ENGLAND: THE OTHER WITHIN

Analysing the English Collections at the Pitt Rivers Museum

Augustus Henry Lane Fox Pitt Rivers. 1998.271.66

Augustus Henry Lane Fox Pitt Rivers. 1998.271.66

English artefacts purchased by Pitt Rivers and donated to the Pitt Rivers Museum in 1884

Alison Petch,
Researcher 'The Other Within' project

 

Pitt Rivers did not purchase a large number of items for the founding collection from England (that we know about), a total of 118 (out of a total of 6,272, or roughly less than 2 per cent). The recording of details for artefacts in the founding collection from before 1884 was not consistent, however, so other items might have been purchased, but the detail not noted.

Of the 118 artefacts known to have been purchased from dealers or sale rooms for the English part of the founding collection, a very large majority were purchased at one time, the Medhurst collection of artefacts from the Weymouth area from Sothebys, probably in 1879. A total of 94 artefacts are known to have been obtained then, 80 per cent of the known purchased English artefacts from the founding collection.

 

 

 

 

Accession number

Who purchased from?

What was it?

What price paid?
£

When?

1

1884.2.1

Sothebys

Key from Medhurst collection

Unknown

1879?

2

1884.2.2

Sothebys

Key from Medhurst collection

Unknown

1879?

3

1884.2.22

Unknown

Iron padlock

Unknown

1867

4

1884.2.23

Unknown

Iron padlock

Unknown

1867

5

1884.5.35

Sothebys

Spoon from Medhurst collection

Unknown

1879?

6

1884.5.44

Sothebys

Spoon from Medhurst collection

Unknown

1879?

7

1884.5.49

Sothebys

Spoon from Medhurst collection

Unknown

1879?

8

1884.27.87

Sothebys

Revolver [Nelegan collection]

Unknown

Sale 8.4.78

9

1884.30.53

Unknown

Shield Umbo [Meyrick collection]

Unknown

Unknown

10

1884.30.54

Unknown

Shield Umbo [Meyrick collection]

Unknown

Unknown

11

1884.35.40

Anthropological Institute

Jar

£40 with other AI objects

Unknown

12

1884.37.14

Sothebys

Vessel

Unknown

1879?

13

1884.37.15

Sothebys

Vessel

Unknown

1879?

14

1884.37.16

Sothebys

Vessel

Unknown

1879?

15

1884.37.23

Sothebys

Vessel

Unknown

1879?

16

1884.37.29

Unknown

Vessel

Unknown

?1881

17

1884.37.30

Unknown

Vessel

Unknown

?1881

18

1884.37.31

Last, Shrewsbury

Vessel

Unknown

1870

19

1884.37.32

Last, Shrewsbury

Vessel

Unknown

1870

20

1884.37.41

Unknown

Vessel

Unknown

?1881

21

1884.37.54

Sothebys

Vessel from Medhurst collection

Unknown

1879?

22

1884.37.55

Sothebys

Vessel from Medhurst collection

Unknown

1879?

23

1884.37.56

Sothebys

Vessel from Medhurst collection

Unknown

1879?

24

1884.37.57

Sothebys

Vessel from Medhurst collection

Unknown

1879?

25

1884.37.58

Sothebys

Vessel from Medhurst collection

Unknown

1879?

26

1884.37.59

Sothebys

Vessel from Medhurst collection

Unknown

1879?

27

1884.37.68

Unknown

Vessel

Unknown

1879

28-33

1884.46.14-19

Sothebys

Comb from Medhurst collection

Unknown

1879?

34

1884.50.2

Sothebys

Horse shoe from Medhurst collection

Unknown

1879?

35

1884.67.72

Williamson

Figure

Unknown

?1879

36

?1884.76.140

Unknown

Bead

Unknown

1881?

37-38

1884.76.137, 138

Sothebys

Beads from Medhurst collection

Unknown

1879?

39-40

1884.79.56-57

Sothebys

Fibuli from Medhurst collection

Unknown

1879?

41

1884.80.21

Sothebys

Belt ornament from Medhurst collection

Unknown

1879?

42

1884.82.112

Sothebys

Arm ornament from Medhurst collection

Unknown

1879?

43

1884.104.79

Auction Mart near Bank of England

Pottery whorl

Unknown

1865

44-47

1884.105.3-6

Sothebys

Needles from Medhurst collection

Unknown

1879?

48

1884.116.116

Mr Bolton, Cockermouth

Strike-a-light

Unknown

Unknown

49-80

1884.118.144-175, 178

Sothebys

Bone tools from Medhurst collection

Unknown

1879?

81

1884.118.176

Sothebys

Weaving comb from Medhurst collection

Unknown

1879?

82-83

1884.118.177, 179

Sothebys

Antlers from Medhurst collection

Unknown

1879?

84

1884.119.105

RUSI museum

Axe

Unknown

Unknown

85

1884.119.584

Sothebys

Vessel from Medhurst collection

Unknown

1879?

86-92

?1884.119.612-617, 634

Sothebys

Unidentified object from Medhurst collection

Unknown

1879?

93-96

1884.119.618-620, 1884.120.47

Sothebys

Bed feet from Medhurst collection

Unknown

1879?

97

1884.120.13

Sothebys

Axe from Medhurst collection

Unknown

1879?

98

1884.120.34

Sothebys

Adze from Medhurst collection

Unknown

1879?

99-100

1884.120.45, 48

Sothebys

Spearheads from Medhurst collection

Unknown

1879?

101-104

1884.121.4, 12, 13, 18

Sothebys

Blades from Medhurst collection

Unknown

1879?

105-106

1884.121.29, 31

Sothebys

Tool from Medhurst collection

Unknown

1879?

107

1884.121.30

Sothebys

Pin from Medhurst collection

Unknown

1879?

108

?1884.123.36

Unknown

Stone axe

Unknown

1879?

109

1884.123.473

Bryce Wright

Stone tool

Unknown

Unknown

110

1884.125.305

Bryce Wright

Stone tool

Unknown

Unknown

111

1884.127.65

Bryce Wright

Stone tool

Unknown

Unknown

112

1884.133.17

Unknown

Stone tool

2/-

Unknown

113

1884.140.485

Sothebys

Bone tool from Medhurst collection

Unknown

1879?

114

1884.140.557

Sothebys

Bone tool from Medhurst collection

Unknown

1879?

115-117

1884.140.563-565

Sothebys

Unidentified objects from Medhurst collection

Unknown

1879?

118

1884.140.646

Sothebys

Buckle from Medhurst collection

Unknown

1879?

 

In addition there are the following possible objects that were purchased and might have formed part of the founding collection but have not yet been located and accessioned:

 

Accession number

Who purchased from?

What was it?

What price paid?
£

When?

-

?Bryce Wright

Stone with cup holes

Unknown

1879?

-

Anthropological Institute

Casts and mask of Coleridge's head [probably destroyed]

Unknown

1881?

-

Anthropological Institute

?Death Mask Charles James Fox [probably destroyed]

Unknown

1881?

-

Anthropological Institute

?Death Mask Lord Brougham [probably destroyed]

Unknown

1881?

-

Anthropological Institute

?Death Mask Cromwell [probably destroyed]

Unknown

1881?

-

Sothebys

2 Bone tools from Medhurst collection

Unknown

1879?