Reading Museum

Bayeux Tapestry Session

amanda — Tue, 23 Apr 2024 11:17:32 +0000

Bayeux Tapestry Session

Our full size replica of the Bayeux Tapestry is a wonderful resource for the teaching and learning of the Saxon/ Norman period and helps illustrate the events of 1066 and the death of Edward the Confessor. The tapestry is used alongside medieval objects, replica costume and role play to bring this period of history alive.

We recommend booking our Bayeux Tapestry school session in combination with Reading and its Abbey

amanda Tue, 04/23/2024 - 12:17

Good pace; pitched at right level; clearly delivered. Session leader handled children expertly. Excellent manner and tone.

- St Andrews School

Notes for teachers

Key Stage 2 and 3
Uses Reading’s unique full size copy of the Bayeux Tapestry
Opportunities to handle real objects, including medieval pottery, weapons and tiles from Reading Abbey
This session has been designed to support the study of local history. Works very well in combination with Reading and its Abbey or Huntley and Palmers Sessions.
We also deliver a virtual version of the session.

Objectives:

Know the sequence of events leading up to the Battle of Hastings
Understand the bias and source reliability of the tapestry
Know what people ate, wore and used during the Saxon/Norman period

sessions

Bayeux Tapestry Virtual Session

Our full size Bayeux Tapestry is a wonderful resource for learning about the Norman period and 1066.

Reading and its Abbey - a Local History

Explore the influence of the Great Abbey in the development and history of Reading

Reading and its Abbey Virtual Session - a local history

Now available for booking! Discover how Reading developed through the influence of the Great Abbey and the kings and Queens who shaped its history: Henry l, who built the Abbey

Notes for teachers

‘Someone will remember us’… LGBTQ+ stories in Reading Museum

Harriet — Fri, 01 Mar 2024 15:45:51 +0000

‘Someone will remember us’… LGBTQ+ stories in Reading Museum

For many people, museums act as a repository of not only physical objects, but also the stories that go hand in hand with them. Here at Reading Museum we are proud to tell the story of our town and the lives associated with it.

However, some stories have historically been left off the labels on museum and gallery walls. In recent years the potential that collections have to empower people, and the importance of including stories from under-represented communities in museums, has begun to be acknowledged. An example of this is the Museum Association’s Empowering Collections campaign, which you can read more about here.

Harriet Fri, 03/01/2024 - 15:45 Wednesday 6th March 2024

English delft royal portrait plate, London, 1702-14. One of the objects chosen by volunteers in the Untold Histories project 2023-24. Museum number 1961.240.14.

As part of Museums Partnership Reading, we have been striving to democratise access to our collections and work with communities to diversify the stories we tell. You can read about some of our other projects such as working with community groups to 3D scan Roman objects or celebrating the Windrush 75th anniversary with local schools. In this blog, I’m going to share one small way in which we have been working towards this – which is also one of the projects I’m most proud of during my time at Reading Museum.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my volunteering with Reading Museum as this Untold Histories research project has been consistently fascinating and fulfilling! Reading Museum has a collection filled with unique objects that have an abundance of storytelling opportunities and this project has allowed me to more greatly understand the important role museums have in bringing these stories to light. A particular highlight of this opportunity was being able to personally handle a variety of objects from Reading’s Huntley and Palmers collection: catalogues, tins, and administrative records with dates ranging from 1955 to 1970.

- Untold Histories Volunteer, 2024

From September 2023, I supervised a volunteer project "Untold Histories" which aimed to research LGBTQ+ stories that can be told using objects we already have in our collections. We hoped that this would provide a blueprint for future projects uncovering and sharing untold histories within Reading Museum.

We were lucky to have six brilliant volunteers who gave up their time to attend fortnightly sessions at the museum, as well as carrying out research on their own. Different areas of expertise (from art history, to social history, to archaeology) meant that we were able to spread our efforts across the collections. As always, the main constraint was time: there are only so many objects you can look at in three-hour sessions every two weeks! But some fantastic items were picked out. The volunteers were shown how to use Modes, the museum’s collections management database, and then let loose to explore the collections and research stories behind particular objects that caught their eye. Reading Museum curators gave insights into their collections, including brief tours of behind-the-scenes artworks and objects at the museum store.

I feel very fortunate to have been able to get a ‘behind-the-scenes’ look at the work Reading Museum does – using their collection management database, visiting the museum’s offsite store, examining an array of archived material, and learning from their staff members have been highly valuable experiences. Reading's Collections Assistant has been especially inspiring and insightful in her supervision, consistently supporting and encouraging our research throughout. I would recommend volunteering here to anyone, not only those interested in history or art, as there is definitely something for everybody!

- Untold Histories Volunteer, 2024

In some ways, the hardest part was where to start. Some Reading LGBTQ+ connections are more obvious than others. Many will already be aware that Oscar Wilde, 19th century playwright, poet, and aesthete, was imprisoned in Reading Gaol in 1895 after being sentenced to two years hard labour for “gross indecency”: in other words, homosexual relationships with other men.

Wilde’s conviction came after he attempted to sue the Marquess of Queensberry, father of his then-lover Lord Alfred “Bosie” Douglas, for criminal libel. The Marquess disapproved of his son’s relationship with Wilde and publicly accused him of sodomy. Wilde, against the advice of many close friends, then took the Marquess to court over these claims. This ended in disaster, as not only did Queensbury win the libel case, but the evidence gathered by him in the process was used to arrest Wilde on charges of sodomy and gross indecency.

A Statue for Oscar Wilde, 2010, by William Pye. Museum number 2010.81.1

Oscar Wilde is perhaps one of the most well-known figures of British LGBTQ+ history, and his connection to Reading is an important one – but does Reading Museum hold more stories to be uncovered? This was the question that the Untold Histories volunteers set out to explore.

My time as a volunteer for the museum has been very valuable. Our project goal was to create a new LGTBQ+ admin category for object classification, so it’s gratifying to feel like I’ve been doing important work that will have an impact on how LGBTQ+ stories are incorporated into the historical mainstream. A particular highlight for me was our guided tours of the art and object stores, where we got to see items from the museum’s collection that aren’t currently on display. It was also very exciting to properly examine the objects I’d been researching at our handling session. My favourite find has to be a local artist’s sketch of the titular boat from Arthur Rimbaud’s poem Le Bateau ivre; I’d studied the poem before but through researching the sketch I discovered to my surprise that Rimbaud had stayed in Reading for a few months in 1874. Overall I’ve had a fascinating insight into the heritage sector and I’m now more than ever convinced of the importance of museum spaces.

- Untold Histories Volunteer, 2024

The volunteers used known connections as a starting point for their research – Oscar Wilde, Wilfred Owen, John Wolfenden and LGBTQ+ pubs and cruising spots in Reading, to name a few. For more information on some of these better-known connections, check out our blog Summer Days and Reading Gays. The joy of collaborating on projects like this is that the volunteers were also able to use their own knowledge or lived experience as a starting point – for example research interests, areas of expertise, personal experiences of Reading, shared knowledge of the area.

'Portrait of Bill' by John Minton. One of the works with LGBTQ+ significance that will be highlighted in our online catalogue. Museum number 1980.163.1

The result is a wide-ranging list of objects from the museum’s collections that will be used to supplement our internal database – ensuring that these stories are accessible for research, exhibitions and other projects in the future. Additionally, the volunteers have selected a few of the objects that spoke to them most and these will be added to our online catalogue with a short overview of their significance written by our volunteers. In this way, LGBTQ+ stories from the collections that may otherwise have remained untold will be made accessible to anyone wanting to know more.

I’ve loved my time volunteering on this really important project. Having access to the museum database and researching the artefacts has been fascinating and has helped me to confirm that it’s an area I definitely want to work in, as being able to collaborate with a group of likeminded lovers of art has been brilliant. Taking tours of the ‘unseen’ objects in storage and learning first-hand about the real life work that takes place from the knowledgeable and enthusiastic staff kind enough to show us some of their favourite pieces, was incredible. I shall miss my fortnightly visits to the museum and hope to be able to volunteer for more behind the scenes projects soon. Thank you to all of the staff we have worked with for their time and support.

- Untold Histories Volunteer, 2024

I want to end this blog with a thank you to each of the fantastic volunteers who have brightened up my Mondays for the past few months. Your time and knowledge and enthusiasm has been so appreciated!

The online collection gathered by our volunteers will be published in Spring 2024 and we will be sharing more of the volunteers wonderful work across our social media platforms – with perhaps a guest blog or two in the making, so watch this space...

MPR Arts Council

Collections

Summer Days and Reading Gays

13 Sep 2023

Find out about Reading Museum's LGBTQ+ connections.

Roman Silchester in 3D

19 Feb 2024

Read about our new project to 3D scan objects for handling in the Silchester Gallery.

Celebrating Windrush: 75th Anniversary project with a local school

18 Oct 2023

Find about how we marked the 75th anniversary of Windrush Day in collaboration with Reading's Caribbean community.

Roman Silchester in 3D

Maddie — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 12:10:53 +0000

Roman Silchester in 3D

Reading Museum is reimagining how people explore and engage with objects by broadening access to the collections. In this blog you can read about a new project to 3D scan objects for handling in the Silchester Gallery.

As part of the Museums Partnership Reading the museum has opened up its collections to community groups to help identify objects to digitise.

We worked with young people from Berkshire Vision and refugees in Reading supported by Care4Calais. The project aims to work with communities who are less engaged in the museum's work. We took one group to the museum stores to see behind the scenes and gave a unique handling experience to the other group, helping us select which objects to scan.

Maddie Wed, 01/24/2024 - 12:10 Monday 19th February 2024

Why handling objects?

The Museum’s ethos is to preserve objects for perpetuity, but this goes along with using objects for education, display and research. We would like to provide replica objects to touch in cases where the originals may be too precious or delicate to handle. The artefacts in the Silchester collection were excavated from the Roman and Iron Age town, dating to between 2000 and 1600 years old, and made of a variety of materials.

We hope object handling in the gallery with 3D replicas will bring the objects to life without risk to the original artefacts.

Handling objects engages the visitor with the collection, encourages physical interaction and leads to conversation. We hope that it will also enhance participation and make the museum less intimidating.

Roman objects selected for 3D scanning

We spoke to audiences to see what they would like to see and touch, asking them what they think it’s important the museum considers.

“Whole objects are better as its hard for visually impaired to imagine full objects – fragments should come alongside full reconstructions.”

“Objects in cases are not accessible at all to visually impaired visitors.”

“Large, detailed objects are easier than small, detailed ones.”

“It’s easier to understand a tile with clear set of prints than one with a variety of footprints.”

“Objects don’t need to be complete. A broken object shows its organic. It’s a sign that it’s been used.”

Community members - 2023

Through conversations we learnt that it is better to place the objects side-by-side for comparison and try to recreate the original texture and weight of the artefacts.

What is 3D scanning?

We worked with Steven at ThinkSee3D who uses photogrammetry to capture the objects. Photographing the objects from multiple viewpoints above and below to record the entire artefact. He then turned the images into 3D digital models and rendered them to look realistic.

Roman pot (object number REDMG : 1992.1.324)

Roman pot with scale decoration

See the 3D scan pot on Sketchfab here

Roman key (object number REDMG : 1995.96.48)

Roman key

See 3D scan of the key on Sketchfab here

Tile with footprints (object number REDMG : 1995.98.59)

Tile with dog paw prints

See 3D scan of the tile on Sketchfab here

Roman mortarium (object number REDMG : 1992.1.1611)

Roman mortarium

See 3D scan of the mortarium on Sketchfab here

Enamel brooch (object number REDMG : 1995.2.336)

Enamel brooch

See 3D scan of the brooch on Sketchfab here

Samian ware bowl (object number REDMG : 1995.81.1)

Samian ware bowl

See 3D scan of the bowl on Sketchfab here

Bone spoon (object number REDMG : 1995.86.87)

Bone spoon

See 3D scan of the spoon on Sketchfab here

What happens next?

Now the objects have been 3D scanned we can enjoy the digital models. Check out Sketchfab to see and play with the objects digitally. Through sharing digitally in the Open-Source world, people can also use the models in other digital outputs.

The next step will be to print out the 3D models to create physical replicas for handling. The great thing about modern 3D printing is that objects can be made in materials similar to their original material.

Whilst these objects are not ‘authentic’, they are expanding the museum’s use of new technology. We will test these replicas in the gallery to see if they offer a sense of the original object.

MPR Arts Council

Collections

Silchester Gallery

This gallery features finds from the renowned collection of artefacts excavated from the Roman town near Silchester.

Roman Silchester: A Virtual Exhibition

Discover the fascinating history of the Roman town at Silchester, Calleva Atrebatum, in this brand-new online exhibition.

Museums Partnership Reading

Discover Museums Partnership Reading, a collaborative programme of activities by Reading Museum and The Museum of English Rural Life.

Residents' history and memories

susannaivy — Mon, 22 Jan 2024 10:22:18 +0000

Residents' history and memories

In this section we bring together a selection of contributions from Oxford Road residents past and present. Contributors share both their own memories and stories of living and working along the Oxford Road, as well as history and photographs on behalf of friends and family.

susannaivy Mon, 01/22/2024 - 10:22

Robert Davey

Barrie Morgan

Virginia Day (nee Fox)

Trevor Hipgrave

Memories of Fredrick William Ackrill

Dorothy Wood

Hannah Cooper: family photographs

University of Reading interviews with residents

susannaivy — Wed, 17 Jan 2024 17:32:21 +0000

University of Reading interviews with residents

In these interviews conducted by University of Reading researchers, residents past and present describe their memories of living, growing up and working on the Oxford Road.

Learn about the history of the Oxford Road and its communities, and hear what residents would like to see change in the area.

All interviews were conducted over the phone and by video chat to ensure compliance with COVID-19 restrictions.

susannaivy Wed, 01/17/2024 - 17:32

Jeffrey Hinds

Cyrilene Tollafield

Junior 'Hurricane'

Peter Small

Marjorie McClure

Marcin

Eric

Ron

Saturnalia is coming to town!

BeccaP — Fri, 22 Dec 2023 12:53:52 +0000

Saturnalia is coming to town!

What do we think of when we think about Christmas? Playing games with the family, having a big dinner, exchanging gifts, religious services? Well, all these things and more can also be found in the Roman winter festival of Saturnalia. Read on to find out more!

BeccaP Fri, 12/22/2023 - 12:53 Friday 22nd December 2023

“It is the month of December, when the great city sweats. The right of public luxury is given. Everywhere they make the sound of great preparations, as though there is some difference between the days of Saturnalia and regular business days…”

Seneca, Letters to Lucilius, 18.1 -

Sound familiar? Saturnalia aside, this extract from Seneca could easily have been taken from a modern news article in the run up to Christmas. We’re no strangers to the great sweat of finding the right gifts, the luxuries of a Christmas dinner, or the hustle and bustle of a town centre gearing up for the holidays. However, the general festive atmosphere isn’t the end of the similarities between Saturnalia and modern Christmas.

'Tis the season!

Saturnalia was traditionally celebrated around the 17th of December. Some emperors, such as Augustus, kept the festivities to a maximum of 3 days, whereas others encouraged an entire week of celebrations. This puts it close in line with the dates of modern Christmas. In fact, since the Bible doesn’t state the date of Christ’s birth, it has been suggested that the celebration of Christmas on the 25th of December was chosen in the 4th century AD so as to incorporate it with winter pagan festivals such as Saturnalia and that of Sol Invictus.

Religion

At this time of year some of us might attend church. Like Christmas, Saturnalia was a religious festival, and it involved rites at the temple of Saturn in the Roman Forum. As part of the religious ceremony an animal would be sacrificed, and a public feast would be held. The emperor might also give out free bread. Saturn was a god of time and agricultural abundance, which was represented by the sickle he held in his hand. His name may have been derived from the word ‘satus’ meaning ‘sowing’. He was the father of many of the gods, and perhaps the most famous myth about him is the one in which he ate his children after being warned that one of them would overthrow him. His wife, Ops, fooled him into eating a rock instead of his final child, Jupiter, who grew up to overthrow him and release his siblings from his father’s stomach. The Saturnalia may reflect the peaceful era of Saturn’s rule, or an appeasement to the god for a bountiful crop after winter. As part of the festivities, the statue of Saturn in his temple would have its legs released from the wool that normally bound them, signalling the start of the revelries and the relaxing of some social restrictions.

The temple of Saturn in the Roman Forum, Rome.

Games

Many of us will be familiar with the sight of a post-dinner board game on Christmas Day, and Saturnalia came with its own games. Many of these might have involved dice or counters, like the gaming set we have here in the museum. Gambling, usually frowned upon, was allowed for everyone during the festival. This even included slaves. Saturnalia was a festival of role-reversals, in which master could become slave for the day and vice versa. In the imperial period, households would appoint a Saturnalicius princeps (ruler or king of the Saturnalia), and this could be anyone, even the lowliest of the slaves. The Saturnalicius princeps might be chosen by winning a game of dice, and would rule over the household throughout the festival. They could even give orders to the master of the house!

A Roman floor tile from Silchester inscribed for use as a gaming board. Museum object number REDMG : 1995.1.186

Santa?

Feasting, church, and games all sounds quite a lot like Christmas. But what about Santa? Well, something very similar to a part of Santa’s costume also appears in the Saturnalia. The pileus was a hat given to a slave that had been freed by his master, but continued to work for him as a freedman (libertus). The hat was conical in shape, and usually made of felt. During the topsy turvy Saturnalia festivities, masters would sometimes don the pileus as part of the tradition of swapping the roles of master and slave. Images of Romans wearing the pileus show that its shape is remarkably like the Santa hat that we see everywhere at this time of year!

Gifts

One of the most anticipated parts of modern Christmas is gift giving. Even this has its roots in the Saturnalia, when friends and family would gift each other with sigilla. These were figures made of wax or pottery, and usually depicted gods or mythological characters. The figurines were exchanged on the last day of the Saturnalia festival, the so called Sigillaria. These gifts were so popular that there were entire workshops with craftsmen dedicated to making them. According to the writer Macrobius in his Saturnalia (written in the early 5th Century AD), the gifts could have originally been intended as substitute sacrificial victims from early rituals, or simply intended to amuse small children. The latter certainly sounds a little more in keeping with the modern spirit of Christmas!

So, on that note, a very Merry Christmas and (io Saturnalia) from all at Reading Museum! Don’t forget that the museum is open as usual until 5pm on 23rd December 2023, so do pop into the shop and pick up some last minute Christmas shopping.

Community

Reading Museum shop

Visit our Museum shop either in person or online!

Roman Silchester: A Virtual Exhibition

Discover the fascinating history of the Roman town at Silchester, Calleva Atrebatum, in this brand-new online exhibition.

Discovering the Roman town at Silchester

30 Jun 2018

You might not expect to stumble across the walls of a Roman town in the Hampshire countryside. Find out how it was rediscovered by Victorian archaeologists.

Unearthing 'The Gentlemen Danes' in St. Laurence Churchyard

kebergen — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 12:00:40 +0000

Unearthing 'The Gentlemen Danes' in St. Laurence Churchyard

Join John Nixon, author of The Gentlemen Danes, as he shares his latest exciting discovery in the story of the near 600 Danish and Norwegian prisoners of war who lived in Reading ‘on parole’ during the Napoleonic Wars.

In September of this year, acting on a tip-off, I discovered the gravestone of a Danish prisoner of war directly behind Reading Museum in St Laurence’s churchyard. Lying unknown for decades under an inch of soil, it is dedicated to Marcus Brandt, a ship’s captain, who died in Reading over 200 years ago in 1809. Marcus Brandt was one of nearly 600 Danish and Norwegian prisoners of war who lived embedded in the Reading community ‘on parole’, between 1807 and 1814 during the Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815). His gravestone is the first to be discovered of the seven men who died during this period, and, after the memorial tablet hanging on the south facing wall of St Mary’s Church to another prisoner, Laurentius Braag, only the second verifiable object in Reading to be associated with this fascinating episode of the town’s history; one that has until recent times been largely forgotten.

kebergen Mon, 11/13/2023 - 12:00 Wednesday 15th November 2023

An image of St. Laurence churchyard and Hospitum looking towards Reading Museum and Town Hall.

Prisoners of war – The Gentleman Danes

Nearly all the prisoners were merchant seamen - skippers, first mates and a few ship’s boys, plus a sprinkling of military officers. These merchant sailors were innocent victims caught up in the conflict between the union of Denmark-Norway, a French ally, and Great Britain called The Gunboat War (1807-1814). Many just happened to be in a British port when war was declared and saw their ships seized and sold off, along with their cargos, as ‘Prizes of War’. Many of their ships did not have war insurance and their skippers, who often owned their own boats, lost everything as a result.

And yet, these were the lucky ones. Ordinary sailors, who made up around 90% of prisoners, were to endure a miserable existence, sometimes for years, on board overcrowded and unhygienic old navy hulks anchored at Plymouth, Portsmouth and Chatham, suffering all kinds of deprivations and disease in the process. Many never saw home again.

Skippers and first mates, however, were considered to be ‘men of rank,’ i.e. ‘gentlemen’, and were allowed to spend their time in captivity on land, having signed a document called a ‘Parole Pass’ which stated that on their honour they would abide by a set of conditions including not attempting to escape. They became affectionately known by the local populace as The Gentleman Danes. As a parole prisoner, men were expected to find and pay for their own accommodation and, if they did not have private means, find work, too. To facilitate their needs, each town had an agent, appointed by the Transport Board, a branch of the Admiralty, which also dispensed a small weekly allowance.

A prisoner’s life in Reading

Reading was one of fifty towns and villages up and down the country that housed parole prisoners. Always at least one day’s march from the coast, and spread out to avoid uprisings, most towns held French prisoners, such as nearby Wantage, Thame and Odiham. Danes and Norwegians were kept at Ashburton and Moretonhampstead in the south west, at Peebles in the Scottish borders and at Northampton in the south midlands. But by far the largest number of the approximately 1000 parole prisoners came to Reading.

Why Reading became a parole town is not known for certain. However, before the first Danes started arriving at the end of 1807, Reading had previously seen two separate small groups of high-ranking French and Spanish prisoners come and go, including the most famous of all the French prisoners, the defeated commander at the Battle of Trafalgar, Vice Admiral Pierre-Charles Villeneuve. It is believed that Villeneuve came up to Reading with his entourage from Bishop’s Waltham, Hampshire, in order to attend the funeral of his opponent, Vice Admiral Lord Nelson at St Paul’s Cathedral in January 1806. It could well be that once the machinery had been put in place to accept and administer parole prisoners, by appointing an agent etc, it was only matter of time before more men started arriving. The fact that they happened to be Danes is purely incidental.

Although nearly 600 prisoners came to Reading in total over the seven-year period 1807-1814, there were never more than around 200-300 in the town at any one time, with many being repatriated after just a few months, especially the ship’s boys.

Living as a parole prisoner meant that these men were able to go about their lives as local citizens, but not allowed to go beyond the town’s limits. This restriction was soon turned a blind eye to by their mild-mannered agent, Mr Herbert Lewis, later to become mayor of Reading in 1825, as was the order to obey a nightly curfew. Thus, prisoners drank in the local pubs of an evening, went for long country walks, some joined local Odd Fellow and Freemasonry lodges and some young officers and cadets even formed a weekly dancing club in a cellar with their washerwomen’s daughters, where they would drink weak punch and be chaperoned by one of the washerwomen. At least three marriages are recorded in local parish records, including one of the naval cadets from the dancing club marrying his washerwoman’s daughter.

Sadly, but not unexpectedly, with such a large body of men, some of them died over this seven-year period. Not much is known as to their causes of death, as this information was not recorded in the ledgers kept by Mr. Lewis, however from a report in the weekly newspaper the Reading Mercury, and the writings of local writer William Silver Darter aka ‘Octogenarian’, we do know that two of these were by suicide.

The gravestone of Marcus Brandt, Danish sea captain and prisoner of war, soon after its discovery in September 2023.

Laurentius Braag

The first of the seven to die was a merchant from the Danish West Indies, (now the US Virgin Islands), called Laurentius Braag, who died in September 1808. His death prompted agent Herbert Lewis to write an appeal in the Reading Mercury, to raise funds for the prisoners. In total, nearly £200 was raised in four tranches over several months. The lists of contributors, whose names were published in the paper, read like a ‘Who’s Who’ of Reading society at the time, with names such as Blandy, Simeon, Valpy, Monck and Liebenrood among them.

Laurentius Braag is remembered in a plaque hanging on the south-facing wall of St. Mary’s church in central Reading. An early photograph of the church taken in 1844 by Reading-based pioneer of photography, Henry Fox Talbot, plus several engravings, reveal that, at least during the first half of the 1800s, there were in fact two identical plaques placed next to each other. Which prisoner the missing one was dedicated to and the cause of its disappearance can only be speculated about. We can be certain though that both men are buried somewhere in the churchyard. However, as there is no burial plan, it is impossible to know where these graves are located. The same is true of St. Giles, no burial plan exists.

St Laurence’s churchyard

This lack of a plan would have also have been the case with the third of Reading’s three main churches, St. Laurence, had it not been for the sterling efforts of volunteers from the Berkshire Family History Society, Reading branch, back in the mid-1970s. Alarmed by plans to build an eastern section of the Inner Distribution Road (IDR) that would have sunk a motorway-sized road between St. Laurence churchyard and Forbury Gardens, they set out to map the churchyard in the spring of 1975 before large parts of it were destroyed. Writing in April 1978, Treasurer and Membership Secretary Jackie Blow states; ‘When we first set out we did not quite realise how great was the task we were about to let ourselves in for, and it took many, many afternoons to complete all 390 tombstones’.

Nearly fifty years later, we have to be very grateful that they stuck to their task. For had the fear of seeing a large part of St. Laurence’s churchyard sliced off to make way for a thankfully unbuilt section of the IDR not spurred the society into action , it is absolutely certain that this significant gravestone would never have been discovered. The project’s findings are now kept at the Royal Berkshire Archives, and feature a list of all inscriptions that were still legible as well as, most importantly, a map. Its reference number is: DEX1049 - Survey of graves in St Laurence's churchyard, Reading.

The search and the discovery

Until early September 2023 I was not aware of this file’s existence. After I had learnt that there was no burial map for St Mary’s, I had assumed that the same was true for the other two churches. Then I received a tip-off from Reading history buff, Evelyn Williams, after she had come across this piece of research at the archives. Listed as grave no. 42 was a tombstone written in Danish! This was so exciting, I had to find it!

A few days later, on the 14 September, I turned up at St Laurence’s confident I would find the stone, but it was nowhere to be seen! I retreated to The Pantry Cafe nearby, and over a cup of coffee began correlating the grave numbers with the map before heading back to start looking again.

Under a yew tree I stood on a large patch of brown earth, and referencing from other gravestones on the map, I thought ‘well this is where it ought to be’. I started to move my right foot from side to side in the soil. Soon enough a stone surface appeared. I kept moving my foot. Some very well-preserved inscribed letters began to appear. Then I scraped a bit more and could see that it was in Danish. This was it, hidden under a couple of inches of soil! Translated the inscription reads, ‘To the memory of Marcus Brandt born in Apenrade in Denmark Died as a prisoner of war 7th March 1809 Aged 39 years’. I am not sure this can be classified as archaeology, but what is certain is that this is a very important discovery indeed. It is the first known grave of a Danish POW in Reading to be found and most likely the last due to reasons outlined above. Furthermore, it might be the only known gravestone of a Danish POW in the whole country.

Four Danes standing by the gravestone of Marcus Brandt on October 14 2023 during a Gentlemen Dane’s walking tour for the Mayor of Reading, cllr. Tony Page.

Who was Marcus Brandt?

So, who was Marcus Brandt? In the two Transport Board ledgers kept for the prisoners by Mr Lewis, Marcus Brandt (sometimes spelt Markus, the letters c and k being both used interchangeably), is recorded as Prisoner no. 360, master of a ship called Triton, that was taken as a “Prize of War” on 24 September 1807. He is described as 39 years old, 5ft. 7 in. tall with light brown hair, blue eyes, long face, of a fresh complexion and slender build. Furthermore, he had a distinguishing mark on the left eye. This information was recorded to help identify absconding prisoners. Further information is provided by the inscription on his gravestone.

The name of his birthplace is given as Apenrade, which is the German spelling for a small port town located on the east coast of southern Jutland, only a short distance north of the border with Germany. The town is now known by its Danish spelling of Aabenraa. This detail could indicate that he was a native German speaker. This supposition is given support by the fact that genealogical records show that his father was called Heinrich, the German name for Henry (in Danish it is ‘Henrik’). None of this is unusual. Even today, there is a German-speaking minority living in southern Jutland, just as there is a Danish-speaking minority living in northern Germany. Another clue as to his possible German heritage is that on the stone, words containing the Danish vowel ø have been replaced with the German ö instead.

As to his status as a merchant skipper, there is information available on the Danish version of Wikipedia that contradicts this and suggests that he was in fact the captain of a Danish Navy warship, and to back this up, it is known that a Danish frigate called Triton was taken by the Royal Navy at this time, coinciding with the Second Battle of Copenhagen (1807) and its aftermath. The Wikipedia page entitled, “København bombardement og konfiskation” states that “six members of the crew originating from Aabenraa were taken into British captivity; three on the prison ship Niger in Plymouth and the rest in the land prison of Reading, west of London, including the skipper Marcus Brandt”.

Although this assertion has been disputed by leading Danish naval historian Søren Nørby, and is backed up by the fact that Brandt’s name does not appear in the official record books of Danish naval officers, the ledgers kept by Mr Lewis do indeed list two other members of the Triton coming to Reading, prisoner number 375, ship’s boy J C Kock and prisoner number 387, first mate, B C Cock (no doubt his father) as described in Danish Wikipedia. Hopefully, in time, it will be possible to discover whether Marcus Brandt was the master of a merchant ship or a warship. I intend to continue researching this matter. Watch this space! In the meantime, if you are in Reading, please go along and see it .

Discover more about The Gentleman Danes

Get your copy of The Gentlemen Danes

For the full story about the Danish and Norwegian prisoners of war in Reading, John’s hardback illustrated book, The Gentlemen Danes, can be purchased in our museum shop or at Four Bears Bookstore in Caversham.

You can also contact the author directly by email.

Reading’s history

Jørgen Jørgensen: the King of Iceland

21 Jan 2022

The story of how a Danish prisoner of war became the King of Iceland, and his life in Reading.

The Gentleman Danes

8 Dec 2021

Join local author John Nixon as he shares the research behind his new book, The Gentlemen Danes .

Haunting Histories: The spookiest items in Reading Museum’s loans collection

BeccaP — Mon, 23 Oct 2023 08:13:15 +0000

Haunting Histories: The spookiest items in Reading Museum’s loans collection

They’re creepy and they’re kooky… it’s the Reading Museum loans collection!

BeccaP Mon, 10/23/2023 - 09:13 Tuesday 24th October 2023

Reading Museum has been loaning objects to schools since 1911. Our loans service has over 1000 boxes filled with objects relating to art, archaeology, zoology, social history… the list is never-ending! This Halloween, take a virtual tour round five of our kookiest and spookiest loans objects.

1. Victorian human hair bracelet

The human hair bracelet from our Victorian Home Life box (box H11)

Yes, you read that right: this bracelet is made of human hair! Although it looks like something straight out of a police evidence bag, this human hair bracelet is not the keepsake of a serial killer but is in fact a horrifically beautiful example of Victorian ‘mourning jewellery’ or ‘hairwork’. Mourning jewellery had been in fashion since the 1600s, but it wasn’t until Queen Victoria’s widowhood after the death Prince Albert in 1861 that it really took off. It acted as a memento mori (a reminder of the inevitability of death) and was often designed in onyx or jet. As an extra reminder of the lost loved one, the hair of the deceased could be incorporated into the pieces. Queen Victoria herself had several pieces of mourning jewellery.

The bracelet in our loans collection is part of one of our ‘Victorian Home Life’ boxes. It is carefully crafted entirely from human hair and would have been worn by a family member of the deceased. The work is extremely intricate and was probably made by a professional jeweller (although some women were known to have made their own). Although it may seem disturbing to us now, Victorian hair jewellery reflects an important historical mourning trend.

2. Edwardian doll

Edwardian doll (box H32)

Dolls have been playthings for millennia; the Egyptians made ‘paddle dolls’ thousands of years ago using beads for hair. Our Edwardian doll is beautifully dressed in sumptuous contemporary clothing and would have been a treasured and very expensive toy for a well-to-do child in the early 1900s.

The notion that dolls are creepy has a number of possible origins. The ‘uncanny valley’ theory, for example, suggests that dolls and other ‘humanoid’ objects are disturbing because they seem like they could come alive. This is perhaps the case with the Edwardian doll from our loans collection. When lying in its box, this doll seems pretty harmless. However, pick her up and you will be startled by the way her closed eyes roll open as if you have woken her from a hundred years of slumber. The realistic movement of this doll’s eyes are undeniably spooky! However, at the time this doll was played with, this would have been a remarkable feature.

The earliest dolls to have moving eyes were created in the late 1800s, so by the Edwardian period this was still a relatively new design idea. The function was known as a ‘sleep eye mechanism’ and was created using wires and weights. The popularity of these realistic moving eyes spread from Europe to America, with Ideal Toy Company releasing a doll with the sleep eye mechanism in 1914. Many modern baby dolls still retain this design feature, so although we might find her a little creepy when she jump-scares us in the museum storage room, the eyes on this doll do reflect an important evolution in historical toy design.

3. Spooky, scary skeletons

One of our anatomical skeleton models (box Z23)

We all have skeletons in our closets, and it turns out that our loans collection has quite a few! The human skeletons we loan out to schools aren’t real, but are accurate scale models which can be used to teach children about our anatomy. ‘Skeleton’ comes from the Greek word ‘skeletos’ (σκελετός), meaning ‘dried-up’ and was first used as an English term from the 16th century.

We’re so used to seeing skeletons appear around this time of year in the form of costumes, decorations, and advertising; the human bone structure has truly become part and parcel of the Halloween aesthetic. Children’s cartoons and music videos of skeletons dancing, such as the viral tune ‘Spooky Scary Skeletons’ which has been used in over 5 million TikTok videos since 2019, may seem like modern Halloween inventions, but we can potentially see them as descendants of the Middle Ages ‘Danse Macabre’. This popular allegorical art genre saw representations of the dead, usually depicted as skeletons, summoning the living to join them in a dance to the grave. The morbid images reflect the fragility of life and inevitability of death in a society characterised by low life expectancy and constant risk of mass disease outbreaks. Kings and popes alongside the common citizen in these works of art as a reminder that death comes to everyone, regardless of wealth or status.

Allegorical skeletons are not limited to western art; the beautiful Japanese netsuke from our collections pictured below also features musically inclined human remains. The tiny sculpture, which would have been used as a toggle on clothing or bags, shows a skeleton playing the shamisen for a monster called an oni and dates to the 19th Century. Like the European Danse Macabre, this toggle probably served as a reminder of the inevitability of death. However, as with the viral videos of dancing skeletons we encounter today, all these images were probably intended to be slightly humorous too!

Japanese netsuke featuring a skeleton playing the shamisen for an oni and a monkey. Museum object number REDMG : 1926.99.16

4. World War Two baby gas mask

Second World War baby gas mask (box H97)

Anyone who flicked onto BBC 1 on 21st May 2005 will probably be forever haunted by the image and voice of ‘The Empty Child’, a gas mask toting infant encountered by Christopher Eccleston as he travelled back in time to Second World War London in Doctor Who. Although our loans collection doesn’t feature a gas mask of the kind this chilling child wears, one of our most popular loans boxes contains a baby gas mask.

The government began issuing gas masks in 1938, before the start of the Second World War. The baby gas mask was intended to be used by babies up until the age of 2. It resembles a large tank with a tube on the side which could be used to hand pump air into the chamber in which the child would be strapped. There is a glass window so that the child could see out (or so that a concerned parent could see in). The gas mask would originally have contained an asbestos filter to keep out noxious gases in the event of a poisonous bomb attack.

Demonstration of a baby gas mask published in the Berkshire Chronicle on 3 November 1939. Museum object number REDMG : 1980.36.A277.4

Parents were given instructions on how to use the masks. Although designed with safety in mind, gas masks do look like quite scary contraptions! Understanding this, the government often made children’s gas masks in bright colours, including the ‘Mickey Mouse’ gas mask, named after Walt Disney’s favourite critter.

Bonus object: if the gas mask isn’t quite Doctor Who enough for you, check out our 1960s talking Dalek from one of our 20th Century Toys boxes! EXTERMINATE!

1970s talking dalek toy (box H308/A)

5. Twentieth Century ventriloquist dummy

Ventriloquist dummy (box H308)

Like the Edwardian doll, this Ventriloquist dummy looks like something straight out of a horror film. However, ventriloquist dummies were a highly popular form of entertainment for hundreds of years. Ventriloquism as a performance for audience enjoyment began in the 1700s, with performers ‘throwing’ their voices to make it appear as though it was coming from another part of the room. By the end of the 18th century, the performers had begun to incorporate dolls or puppets into their acts, leading to the popular use of the ventriloquist dummy. Fred Russell (1862-1957) was known as the Father of Modern Ventriloquism and had a permanent show in the Palace Theatre in London with his cheeky dummy ‘Coster Joe’. The popularity of ventriloquism at this time is evident in the OBE that Russell was awarded in 1948. These days, we are perhaps more accustomed to associating ventriloquism with horror films such as ‘Dead Silence’ (2007) or ‘Triloquist’ (2008). But what is it about ventriloquist dummies that lends themselves so well to the horror genre?

Perhaps the answer can be found in the ancient origins of ventriloquism. The word ‘ventriloquist’ comes from Latin, and literally means to speak from the stomach. Originally a religious practice, ventriloquists in Ancient Greece would interpret the sounds from their stomachs as voices of demons or the dead. In around 160 CE, a man named Alexander of Abonoteichus created a cult around a prophetic snake god named Glycon. The god itself was physically carried around by Alexander and delivered oracles. However, the writer Lucian claimed Glycon was essentially a hand puppet made of a snake’s body with a false human head, with the voice of Glycon himself providing the oracles! It could therefore be seen as a very early prototype for the ventriloquist dummy. The origins of ventriloquism as a method of clairvoyancy, paired with the creepy realism of the dolls themselves, is perhaps the subconscious trigger that led to their use in horror films today.

Photograph of a ventriloquist at the Royal Ordnance Factory fete (Southcote) taken for Berkshire Chronicle, 1970. Museum object number REDMG : 1980.36.C336.3

We hope you enjoyed this tour of our little shop of museum horrors- happy Halloween! If your school is interested in our loans collection – spooky or otherwise – don’t hesitate to get in touch with the education team to book one of our boxes!

Collections

Reading Bridge 1923- 2023

susannaivy — Tue, 26 Sep 2023 09:15:24 +0000

Reading Bridge 1923- 2023

Guest Blog from Helen Lambert, Chair of Caversham and District Residents Association

susannaivy Tue, 09/26/2023 - 10:15 Tuesday 3rd October 2023

This year marks the centenary of the opening of the new Reading Bridge. Although there had been one bridge at Caversham for over a thousand years, crossing the Thames further down at Lower Caversham was far from easy. It was not until after the boundary change in 1911 that a new modern style bridge in a new location was planned for Lower Caversham. Work was delayed by the outbreak of WWI and the new bridge opened on 3 October 1923.

Old postcard showing the bridge after it opened. Courtesy of Reading Libraries.

Before the Bridge

Crossing the river at Lower Caversham was not straightforward. There are several references to ferries. A pound lock dating back to 1778 was replaced in 1875. In 1871, the Corporation of Reading had obtained leave to build a swing bridge, just above the lock, but it never came to fruition. The weir was built in 1884.

The Clappers, a narrow plank footbridge that ran past the winding gear of the old weir, was a direct route to work at the Huntley & Palmers factory and the railway. About half of Caversham’s population worked in Reading. As terraced housing grew in Lower Caversham, the Clappers became increasingly busy: a census in 1905 recorded 4836 pedestrians, 19 trucks, 130 bicycles and 70 prams in one day.

Old postcard showing the Clappers and the Weir. Courtesy of Reading Libraries.

With rapid growth in new housing on the Caversham side, better river crossings were required; the iron Caversham Bridge was proving inadequate, and the Clappers route was prone to flooding.

Map showing the route for the new bridge included in plans submitted for the parliamentary session 1913. RBA R/acc643.1.

Plans Emerge

The Extension Order required the Corporation of Reading to either replace or widen Caversham Bridge and ‘construct ... a footbridge not less than ten feet in width across the River Thames between the Parish of Caversham and De Bohun Road in the Borough’. With increasing demand and the need to maintain vehicle crossing while Caversham Bridge was replaced, it became clear a second bridge was needed; Charles Powell of Eastfield Caversham offered to contribute £5,000.

In 1913, the Council received parliamentary powers to enable them to erect a vehicular bridge 40 feet wide instead of the footbridge, including new approach roads. A single span of 180 feet would be required with limits of headway and rise. The Thames Conservancy feared that the bridge might slow the flow of the river and it was agreed that the weir should be enlarged, and land cut away, including part of View Island.

A single span and low rise could be achieved by a stiffened steel suspension structure and two designs had already been submitted.

Details of plans submitted by Mr John Webster April 1912. RBA R/acc4447.55.

On 18 Nov 1913 the Borough Extension Committee met, chaired by Alderman John Wessley Martin. In December, Mouchel & Partners, specialists in reinforced concrete, submitted their first report with design and cost for both bridges and work began to acquire land for the approach roads. The outbreak of World War I on 28 July 1914, then halted further progress for almost seven years.

New Methods and Designs

The French inventor and engineer François Hennebique (1842-1921) had developed a means of strengthening concrete using iron and steel bars which provided high tensile strength. Louis Gustave Mouchel, another Frenchman, became Hennebique’s agent in Britain. He made it his life’s work to introduce ‘ferroconcrete’ across Britain and before his death in 1908, founded L. G. Mouchel & Partners Ltd.

The new Reading Bridge would be:

An elegant modern structure with graceful lines
Made of concrete, reinforced by steel bars
600 feet long with a span over the river of 180 feet
The largest structure in ferroconcrete in the UK and the longest single span

From journal ENGINEERING 28 September 1923. Courtesy of Reading Libraries.

Would this long single span be safe? Mouchel assumed a load of as many traction engines of 20 tons each as the roadway would carry.

The benefits of ‘ferroconcrete’

Although the designs in steel may have saved almost £7,000, it was agreed to proceed with the Mouchel plans. Ferroconcrete needs very little maintenance whereas steel needs protection from the elements. A steel structure gives its maximum strength when new and then deteriorates through corrosion. But a reinforced concrete structure increases in strength after its construction, especially when such masses of concrete are involved.

From journal ENGINEERING 28 September 1923. Courtesy of Reading Libraries.

Building the Bridge

Early in 1922, a contract for the construction was agreed with Holloway Brothers Limited of Westminster. Work started in March 1922 and took 18 months to complete.

Four piers were built in the river and a structure across it called ‘falsework’. This supported the shuttering for casting the ribs. The steel reinforcement was then assembled within the shuttering, and freshly mixed concrete placed and compacted in situ. The structure is monolithic, which means that there are no joints in the concrete. Apart from the Portland stone parapets and the northern embankment, the whole structure was built in reinforced concrete.

The main span during construction, showing the piers supporting the shuttering. From a booklet commissioned by the Borough Extension Committee to mark the opening. Courtesy of Reading Libraries.

The deck is 40ft (12.2m) wide between the parapets with a road width of 27ft (8.2m) and two footways 6.5ft (2m) wide.

View from the South bank during construction. From a booklet commissioned by the Borough Extension Committee to mark the opening. Courtesy of Reading Libraries.

On each side of the river, behind the abutments, is an arch over the riverside footpaths. On the south side is a walkway, above the river, to allow horses to tow barges beneath the main span without interruption. On the northwest and southeast sides of the bridge are stairs to take pedestrians from the riverside paths up to the bridge deck. The Reading approach consists of an arched viaduct connecting to Vastern Road and the Caversham approach is over an earth embankment connecting to the original part of George Street.

Old postcard showing the bridge after the opening. Courtesy of Reading Libraries.

Unemployment was very high after the war, and grants from the Unemployed Grants Committee, set up in 1920, helped pay 60% of local wages for building the new road. The total cost of the bridge and its approach roads was almost £70,000, of which £6,000 was donated by Charles Powell of Eastfield Caversham who added investment proceeds to his original offer.

The Lights

After considering designs and costs for lampstands in stone, cast iron or bronze, it was agreed to fix eight large and eight small standard lamps in bronze. Gas filled lamps would be more economical and the globes were to have horizontal bronze bands and bronze caps. Cables and fittings would be provided by the Reading Electricity Supply Co. The total cost was £1,145.

The globes were replaced in the 1960s and again in 2022 when converted to LED.

Drawing by Martin Andrews showing the original lamps.

Around the Bridge

North and south of the Thames, land had to be purchased and cleared to build the approach roads to the bridge.

On the Reading side, De Bohun Road led to the river from Vastern and Kings Meadow Roads. The MacDuff Temperance Hotel was purchased by the Corporation before the outbreak of war and then used for billeting soldiers. East’s Boat Building Company Limited, immediately next to the bridge, received a settlement for lost business.

On the Caversham side, George Street only extended just past the end of the Reading and Caversham Laundry Co Ltd; beyond it were grazing meadows previously owned by Arthur Hill. The road had to be raised and the laundry entrance moved to connect with the new road across the embankment to the bridge.

Access to the river and a new promenade was by stairs down from the bridge deck on both sides of the river, and pedestrian arches under the bridge approaches. As early as July 1923 a quote was submitted for installing a paddling and yachting pool in Christchurch Meadows at a cost of £2,718. The pool opened in 1924. In 1936, the now iconic avenue of 24 Lombardy poplars was planted along George Street to commemorate the coronation of King George VI.

This aerial photograph shows, on the Reading bank, the Men’s Swimming baths built in 1879 and the Ladies Baths – now Thames Lido. On the Caversham bank is the paddling and yachting pool opened in 1924. (1928 C Historic Environment Scotland)

Safety Testing

The testing of the bridge was scheduled for 25 September 1923. Thirty traction engines and Foden wagons , in three rows of ten engines each, lined up and completely covered the bridge. Their combined weight was almost 372 tons, well in excess of the standard rolling load laid down by the Ministry of Transport at 293 tons. The consultant engineers, Mouchel, reported that “the test demonstrated the great strength of the bridge and can be considered as eminently satisfactory.”

Testing the strength of the bridge, 25 September 1923. Courtesy of Reading Libraries.

The Opening Ceremony

According to the Reading Standard at the time, the formal opening on Wednesday 3 October was preceded by a luncheon at the Town Hall with speeches. Moving to the bridge, mackintoshes and umbrellas were in evidence, but despite the weather there was a good crowd. At the southern end of the bridge, Alderman Martin, Chair of the Borough Extension Committee, unlocked a chain with a golden key presented by the contractors, Holloway Brothers, and declared the bridge open. The Mayor’s chaplain gave a blessing, and the Mayoral party crossed the bridge. The tablet on the Eastern parapet was unveiled by Charles Powell who had donated £6,000 towards the cost. The tablet on the Western parapet was unveiled by Alderman Parfitt, Vice-Chair of the Borough Extension Committee.

In the evening a supper was given for the employees of Holloway Brothers who had worked on the bridge.

Old postcard showing the bridge after the opening. Courtesy of Reading Libraries.

The Caversham and District Residents Association (CADRA) published a booklet to mark the centenary of Reading Bridge. This is available to buy at Fourbears Books https://www.fourbearsbooks.co.uk/ and is free to download at https://www.cadra.org.uk/readingbridge100

Reading’s history

A Walk Through History: Recreating Roman Recipes

kebergen — Thu, 21 Sep 2023 12:05:34 +0000

A Walk Through History: Recreating Roman Recipes

A defining feature of the Roman occupation of Britain was the changing nature of food. In the Silchester Gallery at Reading Museum you can see examples of how people living in Roman Britain cooked, ate, and took care of their homes.

In this blog post, Tamisan Latherow, fourth-year PhD candidate at the University of Reading, shares her research into the state of food production, cooking and agriculture in Roman Britain. Discover how and what people ate, why Julius Caesar thought Britons kept chickens as pets, and how to cook snails the Roman way.

kebergen Thu, 09/21/2023 - 13:05 Thursday 21st September 2023

In 55 BC, Julius Caesar crossed the Channel and spent two summers attempting to quell the Celts. While Roman influence would start to alter the local way of living, it wasn't until the 43 AD second invasion under Emperor Claudius that Britannia, as it came to be known, would forever be changed. [1]

A defining feature of Roman occupation was the changing structure of food. Iron Age Celtic Britons were known for a combination of pastoral (animal and animal products) and arable farming (crops). Several varieties of wheat, including Emmer, Einkhorn, Rivet, and Spelt were grown; Emmer and Spelt being the two most important for bread and trade. Oats, rye, barley, and millet were also produced, mostly for animal feed or lower grade bread or porridge. Flax for linen and oil, beans, peas, wild herbs (ramps and garlic) and fat hen (a type of primitive parsnip) would have been available and cultivated as well. [2]

From the animal side, cattle, goats, and sheep were kept for their meat, milk, hides, and wool; and pigs for ham, sausages, and bacon. Blood, collected from living animals (the wounds would be cauterized to keep the animal alive after collection), would be mixed into breads, porridges, and sausages, creating a more nutritious 'black' bread or pudding. [3]

According to Caesar, chickens, geese, and hares were bred and kept, but not eaten.

"They do not regard it lawful to eat the hare, and the cock, and the goose; they, however, breed them for amusement and pleasure."

Julius Caesar - Gallic War Book V, Ch. 12. 

According to historians, the miscommunication seems to come from the Celtic practice of separating out the cocks, which were used for fighting, and geese, which were used as guards, their loud cries warning of visitors and animals. [4]

Celts living close to rivers or the coast ate fish, with baking and broiling being the most popular methods of cooking. Posidonius noted that baked fish was often cooked with salt, vinegar, and cumin, and that meals would have consisted of several small loaves of bread, and meat broiled or roasted on a spit or over charcoal. [5] 

The influx of Roman soldiers, tradesmen, and families from all over the Roman Empire over the next 400 years of occupation led to vast changes in local diets and cultivation. Many of the foods and cooking techniques we use today derive from Roman practices. Iron pans called paterae found on Hadrian's Wall, for example, were brought by soldiers from Campania, Italy and frying pans called sartago that resemble modern camping cook pans with foldable handles were used to cook meat and fish. [6]

Chicken was a popular dish for Romans, which might explain why Caesar was so confused. There are fifteen recorded recipes made with sweet and sour sauces found in the quintessential Roman cookbook, Apicius. While the lower classes and slaves would have dined on coarse bread, gruel, bean or pea pottages, and perhaps a little meat, the upper classes would have had a more varied diet. Pates, minced meat, and omelet-style dishes were popular in the Apicius recipes, as were sweet and salty combinations, such as fish sauce with melon. [6, 7]

Some of the more unusual foods would have been snails and dormice, which would have been imported to Britain in the early 3rd century, along with recipes for the most important of Roman ingredients: garum, a fermented fish sauce. A modern equivalent (for those not wishing to wait 2-3 months for fish to rot in a barrel of salt in the sun) would be any of the Asian fish sauces. [8] 

Archaeological evidence from Roman Britain villas shows that fruit and vegetable gardens were an important part of upper-class rural or peri-urban landscapes. Cabbages, carrots, celery, onions, leeks, shallots, endives, cucumbers, marrows, asparagus, turnips, artichokes, and parsnips were all grown in vegetable gardens, while figs, grapes, apples, pears, cherries, plums, damsons, mulberries, dates, and olives were cultivated in orchards, along trellised walls, and in containers in the warmest parts of the villas. Likewise, lentils, pine nuts, almonds, walnuts and sesames, and herbs such as coriander, dill, and fennel were also introduced. In all, over 50 different varieties of some of our 'typical' foods were brought by the Romans. [9]

Much of the information regarding food comes from cookbooks such as Apicius, frescoes found in the villas themselves, or archaeological evidence found in storage bins, fire and garbage pits (not to mention the toilets). As we attempted to reproduce a simple meal of snails, artichokes, grilled fish, bread, and 'cheese' cake, we found that much of the flavouring came from sauces. 

Land snails, the most common being 'Roman' snails, would have been raised in small pens in the garden and fed on grass and greens, then with milk and grain to fatten them up before eating. Unfortunately, the only snails I was able to procure were Cerithidea obtusa, a type of sea snail called a mud creeper. While the Roman snail is much easier to cook and remove from the shell, this version requires a lot of sucking to dislodge the meat. 

Boiled artichokes were also served, along with boiled eggs and grilled sea bass and tuna. The snails, artichokes, and fish all had their own sauces, while the ricotta-based cakes were soaked in honey and sprinkled with a bit of mace. Figs or dates would have typically been served with this dessert. Panis Quadratus, an extremely dense sourdough bread with Italian herbs and olives was also served.

Hadrian's Wall at Birdoswald Roman Fort, Brampton, UK

Food is one of the greatest teachers of history. It gives insights into culture, trade, politics, religion, and class, and opens dialogues between people. By attempting historical recipes, we can explore just what type of influence history has on the present and future.

Take a walk through your town and see what plants are growing. That apple tree in the centre of the street may have been ‘planted’ by Roman soldiers as they marched along on campaign. The core tossed out without thought to grow in an old cattle pasture. Or the blood sausage in your Sunday Roast may have been created by Iron Age farmers in order to eke out a little more nutrition during the cold winter months.

Every meal has a story to tell. This is just one of them. If you were to look at your pantry today, what would your food tell future people about your life?

A new Roman history gallery

We are currently planning a new Roman gallery at Reading Museum, telling the story of the Roman town of Calleva Atrebatum through the rich variety of finds in the Silchester Collection. To help with this development, it would be invaluable if you could please complete our short survey. Thank you.

A reconstructed Roman meal.

Garum Recipe:

3.5 kg small fish (anchovies and/or sardines rinsed and de-scaled, but intact)

1 kg salt (you want 20-25% salt water brine, strong enough for a raw egg to float when added)

Method

Arrange the anchovies and sardines in a vase, alternating layers of salt and layers of fish, covering all with salt. After 3-4 days, stir well the contents of the vase. Repeat 3-4 times per day for two or three months.

When the fish is well liquefied, strain the liquid part with a sift and separate it from the solid residual. Keep the liquamen (strained liquid) and allec (residual solids) in the fridge and use them within a couple of months.

Roman Sea Bass Recipe: [11]

sea bass

30 ml white wine vinegar
100 ml dry white wine
honey
extra virgin olive oil
wheat starch

garum
dry onion
black pepper
lovage
parsley

oregano

Method

Grind the spices with dry onion. Choose the quantity freely according to your taste: early cooking sources, like this one, do not usually specify the amount of ingredients. Then mince the parsley and oregano. We suggest using more parsley than oregano to prevent the latter from becoming overpowering. Remember that Apicius' recipes always aim for a balance between flavors.

To make the sauce, pour extra virgin olive oil, wine, vinegar, and garum into a saucepan, with a bit of honey to balance the acidity. Use just a little garum: it's very salty. Let the sauce boil, then add the spices and onion with the diluted starch. When the sauce thickens, add the fresh herbs and take off the heat.

Poach the sea bass. Apicius gives no direction about how to do this step. We chose to follow the instructions of later cookbooks and used water, vinegar, and salt.

Now, plate the sea bass, pouring over the sauce with minced parsley and oregano.

Roman Snails Recipe: [12]

1-2 Dozen snails (live or canned)

60ml olive oil

3g asafoetida (or equal parts garlic and onion powder mixed)

9g garum (or fish sauce)

6g ground long pepper (or regular black pepper)

Method

In a small bowl, mix olive oil, asafoetida, garum, and pepper. Set aside.

Over medium heat, add oil to a frying pan, add snails and cook for 2 minutes. Add sauce and cook 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat, serve with left over sauce from pan.

Libum - Roman Cheese Cake Recipe: [14]

Plain Libum

900g cow or goat's milk ricotta

450g whole wheat flour

2 eggs

Bay leaves

Sweetened Libum

900g cow or goat's milk ricotta

500g whole wheat flour

2 eggs

Bay leaves

235ml honey, pomegranate, grape, or date syrup

Ground mace

Method

Preheat oven 180C.

Mix flour, cheese, and eggs together to form dough. Knead for a few minutes, then rest for 1 minute uncovered.

Cut in half and roll into round boules.

Line a baking sheet with parchment. Place bay leaves on paper to cover bottom of each boule.

Bake, uncovered, 1 hour. Place in bowl of honey to soak until cool. Serve with a sprinkle of mace.

Footnotes

[1] Roman Britain. (n.d.) Roman Britain - An Introduction. https://www.roman-britain.co.uk/

[2] Enayat, M. (2014). Celtic and Roman food and feasting practices: A multiproxy study across Europe and Britain. 

[3] Considine, H. (2017) Ancient Artisans - Iron Age Food. https://youtu.be/DZLf1r28cBs

[4] Roman Britain. (n.d.) Farming in Celtic Britain. https://www.roman-britain.co.uk/the-celts-and-celtic-life/farming-in-ce….

[5] Alcock Joan P. (2010) Food in Roman Britain. The History Press.

[6] Hobbs, R. and Jackson, R. (2010) Roman Britain. The British Museum Press.

[7] Apicius (1958) The Roman Cookery Book: A Critical Translation of the Art of Cooking for Use in the Study and the Kitchen. Trans. Flower, B. and Rosenbaum, E. London: Harrap.

[8] Greene, M. (2004) Herefordshire Through Time - Food and Diet in Roman Britain. https://htt.herefordshire.gov.uk/herefordshires-past/the-romano-british…

[9] Historical Italian Cooking (n.d.) How to Make Garum. https://historicalitaliancooking.home.blog/english/recipes/how-to-make-… 

[10] Johnson, M. (2021) Panis Quadratus: Ancient Bread of Pompeii. https://breadtopia.com/panis-quadratus-ancient-bread-of-pompeii/

[11] Historical Italian Cooking (n.d.) Ancient Roman Sea Bass. https://historicalitaliancooking.home.blog/english/recipes/ancient-roma…

[12] Miller, M. (2021) Tasting History - Ancient Roman Fast Food Restaurants. https://youtu.be/qtmOdxEVytA

[13] Miller, M. (2022) Tasting History - Growing an Ancient Roman Garden. https://youtu.be/IVpiIa_Txws

[14] Monaco, F. (2017) Libum or Cato's Honey Cake. https://tavolamediterranea.com/2017/08/16/libum-catos-cake-bread/