The diary of infamous Lancaster murderer Dr Buck Ruxton will be one of 100 items going under the spotlight to mark a special centenary.
A unique 2,000-year-old inscribed Insus tombstone will also be among the ‘100 favourite’ items celebrated as the city marks 100 years of its museums service.
To mark the centenary milestone, 100 objects housed across Lancaster's museums will be featured in weekly podcasts called '100 Years, 100 Objects: Stories from the Collections of Lancaster City Museums'.
The rest of the collection of 70,000 locally important treasures from the prehistoric age to the space age will be focussed on through exhibitions and events throughout the year.
The podcasts featuring local people, experts and museum staff, will delve into the significance of finds and artefacts to stories of local people, including the Lancastrian who invented the word dinosaur and the inventor of the train ticket.
The celebration year will culminate in November enabling people in the district to vote for their favourite objects, which will result in a ‘100 favourite objects’ exhibition.
The museums service started in 1923 in the former town hall, a few years after it was decided that the town should have a dedicated museum and a publicly-owned historical collection.
Lancaster City Museums incorporates Lancaster City Museum, Lancaster Maritime Museum, The Cottage Museum and King’s Own Royal Regiment Museum.
The Cottage Museum and the Maritime Museum were opened in the 1980s.
Councillor Sandra Thornberry, cabinet member with responsibility for arts, culture, leisure and wellbeing, said: “Our museums play such an important part in charting the heritage of Lancaster, Morecambe and the surrounding area, and also house UK culturally important collections.
“This special celebration of 100 years will shine a spotlight on the rich - and sometimes dark - history of our district while bringing together members of community groups, university students and experts, who will bring objects and stories alive through the podcasts.
“We hope that all of the special events will increase a sense of ownership of our collections in the local community.”
The podcasts started on January 3, and the series of 100 will include the story of the diary of Ruxton, who was convicted and subsequently hanged for the September 1935 murders of his common-law-wife, Isabella Ruxton and the family housemaid, Mary Jane Rogerson, at his home in Lancaster.
They will also include
- Margaret Bird Indenture, a document from 1848, which bound 12-year-old Margaret Bird to a seven-year apprenticeship in a mill in Caton owned by the Gregg family. Along with local researcher Naomi Parsons, we explore what these indentures meant for children like Margaret and what their lives might have been like.
- The Gold Cap Badge, a beautiful piece from the 1500s, is explored with an archaeologist to unearth how the badge actually depicts a biblical story and was one of a range of religious souvenirs available to the fashionable gentleman in Lancashire in the 16th Century.
- The story behind the Iguanodon Model and its connection with eminent anatomist and palaeontologist Richard Owen, who came from Lancaster, and who invented the word dinosaur.
The podcasts can be found here. They can also be found on Amazon Music and Spotify by searching for ‘Lancaster City Museums’.
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