St George’s Day on April 23 also marks the birth and death day of William Shakespeare. The Bard is arguably England’s greatest playwright. Although none of his plays were set in Cirencester, the town does get a mention in Richard II, at the start of Act 5, Scene 6. Henry IV says to the Duke […]
When you think of Romano-British architecture, you might picture towering columns, grand amphitheatres, or intricate mosaic floors—like our own stunning Orpheus Mosaic, discovered at Barton Farm, just outside of Cirencester 200 years ago. But did you know that Roman builders had more in common with modern LEGO® enthusiasts than you might expect?
Women, especially from more distant historical periods, tend to be marginalised by the historical record. While the stories of the highest-ranking Roman women survive, those of the more ordinary citizens tend to disappear. As such, though the lurid figures of Livia and Agrippina may loom large in the accounts of Suetonius and Tacitus, there tends […]
Between 2008-2013 Oxford Archaeology undertook a large excavation at the site of Kingshill (Kingshill South) just to the east of Cirencester. It lies outside of the line of the town walls of Roman Corinium and the archaeologists found a Roman building that showed evidence of people living there from as early as 70AD right up […]
This Anglo-Saxon pendant, of gold set with garnets, is perhaps the finest example of Anglo-Saxon metalworking in the museum’s collection. It possesses that unique capacity of Anglo-Saxon metalwork to amaze; one cannot help but be struck by the artistic beauty of such an item, and the incredible skill of its maker. When looking at this […]
The Corinium Museum contains artefacts and finds from prehistory up until the 19th century and we treasure all kinds of amazing objects, from Palaeolithic mammoth tusks to Victorian stoneware bottles. Treasure in a legal sense is much more defined. Under the Treasure Act 1996 it is gold and silver objects, and groups of coins that […]
Sometimes when choosing objects and researching their backgrounds you make connections, and sometimes uncover some fascinating stories. This can be especially true in our post-medieval collections of social and rural history. For example, we have many stoneware bottles with associations with the area brewing and bottling was happening across the Cotswolds on the 18th & […]
As schools and families officer here at the museum and a member of the local community, I get a lot of feedback from friends about the museum. One of the most frequent phrases is, ‘oh we haven’t been there in ages.’ So, full disclosure, I love museums. All museums. This concept of not visiting with […]
In the store, in a windowless room, on a metal shelf, in a cardboard box labelled 37, amongst tissue, lie a selection of pattens. They mostly have wooden soles with iron rings attached (and sometimes detached), and some still have their leather strap across the toe and a short lace. Pattens were protective overshoes […]
There are many Neolithic long barrows in the Cotswolds, a number of which have been reconstructed and are available for the public to visit. Neolithic long barrows are chambered tombs dating anywhere from around 3,700 BC to 3,000 BC, so most were constructed more than 5,000 years ago. The dead were placed in these tombs […]
