News - Doncaster Museum and Art Gallery Refurbishment

Doncaster Museum and Art Gallery is set to benefit from a £130,000 refurbishment funded by an Arts Council England grant.

The refurbishment aims to improve visitors' experiences, increase its income and reduce electricity consumption.

It will include better quality and more energy efficient lighting, improved environmental control and re-fitting the shop and café area.

In order to complete the works the Museum and Art Gallery will be closed from Monday 25th to Friday 29th March.

The Museum will also be closed on Bank Holiday Monday 1st April.

Doncaster Council Director Adults and Communities Joan Beck said: "This work will see significant improvements made to the art gallery, shop, cafe and meetings facilities which will help make the museum more sustainable and give visitors a much better experience."

From: http://www.doncaster.gov.uk/db/enews/article.asp?Archive=&CatID=31&Art=5323

News - Could Scots king be buried under the Post Office? (Doncaster)

A SCOTTISH king who ruled nearly 700 years ago could be buried beneath a Post Office in Doncaster town centre.

That’s the amazing verdict of historians and archaeologists who believe one time King of the Scots Edward Balliol could have his last resting place in the town.

The news comes hot on the heels of the discovery of the remains of English King Richard III beneath a car park in Leicester in a story that has gripped the globe.

And the news that we could be queuing up for books of stamps on the grave of a monarch of the glens adds further fuel to speculation that Doncaster could be part of Scotland.

Last year, the Free Press exclusively revealed how our town was seized by the Scots nearly 900 years ago - and may never have officially been handed back.

Now experts have discovered that Edward Balliol, who ruled north of the border from 1332-36, died in Doncaster, with speculation mounting about where his bones could be.

Peter Robinson, museums officer in human history at Doncaster Museum said: “We know that Edward Balliol lived here for a while and died here, but the location of where he was buried, and where his body is, are now are uncertain.
“It would be like looking for a needle in a haystack but not impossible for someone with the means and interest to be able to conduct enough research into where he might be.”

Edward, son of John Balliol, briefly ruled Scotland during the late Middle Ages, before being de-throned in 1336.

In later years, he lived in the Wheatley area of Doncaster - possibly in the medieval Wheatley Hall, roughly where the Parklands Sports and Social Club now lies on Wheatley Hall Road, and died here in 1367.

But that’s where the trail runs cold. There are no burial records and the location of his grave remains unknown - but Peter says there a number of locations in Doncaster where he could rest, including underneath the town’s main Post Office in Priory Place.

He said: “The current Post Office is built on top of a huge burial ground and at that time, that’s where a lot of eminent figures would have been laid to rest. At that time, the area was home to a large Carmelite friary and that’s one of the places where Edward could be buried.”

However, there are a number of other locations scattered across the borough where Edward’s remains could be - including Doncaster Minster and Conisbrough Castle.

Added Peter: “His mother was Isabella de Warenne, and the de Warenne family owned Conisbrough Castle so that’s another place that would fit the bill.

“One of the other most obvious locations would be the Minster as again, a lot of key figures would have been buried there.”

But like Richard III, whose remains were unearthed from beneath a car park, Edward too could be another monarch who shares his final resting place with scores of vehicles on a daily basis.

For another potential burial site could be the Greyfriars car park, sandwiched between the Church View Tesco supermarket and St George’s Bridge - also the site of a friary - hence the name - in bygone days.

Said Peter: “There is no archaeological evidence to say he is actually buried in Doncaster. There has never been any excavation which has turned up anything that suggests exactly where he may be buried.

“He may well have been taken and buried elsewhere, or even back to Scotland - this may just be one of those mysteries that remains forever unsolved.”

Historian Michael Brown of St Andrew’s University and an expert in Scottish history, said that Edward was not a key figure in the nation’s past, unlike Robert The Bruce and William Wallace.

He said: “He’s not really well known and there hasn’t been a great deal of research about the Balliol family in the past.

“We know that he was ejected from Scotland and spent time living in estates and castles in Yorkshire and the north east.

“Edward was never fully accepted as the Scottish king and he had to fight hard to be recognised as such. He was very much regarded as a puppet of the English king at the time and we do know he was regarded as a not very popular figure.”

Mr Brown added that the monarch was however regarded by historians as an “effective and energetic leader” and in his later years, broke into the Queen’s park near Knaresborough where he was caught poaching deer.

“He was certainly rough around the edges by all accounts and spent his retirement in and around the Doncaster area before his death at Wheatley.

The news strengthens Doncaster’s claim to be an enclave of Scotland with the town under Scottish rule for 21 years from 1136 to 1157. But while the town was officially signed over between the kings of England and Scotland, it seems it was never formally handed back.

Last year, tourism bosses were hopeful the revelation would spark a Tartan Army invasion.

Tourism manager Colin Joy said: “I love it - it is an intriguing story. It would be wonderful if Doncaster had its own answer to Richard III.”

From: http://www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/lifestyle/features/could-scots-king-be-buried-under-the-post-office-1-5407840

Ha ha!

News - Museums Sheffield gets £1.2m from arts council after cuts

Museums Sheffield has been awarded more than £1.2m of funding from Arts Council England nine months after it missed out on a £4.2m grant.


The money will fund the charitable trust, which runs many of the city's museums and galleries, until 2015.

It will be used to organise new exhibitions, improve its archaeology collections, galleries, cafes, shops and conference spaces.

Chief executive Kim Streets said it was an "important step" for the charity.

She said: "We want people to keep coming through our doors, keep visiting us and having a good time in our museums and galleries."

'Significant reduction'
Earlier this year, the charity had to reduce its staff by 38 after losing out on £1.4m of annual Arts Council funding.

Its £800,000 a year funding from the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council also ended.

"We've been through quite a tumultuous year," said Ms Streets.

"The past few months have seen a significant reduction in our operations and while this new funding won't reverse those changes, it is an important part of our plan to deliver an excellent museum and gallery service which is financially sustainable."

The funding comes from Arts Council England's renaissance programme, which is also giving Barnsley Arts and Museums Service £52,500.

Doncaster Museum and Art Gallery is to receive £120,000 to make it more energy efficient, improve its shop and cafe area and display "high quality artworks".

From: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-19811119

Event - Doncaster Museum open this Sunday

Museum to open on Sunday 3rd June

In order to help celebrate the opening of the Sir Nigel Gresley Square in the new Civic and Cultural Quarter, the Museum & Art Gallery will be open on Sunday 3rd June from 10.30am to 4.15pm. It is also planned that the Museum's Ford Popular, built in Doncaster in 1958, will be in the Square toplay its part in the celebrations that are taking place from 1-5pm.



So take the opportunity to come and look round the Museum, gaze atour case of royal memorabilia (some of which dates back to Queen Victoria's Gold and Diamond Jubilees) and try our trail to spot the other ten royalty-related objects around the Museum.



Over the Bank Holiday weekend the Museum will be open Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd June 10.30am-4.15pm, closed Monday 4th and Tuesday 5th June.



For further details contact Doncaster Museum & Art Gallery on 01302 734293

News - Doncaster Roman jewels mystery

PART of a treasure-trove dating back to Roman times has mysteriously surfaced at an antiques fair - almost 30 years after the rest of it was found in a Doncaster wood.


A silver bracelet dating back to the third century is now wanted by Doncaster Museum so they can reunite it with the rest of the famous Cadeby Hoard discovered by a local metal detector enthusiast in 1981.

Yesterday the way was cleared for the Chequer Road museum to acquire it from the owners - an ancient artefacts dealer in Essex - after Doncaster Coroner Nicola Mundy declared the bracelet to be treasure-trove.
Experts from the British Museum, who will now decide its value, are convinced it would have been hidden in the same place as 112 silver Roman coins and four silver bracelets in Pot Ridings Wood, Cadeby, in the period after AD 250.

The Cadeby Hoard, which attracted national interest at the time, was found hidden in a rock crevice in October 1981 by Brendan Kennedy, of Victorian Crescent, Town Moor, while using his metal detector.

But the hearing was unable to shed any light on how the bracelet came to change hands separately at the Newark Antiques Fair in 2009 - where it was sold by Nottingham man Kevin Darby, who has no knowledge of the finder.

He was unable to attend yesterday’s hearing because he is recovering from a heart attack.

In a statement Mr Darby said he had had the bracelet for many years, and bought it t because he liked it.

The bracelet is 85 per cent silver with a carnelian gemstone. At almost 62mm wide it weighs 62.8g. It is believed to have been made by a silversmith in Lincoln or York between 250 and 280AD.

While researching on the internet Mr Darby found a similar bracelet in the Doncaster Museum collection and visited to see the others from the Cadeby Hoard.

He also showed it to museum staff and added: “I have done everything by the book.”

The bracelet was bought by Essex-based dealers Timeline Originals, whose chief executive, Brett Hammond, said they were told it had been excavated prior to 1975 and before treasure hunters’ legislation was tightened up.

Ms Mundy received an expert’s report from the British Museum, with Ian Richardson saying the bracelet dated from the third century and bore ‘strong similarities’ with two found in Pot Ridings Wood.

“Analysis suggest this bracelet is another element of the Cadeby Hoard and should be considered retrospectively as treasure-trove,” he stated.

The coroner concurred, saying the bracelet had ‘strong similarities’ with the Cadeby Hoard bracelets.

She said: “I believe it was part of that earlier hoard and would have been deposited under the same rock.”

The treasure-trove declaration means the object - currently in the custody of the British Museum - is now owned by the Crown and will be valued by experts before being offered for sale.

From: http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/doncaster-roman-jewels-mystery-1-4527933

News - New opening times at Doncaster Museum and Cusworth Hall

A NEW timetable has been announced for Doncaster Museum and Cusworth Hall.

The changes will be introduced from Monday at both sites.

Deputy mayor Patricia Schofield said: “We have re-organised our opening hours across our museums service to make it easier for residents to know when they can access our services and to reflect the peak times of demand. The changes mean that Cusworth Hall is open longer both on week days and at the weekends and that opening times are more consistent across the two sites.”

Doncaster Museum and Art Gallery will be open from Monday to Friday from 10am to 4.30pm and Saturdays from 10.30am to 4.15pm. The museum is closed on Sundays.

Cusworth Hall, Museum and Park is open from Monday to Thursday from 10am to 4.30pm and Saturdays from 10.30am to 4.15pm and Sundays from 10.30am to 4.15pm. The Hall is closed on Fridays

Residents can get information on the latest events across the museum service at www.doncaster.gov.uk/museums

From: http://www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/community/new_opening_times_at_doncaster_museum_and_cusworth_hall_1_4304045

News - NUM banner to former Yorkshire Main Colliery is unearthed (Yorkshire Main)

A PERMANENT memorial to a Doncaster town’s mining heritage has gone on display.

The Edlington National Union of Mineworkers banner has been unveiled in the Martinwells Centre.

The union banner from when Yorkshire Main Colliery employed thousands in Edlington was recovered from the dusty archive of Doncaster Council’s museum service by Frank Arrowsmith and Jimmy Kelly.

Mr Arrowsmith, chairman of the Yorkshire Main Commemorative Trust: “It was a brilliant event. It was great to meet some old friends from as far afield as Blyth in the North East and Nottingham.

“It was quite an emotional occasion. The banner followed the life of the branch at galas, demonstrations and funerals. It is part of Edlington’s industrial heritage and now it has a new home in the heart of the village.”

Don Valley MP Caroline Flint joined councillors and NUM officials for the official unveiling.

She added: “People in Edlington know what this banner represents – and the journeys it has made.

“I met men and women today who found the ceremony very moving and want the history of the NUM Edlington Branch and the Yorkshire Main colliery to be remember.

“This historic banner’s new home at the Martinwells Centre will remain a living reminder of the history of this community.”

From: http://www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/community/num_banner_to_former_yorkshire_main_colliery_is_unearthed_1_4218613

 

Event - Fabulous fossils: Free Drop in Event (Doncaster)

10th December 10.30-12.30 and 1.30-3.30

Fabulous fossils: Free Drop in Event.

Bring your fossils for identification (first come first served).  Handle some rare fossils from the museum's collections.  Fun activities for all ages.

Buy your copy of 'Fossils of the Whitby Coast' and get it signed by the author Dean Lomax

From: http://www.doncaster.gov.uk/leisure_and_culture/museums_and_galleries/doncaster_museum_and_art_gallery/events_at_doncaster_museum_and_art_gallery.asp

Tel: 01302 734293

Address: Doncaster Museum and Art Gallery Chequer Road Doncaster DN1 2AE

A MUSEUM which commemorates soldiers who served in the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (KOYLI) Museum will be officially re-opened tomorrow after a major refurbishment.

Brigadier Roger Preston, chairman of the KOYLI trustees will unveil the £230,000 revamp at 11.30am.

The museum, which is based in Doncaster Museum and Art Gallery on Chequer Road, charts the history of the famous Yorkshire regiment whose success at the decisive Battle of Minden in 1759 is honoured on Yorkshire Day each year.

Visitors can follow the origin of the Regiment to its amalgamation with the Rifles, find out why people joined the Regiment, what life was like for the families of the soldiers and just what the First World War Tommy had to endure in the reconstructed trench section.

New features of the museum include interactive displays and audio listening posts, where visitors can listen to diary extracts from the Officers and soldiers of the KOYLI, as well as new displays including items from the World Cultures collection, such as silks and other objects from India, to give visitors more insight into the experiences of the regiment.

The recently completed re-design was paid for with a grant of £204,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund, and donations from the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry Trustees and the Friends of Doncaster Museums.

The KOYLI Museum has free admission and is open Monday to Saturday 10am until 5pm.

From: http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/around-yorkshire/local-stories/regiment_s_showcase_to_reopen_after_refit_1_3823236

Event - Army display aims to be sure fire hit (KOYLI Doncaster)

The glorious history of Doncaster’s adopted regiment was brought to life when re-enactors donned the uniforms from famous campaigns to mark the re-opening of a museum.

Visitors to the Chequer Road museum were able to get close to the uniforms and weapons used by Yorkshire soldiers in the Napoleonic and First World War.

They were typical of troops who served over the 250-year history of the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, whose regimental museum within Doncaster Museum has just benefited from a £230,000 revamp.

Formed in 1755, the regiment was known until 1881 as the 51st Regiment of Foot when it was renamed KOYLI.

Its place in Yorkshire’s history was won at the Battle of Minden in Hanover in 1759, when the infantry ensured victory by beating off a French cavalry charge.

On that day, August 1, the victorious 51st soldiers placed white roses in their caps and that is why Yorkshire Day - known as Minden Day to the regiment - is celebrated on the same day.

The re-design of the exhibits, following a generous grant of £204,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund, as well as donations from the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry Trustees and the Friends of Doncaster Museum, is almost complete and is bound to attract more visitors.

It traces the regimental history from the 18th century to the peak of its strength in the First World War, when manpower was increased to nine battalions and KOYLI men won eight Victoria Cross medals for bravery, and thereafter in the 1939-45 war and peacekeeping duties.

One of the new displays is a recreation of a trench dugout from the 1914-18 war, showing just what the ‘Tommy’ had to endure in the mud of Flanders.

Other new features include interactive displays and audio listening posts, where visitors can listen to diary extracts from the officers and soldiers of the KOYLI.

Also on display are items from the World Cultures collection, such as silks and other objects from India, to give visitors more insight into the experiences of the regiment during overseas service.

The KOYLI Museum is now open to the public, but an official formal opening is planned for the morning of Saturday, October 1, by the Mayor of Doncaster, and Brigadier Roger Preston, chairman of the KOYLI Trustees.

The celebrations will include a short display by the Cadet Bugle Section of their successor regiment, The Rifles, and re-enactors.

From: http://www.goolecourier.co.uk/lifestyle/reviews/army_display_aims_to_be_sure_fire_hit_1_3772467

Events - Doncaster Museum (October 2011)

8 October, 11am-3pm

'A Yorkshire Tommy' WW1 re-enactors

KOYLI Museum guided tours available at 10.30am and 2pm

15 October 2-3pm

'Surely we are winning', Historical Military Talk. Free. Limited places, please book.

KOYLI Museum guided tours available at 10.301m and 2pm.

22 October 2-3pm

'Raising the 5th', Historical Military Talk. Free admission. Limited places, please book.

29 October 11am-3pm

You're in the Army Now! - WWII re-enactors

KOYLI Museum guided tours available at 10.30am and 2pm.

All at: Doncaster Museum, Chequer Road, Doncaster, DN2 1AEFrom: http://www.doncaster.gov.uk/Leisure_and_Culture/Museums_and_Galleries/Doncaster_Museum_and_Art_Gallery/Events_at_Doncaster_Museum_and_Art_Gallery.asp

Event - The Romans Are Coming (Doncaster)

News - Mums choose top places (Doncaster

Parents have given the thumbs up to three spots for being the best places for families to visit.

Cusworth Park, Sandall Park and Doncaster Museum were awarded top spot in the survey of Doncaster mums and dads.

Parents were asked to rank their three favourite places to entertain the kids for free.

Coun Cynthia Ransome, cabinet member for communities, said: “All three venues work hard to put on a wide variety of year-round activities, including ones which are fun and accessible for families and young children, so it’s great to hear about these mums taking full advantage of what is on offer in Doncaster.”

The survey was carried out by Netmums, the online organisation offering parenting advice and information.

FROM: http://www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/news/doncaster-news/mums_choose_top_places_1_3657400

Event - Visitors flock to step back in time (Doncaster)

More than 1,000 people whose imagination was sparked by the discovery of a rare Roman glass jug visited Doncaster’s latest town centre archaeological dig.

Seven archaeologists from ArcHeritage were on hand to conduct tours and to talk about the artefacts unearthed on the site of the new civil and cultural quarter.

Visitor Louella Chesterman of Bennetthorpe, said: “I found the event and tour extremely interesting and was impressed to hear that this site is now the largest Roman burial site in South Yorkshire. Listening to the archaeologists about how a dig takes place was fascinating.”

Ms Chesterman plans to visit Doncaster Museum in Chequer Road where the finds will go on display.

Jessica Worth, age 11, from Balby, said: “It was really interesting. The best bit for me was seeing the Roman glass bottle which was found here. I’m amazed it has survived all these years. I’ll definitely go and see it at the museum when it goes on display”.

As well as the rare Roman glass jug dating back to about AD150, several cremation urns and five oil lamps, which accompanied the burials, were discovered during the dig.

Four of the oil lamps discovered in a large cremation pit are in near perfect condition and carry the makers’ names ‘Fortis’ and ‘Strobili’, which indicates they were probably created in Modena in Northern Italy.

David Aspden, who is leading the ArcHeritage excavation, said the team has been delighted to find artefacts in such good condition: “When you are excavating a Roman cemetery you expect to uncover some significant finds, but to find two intact cremation urns, which can now be preserved and displayed, has been tremendous.”

Andy Lines of South Yorkshire Archaeology Service added: “This site is special and is going to make an important contribution to our understanding of Roman life and death in Doncaster 1,850 years ago.”

First World War practice trenches were also found on what was the Waterdale Central Car Park.

ArcHeritage worked with archaeological consultants Scott Wilson under the supervision of Doncaster Council’s development partner Muse Developments and advisors, South Yorkshire Archaeology Service.

To continue the celebration of Doncaster’s Roman history, Roman soldiers will be setting up camp in the grounds of the Minster on Saturday and Sunday, September 3 and 4. The soldiers will march through town and displays will be available. This Roman camp is part of the St Leger Festival Week which runs between 2-11 September.

Work on the next stage of Doncaster’s £300m CCQ scheme is due to start shortly. 

from: http://www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/community/nostalgia/visitors_flock_to_step_back_in_time_1_3631329

Event - PAS Finds Afternoons at Doncaster Museum during March 2011

The next two Portable Antiquities Scheme Finds days at Doncaster Museum are on Monday March 14th and 28th between 14.00 and 16.00.

Come in and get your finds recorded   The museum is on chequer Road and is close to the town centre.