Object of the month archive

Thomas Henry Winterbourn was a photographer who worked in Leominster. Whilst most of his employed work was as a portrait photographer, he did travel around Herefordshire with his camera and so we have a wonderful collection of imagery from Leominster and the surrounds from 1860 until 1922.

The lady shown here for example appears to be called Eely Ross (or perhaps Cely Ross?) - we believe her to be a member of the Ross family who ran a shoe store in Leominster at the turn of the century.

Alabaster carving from Canon Pyon (775)

An alabaster carving depicting the entombment of Christ. The bearded head of a man wearing a loose belted robe is seen in the foreground, with a robed figure holding a staff standing behind.

It was found in a garden at Canon Pyon, and probably originated from the local church of St. Lawrence. It would have formed part of the altarpiece and dates back to the 15th century. The carving was made in England, possibly at Nottingham. Originally alabaster carvings were brightly coloured with robes being painted in scarlets and blues.

Alabaster or gypsum, a sulphate of lime, is soft, easily worked and hardens by exposure. It was a much cheaper alternative to stone or bronze, but could only be used on interior decoration. The alabaster used in the industry was quarried largely in the area around South Derbyshire near Tutbury and Chellaston.

Medieval floor tile from Greyfriars, Hereford (1314)

Decorated medieval floor tile with chequer-board design. Impressed¸ slipped and glazed. 14th century.

This tile was found during investigations by Alfred Watkins when the site was being turned into allotments in 1918. Greyfriars Franciscan friary lies west of Hereford City Walls near the north bank of the river (Greyfriars Avenue).

Medieval floor tiles were used in churches, monasteries and some wealthy private houses. They were formed using wooden moulds. Once the basic shape was moulded the upper surface was finished in a variety of ways prior to firing. Decorated floor tiles were usually made by impressing a design into the red clay with a wooden stamp. These designs were sometimes left as an impressed pattern, or the impression would be in-filled with a white slip. The tile was then glazed and fired. The white slip motifs would turn a yellow colour and the plain red clay areas would turn brown or green.

In Herefordshire, factory tiles may first have been made in the mid 14th century. Known as 'Bredon-type' tiles, they were probably produced in or near Hereford, as most have been found within a 30km radius of Hereford.

Fossil fish - Cephalaspis

These early fish have been well preserved as fossils. These creatures lived during the Devonian period (around 416-359.2 million years ago) when much of Herefordshire was under water. The fish have armoured heads which protected them from attack by predators, their mouths are situated on the underside of their head so they were probably bottom feeders using their bony heads to sift through the mud and silt . Living off decomposing plants and other materials which they found in the mud these animals did not have a jaw like modern fish rather they probably had flexible tube-like mouths which they used to hoover up food.

These specimens are casts of the original fossils from Herefordshire which are now held at the Natural History Museum in London.

Pincushion

During the First World War and the Boer War recuperating soldiers and sailors would make various items to send to their loved ones. These included embroidered pictures and these highly decorated pincushions. The pincushions were often heart shaped and decorated with symbols and messages of love, silk ribbons and beads. They also sometimes included details of the regiment or the royal family. This pincushion is decorated with pictures of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra. These items were an early form of occupational therapy as well as a token of love and remembrance.

Acc.No.1987-12/1

Dead man's penny. 

This medal was awarded posthumously to John Granville Morgan.  These medals were sent to relatives of the soldiers who died in World War I, 1914-1918.  John Granville Morgan was born in Hereford, resided in Edgbaston, Birmingham and enlisted at Aston, Birmingham.  He arrived in France on 22 nd March and was killed in action on 12th January 1918 age 28.  John Granville Morgan was the son of Philip and Cecilia Morgan of Almeley, Herefordshire.  He is buried at St. Marie Cemetery, Le Harve, Seine-Martine, France.  Grave Reference: Div 62.I.N.2.

Peter Sparrey

1992-25/2

Peter Sparrey is a talented studio-potter, currently based in Normandy.

In the early 1990's he was based in Herefordshire producing pots such as this  precisely-formed raku bowl.

The raku glaze technique was first used for Japanese tea wares which were hand formed, rather than thrown, and removed from the kiln while still red hot to be cooled in water or the open air.  The technique has been adapted and revived by Western studio potters.  The pot is quickly brought to a high temperature in a kiln and then removed and placed in a metal vessel containing combustible material, such as wood shavings.  The heat from the pot immediately ignites the material and when the container is sealed it forms a reducing atmosphere (the fire burns with limited oxygen).  This produces the special effects of the raku glaze.

British military recruitment poster from the First World War.

This poster is an example of how effective powerful propaganda can be.

This poster combines excellent graphic design with bright colours to catch the eye. The poster's message is clear and straight to the point.

Young men were made to feel it was their patriotic duty to join up and offer their lives to the fight. If you were physically fit then the army wanted your help to win the battles of the First World War.

Popular music

Since the 18th century when sheet music became available, affordable popular music has played an important role in providing entertainment to people of all ages.

In the 1960s the introduction of inexpensive, portable transistor radios meant that teenagers could listen to music outside as well as in the home. This liberated young people and empowered them to express their individuality through their choice of music. MW, or medium wave broadcasts were limited in the distance they could be heard from the transmitter, typically up to 250 miles. LW, or long wave could be transmitted further. Initially the broadcasts were in mono, but as radio technology improved they became stereo. Continual development of the music player saw the evolution of the Walkman through to the MP3 players of today.

Harvest Maid

This is a traditional harvest maid that was created from the last corn left standing. It was believed that it captured the spirit of the corn. For hundred of years the creation of corn dollies at harvest time has been an important part of the harvest tradition. They have their origins in pagan beliefs where the forces of nature were embodied by spirits, the tradition continued into Christian times and this traditional rural craft is still practiced today. Corn dollies both celebrate the success of the current harvest and also look to the future to secure a good harvest in coming years.

This tympanum is a cast of the original carved in stone which was once positioned over a door at St. Mary's Church at Fownhope. 

The stonework is of the Herefordshire School of Sculpture of the early 12th century.  The image represents the Virgin and Child, with the winged lion of St. Mark and the eagle of St. John.  Mary is seated in majesty with Jesus on her lap, both have cruciform halos and their right hands raised in blessing. A scroll lies across the Virgins left leg.

The stone tympanum was moved from its original position, possibly during expansion of the church during the Medieval period or during major restoration work in 1882. By 1938 it had been placed inside the church below the west window of the nave. We think the cast may have been made during one of these periods, possibly in the 1880's.

This late 18th century lacquered poker set is beautifully designed with an elaborate pattern upon the outside. The inside has four decks of cards that seem to date from the late 18th to early 19th centuries. Perhaps of more interest are the mother-of-pearl 'coins'. They are Chinese in origin, and the oval ones were made between 1790 and 1840. They were used as gambling counters, and most of them would have been made while the Philosopher - Emperor, Ch'ien Lung was in power 1736 - 1796. This peaceful period of the Ching Dynasty, was famous for its superior art work, reaching its height in craftsmanship around c.1780 - c.1800. A typical quote from Ch'ien was, "Things of beauty can become the source of purity, happiness, and inspiration; works of art can ennoble and raise the consciousness of people."

The exceptionally high quality of craftsmanship exhibited by these pieces can even be noted at extremely high magnification. The equally beautiful heavily carved circular counters are cut from thicker pearl shell, and would have been carved c.1800 - c.1820, around the period when another Philosopher - Ruler, 'Chia Ching' was Emperor. Usually the pieces show story-poem scenes of people in various life situations, both at work and at play, often employing a literary or counselling pose. Other items frequently portrayed are animals, birds, fish and insects. They were designed for the British who ordered them in boxed sets through the Far East India Company, who were trading with China in this period.

8069

These highly successful predators owe their success to their adaptability. They can eat a huge range of prey from invertebrates like worms and slugs to mammals and birds. This means they can survive in a range of different environments, as the now common urban foxes living in our towns and cities show.

 

The two faces of this animal are caused by a genetic mutation. The genetic makeup of this creature has been weakened through inbreeding, this type of condition is quite common within animal populations where inbreeding is used to develop or retain particular genetic traits within a relatively small animal population.  Unusually this animal survived for about 6 days before losing its struggle for life.

Such mutations were once known as the fairies' revenge and farmers would traditionally put out a bowl of milk to keep the fairy folk happy. It was thought that any farmer whose animals suffered from such mutations had been lax in paying the fairies their due respect and consequently the fairies had taken their revenge on the farmer's animals.  

13 inch speculum, focus 9ft 5 1/2 inches made in 1867 by G With, Hereford.

G.H. With was headmaster of the Bishop of Hereford Bluecoat school for almost 25 years.

In addition to his duties as a teacher, George With was also a keen amateur astronomer. He was one of the first astronomers to produce mirrors for telescopes that were made from glass. Before glass, highly polished metal had been used but these metal mirrors required a lot of maintenance and were not as accurate as the new glass mirrors. George With's silvered glass mirrors were made by initially using a machine to obtain the rough curve required for a telescope mirror. The glass was then hand polished using a range of abrasive materials until the surface was smooth. The surface was then silvered, the whole process would take at least a week, often longer. Once silvered, the mirror would be tested for accuracy and re-smoothed and re- silvered if adjustment was needed.

The mirror surface of this object is still in very good condition despite being over 100 years old. This mirror could still be used in a telescope today.