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

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!