Soham Museum

General sale of our new #WhatsOnline season starts 09:00 tomorrow! The latest programme includes new #TopLevelTips webinars and, as always, exciting guest speakers alongside our own specialists and experts. Browse now or replay a previous talk: http://orlo.uk/D2lOK

Although a month had passed since the Armistice, fatalities still occurred. On this day (13 December) in 1918 a very young (acting) Major died. At 22 years Ceci...l Crichton-Browne was even by the standards of war - very young to be holding this rank. What is more, it seems that just before his death he took temporary command of a battalion. Only four years before he had been a schoolboy at Eton. It is of course the case that many officers were rapidly promoted during the war, but to join with no military experience before your 18th birthday and to end up temporarily commanding a regular battalion on active service is quite remarkable. To read the story of Cecil Crichton-Browne click on the link here>>> https://bit.ly/380EKTW Fascinated by WW1? So are we ! Join The Western Front Association to learn more about this Great War of 1914-1918. https://bit.ly/WFAMember

Today’s #archivejigsaw is a plan of the basement level of London’s Somerset House which was a Royal Palace in the 17th century, but by the 18th century was most...ly used for grace and favour apartments. At different times it was occupied by the future Queen Elizabeth I, and Anne of Denmark, wife of King James I. Inigo Jones built a chapel there between 1630 and 1635 and in 1750 Canaletto painted two scenes from the terrace. Complete the jigsaw: http://orlo.uk/EIRyz

Courtesy of Soham Roots. Lovely photo of workers at Clark & Butchers mill - any suggestions as to date?

Join us tomorrow at 1pm for a FREE lecture with Folklore Historian, Dr Francis Young as we explore the history and folklore surrounding Christmas Ghosts! Disco...ver more about what the lecture will discover along with how to join and take part https://bit.ly/37hCSpm Detail of a miniature of the Three Living (a pope, an emperor, and a king) and the Three Dead (wearing matching crowns), at the beginning of thee Office of the Dead, from a Book of Hours, France (Paris), c. 1480 c. 1490, Harley MS 2917, f. 119r

Those of you who have taken part in cross country runs while students at SVC will probably recognise this - the railway crossing to Horse Fen. Thanks to Julie Webb for allowing me to share it!

Today is #WorldOnlineNetworkingDay! Free UK Genealogy is a charity to network to history with thousands of online volunteers. You can #HelpKeepHistoryFree by working online from your home. For further information; https://www.freeukgenealogy.org.uk/about/volunteer/

As mass production made luxury goods more affordable for the middle classes, Christmas Bazaars grew in popularity in the Victorian period. These would promote Christmas novelties and toys for children, among other goods ideal for Christmas presents. We hold many of these adverts:

Lovely photo, shared from Spotted in Ely.

It was #OnThisDay, the 29th October 1791 that master of the Three Blackbirds pub, Thomas Foulgham died. The site of the Three Blackbirds is shown in maps of med...ieval Ely in a group of buildings ‘on the east side of Brodelanesende to Castelhith’, a road now known as Broad Street. The Three Blackbirds is the earliest known standing building in Ely, outside of the monastic precinct, and was built at the end of the 13th century, though it was considerably altered in the early 14th century too. It was likely originally built as a merchants house with a hall, warehouse and counting house. This riverside area of Ely developed significantly during this time and was an important place for boatyards, agriculture, industry and for welcoming important guests and pilgrims visiting Ely Cathedral. Although the street layout has changed significantly in Ely since the medieval times, the Three Blackbirds now stands on the junction between Broad Street & Jubilee Terrace. In 1417, the site of the Three Blackbirds was owned by Thomas Hervy, bailiff of the Prior & in 1735 it is also shown in the will of Edward Foulgham, a baker, whose description of the house shows it had undergone significant improvements & changes, including the addition of a brew house. These references to brew houses & considerable supplies of ale left in his will, suggests by this date the Three Blackbirds was being used as a pub. It seems the pub was then run by his descendant, Thomas, who died in 1791. The pub, in the 18th century was supplied by Arthur & Bertram Hall who owned the Forehill Brewery between 1700-1750. Following Thomas' death, the Cambridge Chronicle shows the building as still being used as a pub in 1796, and was used continuously as one until 1933 when records show it did not apply for a renewal of its license ‘to sell intoxicating liquer’ The site of the Three Blackbirds was occupied until the 1970s & was first identified as being of architectural & historic interest in 1974, noting its fine smoke-blackened timbers of the open hall. In 1981, the Three Blackbirds was acquired by the Ely Preservation Trust who planned to restore it, a project completed by 1983. The Three Blackbirds failed to attract a buyer, so was split into three dwellings, restored and sold as private homes. Archaeological digs were undertaken by the Ely & District Archaeological Society in the early 1980s and also in 2005 on the site. The building today still reflects the original plan of the house & warehouse combined as is similar to that of a traditional merchants house found across Cambridgeshire. The centre two bays of the building were a former ‘hall house’ having an early roof with passing braces dated 1270. The rafters which were smoke blackened from several open fires & hearths, were added & changed by many generations of owners. The building is also unique for several reasons, primarily because of transitional nature of the structure of its roof and the late 13th and 14th centuries and also because of the early use of brick in the 14th century building. Circa 1300, the building was extended 5 bays towards the river by a merchant. The original roof with carpenters marks is still in situ. An eighteenth century extension was built on, fronting Broad Street, too. The building has attracted the attention of a number of architectural historian who each contributed to the understanding and interpretation of the building. Details of these finds can be found in ‘The Three Blackbirds: A Medieval House in Ely’. In the past twenty years, the area between Broad Street and the river has seen numerous archaeological investigations, & further research has shown similar timber buildings in the area too. The Three Blackbirds that was a high status building in the context of the riverside in Ely. This is demonstrated by the quality and size of the buildings and also by the late medieval documentary evidence recording this as a freehold tenancy. The layout and location of the building suggest it had been originally a merchants house and in the early 13th Century, improvement in the fenland river network placed Ely on the river route between Cambridge and the international port at Kings Lynn. There is documentary evidence for merchants in Ely from the 13th century, though none specifically refer to this site. The presence of an imported millstone found in one of the earliest hearths in the building may point to one of the commodities traded here. The archaeological and architectural evidence found by archaeologists on site also reflect the changing fortunes of the building over the centuries & there are many episodes of remodeling, followed by periods of neglect in its history. Fortunately, given the restoration work carried out by the Trust, covenants placed upon the building to protect this work & new owners, the building has been saved as an example of the medieval here in Ely. The pictures below shows the Three Blackbirds before restoration, during and after. #ElyMuseumOnThisDay

Will share the Soham arrangements when I know them.....

Well done Isleham on this stunning display!

Welcome to All Saints', Conington in Cambridgeshire! Download the free guide for All Saints', Conington here - https://bit.ly/3lpCxWE Join us & help us care for... historic churches in England here: https://bit.ly/2OTj5DT To donate by text, please text 'CON' to 70970 to donate 5 and to 70191 to donate 10. Thank you.

(I think ‘dinging’ should be finding!)....

I've had this book recommended - apparently Hilda Marjory Ingle was brought up in Ely and it's an interesting account of life there in the early 1900's. (Paperback 8.99 or 99p on Kindle, you know where!).......

The ceremony to mark the return of Unknown Warrior to London will be a muted affair this year. Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, just six people from the London... branch of the WFA will be in attendance - in marked contrast to the normally well-attended gathering on Platform 8. Nonetheless, WFA London chair Kathy Stevenson and her colleagues will observe the two-minutes silence and lay the usual wreaths. In the upcoming special issue of Stand To! - devoted to the Unknown Warrior - Kathy relates the background to the 10 November event; one which has become a firm fixture in the calendar of Great War memorialisation. To read about this edition of Stand To! which is available to all new members of the WFA click here >>> https://bit.ly/2J3qlxh

Enjoyed watching Jodie Whittaker explore her family history tonight? Then let Soham Museum help you explore yours - just email us at [email protected] and we'll get you started!

Have you ever heard of Mortsafes or Iron Coffins? Well join us & Suzie Lennox - Digging Up 1800 tomorrow for our FREE #LunchtimeLecture as we explore 'Raiders ...of the Grave' & learn about different methods employed by churches to combat Bodysnatchers! Learn more and sign up https://bit.ly/3mx1fVU By Paul Bryan of an Iron Coffin at St Pega, Peakirk a Bats in Churches project church

I remember reading a book about her as a child, always one of my heroines....

If you haven’t visited in a while.....

Some fascinating info here....

Today’s #archivejigsaw features a squad of football jerseys from Stockport manufacturer Bukta. The company was established by Edward R Buck and sons in 1879 whe...n they began by making shorts for soldiers in the Boer war. Their first football kits were made in 1884 for Nottingham Forest and they went on to provide kits for many top clubs including Man Utd, Arsenal and Hibernian and also for the England national side. The brand continues but the company declined in the 1980s and closed in the early 1990s http://orlo.uk/Rmcvd See more

William Blake is one of my favourites!

Some nice ideas for outings...

The Autumn leaves are falling a lovely photograph shared by our Friends at Anglesey Abbey.

Some interesting topics - I notice Soham features....

Little flint in our area - we're rather on the edge of it, but there's some!

Today’s #archivejigsaw is a portrait of George II from a 1752 Royal Charter which was granted to the Commissioners for the Victualling of the Navy. This body, k...nown as the Victualling Board, was responsible for keeping the Navy supplied with food and drink wherever they were across the world. The work of a sailor was physically demanding so plentiful food was important. Meat preserved in salt, and hard, dry ship’s biscuits were supplemented with fresh meat, milk and eggs from livestock that was kept on board ships. Sometimes sailors caught fish, and fresh fruit and vegetables could be bought from local traders when ships arrived at their destinations. Complete the jigsaw: http://orlo.uk/vc7lD To find out more about life in the Navy at this time read 'How to survive in the Georgian Navy' by Bruno Pappalardo available from our online shop: http://orlo.uk/OPpQE

Hereward the Wake was a Saxon nobleman who led resistance to Norman rule in East Anglia in the years following the Norman Conquest. On this day in 1071, William... the Conqueror led troops from Cambridge Castle to Ely, to face Hereward. 949 years later, a small team of walkers are re-tracing the route, and are currently approaching Cottenham. Follow #WakeHerewardProject on Facebook to see their progress - they were on Radio Cambridgeshire this morning. Regular updates during the day!

Today’s #archivejigsaw for #WorldMentalHealthDay is an image of items belonging Mary Smith when she died in 1810. We know very little about Mary, other than tha...t she once lived at Christ's Hospital in London and is described in the records, in the language of the time, as a 'lunatic'. The items were held as exhibits for the Court of Chancery. After the court case was settled, no one collected her possessions. These included: Three miniature portraits in individual cases A medal remembering the victory of Frederick II of Prussia over the French and Austrians at Rossbach in 1757 A silver pill box and a gold watch Hatpins and buckles Silver spoons and coins A jewellery case with jewellery including a cross, some rings and a locket with the picture of a small girl. Complete the jigsaw: http://orlo.uk/7yEKo

I can remember reading Michael Jeacock’s fascinating column in the local paper every week - those were the days!