MUSEUM FRIEND
Newsletter for the Friends of Lyme Regis Philpot Museum
January 2018 (Issue 31)
Patrons : Sir David Attenborough, Tracy Chevalier, Minnie Churchill
Registered Charity No. 278774
CHAIRMAN’S LETTER
Dear Friends, Our museum, complete with new Mary Anning Wing, re-opened in July, on time and on budget. A preview, with tea and cake, was enjoyed by the museum volunteers, builders, architects and others involved in the build, all of whom had worked so hard to make this possible. We were bowled over by the new geology gallery and the Fine Foundation Learning Centre; it has been well worth the wait! There have since been two formal openings, the first for all of the local volunteers at which Tracy Chevalier, a Patron of the Friends, gave a gracious speech to the assembled throng in the Marine Theatre. The second was primarily aimed at thanking the HLF and other major granting bodies that donated generously to the Mary Anning Wing. It was great to see Mary Godwin, predecessor to our current Director, and to catch up with Minnie Churchill, another distinguished Patron of the Friends. The star attraction on this occasion was Friends’ Patron, Sir David Attenborough who, in the morning, studied some impressive local fossils with museum geologists Paddy and Chris, followed by a session with local junior school children. In the afternoon, speeches in the Marine Theatre from the Chairman of Trustees and then the Head of HLF for the South West were followed by a typically demonstrative and engaging speech from Sir David on the twin themes of Mary Anning and the importance of Lyme Regis as a birthplace of modern geology. He followed this by metaphorically firing the starting gun 1 for our Phase 2 building development and unveiling a plaque in the museum foyer. A truly memorable occasion! At this juncture we should pay tribute to the volunteer staff who kept the museum’s bread-and-butter, yet crucial, activities going during the closure period, specifically the Research Team under the leadership of Graham Davies and our curatorial duo of Barbara and Richard Bull. Richard also continued to deal with the steady flow of questions from the public. All accomplished under difficult circumstances. It is with sadness that I report the sudden death of John Lello. John was invited to become Chairman of the Friends at a very difficult time for both museum and Friends that had culminated in the resignation of most of the committee! John chaired meetings in an avuncular, but highly efficient, manner for 12 years. There is a tribute to John in this newsletter. Also, the sad death of Jo Draper, who made a most important contribution to our museum, is commemorated in a piece written by Max Hebditch. I am delighted to welcome four new committee members since our last newsletter - Jane Newby, Laura and Greg Cattell and Deborah Hodd. Jane becomes our secretary and Laura takes over from Sylvia Oliver as Membership Secretary. Sylvia relinquishes the post which she has held for 14 years. Her patient, tactful approach has been absolutely invaluable and we hope that she will continue to contribute to our work for many years to come. The task of moulding a committee that is effective and sustainable for the future is progressing well with six new members recruited in 2017. It is inevitable that there will be teething problems as we settle into new roles; please be patient if we make a few mistakes! Our newsletter continues to feature articles of what we judge to be of general interest. If you enjoy reading it and have any comments or ideas please drop an email to our Editor, Val Hayward ([email protected]). With best wishes David Cox 2 PHASE 2
On 21st September 2017, Sir David Attenborough announced that the trustees had decided that the museum should embark on a Phase 2 project. This would see the museum returned to its full Edwardian glory by rebuilding the current east wing which runs above the main entrance and colonnade. Thanks to the foresight of our architect, the trust already has planning permission for a design which restores the original aesthetic in good quality weatherproof materials. The reinstatement of the east wing, coupled with the redisplay of the existing ground floor gallery, literary gallery and rotunda will ensure that the whole museum is renewed and improved. And importantly, increased space will enable the creation of a research centre and provide space for improving the museum’s care of its collections. This will enable the museum to develop much wider, potentially global, partnerships with a broad range of institutions sharing its interests in earth science and literature, social and political history, and important Lyme-based people such as George Somers, Thomas Coram and Thomas Hollis. The Mary Anning Wing resolved the museum’s immediate challenges to improve learning, income and physical access. Phase 2 will enable it to focus on collections management, curation and research. It is astonishing what our collections and research volunteers have achieved over the years but the time has come to provide the space and resources they must have to meet the ever-increasing demand from the public and make full use of our online opportunities. The refurbishment of the ground floor, stairs, literary and second floor galleries will significantly improve and enhance the experience of all our visitors. The trustees envisage Phase 2 as being a five year programme. We are in the fortunate position of having learned a great deal from the construction of the Mary Anning Wing and we will use this knowledge to ensure that Phase 2 is an equal success. Stephen Locke, Chairman of the Trustees David Tucker, Museum Director
3 THE NEW BUILDING
For those of you who haven’t been able to visit our “new” museum, here are a few photos to whet your appetite.
Two exterior views showing the new zinc and glass structure.
The new foyer and
part of the new shop.
4 The Fine Foundation Learning Centre – equipped with “Learning Cubes” for young children and used by visiting school parties.
And, finally, the wonderful new geology gallery!
5 TREASURER’S REPORT: JANUARY 2018
I open my report as your new Treasurer by saying a huge thank you to David Cox for the many years he has served as Treasurer to the Friends. Quite an act to follow!
As many of you will know, the Friends donated £68,000 last year towards the building fund for the Mary Anning Wing extension. Once again our thanks go to all of you for your continued support.
With a new look committee in place, we now turn our attention to the future. As detailed in our Constitution, we will continue with our fundraising in order to “help care for and improve the Museum”. With this in mind, we are delighted to add our support to the exciting Phase 2 development for the museum that was announced by the great Sir David Attenborough at the September opening ceremony. In addition, we would like to help with individual projects and, with this in mind, we will be making a 25% donation towards the cost of repairing and conserving the outstanding Georgian jacket in the Jane Austen cabinet. Our contribution will be in the region of £1,400.
As I prepare this report, 2017 is not yet over but our achievements can be listed with pride. Various activities have taken place throughout the year by our fund raising team, formerly known as HUG, which raised an impressive £2600. These activities included second hand book sales, quizzes and children’s activities such as painting plaster of Paris ammonites. Donations from individuals have also been very welcome. John Marriage continues with his slide-to-digital photography service which is much appreciated. Ken Gollop’s “Under Shady Tree” talk was, as always, a successful event with the proceeds of the raffle being donated to the Friends. Our other talks have also contributed to fundraising, with the talk by Kate Adie being particularly well attended. We look forward to seeing many of you at our 2018 fundraising activities and talks. Thank you for your support.
6 Subscription Reminder • Single membership: £8 pa • Family membership: £12 pa • Subscriptions are due in January each year Most members pay by standing order which is very helpful. If you would like to do this, you can set up a standing order via online banking or you can contact Laura Cattell ([email protected] or 01297 598412) to obtain a standing order form for your bank. Payment can also be made by bank transfer. Our bank details are: • Friends of Lyme Regis Museum • Sort Code: 60-13-57 • Account Number: 73484172 Or you can pay by cheque. Cheques should be payable to ‘Friends of Lyme Regis Museum’ and sent to Laura Cattell, 51 Queens Walk, Lyme Regis, DT7 3BH. Angela Main NEW MEMBERS
We would like to extend a very warm welcome to the following people who have recently joined the Friends:- Mr P. & Mrs C. Busby (Lyme Regis) Mr J. Oxspring (Pershore) Mr P. Unwin (Lyme Regis) Mrs P. McCarter (Uplyme) Mr H. & Mrs P. Corbin (Lyme Regis) Sibyl King (Poole) Mr C. & Mrs C. Fisher (Lyme Regis) Ms G. Youens (Axminster) Mrs C. & Mr S. Cottrell (Lyme Regis) Ms P. Smith (Axminster) Mrs R. & Mr D. Vickery (Uplyme) Ms E. Thomson (Charmouth) Mr S. & Mrs S. Cross (Crossgar) Tom Sharpe (Cardiff) Mr J. & Mrs S. Sword (Lyme Regis) Mr D Harvey (Bridport) Mr W. & Mrs A. Davison (Charmouth) Ms H. Whitehead & Mr S. Donnison (Membury) Mr A. & Mrs E. Slocombe (Backwell Farleigh)
7 OBITUARY - JO DRAPER
Jo Draper, who died of cancer on 24th June 2017 aged 68, was a key member of the professional team that carried out the development of Lyme Regis Museum from 1993 until its re-opening in 1999. She remained with the Museum as its curatorial consultant until 2008. Early in her career Jo worked on the excavation and display of Fishbourne Roman Palace. Later she moved to Northampton Museum, where she became an expert on ceramics, before moving to Dorchester as a freelance archaeologist in the late 1970’s. She was editor of the Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History Society from 1979 to 1995. Her archaeological and local history publications were extensive; including what is surely the best guide to the county - Dorset: the complete guide. Jo became involved with the Museum after Liz-Anne Bawden took over from John Fowles as Curator in 1988. It was realised something had to be done about the fabric of the Museum and the care of collections. Jo was first employed from 1993 to 1994 to catalogue the collections and pack them for storage while the building was restored. Acquiring in this way unrivalled knowledge of what the Museum held, it was natural that she should be appointed by Liz- Anne in 1996 to work on the new exhibitions with the eminent designer Robin Wade (who had designed the displays at Fishbourne). From the creative tension between them emerged three themes for the permanent exhibition: Lyme’s lively history, its important position in geology and its rich literary associations. The success of Jo’s work in scripting the show was demonstrated by the Museum’s splendid reopening by David Attenborough in 1999, followed by a clutch of museum awards including the Gulbenkian Prize.
8 Fortunately for me, Jo continued as curatorial consultant after I took over as Honorary Curator in 2000. She worked with volunteers, including her husband and great support Christopher Chaplin (who died two years ago), to produce a series of Lyme exhibitions and publications and instituting Mary Anning Day. She retired from the Museum in May 2008. Max Hebditch OBITUARY - JOHN LELLO
John Lello was a larger than life character whose legacy will live on, particularly in Lyme Regis. John died suddenly at home on 24th July 2017, leaving a void in the lives of his close knit family and sadness for his many friends. John was a proud Londoner. His studies at Oxford were followed by a distinguished teaching career, during which he taught, met and befriended what we now see as a galaxy of eminent people. John invited many of his distinguished friends and acquaintances to Lyme Regis to lecture to members of the local U3A, which he founded, and to the Friends of our museum. We are most fortunate that John accepted an invitation in 1997 to become chairman of the Friends at what was a crisis point in the history of the museum and the Friends. Suffice it to say that the Friends committee, bar a single member, had resigned and John came to the rescue; the knight in shining armour! John assembled his committee and got down to business. Several of us who were recruited by John are still serving on the committee. Meetings were held monthly in John’s home and were run with great efficiency, invariably finishing on the hour. Sadly we have never been able to emulate that performance!
9 I well remember the first (and unsuccessful) occasion when an application was made to the Heritage Lottery Fund for an extension to our museum. Under John’s direction we set out on various fund- raising schemes. One that comes to mind is our calendar. ‘Artistic’ photographs were taken of unusual nooks and crannies in Lyme Regis and 500 copies were printed; we sold every copy and made a handsome profit. But the fund-raising highlight was undoubtedly when the Royal Academy came to Lyme Regis. John (of course) knew a few Academicians and asked three of them, with colleagues from the New English Art Club, to exhibit their work over a period of two weeks in The Tulips Gallery, situated a few yards above the Bell Cliff in Lyme. The exhibition was open free of charge to the public and the paintings were for sale, with the Friends getting a percentage of each sale. What was absolutely fascinating was that most of the sales were between the artists themselves! John made a profit of £6,000 for the Friends, an unprecedented sum in those days. John also excelled on the social front. He inaugurated ‘Literary Lunches’ at the Alexandra Hotel with guest speakers. On one such occasion the distinguished actor, Oliver Ford Davies, gave a talk to commemorate the birth of Milton. One could have listened to his mellifluous voice for hours! Then, in 2007, John, together with his wife Sandra, performed as a wonderful double act to commemorate the birth of Henry Fielding in 1707. John also proved to be a dab hand at organising our annual outings. He contrived to arrange visits to local stately homes not normally open to the public and for the owners to give us a house tour. Many of us will remember the evening drinks parties in the museum featuring a brief talk, usually about objects in the museum, together with museum news. John retired as Chairman at our AGM in April 2009 having served as Chairman for 12 years. His contribution was enormous and one that will be long remembered. David Cox
10 SYLVIA OLIVER RETIRES AS MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY
Sylvia Oliver retired as Membership Secretary at the close of 2017 following 14 years of distinguished service in the post. To my knowledge there is no one else in recent years who has served for this length of time on the Friends’ Committee. But I am pleased to say that Sylvia will continue to arrange our annual outings and will continue to help out with our numerous activities. It was under John Lello’s chairmanship that Sylvia inherited a card index of members and it was Sylvia who computerised this information. So it was Sylvia who was responsible for leading us into the digital age! We recently wrote a job description for the post of Membership Secretary and Sylvia said to me: ‘I would never have applied for this position had I known that it was so complicated’! Sylvia brought to her job just the right mix of efficiency and sensitivity. Typically problems arise when members forget to pay their subscription, standing orders occasionally disappear into the banking ether and with difficult-to-read completed new membership forms. All such problems have been dealt with in a logical and graceful manner. Under Sylvia’s stewardship our membership has steadily grown, year on year, and now stands at more than 400. We thank Sylvia most sincerely for her work as Membership Secretary, conducted so effectively over so many years. David Cox
11
Friends of Lyme Regis Philpot Museum
Registered Charity No. 278774 PATRONS Sir David Attenborough Tracy Chevalier Minnie Churchill
2018 Annual General Meeting - Woodmead Hall on Thursday 5th April 2018 at 2.30pm AGENDA 1. Apologies 2. Minutes of the 2017 AGM (see below) 3. Matters arising 4. Presentation of Annual Accounts 5. Election of Auditor 6. Committee’s Annual Report 7. Election/re-election of Committee Members: (a) Existing committee members have indicated their willingness to stand again (b) The committee has co-opted and is now nominating Jane Newby, Laura Cattell, Greg Cattell and Deborah Hodd for election 8. Any other business 9. Date of next Annual General Meeting
MINUTES of the 2017 AGM 1. Apologies: Alison Mitchell (Database Manager). 33 people attended. 2. Minutes of the 2016 AGM: The minutes of 2016 were approved. Proposed : John Marriage Seconded : Deborah Hodd 3. Matters arising: None.
12 4. Director’s Annual Report: David Tucker’s report appeared in full in the July 2017 Newsletter. 5. Presentation of Annual Accounts for year ending 31 December 2016: The accounts appeared in the July 2017 Newsletter. David Cox summarised the main points:- Income: Membership remained fairly constant at approximately 420 (of whom about half live in the Lyme Regis area). Interest increased in 2016 (vs 2015) due to larger sums being held in the bank. Gift Aid remains a steady income stream. Expenditure: The biggest outlay was £60k to the museum, with a further £5k to be paid during 2017. (NB A payment of £3k was made before 2016.) Closing balance: There is approximately £13k in the bank, of which £10k is a reserve fund to purchase of specific items. The accounts were approved. Proposed : Thea Hawksworth Seconded : Tony Norman The Friends has now committed to raise funds for phase 2. Margaret Rose thanked David Cox for his work as Treasurer. 6. Election of Auditor: Richard Gullock was nominated by David Cox to audit the 2017 accounts, subject to his health allowing him to fulfil the role. Proposed : David Cox Seconded : Ken Gollop 7. Committee’s Annual Report: The Committee’s annual report was published in the January 2017 Newsletter. 8. Election / Re-election of Committee Members: All officials, except Margaret Rose (Chairman), agreed to stand for re-election. Duly re-elected were David Cox (to assume the role of Acting Chairman), Sylvia Oliver (Membership Secretary), Alison Mitchell (Database Manager), Richard Wells and Joe Tesoriere. Proposed : Pam Shirley Seconded : Anne Sankey Two new members were elected to the Committee, Angela Main and Valerie Hayward. Proposed : Graham Davies Seconded : Ken Gollop 9. AoB: David Cox summarised the achievements of Margaret Rose as a member of the Friends’ Committee and thanked her for her personal contribution to its success. 10. Date of 2018 AGM: Thursday 5th April 2018
13 THE MUSEUM’S COURT SUIT
Many of you will recall our very special relict from the Age of Perfect Taste – a Gentleman’s Court Suit from about 1795 to 1805. We use it to set the scene in the Jane Austen case in the Writers’ Gallery. The museum’s revamp gave Hon. Curator Barbara Bull the chance to look carefully at the finely embroidered jacket and waistcoat, finding the silk linings to be shattered. The deep blue, un-faded woollen jacket and waistcoat, with elaborate silver and rather faded coloured embroidery and exquisite buttons, are both in remarkably good condition for their age.
It turns out that these court suits are now rare: even the V&A only has a handful. Like ours, they know little about the provenance of most of theirs. They are all now important because of rarity: each guards a story, often political, in the wars between the Whigs and the Tories - for the colours and embroidery, the country of manufacture (ours is wool, therefore likely to be English) and the obvious ostentation and cost all carried coded messages at Court. If only we knew the code! Some suits cost £200-£500 new and imports were often impounded by Customs at Dover on Royal request to miss Court! Sometimes it was an anti-Royalist insult perpetrated by the Whigs to wear new, or old, or French clothes at Court! Sometimes the Prince of Wales was playing games at the alternative
14 Court he set up before his regency, when King George III was already losing his marbles. The Museum has been given grants to pay for the work, for it will cost £5,500 to restore the silk linings and repair other minor damage. The Friends started the ball rolling with a handsome grant of about a quarter of the cost. Recently we took the suit to Morwena Stephens, a textile conservator at the Royal Albert Museum in Exeter. Morwena comes highly recommended by our ex-Director Mary Godwin (for the restoration of an Order of the Bath cape at the Military Museum in Bodmin) and by Shelley Tobin (the National Trust’s costume curator at Killerton House). We have glowing encouragement from the V&A, the Bath Museum of Fashion, Historic Royal Palaces and Killerton House as well as Dr Helen Grieg of York University, who has written on the political significance of these garments. However, no-one seems to be able to unravel the codes in our suit. If only we knew more of its origin it would help us to get grants - knowing which family it came from might give us a clue as to its wearer. It was given by Mrs Helen Beaumont, a trusty Museum volunteer and friend of Lyme Regis Cottage Hospital, in 1975. She died in 2000 at Hurds Hill Retirement Home in Langport having lived in Lyme since at least the 1960’s, first at Penny Cottage at the corner of Pound Street and Pound Lane, and later at Holme Craig in Cobb Road. She was widowed for all, or most, of that time and we know nothing of her husband, but his surname. Lots of people recall her, but no-one remembers anything much about her personal life to say from where the suit might have come. Nor do we know her maiden name, but we have her will and from that we suspect she came from the redoubtable Bristol and Somerset family of Hobhouse. We have tried to contact her two executrices, but one has died and there’s no reply from the other. There was a Jane Beaumont who volunteered at the Museum, but does anyone have any recollection of Helen Beaumont? If so, please contact Barbara Bull on 01297 445447. And, a big thank you, Friends, for your help. Richard Bull 15 THE SILENT TESTIMONY OF EVERYDAY OBJECTS
I have been marking papers for Cambridge for many years now and question 12 on last summer’s General English paper appealed to me - HOW REALISTIC AN EXPERIENCE OF THE PAST SHOULD WE EXPECT MUSEUMS TO PROVIDE? Visiting museums is not top of the list of fun things to do for most 17-18-year olds, but those who did respond gave food for thought. Many candidates from the USA had obviously been on a school trip to the museums in Washington, including the Smithsonian, the United States Holocaust museum, the National Natural History Museum and the National Museum of American History. Although our little museum can’t hope to compete with the national museums of other countries and our own major cities’ institutions, they all have the same task of bringing the past to life so that we can understand it. This summer our Philpot museum reopened complete with the essentials required by a modern institution: a learning centre, toilets, a lift and a grand, refurbished gallery - in our case, a geology gallery which now has lifelike reconstructions of our marine fossil reptiles. No excuse now for not knowing what they all looked like before fossilisation. This gallery also has hands-on exhibits and video, all helping to give a realistic experience of our most distant past. Until Phase 2, the main collection remains unchanged. The many items in the cabinets help tell the story of Lyme’s past. You could say that our history can be told through everyday objects. And some not so every day. Even the collection from the old tip reveals life in our recent past: the old school milk bottle, the false tooth, clay pipes and all the broken pottery shards. Think how interesting Lyme’s history is and all is revealed, in the museum, by everyday objects: ancient iron spear heads, an early mirror, old mosaic fragments; all from Roman and medieval times. The Civil War and Monmouth rebellion are portrayed by the musket balls collected by local detectorists. 16 Our maritime heritage is illustrated in the ground floor galleries with things such as the olive oil jar, telescope, oars; jetsam and flotsam retrieved from boats and beaches. From the early 18th century, when the town began its career as a tourist resort, we have the Hutchings’ diary, describing the family’s holiday, a sun bonnet and numerous keepsakes bought by holidaymakers, such as china Umbrella houses. The town also attracted some prestigious writers. How poignant are the articles from Jane Austen’s home donated by her descendant, Diana Shervington; the spectacles, lace and Merelles game which give an idea of life in her household as she was writing her novels? What about the models made by “unclet” and “auntlet” Chesterton, used to entertain their friends’ children at the beach; or the posters of “The Western Women”, an example of the first street theatre, written and initiated by the late Ann Jellicoe? In the last few years there have been exhibitions devoted very much to local lives: that of Diane Wiscombe, our Paralympic swimmer and “Ernestine’s Story”, both told through everyday collections. Ernestine Collier gathered precious mementoes in an old shoe box which her daughter donated to the museum. This ordinary and moving life was told through old photographs, a wedding veil, baptism record and the sort of things we all gather and can’t bear to get rid of. My students wrote about how museums tell important stories of their country’s history. They were concerned about bias; in their civil war, for instance, and the dark story of slavery - but most of all, they were fascinated by how the suffering endured by people throughout history is conveyed. As they described, graphic depictions are not necessary; human life in all its glory and terror can be revealed in museums by simpler means. They wrote about how they understood the unspeakable horror of the Holocaust when they walked through a gallery which contained nothing but thousands and thousands of ownerless shoes. This is the silent testimony of everyday objects. Jane Newby 17 HISTORY AND ART OF DORSET BUTTONS
In the final part of her article, museum volunteer Lizzie Wiscombe gives an account of the fascinating subject of ‘Buttony’. She previously described High Top, Singleton and Dorset Knob buttons. BIRD'S EYE BUTTONS The High Top and Knob are quite hard buttons, which make them unsuitable for children's and babies clothing, nightdresses and underwear. Hence the design called Bird's Eye Buttons, which consisted of stitching over either a thread or fabric base. It was this tiny button that ironically was suited to being made by children's small fingers (1). CROSSWHEEL BUTTONS From the Bird's Eye and the Singleton, it is easy to see the evolution of the Crosswheel Button. This was the button that made Dorset famous and inspired many delicate variations. Huguenot immigrants, Protestants exiled from France who settled in North Dorset after 1685, brought their lace making skills when working with the buttons to produce the new intricate lacy designs (1). At the end of the 17th century, debates in Parliament had an effect on further developments in Dorset Buttony. Between 1685 and 1727 there was considerable national interest in the industry. Makers using different materials all tried to protect their interests. The needlework button makers wanted a Bill to prohibit the making of horn or hoof buttons on the grounds that they contained large quantities of imported materials, that they employed vast numbers of the poor who might lose their livelihood and that so many trades were involved in the production of buttons (1). The horn and hoof makers answered the application by questioning their import figures and stating that it was the 'poor people' who actually used the horn
18 and hoof buttons as they were unable to afford the more expensive thread ones (1). THE DECLINE OF DORSET BUTTONS In 1807 the production of buttons was becoming mechanised in Birmingham, which became the centre of Britain's button manufacture (2). Buttons of metal and pasteboard could be made in large quantities and cheaply. The early machines made the buttons in two operations. First a strip of metal was fed into a power press which punched out four button blanks, including their holes, at each stroke. Then the blanks were put into 'wet' barrels containing water, steel shot and an abrasive powder. The barrel was then tumbled for hours, smoothing the edges and removing the burrs around the holes, preventing damage to the thread when attaching the button. By the Great Exhibition of 1851 at Crystal Palace, more machines had been made, including one producing linen buttons (made by Ashton) (1). Within nine years the Dorset Button industry collapsed, causing poverty and hardship - not only to families but, in some cases, to whole villages (3). It was up to the government and the land owners to prevent a disaster. They made funds available to enable families to emigrate to Australia and Canada which already had ties with Dorset. 350 families from the Shaftesbury area were shipped out to the colonies to try to make a new life for themselves. There are still many descendants living there today (3). The last member of the Case family, Henry, died in 1904, which finally ended the Dorset Button industry. Lady Florence Lees of Lychett Minster bought all the buttons that were left and tried to revive the craft. By referring to the elderly villagers who could remember the techniques, she reproduced the original patterns and created new designs. The Spangle Button dates from this time and has influenced the inspiration for the beaded buttons of the late 20th century (1). But, because handmade items are more expensive, the enterprise failed ending at the start of the First World War.
19 THE FUTURE The ways of making some types of buttons are now lost forever. But by looking at some buttons held in museums, the construction is often clear and can be copied. The mystery of the High Top was not revealed until the 1970's when Elizabeth Gilbert carefully unpicked an antique button (1). She was then able to teach the technique. Buttony is now famous across the world. There are Dorset Button makers in South Africa, Australasia, the USA, Canada and even Japan - it would be nice to think that there are enough enthusiasts to keep this 300 year old Dorset tradition alive. The Lyme Regis Museum does have a few Dorset Buttons in its collection, donated in the 1980's. A small card from the Old Button Shop recording this fact was discovered during the move of artefacts and documents as part of the recent building work. Lizzie Wiscombe
Bibliography & Sources (1) Howitt, M., (no date) The History of Handmade Buttons in Dorset. Buttons Buttons. Pamphlet available from The Shaftesbury & District Society, Gold Hill Museum (All photos have been taken from this pamphlet.) (2) Johns, T., 2012. Dorset Buttons - Hand Stitched in Dorset for over 300 Years. Natula Publications (3) Worth, R., 2002. Dress & Textiles. The Dovecote Press
DOUBLE THANKS
Firstly we thank those Friends who so generously contributed to the October 2017 Local Giving ‘Double Your Tenner Campaign’. Secondly we would like to thank Friends Bob & Cynch McHardy who have very generously donated £2000 from the proceeds of summer car parking on their land in aid of charity. This donation is very much appreciated. David Cox
20 COACH OUTINGS
Sherborne, 2017: On a bright sunny morning last June, 34 “Friends” arrived by coach in Sherborne where we were met by the Blue Badge guide. We divided into two groups - some to enjoy the interesting commentary, the rest to enjoy coffee in the sunshine.
Another short coach journey took us to Sherborne Castle where we had a very tasty lunch. The majority of us then had a thoroughly interesting afternoon exploring the elegantly furnished and decorated rooms with stewards on hand to answer questions regarding the history of the castle which had received many royal and famous visitors. Some of us would have liked more time to learn more of the history and I, for one, would like to return one day. The others explored the beautiful grounds that were designed by Capability Brown. After a very pleasant afternoon there was just time for a cup of tea before we boarded the coach for the journey home.
Ugbrooke House, 2018: Our next outing, on 14th June 2018, will be to Ugbrooke House, near Chudleigh in Devon. It was mentioned in the 1086 Domesday Book and now exhibits a variety of alterations, particularly those made by Robert Adam and Capability Brown who were commissioned to remodel the house, grounds and garden in the mid-18th century. The cost of the trip will be £34 per person to include the coach, access to the gardens, a light lunch (meat/fish, potato accompaniment, green salad and sides followed by dessert) and a guided tour of the house followed by tea/coffee. Please join us by returning the enclosed booking form to me as soon as possible. Sylvia Oliver 21 THE EARLY DAYS OF THE FRIENDS ‘Come In Life Member Number 31’
We came to Lyme Regis in April, 1978. Shortly after our arrival I was shocked to read these headlines in the Lyme Regis News: ‘Museum will close unless more help is forthcoming from the people of the town’. There followed an acerbic article by honorary curator, John Fowles, saying that as only 33 people had pledged their help, it would not be viable to keep the museum open. He went on to say that his co-curator, Ann Maine (nee Jellicoe, known to us for the Community Plays that she has put on in Lyme), had resigned and that he could not continue alone unless the townsfolk responded to his plea for help. He said that there was a particular need for someone to translate medieval Latin and early English documents (!!) and to transcribe old labels, some of which seemed to originate from Wanklyn’s time as curator. I pondered this request for a while then wrote to John Fowles: ‘Sadly I am unable to translate Latin nor middle English but I am a whizz with a mop and bucket, if that could help’. I had a charming letter in reply thanking me for my kind offer but saying that there was, in fact, ‘a perfectly competent cleaner’, but if I popped into the museum, he would think of something for me to do. I was asked to be a desk volunteer, working alongside a teenage girl, Sarah Chapman (of Serendip book shop), who had also offered to help. We sat at a table, behind a hole in the wall to the right of the large green front door (now an emergency exit). Entry tickets were issued from a roll, similar to the old cinema tickets, and the money went into a ‘tin box’ under the counter. We were on duty a couple of times each week.
22 At that time it was a ‘no-brainer’ to become a Life Member for a mere £15, which I did. I still have my original card, very frayed at the edges, bearing the number 31 in faded brown ink. And so began my connection with the museum, which continues to this day. I recall that the late Muriel Arber*, was Life Member Number 1; ‘where are Life Members 2-30’, I wonder? Thea Hawksworth
Footnote from David Cox: I cannot let this moment pass without paying tribute to some of Thea’s subsequent contributions to the museum. For many years Thea was, along with Felicity Hebditch, an honorary education officer, responsible for the many visiting school parties. A variety of topics was covered, each with work sheets for the students. Thea was also a member of a group of people who gave talks to the public at the museum for a number of years. On other occasions Thea has lectured to the Friends on topics of local history.
*Muriel A. Arber (1913-2004) was a distinguished geologist and was President of the Geologists Association for two years from 1972 to 1974. She lived and taught in Cambridge and made regular visits to Lyme Regis from childhood onwards. For many years there was a photograph in our museum of her talking to Jo Draper (see obituary on page 8). She wrote a charming memoir of her holidays in Lyme called ‘Lyme Landscape with Figures’.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
Our planned fundraising and educational events are listed on our “2018 Programme”. Please come along to support us if you can. Thank you. Valerie Hayward
23 THE FRIENDS’ SLIDE SCANNING SERVICE
It must be over ten years since I started scanning people’s slides to raise money for the Friends, and what a success it has been! It started when I decided to do my own slides and those my father left me – thousands in all. I wanted to be able to find and use them in the same way as the digital photographs I was by then producing. It could not sensibly be done on a small scanner, either to handle the numbers or to get the quality I wanted. I searched around and found a bulk slide scanner that could do batches of up to a hundred at a time, feeding itself from a standard slide magazine. That is still the method I use most often, though by now I’m onto my second bulk scanner, the first having given up the ghost some while ago, and I have a couple of other scanners that can be used for various special cases. Once I had learned the method with my own slides, I realised that there must be many other people in the same situation, from which came the idea of using this kit to raise funds for the Museum. So far the service has raised over £6,000 and it is still going strong. There was a period of about twenty years when colour slides were the photographs of choice for most people. Before that it was black and white prints, but colour was so much more attractive. In the end colour prints became cheap enough for general use. They were easier to use and displaced slides for most people. But still for many of us, an essential period in family history is only recorded on slides. They are awkward to view, and if the projector breaks down, what are we to do? The answer – get them scanned so they can be seen on modern digital equipment; TV, computer, tablet, phone and who knows what will come next. Once they are digitised they are safe from mice, mould, fading and the many other woes which limit their lives. The most common request I get is to scan a few hundred slides, mostly family events, and return them with a CD or DVD containing the digital images. The suggested donation for the standard service is £30 per hundred slides, which includes cleaning, scanning, basic 24 manual adjustment for exposure errors, correction of fading and colour shifts, and removal of the worst of any remaining dust so you have good viewable pictures. Even so please don’t expect perfection, bearing in mind the experiences your slides may have already suffered! But as it is a semi-manual process, I can be flexible. You can have high-resolution pictures to make large prints or a packaged set organised as a slide-show. Several lecturers have used the service to digitise their presentations, including quite a lot of editing and enhancement. In smaller quantities, I can scan other pictures such as Victorian lantern slides, old negatives or prints – though I don’t have any way of converting movies or video. Whatever you have, please contact me and we can work something out (01297 443469 or [email protected]).
John Marriage
25 ‘ELIZABETHAN LYME REGIS WITH A BIOGRAPHY OF SIR GEORGE SOMERS’
A new book by Peter Lacey
Peter Lacey’s latest book was published by the South West Maritime History Society (SWMHS) in September, 2017. It has 190 pages, 18 illustrations, a laminated cover and costs £12. Peter is a Friend of the museum and has lived in Lyme Regis for 40 years or so. In the past Peter wrote a number of historical articles for magazines and then embarked on seven years of research culminating in the publication of his first book ‘Ebb and Flow’, the story of maritime Lyme Regis, published in 2011. The book has sold almost 1,000 copies and earned him an award for ‘Exceptional Research’ from the SWMHS. In the Introduction to Peter’s new book he notes how appropriate it is that in 2017 Queen Elizabeth II celebrated the 65th year of her accession when his book looks back 459 years to the accession of Elizabeth I. Peter’s book researches the first Elizabethan era, a period in the town’s history that has been neglected. It is a time when the town and port were flourishing; there was a thriving market and two annual fairs. Wool and cloth were exported, animal hides and tanning were important and wine was imported. Lyme’s ships traded with continental Europe and fished off Newfoundland. Piracy was rife although it was given legitimacy by the granting of letters of reprisal; Lyme was a foremost Dorset port in privateering. Violence was common; gentlemen carried swords and daggers were customary. The standard fine for spilling blood was nine pence. For those who broke the law the Dark House (dungeon) was a place of 26 imprisonment with punishment including a range of measures with hanging the ultimate penalty. Religion was prominent in daily life. God was seen as a deity who punished sins and rewarded ‘godliness’, with the prospect of a better life in the hereafter. Paradoxically, by today’s morality, compulsory church attendance on a Sunday could be followed by a visit to bear- baiting or cock-fighting. The second part of Peter’s book is a biography of the contemporaneous Sir George Somers and reveals details of his life not previously published. It also includes a fresh and comprehensive account of the voyage of the Virginia Third Supply Fleet, the shipwreck of Sir George’s flagship, the Sea Venture, on Bermuda and the subsequent events that led to its colonization. Finally, it would be remiss of me not to mention that the new book contains a map of Elizabethan Lyme drawn by museum Friend, Molly Spencer, and that copies of the book can be ordered from Peter by phone (01297 443630). David Cox
Opening Times
April to October: Monday – Saturday: 10am – 5pm, Sunday: 10am – 4pm
November to March: Wednesday – Sunday: 10am – 4pm
Admission Prices
Adult: £4.95 Children under 18: Free
Concession (over 60): £4.45 Student: £2.50 (please show student card)
27 THE BIRD MAN : JOHN GOULD
John Gould was born in Lyme Regis on the 14th September 1804. He was therefore just five years younger than Mary Anning and it seems extraordinary that these two children, born in our town at the same time in the humblest of circumstances, should each grow up to become internationally recognised scientists in their own field. When John’s father went to register his son’s birth, under ‘occupation’ he simply wrote ‘poor’. He was in fact one of the under gardeners for Lady Poulett, who lived in Poulett House, now the Alexandra Hotel. John’s first memory was of being lifted up by his father to peer into a hedge sparrow’s nest. He later wrote that he saw ‘four eggs blue as the sky and from that moment I became enamoured of nature’. The country was enjoying a period of affluence. The growth of a middle class with wealth and leisure meant the growth of hobbies. There was a great interest in nature. People pressed flowers and grasses and seaweeds, they pinned butterflies and beetles and blew birds’ eggs for their collections. Some also collected the birds themselves. Young John Gould not only knew where to find the birds and their nests, he also became adept at preserving the tiny corpses. After a few years his father got a new job in the royal gardens at Windsor and the family moved with him. By the time John was nineteen he had been appointed the Royal Taxidermist. The largest job he had to undertake for the King was to stuff a giraffe, a gift from the Pasha to the royal menagerie. In 1826 The Royal Zoological Society was founded with a museum and offices in Bruton Street and a plot of land in Regent’s Park for any living animals that it might acquire. John Gould was appointed
28 as its taxidermist. He had a secretary, Edwin Prince, who stayed with him for forty years, and a flat over the museum. In 1829 he married Elizabeth Coxon in St. James’s Piccadilly. She was a young lady who came regularly to draw the items in the collection. It was a period when Englishmen and women were travelling to all parts of the world and many of them sent back birds and other fauna to the new museum for John to identify, catalogue and name. He was very struck with the beautiful drawings of parrots that Edward Lear was making by a new process called lithography. Hitherto illustrations of birds had been by woodcuts or etchings, black and white and rather stiff and unnatural. This new process, which involved taking copies from paintings in oils on slabs of stone, produced freer pictures in vivid colours. John decided to learn the process from Edward Lear, whom he persuaded to come and work for him, and to publish his own bird books. He had been sent a consignment of birds by someone travelling in India and Nepal and these would be the subject of his first book, which he dedicated, by permission, to the King and Queen. The book was titled ‘A Century of Birds Hitherto unfigured from the Himalaya Mountains’. It was an immediate success, the must-have book for all noble houses and university libraries, with its huge plates in vivid colour. Gould then travelled widely through Europe calling on contacts and making field trips, and between 1832 and 1833 he produced ‘Birds of Europe’ in five volumes. He did the original rough drawings which were worked up by Edward Lear and Elizabeth, Gould’s wife. In 1836 the Beagle returned from its epic voyage and Charles Darwin brought the specimens he had collected to Gould to be catalogued, identified and, in some cases, named. John Gould produced the official record, ‘Zoology of the Voyage of the Beagle’ illustrated with fifty plates taken from sketches made by Mr Gould himself and
29 executed on stone by Mrs Gould. Darwin was then at the start of his career and hadn’t been able to identify all that he had found. He had only classified six of the thirteen now famous Galapagos finches as finches. Gould realised that they were all finches, but had developed different characteristics because of the variety of conditions and food sources available on the separate islands. He read a paper to the RZS on what he called ‘the transmutation of species.’ Darwin later wrote that hearing Gould speak ‘was the moment of my conversion.’ It confirmed what he had himself been groping towards. Twenty three years later after much research and study Darwin published ‘On the Origin of Species’. Perhaps inspired by Darwin’s accounts of his travels, Gould then decided on a long voyage himself. In 1838 he set off for Australia, taking with him Elizabeth (to do the illustrations), an assistant (John Gilbert), his oldest son (aged 7), a young nephew, two servants and a ladies’ maid. When they landed, he and Gilbert separated and each hired aborigine guides. They penetrated the bush, travelled up the rivers, visited the islands and the desert, constantly crating and despatching the birds they found back to Edwin Prince in London. Their three youngest children had been left with grandparents and while John’s letters home were all about nature, Elizabeth was writing ‘can baby walk yet?’ While they were staying with Sir John and Lady Franklin in Tasmania, Elizabeth gave birth to their seventh child. They named him Franklin Tasman Gould. When they returned they brought with them a cage of the little colourful birds that had particularly delighted them and so were responsible for introducing the budgie to England. Altogether 328 species new to science were named by Gould in Australia. His ‘Birds of Australia’ in seven volumes remains the most valuable and desirable work ever produced on the subject. In 1841 Elizabeth died aged 37, giving birth to their eighth child. Thereafter his illustrations were finished by Richter, Hart and Wolf. 30 Gould’s next passion was hummingbirds. He engaged native hunters with blowpipes to collect and send him specimens from all over the world and in 1841 he published a book using a method he had devised of painting over gold leaf to create an impression of their shimmering colour. In 1851 for the Great Exhibition he exhibited 1500 specimens suspended on silver wires in a huge glass case in Regent’s Park. Queen Victoria went to see this several times and wrote in her diary ‘It is impossible to imagine anything so lovely as these little humming birds’. ‘Birds of Asia’ was published between 1850 and 1883, and his five volume ‘Birds of Great Britain’ between 1862 and 1873. It was said of him that he had ‘a brilliant natural talent for the recognition of new species characteristics in birds and an ability to capture field character in sketches which none could rival’. John Gould died on February 3rd 1881. On his tombstone it simply says ‘John Gould, The Birdman.’ Shortly before his death, Sir John Millais, then President of the Royal Academy, visited him and found him in bed surrounded by grandchildren to whom he was talking about a bird he was holding. Millais painted a picture, ‘The Ruling Passion’, based on that scene which was the highlight of the Summer Exhibition. In his life John Gould produced more than forty folio volumes with over three thousand coloured plates. His works now sell for enormous sums. Recently one was sold by Lawrence’s of Crewkerne for £36,000. When Sir David Attenborough opened the refurbished Lyme Regis museum in 1999 he said ‘Few of us who remain his devoted public a century after his death can hope to own one of his massive sumptuous volumes complete’. It seems sad that in the town of his birth, John Gould is not better remembered. Imogen Thomas Footnote from David Cox: There are two John Gould bird prints hanging in the museum stairwell.
31 MUSEUM FRIEND is published by The Friends of Lyme Regis Philpot Museum
Patrons: Sir David Attenborough, Tracy Chevalier, Minnie Churchill
Acting Chairman: David Cox (01297 443156) Vice-Chairman: Vacant Treasurer: Angela Main (01297 442116) Secretary: Jane Newby (01297 443996) (co-opted) Membership Secretary: Laura Cattell (01297 598412) (co-opted) Publicity Co-ordinator: Valerie Hayward (07926 969 831) Newsletter Editor: Valerie Hayward (07926 969 831)
Database Manager: Alison Mitchell ([email protected]) Members: Richard Wells, Sylvia Oliver, Greg Cattell (co-opted), Deborah Hodd (co-opted)
The objectives of The Friends are to promote, support and assist the Museum in its educational and other aims; and to raise funds to help care for and improve the Museum.
Contributions/comments from Friends at home or overseas are always most welcome.
Registered charity number 278774 32