The Great Wiltshire Storm of 1859
I shall offer no apology to the members our of our Society for bringing them a detailed account of a terrific hurricane, of unprecedented violence in this county, I believe.. With storm Eurnice battering the South of England on the 18th February 2022, we thought we would take a timely
Museum stores shine light on Stonehenge
A rediscovery in our Museum stores featured in the February 2022 British Archaeology Magazine with an article by Mike Pitts. Stonehenge must be as thoroughly researched as any ancient site in the world. Yet important evidence can still be found in museum archives. The discovery identified in the Wiltshire
Bronze Age Daggers: Symbols of Power
Bronze Age Daggers: Symbols of Power Gold decorated daggers, like the one from Bush Barrow found close to Stonehenge, were a symbol of power throughout Bronze Age Europe and beyond. The finds from Bush Barrow, Britain’s richest Bronze Age burial, are currently featured in the ‘World of Stonehenge’ exhibition at
The Aldbourne Cup
The Aldbourne Cup The exquisitely made Aldbourne Cup, complete with its lid, is beautifully decorated inside and out with V-shapes, diamonds and triangular patterns. This decoration was made using a sharp object, a bone pin or bronze awl, which was repeatedly pushed into the soft clay. Similar cups have been
Seend Iron Works – research by volunteer Anna
Volunteer Anna has been undertaking research into the Seend Iron Works and links to our collections... The Seend Iron Works began when J.E. Holloway gained mining rights on a small area of land in Seend, located just below the Bell Inn. J.E. Holloway was the first person to extract
Queen Victoria’s Birthday
To celebrate the birthday of Queen Victoria, our volunteer, Amy, has been researching objects in our collection linked to the monarch... Medal - Accession number: DZSWS:1955.205 A medal brought to Wiltshire from Liverpool... Queen Victoria, having travelled from Windsor, arrived in Liverpool on Tuesday 11th May 1886, to open
All Cannings Cross – Tuesday Takeover
In celebration of Local and Community History month, our volunteers are taking over our social media each Tuesday - talking about aspects of Wiltshire's amazing history. Today, it is over the volunteer Tabby for an archaeology debrief of All Cannings Cross! "Today, for our takeover day we’re going to pick
Local and Community History Month
This month is Local and Community History month. To celebrate the rich history of Wiltshire, our volunteer, Bethany, has put together a piece on a few of her favourite historical sites across the county... DZSWS:1983.864 - Lithograph, Plan of Devizes Castle for Sale by Auction by Mr Geo. Robins, Aug
Museum Pets
In celebration of Pet Day, our volunteer, Tabby, has searched through our collection to find a variety of links to our furry friends! From beautiful Roman mosaics, to terrifying fish-shaped water spouts... DZSWS:1985.221 Roman Mosaic A large mosaic fragment with geometric border and showing a dog running past a
Easter in the collections
What egg-cellent Easter-themed objects are hidden in our collection? Box for chocolate sent by Queen Victoria to soldiers in the Boer War, 1900 No 120 year chocolate inside, thankfully! In order to boost morale during the Boer War, Queen Victoria commissioned the country’s three major chocolate manufacturers (J S Fry