Award-winning historical novelist Elizabeth Chadwick comes to Trowbridge!

As part of Trowbridge's Magna Carta celebrations, we invited author Elizabeth Chadwick to the Museum to talk about her work and her all-time hero, William Marshal, who became Regent after King John's death.

Elizabeth visited our "Magna Carta- Game of Barons" exhibition and signed books for her fans after giving her first ever PowerPoint presentation. Well done, Ms Chadwick; we loved having you and look forward to seeing you again the next time you're in the area.

Almost done...

Trowbridge Museum's Magna Carta-Game of Barons exhibition will be taken down after Saturday 25th July to make way for WEFT15, The West of England Festival of Textiles.
But there's no need to be sad, because...

...we are still adding to some of the medieval displays. Newly arrived is an impressive chainmail hauberk, on display opposite the Shop, shortly to be followed by a "gambeson" or padded jacket, which a knight would have worn beneath his chainmail.

You can also see a crossbow, short-handled battle-axe, dagger and flanged mace, and discover how these would have been used in medieval warfare.
We are hoping to continue borrowing the magnificent maquette of Henry de Bohun from Canterbury Museums...negotiations are in progress so watch this space.

Horrible Histories, the Magna Carta song

If you haven't seen it yet, you MUST pop over to YouTube to see this delightful Horrible Histories take on Magna Carta and its importance through history.

Lego King John, on display as part of Trowbridge Museum's Magna Carta-Game of Barons exhibition

Magna Carta song

Magna Carta Festival Archery day at Trowbridge Museum

On June 6th 10.30-1.00 and 2.00-3.30, Richard and Philip Head, Master Bowyers (and Fletchers) will be demonstrating at Trowbridge Museum. A bowyer makes bows and a fletcher, arrows. These ancient skills have been resurrected to make weapons for use in films, TV, museums, live action role-play (LARP) and re-enactment as well as archery competitions and sporting events.

Richard Head in his workshop, holding a strung longbow he has crafted

Philip Head, receiving his silver award. He will be at Trowbridge Museum on June 6th as part of our Magna Carta festival

Richard Head in Tudor costume pulling one of his longbows

To find out more about the craft of making longbows and arrows, or to view the online shop, visit http://www.english-longbow.co.uk.

Cooking up a Medieval Magna Carta Treat- for the radio?

On May 28th, BBC Wiltshire Radio came to the Assistant Curator's home to record the cooking of a medieval feast.

Katherine made sure to choose recipes that reflected the different classes of society, and also ones which made bubbling, grinding and grating noises. Well, it was for radio.

Tart in Ember day, gingerbread, sugared rose petals and other medieval delights

Museum Manager Hannah Lyddy produced gingerbread (made without baking and including a fair dash of white pepper), frumenty (using cracked wheat) and hypocras or spiced wine, given a bit of heat by the rare spice galangal.
Katherine produced a type of flan that would have been acceptable on a fast day, a green omelette and a seriously rich liver pate called "garbage". Rose petals were prepared for preserving by dusting them with egg white and pounded sugar, a very expensive item in the Middle Ages, at the time of Magna Carta.
Everything was declared very tasty by Marie from BBC Wiltshire.

The proud cooks and their interviewer Marie

The interview will be broadcast during the main week of Magna Carta celebrations, focused around June 15th 2015.

The Barons' occupation of London- a turning point

On May 12th a delegation of Trowbridge dignitaries were invited by London's Lord Mayor to the Mansion House to commemorate a significant event which ultimately brought about the creation of Magna Carta. In 1215, the barons who had risen up in rebellion against King John's rapacious and unjust behaviour took over London. A king could not rule without control of the most important city in the country and John was eventually forced to sue for peace. Magna Carta was essentially a peace treaty, sealed less than a month after the taking of London.

Representatives from Trowbridge at the Mansion House, London, flying the arms of Magna Carta baron Henry de Bohun

Win a book as part of Trowbridge Museum's Magna Carta events!

Win a signed copy of one of Elizabeth Chadwick's novels set in the medieval period! Just visit our FREE! Magna Carta- Game of Barons exhibition and fill out our questionnaire in order to be entered into the prize draw.
Children can enter too, and will win a mystery book! Just make sure you put your contact details on your sheet and hand it in at the Museum Shop.

Massive coup for Trowbridge Museum's Magna Carta festival- a talk by historical novelist Elizabeth Chadwick

Coming to Trowbridge Museum in July- award-winning, best-selling author Elizabeth Chadwick! Elizabeth will talk about  her work and her medieval hero of the Magna Carta era, William Marshal. There will be a book-signing after the talk open to all-comers but the talk itself will be a ticket only event so book soon to avoid disappointment! Contact katherine.white@trowbridge.gov.uk or call 01225 751339.

And the Magna Carta exhibits just keep on coming...

You can't walk through Trowbridge Town Centre at the moment without seeing a "Trowbridge, Magna Carta Baron Town" poster. The town has really embraced the history of their Magna Carta hero, Henry de Bohun, and the recent conference on the subject attracted hundreds of people.

Our current exhibition, "Magna Carta- Game of Barons" now features some new exhibits produced by local U3A members. There is bunting showing the devices of a number of barons appointed to ensure the terms of Magna Carta were carried out (note Henry de Bohun's distinctive blue shield), a banner representing medieval Trowbridge and its baron,a wonderful medieval lady with her sewing and a sword and shield for the life-size maquette of Henry de Bohun.

Pop over and visit the Museum in the Mall (The Shires, Trowbridge). We aim to be fun, friendly and, best of all, we are most certainly FREE!

Medieval Laverstock jug

Trowbridge Museum is now displaying discoveries from not one, but TWO former royal palaces, both used by the Plantagenet kings, both visited by King John, the monarch forced to agree to Magna Carta. One is Ludgershall Castle, once home of William Marshal's father John, which became a royal hunting lodge. The other is Clarendon Palace, where John's father Henry II produced the "Constitutions of Clarendon", designed to reduce the power of the Church in England. This led to his great falling-out with Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, who was later murdered.

The key is also on loan from Salisbury Museum, and comes from Old Sarum, where the original town and cathedral of Salisbury once stood. The spot was windy and lacking in fresh water and after various quarrels between the Sheriff and the Bishop, it was decided to build a new cathedral on low-lying ground some distance away. The new city sprung up around its cathedral and by 1322 there was little left of any of the buildings at Old Sarum.
The current cathedral is the nearest place where you can see a genuine example of a 1215 Magna Carta. We do, however, have a very good replica at Trowbridge Museum, as part of our Magna Carta Game of Barons exhibition.

How Magna Carta- Game of Barons came into being

There's a lot of paperwork to do before you can knock things into shape. This can range from snippets of Henry de Bohun information coming from his biographer Andy Milroy, to forms to fill out asking permission from the Houses of Parliament to use an image of Trowbridge's medieval hero. By which I mean Henry de Bohun. Of course.

Late 2014 and Assistant Curator Katherine White is on the hunt for people to borrow things from. Trowbridge Museum does have 13th century material but it's all archaeological, and mostly in rather small pieces...

Gathering together a folder of images which can be used in the exhibition, and other reference material. Fortunately the Assistant Curator has her own library, containing many Victorian books with medieval engravings in.

Producing an initial flyer on Photoshop. The poster was yet to come- it's quite hard to produce publicity material when you don't yet know what's going to be in your exhibition and whether or not you will be in receipt of any funding.

At this stage, we were not yet sure of the success of the Curator's hunt for money. But ultimately both the Consortium and the Heritage Lottery Fund provided generous donations, meaning we can continue to add to the exhibition.

The design stage of planning. One has to decide on colours (easy- Henry de Bohun's are gold and blue). It's not that easy to find the right kind of backing board, however. One also needs to choose appropriate fonts for headings and text for the exhibition.

The Museum's Caretaker John Woodford, preparing the walls in the exhibition gallery. This has earned him the nickname of "Rembrandt".

Assistant Curator Katherine White working out how to show off the Henry de Bohun maquette to best advantage. He's on display in a Victorian factory owner's office. Some concealment is definitely required!

The maquette of Henry de Bohun, surveying his new (temporary) home at Trowbridge Museum. He will be sent back in the summer, so make sure to come and see him before he returns to Canterbury.

Serving wenches Goodwives Ritson and Lyddy. Otherwise known as Museum Manager Hannah Lyddy and Education and Collections Assistant Nikki Ritson. The serving-man is long-term volunteer Terry Smith. New costume was acquired and old costume adapted to give a medieval look to the Grand Opening feast.

It's a precise art, working out how to create a medieval scene in Lego to fit into a specific case. This is an early trial run.

The Great Day arrives. The Curator Clare Lyall has introduced the Lord Lieutenant for Wiltshire, Mrs Sarah Troughton and Exhibition Curator Katherine White has changed her name to Lady Katherine de Blanche and donned a not-totally authentic costume for the event. More costumes will follow to be displayed in the exhibition, and they will be made by authentic methods using authentic fabrics. Watch this space!

Curators do rather more than dust the cases in their museums...

The Museum's new Magna Carta- Game of Barons exhibition is a case in point. The earliest stages of planning began in August last year, and the completion of the first phase of the exhibition was only just completed in time for the opening. And what an opening it was! A medieval feast,

 a visit from Her Majesty's Lord Lieutenant for Wiltshire, Mrs Sarah Troughton, to open the display,

the Mayor of Trowbridge, Councillor Glyn Bridges, looking very pretty in his robes,

but up against stiff competition from the Assistant Curator in her flowing golden gown (which threatened to trip quite a lot of people),

and a completely unexpected King Richard the Lionheart, just back from having a lovely time on Crusade.

Can you not see the resemblance between him and the Lego version of his brother John in the Lego Runnymede and Castle?

There is much more to add to this splendid exhibition, so why not follow our blog to make sure you don't miss out!

Bringing Medieval skills back to life

Another skilled craftsman is contributing to Trowbridge's Magna Carta exhibition (only 3 weeks to go now!). This is Richard Head, of Melksham, who specialises in the production of longbows and many other items used by re-enactors, museums and the media. 

A visit to Richard's website will unearth a fascinating catalogue of medieval and later weaponry, armour and all things archery related. Why not have a look at http://www.english-longbow.co.uk/ ?