find an Object’ web listing service, an announcement in the Museums Association’s Museums Journal or in other specialist publications and websites (if appropriate).

16.9 The announcement relating to gift or sale will indicate the number and nature of specimens or objects involved, and the basis on which the material will be transferred to another institution. Preference will be given to expressions of interest from Accredited Museums. A period of at least two months will be allowed for an interest in acquiring the material to be expressed. At the end of this period, if no expressions of interest have been received, the Trust may consider disposing of the material to other interested individuals and organisations giving priority to organisations in the public domain.

16.10 Any monies received by the Trust from the disposal of items will be applied solely and directly for the benefit of the collections. This normally means the purchase of further acquisitions. In exceptional cases, improvements relating to the care of collections in order to meet or exceed Accreditation requirements relating to the risk of damage to and deterioration of the collections may be justifiable. Any monies received in compensation for the damage, loss or destruction of items will be applied in the same way. Advice on those cases where the monies are intended to be used for the care of collections will be sought from Museums Galleries Scotland.

16.11 The proceeds of a sale will be allocated so it can be demonstrated that they are spent in a manner compatible with the requirements of the Accreditation standard. Money must be restricted to the long-term sustainability, use and development of the collection.

16.12 Full records will be kept of all decisions on disposals and the items involved and proper arrangements made for the preservation and / or transfer, as appropriate, of the documentation relating to the items concerned, including photographic records where practicable in accordance with Spectrum Procedure on deaccession and disposal.

Disposal by exchange

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16.13 The nature of disposal by exchange means that the Trust will not necessarily be in a position to exchange the material with another Accredited museum. The Board of Trustees will therefore ensure that issues relating to accountability and impartiality are carefully considered to avoid undue influence on its decision- making process.

16.13.1 In cases where the Trust wishes for sound curatorial reasons to exchange material directly with Accredited or non-Accredited museums, with other organisations or with individuals, the procedures in Sections 16.1-16.12 will apply.

16.13.2 If an exchange is proposed with a specific Accredited museum, other Accredited museums that collect in the same or related areas will be directly notified of the proposal and their comments will be requested.

16.13.3 If the exchange is proposed with a non-Accredited museum, with another type of organisation or with an individual, the museum will place a notice on the MA’s ‘Find an Object’ web listing service, or make an announcement in the Museums Association’s Museums Journal or in other specialist publications and websites (if appropriate).

16.13.4 Both the notification and announcement must provide information on the number and nature of the specimens or objects involved both in the Trust’s collection and those intended to be acquired in exchange. A period of at least two months must be allowed for comments to be received. At the end of this period, the Board of Trustees must consider the comments before a final decision on the exchange is made.

Disposal by destruction

16.14 If it is not possible to dispose of an object through transfer or sale, the Trust (via its scheme of delegation) may decide to destroy it.

16.15 It is acceptable to destroy material of low intrinsic significance (duplicate mass-produced articles or common specimens which lack significant provenance) where no alternative method of disposal can be found.

16.16 Destruction is also an acceptable method of disposal in cases where an object is in extremely poor condition, has high associated health and safety risks or is part of an approved destructive testing request identified in an organisation’s research policy.

16.17 Where necessary, specialist advice will be sought to establish the appropriate method of destruction. Health and safety risk assessments will be carried out by trained staff where required.

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16.18 The destruction of objects should be witnessed by an appropriate member of the Trust’s staff. In circumstances where this is not possible, e.g. the destruction of controlled substances, a police certificate should be obtained and kept in the relevant object history file.

References Access Policy: Connecting Audiences and Collections (2020)

Information Policy: Building and Sharing Information about Collections (2020)

Loans Policy: Lending and Borrowing Collections (2020)

Care Policy: Protecting the significance and relevance of collections (2020)

Ellisland Museum & Farm: A Statement of Relevance and Significance (2021)

Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Combating Illicit Trade: Due diligence guidelines for museums, libraries and archives on collecting and borrowing cultural material. DCMS, October 2005

Museum & Galleries Commission. Spoliation of Works of Art during the Nazi, Holocaust and World War II period’. April 1999.

Museums Galleries Scotland. Guidance for the Care of Human Remains in Scottish Museums. 2011

Collections Trust. Spectrum 5.0. September 2017.

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