Chloe: what I did on my work placement with Wakefield Museums and Castles

Chloe recently did a work placement with us as part of her university course. She's kindly written this guest blog about her experience. 

Read on to discover some of the interesting objects she catalogued for us!

During my work placement I was based in the museum store. I catalogued a small collection of items from the Sykes / Slazenger factory. The Sykes / Slazenger factory is mainly known for manufacturing sports items and equipment.

When I first started my work placement I was given a tour of the museum store. I was shown some of the objects and items they have and told about their significance. I was then shown the objects I would cataloguing throughout the eight weeks of my placement. I was also shown the history file. This contains everything needed to be kept with the collection, like the forms to say what needs to be catalogued or just used for reference. It also says how they got the items as well as the ownership of the items.

The objects I catalogued

The items I was to catalogue were:

• a pile of black and white photographs

• a photo album with more black and white photographs

• a head press (this was used to help make sure the tennis racket kept its shape)

• a tennis racket with a head press

• some rifle furniture (the wooden parts of a rifle) produced in the Sykes / Slazenger factory during the Second World War

The photographs

After looking through the objects, I decided I would start by cataloguing the black and white photographs. I started by putting the photographs into groups. I wanted to keep and catalogue the ones that were similar together.

A lot of the photographs were quite similar in nature. Cataloguing them was difficult, as it was hard to tell the difference between them.

Some of the photographs were pictures of some of the different manufacturing processes. These included how a tennis racket or a golf club was made. Others were of people using the machine, or just of the machines themselves.

This was very similar when I had catalogued the photo album. Some of the photographs were similar or the same to the ones I had already catalogued.

 This photograph shows a man looking over a finished golf club. He is making sure that everything has been done correctly. He is also putting on the final touches to the golf club.

Cataloguing the 3D objects

Cataloguing the rifle parts, tennis racket, head presses and the film reel was different. These objects have depth, whereas the photographs do not.

When measuring the length of the objects, I had to use a tape measure. They were quite long and it would have been difficult to do so without. I also had to look closely at the objects to make sure the condition they were in was fine. 

I was also looking to see if there was anything that was engraved or marked on to the objects.

The racket, still in its head press

The Sykes factory started to manufacture the wooden rifle parts during the Second World War. They would have slowed down the manufacturing of the sports items they produced, along with some of the machines in the photographs.

Pieces of wooden rifle furniture made by Sykes

There were some books amongst the items within the collection I was able to use for referencing. This was useful as I was able to match the photographs to the pictures of the machines within the books. 

There were some small pieces of paper that also had the name and description of what the machine was used for and how it worked. I was able to match the pieces of paper to the photographs as some of the machines had their names engraved on the front.

'Sykes and the War' and a thesis I used to research the objects

I had lastly catalogued some letters within the collection. They were in correspondence with the Sykes / Slazenger factory (more importantly the people within the factory). The majority of them had the dates in which they were sent. This made it easier for me to catalogue them in time order.

A lot of the letters were in response to Briggs receiving the British Empire Medal that was awarded by the King. This was due to his hard work in the war effort. Briggs sent letters back saying that it was a joint effort with the people he was working with and only done with the support of others.

This small collection I have catalogued is a part of a bigger collection Wakefield Museums and Castles has. There is loads more to find out about other sports items and equipment that were made at the factory. There's also lots to learn about the history behind the factory and how they stepped in to help with the war effort.

MHG Volunteer Blog 27: Liquorice

It's the return of Pontefract Liquorice Festival this weekend (Sunday 13 July)! 

So, we're afraid there's no prizes for guessing our Medieval Herb Garden volunteers' Plant of the Week this week...

Well, after the much longed-for heavy downpour at the weekend, the ground was still too wet to walk on today. Any weeding had to be done at the edges of the MHG.

We took some rose cuttings from the front garden. We put out some motherwort, angelica and goat’s rue plants on the sales barrow. Carole also made sure that there are plenty of liquorice plants available for the Liquorice Festival this weekend.

Whilst carrying out the flower count, Carole decided which plants to include in this Saturday’s free talk (1pm – 3pm). The plant list is always changing, so it’s never exactly the same talk twice.

Plant of the Week: Liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra)

Liquorice is more than 30 times sweeter than sugar! It derives its name from the Greek words 'glycys' (sweet) and 'rhiza' (root). This Greek term was Latinized as 'liquiritia', from which came the Anglo-French 'lycorys'. 'Glabra' means smooth (relating to the seed pod). It was sometimes known as sweetwood.

Liquorice is native to West Asia, North Africa and Southern Europe. It is a bushy, deciduous, herbaceous, leguminous, perennial. It will not grow well on clay. It prefers rich, fine soil, where there is a lot of moisture during the growing period.

Liquorice in flower growing in the Medieval Herb Garden

It prefers full sun, facing South or West, where the ground bakes hard. Normally, liquorice doesn't show any growth until late May. It then grows to a height of 4ft with a width of 3ft. Liquorice has pinnate leaves about 7-15cm long, formed of 9-17 opposite pairs of leaflets.

The roots are deep, soft, flexible, fibrous and stoloniferous. Stoloniferous means the roots grow stolons. Stolons are creeping horizontal plant runners that take root at points along its length to form new plants. Liquorice runners can grow up to 20ft in length! It is a mix of the root and runners which are harvested as “liquorice root”.

Liquorice flowers in June to July. It has purple to pale whitish-blue pea-like flowers. The flowers are 8-12mm long produced in a loose inflorescence (cluster). The fruit is a pea-like, oblong pod, 20-30mm long, containing several seeds. New plants can be raised from either seed or root cuttings. 

There are various types of liquorice grown around the world. Glycyrrhiza glabra is the type that was (and still is) grown at Pontefract Castle. This type is considered to have a more delicate flavour than the types later imported into Britain.

Culinary uses of liquorice

Before the 1200s, liquorice was most commonly brewed into a stout beer. At the time of the Renaissance (starting around the 1400s), it began to be added to sweets. Liquorice was also used as a flavouring for bread and other baked goods.

Liquorice has also been used to flavour tobacco, ice-cream and medicines. It is marketed as a dietary supplement. In some parts of the Arabic world, the root of the liquorice plant is used to make a cold drink with a sweet and mildly bitter taste. This is called Erk al-sous.

And, of course - liquorice is still today made into the world-famous Pontefract Cakes!

Pontefract Cakes for sale at Pontefract Castle

Liquorice in Pontefract

Camden's 'Britannia' of 1607 noted that liquorice was growing in Worksop and Pontefract. By 1614, Pontefract was producing small, round lozenges that could ease coughs and stomach complaints. These were hand-stamped with a design to show their quality and authenticity.

In Pontefract liquorice was often grown in people’s 'gardens'. On a map of the 1648 Siege of Pontefract, liquorice is marked as being grown in 'garths' either side of Micklegate.

Soon, liquorice was being grown all over the town to supply the liquorice industry. The Castle was planted with liquorice after the English Civil Wars. The dungeon was used to store the root. Beds of liquorice lined Southgate and Micklegate, and there were plantations in the Friarwood Valley. By 1750, there were 47 growers in Pontefract. These met the increasing demand for liquorice.

In 1760, George Dunhill (an apothecary) created the first liquorice confectionery by adding sugar to the liquorice root extract. Dunhill called them Pomfret Cakes. These cakes were stamped with an image of Pontefract Castle. They were also widely known as Yorkshire Pennies.

A Dunhill's Pontefract Cakes box in the Wakefield Museums and Castles collection

At the liquorice industry's height there were 13 factories in the town, each with their own 'authenticity stamp'. On the 1933 Town Map there are 7 liquorice factories shown within a radius of a few hundred yards of the Buttercross.

Over time, Pontefract's confectioners began to close, merge with one another, or be acquired by their larger rivals. Today, there are only two manufacturers remaining in the town.

Folklore and other facts about liquorice

Roman soldiers chewed liquorice root as a medicinal stick for its thirst-quenching qualities and benefits for sore throats. Liquorice root has been found in excavations along Hadrian’s Wall.

The first secret ballot in a parliamentary election was held in Pontefract on 15 August 1872. The ballot boxes were sealed using a Pontefract Cakes stamp from Frank Dunhill's factory.

The waste root is now being made into a chemical wood pulp. This is pressed into a board and used to make boxes.

Objects made from Pontefract liquorice have appeared many times in films. In the 1979 Bond film 'Moonraker', Jaws is seen biting through a thick electric cable. This was a prop made out of liquorice from Pontefract!

In 1899, Bassett’s salesman Charlie Thompson visited a wholesaler in Leicester with his samples case of liquorice and cream paste specialities. The wholesaler initially refused each item offered. However, the items were accidentally spilled and got jumbled together. The wholesaler liked what he saw and placed an order for a ‘mixed’ delivery. Bassett agreed to this order. He asked Charlie Thompson to give the new assortment a name. Thompson called them 'Liquorice Allsorts'.

Medieval uses*

The earliest documented medicinal use of liquorice can be traced back to ancient Assyrian, Egyptian, Chinese and Indian cultures. Ancient Greek sources provide the first use of liquorice as a drug in Europe.

Liquorice is anti-inflammatory. It was used for asthma, diseases affecting the voice, mouth ulcerations, dry cough and hoarseness, wheezing and shortness of breath and for pains in the chest and lungs.

It was also used for the burning sensation of the stomach, diseases of the liver, bladder and kidney pain, kidney stones, artery diseases, heart palpitations, angina, skin lesions, ulcers, thirst, fever, neuralgia, hair loss, and menopausal symptoms. Liquorice was also used to make a tea which could mask the taste of other bitter medicines.

Liquorice is considered safe as a food ingredient - in moderation. Excessive consumption of liquorice can lead to lowered potassium levels in the blood, increased blood pressure, and to kidney and heart failure.

So, maybe don't devour all your Liquorice Festival goodies at once!

*As always, this isn't to be considered medical advice today. Please don't use any plants mentioned in these blogs as medicine without advice from a doctor.

Browse more weekly blogs from the Medieval Herb Garden

Wayne: My Work Placement with Wakefield Museums and Castles

This blog has been written by Wayne who has been volunteering with us at the museum store since 2021. He has also been doing a university course on preventative conservation. Wayne has been looking at how museum objects can be stored, displayed, and generally looked after in ways that protect them from damage.

As part of Wayne’s course, he had to do a student placement where he would put some of what he has learned into practice. He chose to do his student placement with us! Read on to find out what he's been up to.

Wayne lightly dusting a uniform cap with a paintbrush and the Museum Vac at the Museum Store

My Work Placement with Wakefield Museums and Castles

I'm Wayne. I have just completed my university student placement module with Wakefield Museums and Castles at the museum store. I have also been a volunteer here for a long time now and so it was nice to take on a different role.

During my placement I worked closely with various members of the Museums and Castles Team on different projects. The guidance and generosity of the staff played a crucial role in my development. They helped me expand my knowledge further by putting into practice what I have been learning.

My first project was to look at light levels. I was checking if the light in the museum and the museum cases was too bright for the objects on display. Different types of objects have different reactions to brightness levels. Some of these reactions can cause permanent damage or colour fading to the object. Light levels are checked with a light meter. This measures the brightness of light in lux, or by the amount of light that falls on a surface, which is measured in lumens per square metre.  

Rows of boxes of carefully stored objects in the Museum Store

I started the project by locating light-sensitive objects (objects most likely to fade or become damaged) that are on display in the museums, using the collections database. I then checked how long they had been on display for. Damage caused by light can also be affected by how long an object has been exposed to light.

To prevent light damage from happening, it is important to regularly test, monitor, and set light brightness. We also calculate how long the object can be displayed for before it becomes at risk of light damage. When an object reaches its display time limit, it should be moved to dark storage where it can “get some rest”. 

The next stage of my work was to identify which of the museum objects on display have reached their display limit so that they can be swapped and moved to dark storage.

Food collections

Now this may sound strange to many people that already know food and museum collections don’t go together normally! Food can rot or attract pests like mice and insects. These may then damage other objects as well.

However, there are some food objects in the museum collection. They can tell us a great deal about the past. One such object is a hot cross bun from the Crimean War. This bun is nearly 200 years old. It is said to have survived inside a pocket of a soldier because he forgot it was there “like you do”.

The hot cross bun that survived the Crimean War!

This brings me to my next project, which I also decided to base the written part of my student placement on. Before I could start the project, I had to locate all the food objects in the museum collection. This was not easy! A lot of the object records on the collections database describe the wrapping, or box, but not always whether the food itself was still in the packaging.

Once I identified the food, I looked at its condition and whether it was in sealed packaging and whether it had dried out or started to rot or fall apart. I then looked at how these food-based objects could be stored and displayed in a way that would prevent or stop any deterioration.

After I started to research this, I soon realised that there was a gap in information in this area. The information I did find included protecting the food from the threat of pests by keeping them in sealed containers. These will keep out even the smallest insect.

A freshly repacked box with food collection objects - not to be mistaken for your lunch...

The food was also placed inside separate plastic bags. This meant that more than one object can be packed in a box, but each object is still sealed and separate. I also placed a humidity strip and silica gel into the boxes. The humidity strip monitors how much moisture is in the box and the silica gel absorbs it.

Once everything was repacked into plastic boxes, I put all of the food objects into the same storage area. This will make it easier to check them, as this will need to done regularly.   

Working with the museum team, we did make the decision to remove some of the food from its packaging and dispose of it. Some of these objects included food that were in open packets, like some crisps from 1981 that really did smell bad!

Out-of-date commemorative Bovril Flavour crisps, anyone?

There were also some bonbons that had turned brown in colour. We did keep the packaging for the museum collection, however.

A jar of plums 'bottled on the first day of the Great War, 1914-18'

I would like to thank all the staff at the museum store and many others that made my work placement an enjoyable experience.

Research, development and recreation of Cistercian ware - Naomi Aderonke

Naomi Aderonke, a local ceramicist who has a passion for history, has recreated a style of pottery made in medieval Wakefield. 

In the middle ages Cistercian ware was made in Potovens (pot ovens) in Wrenthorpe. Initially, they supplied practical bowls and cups to Cistercian monks in their abbeys. The abbeys closed in 1540. However, the pots were so popular in Wakefield that they kept making them. In the 1600s, they started also decorating the pots in coloured slip. 

Naomi lives near the site of the Wrenthorpe pottery kilns. She has researched the medieval techniques and style to recreate examples from our collections. Her work has now gone on display with original Cistercian ware at Wakefield Museum.

Read on to discover more about Naomi's research and work in her guest blog.

Naomi Aderonke hosting her tyg making workshop

Why Cistercian ware?

I was looking for a historical link between Wakefield and Ceramics. I’d been interested in looking into alternative industries that might have been significant in Wakefield's history, that weren't textiles and coal mining.

Being a ceramicist myself I wanted to find a link between where I grew up and the craft I loved. 

Researching this I stumbled upon an article on Engole. Here I learnt of Wakefield's link to Cistercian ware. 

I then cross-referenced with other sources, like the archaeology data service and Historic England's records. I learnt more about Cistercian ware's significance, not just to Wakefield, but the surrounding areas of Yorkshire.

The first hurdles

Initially, I wanted to truly recreate as much as I could of the original process that was used in the 1500s.

Potovens was named for the kilns there. A recreation of the original kilns used is outside Wrenthorpe's village hall. Sadly, I do not have the funding, land or skill to recreate an original replica of a working Potovens kiln.

Another issue I had was sourcing local clay. I worked with a local geologist who obtained maps of clay deposits in the area. I started my inquiries.

I sent several emails to the local parks, castles, estates, canals, lakes. I also contacted the original places the potters would use for their clay, Outwood Colliery.

All answers came back as negative. However, it did give me a deeper insight into the local land.

Most original clay deposits would later become coal mines; leaving the land surrounding them unstable. The old pits themselves have been rewilded into marshland for local birds and animals. The castles, parks, estates and lakes such as Newmillerdam and Pugneys are protected land or have been made unstable due to mining. And finally, the canals cannot be dug up due to it causing canal erosion. 

While initially I felt sad and frustrated at this dead end, I knew that the protection of Wakefield's wildlife and history was more important than a few bags of wild, local clay.

Project research and development 

One of the first things I did once I was able to start this project was contact Wakefield Museum. I wanted to learn more about Cisterian ware in Wakefield from an historian's perspective. 

A piece of Late Cistercian ware pot, decorated with white slip and a heavy iron oxide glaze

I was invited by them to the museum store in Ossett. I got to handle original Cistercian ware dug up from both Sandal Castle and Pontefract Castle.

After seeing these original examples of Cistercian ware I threw myself into the practical development side of the project. 

A Wrenthorpe pot used to practice pulling handles on - hence all the handles! 

What makes Cistercian ware look the way it does?

First I looked for a red clay to recreate the original red clays used at the time. I ended up using one called Keuper Red. This gave me the dark reddish, almost purple, when fired, clay.  

Initially in the late middle ages they used a clay called 'glacial clay'. This white clay was easily found on the surface without too much digging. This clay contained many impurities. It was the main clay used in Brandsby-type pottery popular in the 1200s and 1300s.

The next thing I did with this clay was make around 30 to 40 test tiles. It was important for working out how I was going to make the colour for the pots.

After handling the pieces in the museum store I realised there was the use of two slips under the glaze, not one. A red/brown colour and a yellow slip (or so I believed at the time). 

A Wrenthorpe pot in the museum collection

Trial and error: development

I was not sure how they’d done the yellow slip with glaze. However, I knew from extrapolating the resources and knowledge of ceramics at the time, the colour most likely used in the slip was a red iron oxide.

Red iron oxide tends to create a reddish-brown colour. This explained the rich red-brown colour of the pots, even the ones where the glaze had chipped away (but the surface of the clay had not). 

With this, I created a multitude of test glazes and slips with different red iron oxide percentages. I kept some slip and glaze test tiles without the separate and used a mix of both slip and glaze on others. 

Test tiles stood to dry, with differing percentages of red iron oxide

I also tried to create a yellow slip with yellow staining. Unfortunately, this was a failure, and forced me to go back to the drawing board.

The base glaze was a peer-reviewed transparent glaze for dark clays. This prevented the base glaze from causing any clouding.

After working out the glazes, lead-free compared to the glazes used in the late medieval era, I began to focus on the shapes of the pieces.

Shaping the pieces

Similar to using a sketch book, I used my miniature wheel to create miniature versions of Cistercian shapes I had seen and researched.

Creating smaller versions of these reduced clay usage for failed pots. It also allowed me to create multiple variations of shapes without worry of trimming. 

Miniature test pots

Tygs

I decided to try both throwing and hand-building larger versions of Cistercian ware pieces, specifically tygs. This was a later Cistercian ware style, from around the 1700s.

A tyg was a mug with multiple handles, with each handle breathing up the mug into separate sections of the rim. This allowed people to share and pass around a drink more easily.

One of the original, incomplete tygs in our collection, and Naomi's miniature replica

None of the original tygs would have been hand-built. However, I decided to do this due to my desire to later host a workshop on 'making your own tygs'. A hand-built method would allow me to teach multiple people how to make their own tygs more easily.

Using these initial hand-built tygs, I decided to recreate the traditional yellow designs or post-reformation Cistercian ware again. 

I looked back on references from the museum store, as well as yellow and brown slip ware from Staffordshire in the 1600s. From this, I was able to extrapolate that the slip was actually not yellow at all. Instead, I worked out it was the old white clay initially used in Cistercian ware back in the 1400s. It was tinted yellow by the iron heavy glaze used.

I tried this method out on some of my failed pots. Unfortunately, they held little colour as I’d not added enough red iron oxide, nor dipped them for enough time.

However, as you can see on these zoomed-in areas, when the glaze pooled it allowed a colour going towards the yellow colour I was looking for: 

Two close-up examples nearing the desired yellow slip effect

Final stage

After putting all I had learnt to practice, I focused back on the workshop and end pieces for the Cistercian display for Wakefield Museum.

Firstly, I made and tested templates for the tyg workshop. I created net templates to work out how to get the best effect.

After working that out, I sought to create an example tyg using this method. This was then decorated with Yorkshire iconography such as rhubarb and Pontefract cakes. 

One of Naomi's tygs with a 'Pontefract Cakes' design

For the pieces for the museum display I wanted to respect the original pieces, but I did not aim to make exact replicas.

The choice to do miniatures came from the fact miniature throwing is a big part of my practice. I wanted to reflect not only the original piece but recontextualise it for a modern era.

Most people enjoy collecting miniatures of ceramic pieces. It allows them to collect much more, especially if they have smaller homes. Most miniatures are wholly based on modern ceramics. I think that having the ability to have a small part of history (whether local or international) allows people to reconnect more with the ceramics of the past.

Naomi's miniatures with their original inspiration pieces at the museum store

I would like to thank Wakefield Council for funding this as part of Our Year - Wakefield District 2024 and the help and support of Wakefield Museums and Castles.

Naomi's pieces are now on display with original Cistercian ware from our collection, in a new exhibit at Wakefield Museum.

The Cistercian ware display at Wakefield Museum

MHG Volunteer Blog: Week 6 - Primrose

Oh dear, that nicer weather has been short-lived so far... here's what our Medieval Herb Garden volunteers got up to this week:

10 February 2025

Well, rain again! So nothing productive could be achieved in the MHG today. 

We moved the rhubarb plants from the nursery to the “plant barrow” so that they would be available for sale. 

After that, Carole and Helen retired to the office. Over a hot cup of tea we sorted through the seeds that had been harvested last Autumn. We were checking for any deterioration and to repackage them ready for sowing later on in the year.

Whilst sorting through the motherwort seeds, we found an unexpected visitor. This ladybird had obviously been in hibernation, in the seed store, for over 3 months! 

We left it scurrying around the table until we had finished with the seeds. We then gently placed it on one of the bunches of drying lavender in the back office. Hopefully, it will be happy there.

Our little ladybird friend inside the packet of seeds

Plant of the week - Primrose (primula vulgaris)

The common name primrose derives from a late Latin form prima rosa, consisting of prima, "first" and rosa, "rose".

Primroses are a native, evergreen, herbaceous perennial. They have rosette-forming, tongue-shaped, wrinkled, deeply veined, bright green leaves. The leaves are 5 to 25cm long and 2 to 6cm wide. The pale-yellow flowers are 2 to 4 cm across, and appear between February and April. 

Each plant can grow to a height and spread of around 10cm. Over time, they will create clumps of multiple plants. Primroses prefer full sun or partial shade, on any sheltered site with moist, well-drained soil.

Some of our primroses poking through the mud

Primroses are popular with a range of insects, such as brimstone and small tortoiseshell butterflies, wasps, bees, sawflies, ants and beetles. 

The flowers are often removed from their stalks and scattered on the ground by greenfinches. These birds seem to enjoy eating the plant's ovaries and nectaries.

Culinary uses of primroses

Both the flowers and leaves of a primrose are edible. The leaves have a sweet taste, ranging between mild lettuce and more bitter salad greens. The leaves, which are rich in vitamin C, can be cooked in soup. However, they're best mixed with other plants as they can be a little strong. The leaves can also be used to make a “tea”.  

The sweeter petals were often used to make wines, syrups or vinegars. They were added to salads and desserts or used as cake decorations.

Folklore

In Victorian times, the primrose represented fickleness or inconsistency. This could be due to the short-lived blooms or the tendency of some species to open at different times of the day. Primroses, in general, signify youthfulness, welcome or young love.

According to a Scottish legend, if you want to see a fairy, you must eat a primrose, or rub primrose oil on your eyelids. Some ancient Druids thought that standing in a large swathe of primroses gave you passage to fairyland.

Some farmers used to put primroses in their cowsheds to stop fairies stealing the milk, or braided them into the manes of horses for protection.

Medieval uses*

In the early days of medicine, the primrose was considered an important remedy for muscular rheumatism, paralysis and gout.  The whole plant, and especially the root, was used as a painkiller. It was used to treat various ailments such as headaches and toothaches. Primrose was given for colds. It was also believed to have a calming effect on the nerves and could help induce sleep.

According to John Gerard in 1597:  'Primrose Tea... drunk in the month of May is famous for curing the phrensie.'

*As always, this isn't to be considered medical advice today. Please don't use any plants mentioned in these blogs as medicine without advice from a doctor.

Browse the previous Medieval Herb Garden blogs here

100 Years of Collecting - Facebookers' favourite objects

We've loved seeing how much you have enjoyed our 100 Years of Collecting digital content over the past year!

As we bring our centenary celebrations to a close, we asked our Facebook followers to vote on their favourite of the 100 objects in the online exhibition.

Here's a spotlight on the objects you chose to round things up! The 100 Years of Collecting online exhibition will continue to stay live here on our blog.

Please note: one of the objects described in this article refers to the transatlantic slave trade, which uses an outdated historical term.

Madam Connie's wig

Madam Connie's wig as it was on display in the Moving Stories exhibition

Made in: the 2010s

Collected in: 2019

Associated place: Wakefield

Steven Ogilvie wore this wig as his fabulous drag queen persona, Madam Connie, at performances in Wakefield.

Steven donated the wig to the museum in 2019 along with other outfits after Madam Connie hung her up stilettos for the last time. Steven also recorded an oral history about his experiences performing as Connie. He says performing increased his confidence and helped him through difficult times.

We loved including the wig in our recent Moving Stories exhibition! It's now taking a well-earned rest back at our Museum Store.

It was Madam Connie's friends and followers that got her wig well and truly voted onto this favourites list!

You can read more about Madam Connie's story here.

Sandal Castle ring

The Sandal Castle ring, which is on display at Wakefield Museum

Made in: between 1485 and 1600

Collected in: 1983

Associated place: Sandal / Sandal Castle

This beautiful gold ring was found by archaeologists at Sandal Castle during excavations in the 1960s. It is about 500 years old.

It is called a 'love ring' because it has a lovers’ promise on it. 

The wording on this one says ‘tout le vos’tre’, which means ‘I am all yours’ in medieval French (the language of the upper classes in the Middle Ages). 

It's one of our star objects in the permanent Wakefield Stories display at Wakefield Museum. 

It's perhaps unsurprising that such a beautiful and heartfelt object scored so highly with our Facebook followers!

Britain's oldest post box

Britain's oldest postbox - on display at Wakefield Museum

Made in: 1809

Collected in: 1964

Associated place: Wakefield

Wakefield Museum has some quietly important objects such as this post box, the oldest in Britain! 

It was installed in Wakefield Post Office on Wood Street in 1809 and predates the Victorian Penny Post by 30 years.

Our objects and sites aren't just special because of their history. One Facebook user voted for the post box because "it reminds me of one of my delightful friends I made through the museum"! 

Another said "I'm voting for the post box because they used to be every day street furniture but now... they are little windows into our history."

Ballot Box 

One of the ballot boxes used in Britain's first ever secret ballot in 1872 - on display at Pontefract Museum

Made in: 1870s

Collected in: 1978

Associated place: Pontefract

From one groundbreaking box - to another!

On the 15 August 1872, the first ever secret ballot in Britain to elect an MP was held in Pontefract. 

This was the first time that people had voted in secret by placing an ‘X’ on a ballot paper next to the name of their choice. 

Before this, people voted openly and could be easily pressured and bullied. 

The ballot box was sealed with a liquorice stamp made from Frank Dunhill's factory to ensure it wasn't tampered with. There are still remnants of this seal on our box, which you can see on display at Pontefract Museum.

At this time, only men over the age of 21 who owned property could vote. Women couldn't vote until 1928, and the voting age was lowered to 18 only in 1969. 

It's a piece of national political history of which Pomfretians are rightly very proud!

Nymph Stone

The 'nymph stone' on display at Castleford Museum

Made in: Roman era

Collected in: 1990s

Associated place: Castleford

This carving of two female heads is dedicated ‘to the Nymphs’, nature spirits usually linked to springs and running water. 

Dedications to nymphs are often found near military sites like the Roman fort at Castleford. 

The fort at Castleford was known as 'Lagentium' to the Romans.

One Facebooker said they chose it because "this kind of artefact always benefits from re- examination and interpretation as time passes and knowledge expands".

What a brilliant sentiment about this special object! It's on display at Castleford Museum with lots of other ancient objects worthy of a closer look.

Anti-slavery lecture poster

A poster promoting W. Howard Day's anti-slavery lecture in 1860, on display at Wakefield Museum

Made in: 1860

Collected in: 1923

Associated place: Wakefield

This poster advertises a lecture given by William Howard Day from 'Canada West' in the Music Saloon on Wood Street in Wakefield in December 1860. 

The lecture took place at an important moment in the story of slavery, just a few months before the start of the American Civil War, a conflict based on the continued ownership and abuse of enslaved people by the plantation owners of the Southern States of America.

Several celebrated abolitionists such as Day visited this country and resonated with the working people in the North of England. 

Many towns like Wakefield had an active abolitionist campaign movement and invited speakers to venues such as the Music Saloon on Wood Street and the Corn Exchange on Westgate.

One Facebook user said they were voting for this because it is "an important part of the empathetic community spirit of the Wakefield district". Lovely words indeed.

It's also one of the earliest objects added to our collection, as it was collected in 1923!

Battle of Wakefield iron spearhead

An iron spearhead dating to The Battle of Wakefield in 1460 - on display at Wakefield Museum

Made in: 15th Century

Collected in: 1959

Associated place: Sandal / Sandal Castle

This iron spearhead dates to the time of the Battle of Wakefield in 1460. The Battle was a major clash in the Wars of the Roses. 

Richard, Duke of York, leader of the Yorkist faction and his eldest son, Edmund, Earl of Rutland, were both killed along with hundreds or even thousands of their supporters. 

It is this event that likely lead to the rhyme 'Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain', to remember the order of colours in a rainbow.

This spear head was found in the Portobello estate, the site of the battle, and was probably used by an infantryman at the battle.

You can find out more about the Battle of Wakefield in our comic!

Pontefract Castle Keirincx painting

Pontefract Castle painted by Alexander Keirincx in the 1640s - on display at Pontefract Museum

Made in: 1640s

Collected in: 1965

Associated place: Pontefract

This is a large oil painting of Pontefract Castle as it was in about 1640. 

It was painted by the Flemish landscape painter Alexander Keirincx, at the request of Charles I. It shows what a grand site it was, and much larger than the standing remains today might suggest.  

You can explore an interactive version of the Pontefract Castle painting here!

Shared with thanks to The Hepworth Wakefield.

Thanks to everyone who voted! You can continue to explore the 100 objects in our online exhibition. 

Post a comment with what you think we should include in the next 100 objects we collect!