Valentines Greetings

Being Valentine's Day I thought I would pick some of my favourite Valentine's Cards from the collection to entertain - and perhaps inspire a romantic atmosphere! 


The oldest Valentines Card that survives dates from around 1400 and can be found at the British Museum. Ours are not quite as old as that mainly dating from the 19th and 20th Centuries. 


St. Valentines Day has been celebrated for centuries, dedicated to Christian martyrs (14 in total) named Valentinus and was first established in Rome by Pope Gelasius I in 496AD being celebrated on the 14th February. The day became associated with romantic and courtly love in Geoffrey Chaucers time and lovers would express their love by presenting flower, giving confectionery and giving papers with Valentine greetings. The 'Valentines' have changed in design and style over the centuries, but their purpose is much the same despite mass production these days. I hope you enjoy the selection below, as well as the rhymes that accompany them.

Printed, 19th Century Valentine, BEDFM 2001.120.1

" The meaning of these lines you'll guess,

And easily divine,

that you of all my other friends,

I choose as Valentine".

Hand decorated, printed, 19th Century Valentine of
Town Crier declaring a lost love, BEDFM 2001.120.5

"O Yes! O Yes!!

This is to give notice

LOST! A Heart in

this neighbourhood any

person having found the

same by giving information

will be rewarded with the 

owners sincere love & a

comfortable home for life

God save my dear Sweetheart!" 

Printed, 19th Century Valentine, BEDFM 2001.120.3 

The Valentine above and the one below reminds me of Bedford bridge and the embankment. 

"This Valentine to thee I send
to prove my love my dearest friend"

Lydia Saul

Keeper of Social History

From the Belgian Congo to Bedford - Tracking Down Donors of African Artefacts

The core of the Bedford Museum collection originally came from Bedford Modern School. They had their own museum when the school was still based in the heart of the town centre, behind the Edward Blore designed facade that now fronts the Harpur Shopping Centre. The museum was on the first floor, roughly where Boots now stands and displayed a collection of weird and wonderful curiosities, as well as collections of Natural History, Social History and Archaeology.

Being an amateur museum from 1886 until the early 1962, the museum's record keeping wasn't quite up to the standards of today's museums so we are sometimes a little short of facts. One area where the records were not only brief but downright confusing was with regards to a collection of material from Kalembelembe in the Belgian Congo (now Democratic Republic of Congo). The school's own Eagle magazine published an acknowledgement of the arrival  in July 1932 of the Robinson Collection of African objects, whilst the accession register (the book that infers official museum object status to artefacts) listed them under the title Richardson Collection. Either way, both are sufficiently common names to make research challenging. Going through the school records revealed nothing, so I resorted to the trial and error of internet searches. Initially nothing turned up, but I had a hunch that a collection of material from an African village with no known mining, trade or British Colonial connections must have been a likely destination for missionaries. From the 1840s-1860s the Bedford Academy was the London Missionary Society's training centre, and as a hot bed of non-conformism has also been home to Evangelicals and Pentecostals. The search terms 'Kalembelembe' and 'missionaries' proved fruitful. I was led to a pamphlet of the Pentecostal Missionary Union called Confidence, the issue for January to March 1921. Reading through led me to the following article:

Mr & Mrs Arthur W. Richardson before
they left for Kalembelembe.
Image: Confidence, (Sunderland, Jan-Mar 1921)

Spanning several pages, the article was an account of 'Brother' and 'Sister' Richardson's journey across Africa to Kalembelembe where they would set up a new mission station. They were a devout couple who clearly felt strongly about their faith, and saw every trial they faced as God's will in some way. They were dismayed by the ritualistic practices they found in the village that differed so greatly from their own beliefs and urged the readers of their letter to pray for them in their work. I felt I had found the source of the collection - these were the only British people in this Village at the right time, and their name matched one of the two possibilities provided by our records.

But why had their collection ended up in Bedford? Bedford was mentioned within the newsletter, but only as a donor of funds in a long list of subscription gifts from towns all over the country, certainly not a firm link. Even with the full name of Arthur William Richardson I could trace nothing to connect him to the town or school, and the newsletter had been published in Sunderland.

I recalled that our collection of Palestinian archaeology came from a man named William J.J.  Glassby, I didn't know much about him other that he had kept his fine collection, which included artefacts excavated by the famous pioneer achaeologist Flinders Petrie, in a Mission building in Costin Street, Bedford, before it was donated to Bedford Modern School Museum in 1932. Could this Mission Hall be the connection? I searched again, changing my terms to  'Pentecostal Missionary Union' and 'Bedford'. This hit the Google* jackpot. Numerous references came up mentioning both terms, and a man called Cecil Polhill-Turner. It seems that Polhill (he dropped the Turner as young man) was a Bedford man who had inherited the estate of Howbury Hall near Renhold along with a large sum of money. He was part of the 'Cambridge Seven', a group of born again Christians who joined the China Inland Mission and dedicated their lives to missionary work. He was also the president of the PMU, bankrolling many of the missionary journeys and partaking his of own in China and India. The Confidence pamphlet was the official voice of the organisation until founder member and editor of Confidence A.A, Boddy split with the PMU over differences of opinion. Confidence continued to promote their missionary work edited by Boddy but the official voice now came form Flames of Fire, a monthly newsletter published in Bedford and edited by Cecil Polhill's estate manager, none other than William Glassby.

Further research through the several years worth of issues of Confidence revealed that Arthur Richardson had died in 1925 of Blackwater fever, though his wife and child remained in Kalembelembe for a period afterwards. I then turned back to the Eagle magazine to see if there was anything I had missed in the article referring to the donation of the Richardson (though cited as Robinson) collection. There was: the first paragraph that introduces the school museum section said that the Palestinian antiquities collection had in fact been donated by Cecil Polhill and '94 subscribers' in memory of Glassby; then under a section titled 'Gifts' it listed  'The Glassby Collection' in detail, immediately followed by 'The Robinson Collection'. It seems very likely that the PMU had received collections from Richardson's wife and those may have been stored with Glassby's 'Missionary Museum' in Bedford. When Glassby died and it was decided to send his collection to the Bedford Modern School museum,it must have seemed a logical place for the Richardson collection to go too, as there was already a strong collection of ethnographic artefacts in the museum.

I'll continue researching the connections, while also looking at other donors, with the 'Hillman' collection of Chinese artefacts another similar conundrum. Any memories or information anyone might have of family members having donated ethnographic artefacts to the BMS museum between the 1890s and1940s would be very gratefully recieved!

Kristian Purcell
Curatorial Assistant

*Other search providers are also available.

UPDATE -18-10-2012
While browsing through photos in our social history collection a picture jumped out at me - a couple with a child who looked very familiar. Could it be Arthur Richardson? I compared it to the very grainy image from Confidence above an the man certainly looked similar, but  a moustache and short hair in the 1920s is a fairly common look. I was far more convinced when I compared the images of the woman. Now after looking at them for a while I am certain this is the Richardson's and their young boy. The picture had no details with it as it had been separated from the African material and had only been accessioned in 2000 with a number of other photos which had been in our archive. The Bedford Modern School Museum had many as yet unprocessed objects, some we are still identifying today. The work goes on.

The Richardson family in the early 1920s. BEDFM 2000.367

Sinclair Executive Pocket Calculator - it all adds up!

We have recently been donated this original Sinclair Executive handheld calculator. This is one of the earliest electronic pocket calculators that can claim to actually be pocket sized - the New Scientist Journal reviewed it as 'the first calculator that can comfortably fit in the user's pocket along with his wallet and cheque book'. It was a third thinner than anything else on the market when it was launched in August 1972. 

Sinclair Executive Calculator with Texas Insturments GLS 1802 chip inside. Dimensions: 138mm(H), 56mm (W), 9mm (D).

The significance to Bedford is the fact that the tiny silicon chip, known as the 'Calculator On' chip, that operated the display and components for the calculator was invented and manufactured by Texas Instruments in Bedford. Texas Instruments had moved and expanded from Dallas, USA to Bedford, UK in 1957 to built one of the largest semi-conductor research and manufacturing facilities, to assist their expansion into the European markets.
The miniature silicon integrated circuit chips were developed for a range of applications, the pocket calculator being just one. I am sure many of our readers will have owned or come across Texas Instrument calculators, computers and other devices available during the 1970's and 1980's. Other products aside from the calculator that used the 'microcomputer' chip, invented in 1971 by Michael Cochran and Gary Boone, included microwave ovens, sewing machines, telephones, vending machines and of course early electronic computer games.

Texas Instruments Offices built at Dallas Road, Bedford in 1958 © Texas Instruments Ltd. 

Sinclair Radionics Ltd. was a firm based at Huntingdon and the inventor of the pocket calculator was Clive Sinclair. Clive wanted the calculator to be truly pocket sized and designed it to use button cell (watch type) batteries, rather than the standard AA size batteries to allow the calculator to be much thinner. He also experimented with the TI chip, using it in a new way that allowed the cell batteries to last much longer through pulsing the power to the chip.   

John, our donor, bought the calculator soon after it was launched while he was working at the Sunlife for Canada insurance company in Northampton. He remembers seeing it advertised in the Daily Telegraph on the train on his way down to London to the Ideal Home Exhibition at Olympia, where his company had a stand. The calculator was advertised from the recommended retail price of £84 at the discounted price of £59. He decided that he would purchase one for his work and thinks it was bought from a shop either in Oxford Street or Tottenham Court Road. John remembers that at first he would forget to turn off the calculator when not in use to preserve the batteries, which did not last long – only around 2 hours. John bought the calculator for use by himself and others in his team – who he trained to use the equipment. It requires 4 button cell batteries and these became expensive and difficult to get hold of, so John stopped using the calculator after about 4 or 5 years. The calculator still has its red velvet case, instructions for operation and manufacturers details. It is certainly a valued addition to our collection as a contemporary item connected with Bedfordshire's technological development and industry.

If you think that you have an iconic Texas Instrument's object that you know was made or developed in Bedford along these lines then feel free to share it with us in the comments, on facebook, twitter, or get in touch via chag@bedford.gov.uk. 

Lydia Saul

Keeper of Social History

Acknowledgements:

Thanks to our donor, John.

Thanks to Kenneth Sanders for the photograph of the Texas Instruments building.
For further information see Texas Instruments Timeline
For further information about Sinclair Executive Calculators see Vintage Calculators website

Christmas Greetings from Egypt 1916

This Christmas present was sent in 1916 all the way from Egypt during the First World War from Michael Dillon, ‘Mick’, who was serving in the Royal Engineers to his sister Henrietta Dillon ‘Hetty’, who lived at Queens Park in Bedford.

Christmas present sent from Micahel Dillon to his sister 'Hetty' in Bedford, 1916

 

The embroidered material was probably meant to be used as a decorative table centre piece. I expect the local traders in Egypt made a profit from machine stitching commissioned messages on souvenirs, like this one, for troops and servicemen away from their loved ones. Egypt was of crucial significance during the First World War, with the Suez Canal being a vital supply route as well as key to shipping troops to the Western Front.

At this time of year if we are lucky we are able to take a break from work and spend at least Christmas Day with family or friends. I chose this object because it reminds me of those who are not so fortunate, and have made a self-sacrificing choice to work over the Christmas break, perhaps away from their loved ones in order to serve others in whatever way.

Recently on the news there was a Christmas message sent by video from HMS Ocean posted on ‘You Tube’ of the crew singing along to Mariah Carey’s ‘All I want for Christmas’. This was also aired on the BBC News Embed video here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDZcGz4vmJc. The ship and crew had been serving in Libya, but fortunately the service personnel were granted leave to return home before Christmas after filming this video and arrived a week or two ago back in England. I am a sucker for a happy ending at this time of year, and the video did make me smile.

I am in the process of trying to trace more information about Michael Dillon through his service records and census data online. We have one other embroidered souvenir, also we think bought by Michael, from Malta.

Malta was known as ‘The nurse of the Mediterranean’ during the First World War, with so many Military Hospitals situated on the island nursing wounded troops back to health and aiding their recuperation.

Florence May Dillon, Sister of Michael and Henrietta and seamstress for E P Rose and Co. Bedford.

We also have a charming photograph of Michael’s other sister (above), who perhaps received a similar gift to ‘Hetty’ in 1916, Florence May Dillon thought to be around 19 years old in this picture and was a seamstress for E P Rose. Michael also had one other brother called Harry, but unfortunately we know very little about him..

If anyone is related to the Dillon family of Bedford and Michael who served in the First World War and are able to fill in any gaps, I would be pleased to hear from them.

I’d just like to wish all our blog followers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May it be a prosperous and blogtastic 2012!

Lydia Saul

Keeper of Social History

A Face from the Past

All of the archaeological objects in our collections have been made, used, owned and finally lost by people and for nearly all of them we have no idea what the owner may have looked like. When we are working on these items we at best see in our minds eye a fuzzy human shape probably based on an illustration from a history book or a character from a TV series. So this is why every once in a while one our artefacts will stun and surprise us by showing us the face of a person from the past. The stone corbel of a man’s head found in St Mary’s Church, Bedford, is one such remarkable item.

Objects like this offer us a direct link between us, the viewer and the face the stone mason had in his mind when he carved the corbel. We can only assume that the stone mason working on the rough lump of stone modelled it on someone he knew or at the very least of a stylised mans face of his time.

The carving shows the face of a man with well manicured moustache, beard and eyebrows and with locks of curly hair neatly tucked behind his ears. His eyes are fully open and he stares directly out at us and faint traces of red pigment are still just visible on his cheeks, lips and nostrils.

The date of the stone is put at about 1160 AD.

Our corbel was discovered a few years ago during restoration work at St Mary’s Church when a small Anglo-Saxon window, which had been blocked up in the fourteenth century, was being unblocked. The stone head had been used along with other stone rubble to fill in the window.

The basic details of the stone corbel are that it is 24cm wide, is 30cm high and is 23cm deep and as we have recently had to pack it away to be moved off site we can all vouch that despite its’ relatively small size it is extremely heavy too!!

The stone type has been identified as Caen Stone, which is described as a light yellow coloured, fine grained Limestone which outcrops in the north western part of France near to the city of Caen. This type of stone is known to have been quarried in the Roman period and then later in the Norman period and sculptures made from this hard, high quality stone are associated with important religious buildings such as cathedrals and churches or secular buildings of high status such as castles.

Unfortunately as this stone had been reused with other rubble to fill in the window in the fourteenth century we have no way of knowing where it may have come from originally. All we can be certain of is that its shape shows that it would have been used as a corbel to support beams for either a roof or a ceiling and because it is carved and painted with obvious skill and craftsmanship the building it was made for was fairly high status.

Liz Pieksma
Keeper of Archaeology

It's Good to Hoard...

Back in 1856 a hoard of three Bronze vessels dating to the Roman period was discovered by chance near to the town of Sandy. Roman and Anglo Saxon artefacts were almost constantly being recovered whilst workmen were digging the railway line between Potton and Sandy. Most of these items were found in burials and included many personal items such as jewellery, pottery, keys and toilet sets. So the discovery of this group of rather fine bronze bowls instantly stood out as something very different.

The bowls are roughly the same size; the largest has a rim diameter of 32 cm and the smallest a rim diameter of 22cm. The only decoration appears on the top of the rim as delicate fluting creating a sort of pie crust effect.

Bronze Bowls of this high quality are rare and unusual from any period but for them to have survived for so long since Roman times and to still be in such a complete state is really very special. The original owner of the bowls would have been an individual with serious high status and maybe even have been a Roman official involved with some aspect of commerce and trade in Sandy.

Though hoards of bronze bowls are not common they are not unique either. Very similar bowls have been recovered nearby at Irchester, Northamptonshire, and further away at Sturmere in Essex and Knaresborough in Yorkshire.

Research carried out by DH Kennett and published in 1969 clearly shows that these hoards found in Britain are not unique within the Roman Empire. Similar bronze bowls have been found in Germany, Holland and in northern France. Nearly all of these continental bronze bowls have been found in the graves of wealthy Romans and from the coin evidence have been firmly dated to the late fourth century.

It is very sad for us today that so little is known about the Sandy bowls other than that they were found together as a hoard during the construction of the railway line a little over one hundred and fifty years ago. This is so very different to modern day excavations which routinely accurately record the exact location and the context of where and how objects are found.

It is tantalising to wonder who these bowls belonged to, how they got to Sandy and why were they buried. It is possible that like the examples from the continent these bowls were buried with their owner for use in the next world and that this information was not recorded by the workmen. Or what seems more likely, given the probable late forth century date of the hoard, is that the owner of the bowls buried them at a time of stress for safe keeping hoping to retrieve them later. The late fourth and early fifth centuries saw the collapse of the Roman Empire and it may be that the disintegration of law and order in the community in and around Sandy provoked their owner into the desperate act of hiding them in the ground.

Liz Pieksma
Keeper of Archaeology

Reference.

D H Kennett, “Late Roman Bronze Vessel Hoards in Britain, Jahrbuch des Romisch-Germanischen Zentralmuseums Mainz 16, 1969, 123-148

Object of the Week: The Eglinton Tournament Jug

In 1839, after what some considered a meagre Coronation for Queen Victoria, one man, Archibald Montgomerie, 13th Earl of Eglinton, decided to stage a medieval style tournament to right this apparent wrong.




View of the Tournament

 
Held at the Earl’s ancestral home, Eglinton Castle in Ayrshire, the tournament attracted over 100,000 visitors travelling from as far a field as America and Europe, and many dressed in the themed medieval costume. Unfortunately, what had promised to be a great event was literally a wash out; a torrential downpour that did not let up for the entire three days of the tournament caused the ground to turn into a quagmire. The jousting pavilion and the roofs of the stands collapsed, and the banqueting tents and ballrooms began to leak. Visitors who wanted to leave, some of whom had been sleeping in the open air due to the lack of available lodgings, had to walk through mud and rain to the local village after heavy flooding stopped any form of transport having access to the castle.

On the third day, with a smaller number of spectators and some hasty repairs, aspects of the tournament still managed to go ahead, but the damage had been done and the press had a field day.

Although the event had not been the success it was hoped it would be, it captured the public’s imagination and was reported across the globe, shining a light on Scotland and making a hero of Lord Eglinton for his chivalrous attempts to help the stranded crowds. And for those who had been unable able to attend the actual event, adaptations of the tournament were staged in London theatres.

Jug, William Ridgway, Son & Co, c.1840, white stoneware with relief moulded decoration.

This jug was one of the many souvenirs of the tournament. Made by William Ridgway, Son & Co it is decorated with knights in armour similar to those that would have taken part in the tournament.

Victoria Partridge
Keeper of Fine and Decorative Arts