Museum of Oxford's Volunteer Newsletter October 2014

MUSEUM OF OXFORD

Volunteer Newsletter

October 2014

This Issue 1. Body Snatchers: A Time Team Special

Welcome What to expect from this edition of this edition of the newsletter

2. The museum’s maps 3. Shuffrey in Pictures 4. Museum of Oxford Friends 5. Mayor’s Chair

Body Snatchers: A Time Team Special In this newsletter, we are introduced to the world of eighteenth centur y bodysnatching, and given a brief history of The Old Museum’s resident skeleton – Giles Covington.

Body Snatchers: A Time Team Special, page 2

Continued on Page 2

Mayor’s Chair Judith Price updates us about what the Museum of Oxford Friends Group has been up to since their visit to Abingdon Museum, as well as being the interviewee in the ‘Mayor’s Chair’.

The page33 TheMuseum’s museum’sMaps, map, page

Shuffrey in Pictures, page 4

Continued on Page 6

If you would like to get involved with the newsletter, or indeed any aspect of the Museum, please contact David Juler.

Museum of Oxford, Oxford Town Hall, St Aldate’s, Oxford City Council, OX1 1BX

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Body snatching, excavations at the old Radcliffe Infirmary, the Museum’s own skeleton Prue Drew In a Time Team Special, ‘Secrets of the Body Snatchers’, Channel 4, 31.08.14, Tony Robinson presented some of the most gruesome events of the nineteenth century, criminals stealing corpses from graves to sell on to surgeons eager to learn about human anatomy.

Dr Alex Langlands, University of Winchester, spoke on the programme of the huge advances made in medical science of the eighteenth century: “The way they went about making such advances and understanding the human body was to get hold of one and cut it up . . .

This resulted in a huge trade in bodies and people would go to extreme lengths to get hold of individuals who had passed away.”

Fresh bodies were smuggled out of graveyards and sold on the black market. “I heard in the most extreme cases of tunnels being dug to get to buried individuals – sometimes they were being dug as the funerals were taking place . . . we definitely know a lot of undertakers and ministers were being bribed.”

The Anatomy Act, introduced in 1832, was supposed to put a stop to the trade by allowing workhouses and poor hospitals to sell cadavers for dissection*. They were only allowed to deal in those unclaimed by families, but the grisly trade continued over a period of a hundred years. Tony Robinson reported how hospitals and wo rk h o u s e s c o u l d s e l l b o d i e s unclaimed by families, with thousands of corpses being sold without permission, records showing that

perhaps about 125,000 bodies were traded without the prior permission of the deceased. As it was widely believed that mutilating a cadaver could prevent the soul’s resurrection, t h i s w a s n o m i n o r m a t t e r. (*‘Dissection’ in Victorian times may be interpreted as reducing the body to what could be called ‘a pile of meat and offal’.)

The programme included filming of the largest field project* undertaken in 2013, at the former burial ground of the Radcliffe Infirmary in Oxford (the site now being developed by Oxford University for the Blavatnik School of Government) where a total of 347 articulated skeletons dating from 1770 – 1855 were recovered from 346 graves, in addition to 22 articulated limbs (mostly amputations) and four charnel pits. One of the charnel pits contained two partially articulated skeletons. An assessment of the skeletons has observed a high prevalence of trauma, deficiency diseases, dental disease and other indicators of poor health, with virtually no evidence for anatomisation and dissection. (*recorded in the British Association for Biological Anthropology and Osteology, Annual Review 2014) The programme indicated the contrast between the findings of the Oxford excavation and the quantities of anatomised human bones that have been excavated at contemporary hospital sites, for example in London, Manchester and Newcastle.

Particular reference was made to Cambridge University, recipient at

this time for skeletons on which an increasing number of medical students could learn and practice the dissecting skills vital to their profession.

A coda to this rather macabre account may be offered, with the following account of the life and death of Giles Covington, the Museum of Oxford’s personal skeleton, due to be ‘resurrected’ when the new Museum opens within the next few years: A notorious murderer whose body was given to Oxford anatomy students for dissection more than 200 years ago may soon be allowed to rest in peace. Giles Freeman Covington, a 23-year-old seaman, was convicted of killing a Scottish peddler and hanged at Oxford on March 7, 1791.

Records show that Covington was cut down from the gibbet and taken by a "Dr Pegge" to be carved up at a public lecture in the Anatomy School at Christ Church, Oxford. His bones were cleaned and wired together to be used as a teaching aide, a role Covington was to fulfil for more than seventy years. For the next century Covington stood in a glass case in Oxford's University Museum labelled simply "Englishman", before being relegated to the Bone Room.

In 1982, a researcher saw the name "Giles Covington" inscribed on his lower jaw and passed him to the city museum where his skeleton is now displayed.

(The Daily Telegraph, 16/07/02)

Museum of Oxford, Oxford Town Hall, St Aldate’s, Oxford City Council, OX1 1BX

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The Museum’s Maps Marta Grabowska

As many volunteers might relate, a lot of visitors enjoy looking at our historic maps; our knowledge of them often interests them significantly. However, we may have struggled to explain the origins of the specific dates on the maps. Peter introduced me to the problem and we have given it a lot of consideration during the quieter period of Saturday afternoons. David consulted the researcher of the maps (the drawing was done by someone else), which helped us solve the puzzle to a considerable degree.

Therefore, bearing in mind some uncertainties remain, we wanted to present our current findings.

The Saxon settlement of Oxford began circa 900 AD, and moreover the Saxon name of the settlement which eventually became Oxford originates from 911 – therefore, 910 is a date which though rounded, has a clear purpose. The next such date is 1578; although it was initially a puzzle because of its particularity, we’ve managed to explain it. In 1578, a cartographer called Ralph Agas drew a map of Oxford which must have served as crucial evidence; we can be relatively confident about the state of Oxford in that particular year.

Of course, 1897 is a date we all know very well!

actually used – instead, 1250 features for medieval O x f o r d , making this date even more of a puzzle for us! We discussed some interesting events circa 1270. The cross base in our museum was a result of the conflict between the Jewish and Christian community on Ascension Day in 1268. In addition, a large census called the Hundred Rolls was carried out in 1278-79, which would have shown the population of Oxford at the time. However, the researcher explains he had been led by the significance of changes in the city; the expansion of buildings and the creation of important structures.

As for 1790, this was when the Oxford Canal opened, linking Oxford with Coventry. However, it seems these two dates were influenced by the infrastructure rather than events.

We hope this will clarify the great mystery of our historic maps for future generations of our volunteers.

The dates 1270 and 1790 are less exact, and instead represent more generalised references for various significant events; thus unfortunately there is no specific reason for them. In the information provided by the researcher of the maps, the date 1270 is not Museum of Oxford, Oxford Town Hall, St Aldate’s, Oxford City Council, OX1 1BX

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“Shuffrey in Pictures”: Then and Now Eve Tignol

T he Galler y exhibition “J.A. Shuffrey: A Celebration in P i c t u re s ” ( 2 0 S e p t e m b e r - 8 November 2014), celebrating the artist’s 155th birthday, is the third exhibition featuring James Allen Shuffrey’s work at the Museum of Oxford. Besides displaying some of the artist’s original paintings, d r a w i n g s a n d p o s t c a r d s, t h e exhibition offers fresh and creative perspectives on his work by local community art groups.

J. A. Shuffrey was a famous Oxford watercolour artist born in Witney in 1859 in a family of blanket weavers of Huguenot origin. Shuffrey first learnt art at secondary school, where Miss Cropper trained him once a week ‘in ‘sepia’, perspective and watercolour’. The rest of his (selft a u g h t ) a r t e d u c at i o n m o s t l y consisted of copying the works of old masters, such as Peter de Wint, JMW Turner and William Turner of Oxford and cycling to local villages to sketch picturesque scenes. From 1902, Shuffrey moved to Oxford, motivated by the increasing demand for paintings of the city’s famous buildings. In 1904, when the

coloured postcard had come into fashion, Shuffrey was commissioned to create a series of cards picturing Christ Church Cathedral’s stained glass windows and college gardens, skilfully combining representations of s t o n e bu i l d i n g s a n d l u s c i o u s vegetation. By 1906 Shuffrey had become a renowned artist: he taught art at his studio on 6 High Street and at the Summer Fields School, he regularly showed pictures at the Assembly Rooms, Town Hall and Arts and Crafts Exhibition in Oxford as well as in London, and was soon elected a member of the British Watercolour Society. But his own painting always remained a priority; he remembered in his Reminiscences* that he was at the time producing large pictures of Oxford colleges and devoted almost all of his time to his work. Shuffrey spent most of his time until his death in 1939, representing Oxford’s landscape and immortalizing places that were to be demolished during the town’s redevelopment, thus composing a unique and extensive visual record of Oxford’s vanishing past.

The “Shuffrey in Pictures” exhibition aims to offer new perspectives on Shuffrey’s work in a “then and now” approach: more than a century after he moved to Oxford ‘to paint colleges’ and Oxford’s fast-changing landscape, two art groups responded to his topographical work in their own artistic styles. Inspired by Shuffrey’s work, the Museum of Oxford Art Group and the

photography workshop participants from the Oxfordshire MIND charity have both creatively revisited the same places that were featured in his paintings. The MoO Art Group worked from photographs they had taken of various locations in the city such as the Sheldonian Theatre, the Clarendon building on Broad Street, a n d Wa d h a m C o l l e g e a n d reinterpreted them using a wide range of material. Meanwhile, the participants in the weekly photography workshop organised by the mental health charity MIND, with the help of professional photographer Adrian Spencer, have revisited the Botanical Garden, Broad Street, Magdalen tower and Turl Street through contemporary photography. Both art groups offer a modern and inventive reinvention of Shuf frey’s pictures, providing interesting echoes to early twentiethcentury topographical works, inviting reflections on time and change, and on the past and present of Oxford’s life and environment.

Many thanks to Carly SmithH u g gi n gs, H eri tage L ear n i n g Assistant.

* For further reading: L. Gilmour and M. Shuffrey, J.A. Shuffrey, 1859-1939: An Oxford Artist’s Life Remembered, Oxford Museum of Oxford, Oxford Town Hall, St Aldate’s, Oxford City Council, OX1 1BX

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Thank you s for u g n i n i o j r fo Door n e p O d r o f Ox 2014!

Photo: Yi Wu

Who are MoOFs Judith Price Our Museum of Oxford is one of a kind – because while there are more famous and action-packed museums nearby, none of them tell the special story of our historic city.

However, some volunteers felt that the Museum might benefit from a Friends’ Group like that of the Abingdon Museum (see article in last newsletter). To elicit views, an email was sent to everyone, and we received lots of positive interest and support in favour of the idea.

So what happened next? Well, several of the volunteers met up and soon, progress was made!

It was unanimously agreed that our unique museum should be a valued place for visitors from both home and abroad, and for the community in general. We felt that a Friends’ Group could contribute positively to this.

By the end of the meeting, we had a name, MoOFs – the Museum of Oxford Friends. There was a plan of action, including; understanding the formal process of setting up, and research into stating the clear aims of, the group. We also established a list of possible local organisations and businesses who might wish to help.

Importantly, it was recognised that amongst you, the volunteers, there is a reservoir of skills and expertise which would be invaluable and contribute massively to, the enduring success of our Museum.

MoOFs has just begun and your ideas and skills are needed, so do please come along to our meetings. If you let David Juler know that you are interested, we will email you the date and time of our next meeting, and will look forward to seeing you there!

Museum of Oxford, Oxford Town Hall, St Aldate’s, Oxford City Council, OX1 1BX

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In the Mayor’s chair – Judith Price Peter Simpson

When the celebrated Shakespearean actor Ian Richardson (House of Cards) gave Judith a personal solo performance of the play Macbeth, she promptly fell asleep. He was at a party given by her parents when Judith was very young and this was her bedtime story!

Judith was born in Birmingham to Scottish parents, who had moved south because her father was later to become the Resident Designer for the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, one of Britain’s longest established theatre companies. Judith grew up in this theatre world where she enjoyed exploring ‘backstage’ and later performed in many school plays. Although she really wanted to act, Judith successfully completed a business course which led to a traineeship with British Leyland in Birmingham. After gaining experience in various departments, she joined the Personnel department. When previous employees of the American Chrysler firm joined the company, they trained her to be a Financial Analyst which meant that she was one of the first women to liaise with shop floor personnel on financial aspects of running production.

She was a Financial Supervisor at Longbridge at the time of Derek Robinson (Red Robbo) and the many industrial disputes; she remembers vividly being locked in the plant for a whole weekend.

Later, Judith transferred to the Cowley Plant in Oxford at the same time as her husbandto-be. She then became very much a Cowley Works person, originally living in Abingdon they then moved to Botley where 29 years later they still live today.

After 16 years working in the motor industry, Judith left Cowley to start a family. Later she helped, at playgroup and then, at the local

nursery and helped to set up a parents association there. Volunteering at a local primary school and becoming a teaching a s s i s t a n t convinced her to take a teacher training degree at Westminster College, Oxford, qualifying with a 1st class honours degree. She was then involved in education for the next 14 years, including volunteering as a School Governor.

Judith Price Judith retired in !

2011. She took a long sabbatical, during which time she read a lot, mainly history and science fiction, which she really loves. She found herself wanting to do something completely different and so her love of history led her to joining the Museum of Oxford as a volunteer where she enjoys talking to the many visitors in Explore Oxford as well as being very active within the museum development group which includes the newly formed Museum of Oxford Friends.

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Judith enjoys travelling; her first major trip was in the 70’s when she travelled through many European countries in an original mini. She continues to love the theatre and goes to as many theatrical performances as she can.

Museum of Oxford, Oxford Town Hall, St Aldate’s, Oxford City Council, OX1 1BX

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What’s On? The Museum WW1 medals exhibition and family history open day with the Orders 25th October, 10am to 4pm, FREE Drop in craft stall and Under Siege gallery trail, £1, Gift Shop Members of The Thames Valley branch of the Orders and Medals Research Society will bring in some of their medals to display. They will also be happy to look at any medals brought in by the public, as well as give advice about researching your own WW1 family history. There will also be a drop-in family stall where families will be able to make their own medals and take part in our Under Siege family gallery trail.

Living in First World War Oxford Family Day 30th October, 10.30am to 3.30pm, FREE, Heritage Learning Centre This is an opportunity to learn about Oxford in The First World War, as well as being able to handle real wartime objects!

Intergenerational Christmas Light Festival Lantern Making Day 22nd November 2014, 10.30am to 3.30pm (Interval 12 to 1pm), FREE, Heritage Learning Centre Join us to help create a large scale lantern for our community exhibition to celebrate the Christmas Light Festival. There is also a chance to make a mini colourful lantern to take home with you. Drop in any time during the day and join in the fun.

The large scale lantern will later be hung in our gallery space alongside another large scale lantern created by a local Primary school.

Elsewhere Oxford Round Table Charitable Trust Round Table Fireworks 8th November, 4.30pm, Single ticket £6, Family ticket £13, South Park, Oxford Now in its 48th year, come and enjoy the biggest firework display in Oxford. Tickets are available on the gate, but do cost more. For more information, go to www.oxfordfireworks.co.uk Oxford Christmas Lights Festival 21st - 23rd November, Various Times, FREE, Various Locations This will be a whole weekend of activities, responding to the theme "See Your City in a Different Light." Over 20 venues around the city of Oxford will be collaborating to put on many events, including, live music and dance performances, arts installations and free cultural activities. For example on the 21st, (7-10pm) the Natural History Museum/Pitt Rivers will be putting on an event called Northern Lights. You will be a b l e t o i m m e r s e yo u r s e l f i n a n atmospheric Arctic soundtrack, explore the darkness by torchlight and come face to face with some polar creatures.

Interested in Contributing to MoOFs or the newsletter?

Email david.juler@oxford.gov.uk to find out more

Contributors: Prue Drew, Peter Simpson, Eve Tignol, Marta Grabowska, Judith Price Graphic Design: Yi Wu Editor: Felicity Hammond Museum of Oxford, Oxford Town Hall, St Aldate’s, Oxford City Council, OX1 1BX