As mentioned in the previous issue’s Editorial (Arms & Armour Vol. 9, No. 1, 2012), work is continuing apace on plans to redevelop what is in effect our largest gallery here in Leeds, the War Gallery. A subtle change in emphasis from ‘War’ to ‘Warfare’ will see a radical change to the orientation of this gallery, combined with a fresh look at storylines which will bring the narrative right up to date and also provide curators with an opportunity to bring some newly acquired objects into the spotlight. The next 12 months will see efforts directed towards detailed object lists and outline theme work, also allowing time for new research and necessary conservation work to be identified and carried out. Though the Stage One Bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund proved unsuccessful, the museum is continuing with the project and actively seeking new sources of funding.
At the Tower of London, new displays have opened exploring the great institutions associated with the Tower on the top floor as well as an installation designed to evoke the days of the Tower as ‘the grand storehouse’ in the basement. These galleries mark the final stages of a five-year development plan which has seen the White Tower completely transformed to showcase the history of the Royal Armouries from its beginning in Edward III’s Privy Wardrobe to the National Museum it is today. The White Tower is now not only the spiritual home of the Royal Armouries, but a true shop window for one of the finest collection of arms and armour in the world.
Following hard on the heels of the Heritage Lottery Fund redevelopment of our museum of artillery at Fort Nelson, Portsmouth in August 2011, comes the launch of Discover@ Fort Nelson. This brand new facility boasts a state of the art classroom which uses the latest interactive technology to make history come alive for school children allowing them to explore the Fort combining objects and images, archives and audiovisual, performance and hands-on activity, Discover@ Fort Nelson includes pre- and post-visit lesson plans on Florence Nightingale for Key Stage 1 (Ages 5–7), World War II for Key Stage 2 (Ages 7–11) and World War I for Key Stage 3 (Ages 11–14). Work has also begun to develop a STEM module (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) that the museum intends to sell to other similar forts, particularly in the USA as part of the North America Strategy extending our influence across the globe.
Also occupying a prominent position in our strategy over all three sites is the ambitious three-year project to create a more effective and user friendly Content Management System (CMS) for all of the museum’s collections, including images, archives and library resources, as a replacement for Cuadra’s STAR, the database which has provided the museum with collection, archive, library and image management since 1991. This will involve all members of the curatorial team as we seek to improve our current content as well as identifying new ways in which collections information in a variety of formats can be made available in any new system. Once completed, interested parties will have greater access than ever before to our collections from anywhere in the world. This is, of course, a mammoth task, with over 80 000 objects and 200 000 records, and one that will not see the new CMS system launched until 2015.
Currently, we are also working on developing a number of exciting new publications with key partners. We are working with Extraordinary Editions to publish an exclusive edition of one of our best-known and most iconic manuscripts, known internally by its accession number of I.33. This is one of the oldest known manuals of swordsmanship in the Western canon dating to about 1300. The manuscript, renamed ‘The Illuminated Fight Book’ has been painstakingly photographed to enable a full size facsimile of the manuscript to be produced in a limited edition, complete with a companion volume that has a full transcript and translation of every page. The first 124 sponsor copies are currently on sale www.illuminatedfightbook.co.uk.
In addition, the Royal Armouries has acted as official consultants for a major new Dorling Kindersley publication The Military History Book. Other titles are also under production: the long-awaited catalogue of the Civil War armoury from Littlecote House by Thom Richardson and Graeme Rimer is due for publication in September 2012, and a number of new titles, on medieval warfare, arms and armour of the Elizabethan court and Islamic arms and armour are being prepared for print on demand publication from November 2012, to coincide with the launch of the Royal Armouries Book Club. After this date it is hoped we will be able to begin re-releasing our back catalogue.
The first publication for 2012 in the new print-on-demand format is the ICOMAM Conference October 2009 Proceedings, published in 2012, including papers by Nicholas Hall on Tudor naval gunnery, Thom Richardson on south Indian weapons, Ruth Rhynas Brown on gunfounding in England and Bob Woosnam-Savage on the Welsh castles of Edward I. Museum staff have made numerous contributions to other publications, including Bob Woosnam-Savage’s ‘The Matériel of Middle-earth: Arms and Armour in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings Motion Picture Trilogy’ in Picturing Tolkien: Essays on Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings Film Trilogy, edited by Janice Bogstad and Philip Kaveny.
In June 2011, Royal Armouries Leeds held a successful conference on ‘Identifying Battlefield Finds’ attended by over 100 enthusiastic amateurs and experts alike. On 15 September 2012 we will hold our 2nd Leeds Conference on ‘The English Civil Wars: The Politics, Battles, Equipment and Archaeology’. The conference will examine the causes of the English Civil Wars and discuss in detail some of the most significant battles plus the social, political and historical impact on the British Isles caused by this tumultuous period of conflict. Special emphasis will be placed on investigations into the arms and equipment of the forces of this period and on knowledge of the battles made possible by recent advances in battlefield archaeology. Speakers include Thom Richardson (Keeper of Armour, Royal Armouries), Graeme Rimer (Former Academic Director, Royal Armouries), Professor Micheál Ó Siochrú (History Department, Trinity College Dublin), Martin Marix Evans (The Naseby Battlefield Project), Natasha Ferguson (Treasure Trove, National Museums Scotland), Chris Scott (English Civil War author and historian), Brian Godwin (Independent scholar) and Katherine Elliott (Independent scholar).
On 29 September, the Tower of London will hold their follow up conference to 2011’s ‘Wars of the Roses: society at war in the 15th century’, which was organised by Malcolm Mercer, and included papers by Jonathon Riley and Thom Richardson. This year the chosen topic is ‘The 100 Years War’ drawing inspiration from one of the most significant conflicts of the later Middle Ages in which rival dynastic and territorial claims surrounding the French crown resulted in a series of bitter wars fought both on land and at sea between 1337 and 1453. Establishing the martial reputations of leading personalities including Edward the Black Prince, Henry V, and Joan of Arc as well as the reputation of English arms through the successful use of the longbow in the key battles of Crécy, Poitiers and Agincourt, the 100 Years War provides a unique opportunity to offer fresh new insights into our traditional interpretation of the conflict. In an exciting series of papers, our experts will explore crucial concepts such as kingship, chivalry, parliament and public opinion, prisoners, land and naval warfare, arms and armour, and technology. Speakers include Dr David Green (Harlaxton College, Grantham), Dr Craig Taylor (University of York), Dr Gwilym Dodd (University of Nottingham), Dr Remy Ambuhl (University of Southampton), Professor Anne Curry (University of Southampton), Dr Craig Lambert (Hull University), Professor Kelly DeVries (Loyola University, Maryland) and Thom Richardson (Royal Armouries, Leeds).
Another major area of activity for 2012 has seen the Royal Armouries embark on an ambitious loans programme, lending important objects to blockbuster exhibitions including ‘Royal River: Power, Pageantry and the Thames’ at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, ‘The Horse, from Arabia to Royal Ascot’ at the British Museum, ‘The Noble Art of the Sword’ at the Wallace Collection, ‘Four Wars of 1812’ at the Canadian War Museum, Ottawa, and ‘Shakespeare: Staging the World’ at the British Museum.
In this edition of Arms & Armour we would also like to formally record our sincere thanks to the outgoing Editor Graeme Rimer and acknowledge the immense knowledge, attention to detail and dedication which Graeme brought to the Editorship since taking it on in 2004. Graeme’s retirement from the Royal Armouries in early 2012 marked the end of a long professional relationship with the museum which began in 1980 when he was appointed Museum Assistant at the Tower of London following several periods of voluntary work there.
While holding a variety of curatorial, academic and directorial positions, Graeme worked on a range of exhibitions across a national and international arena including ‘Buffalo Bill’s Wild West’ (Leeds, Los Angeles and Denver, 1999–2001), ‘Wheellock Firearms of the Royal Armouries’ (Leeds, 2001) and ‘Henry VIII: Dressed to Kill’ (Tower of London, 2009). During his professional career Graeme published on a wide range of topics and in a variety of formats, and advised on a number of key documentary programmes including The Real Dick Turpin (Shine TV, 2008), Queen Elizabeth’s Lost Guns: The Alderney Wreck (Timewatch, 2009) and Towton 1461 (BBC Yorkshire, 2010).
In light of his unique knowledge, which he shared freely with colleagues and students of the field alike, he is to continue his association with the Royal Armouries in a consultancy capacity which recognises the high regard in which he is held by both his former colleagues and by the Board of Trustees of the museum.
Just before this editorial went to press the death was announced of our colleague Tony North, formerly assistant curator in the metalwork department of the Victoria & Albert Museum. Tony was an acknowledged expert in many fields ranging from swords and guns to pewter and other types of base metal work, and one of the most helpful and likeable individuals in the museum world. We hope to run a full obituary in a subsequent issue.
Alison Watson (Curatorial Manager), Thom Richardson (Keeper of Oriental & European Armour and Bob Woosnam-Savage (Curator of Historic European Edged Weapons).
Royal Armouries June 2012