The Museum of Somerset is located in the 12th-century great hall of
Taunton Castle
Taunton Castle is a castle built to defend the town of Taunton, Somerset, England. It has origins in the Anglo Saxon period and was later the site of a priory. The Normans then built a stone structured castle, which belonged to the Bishops o ...
, in
Taunton
Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England, with a 2011 population of 69,570. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century monastic foundation, Taunton Castle, which later became a priory. The Normans built a castle owned by the ...
in the county of
Somerset
( en, All The People of Somerset)
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, established_date = Ancient
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, lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset
, lord ...
, England. The museum is run by
South West Heritage Trust, an independent charity, and includes objects initially collected by the
Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society who own the castle.
Until 2008 the museum was known as the Somerset County Museum.
Heritage Lottery Fund
The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom.
History
The fund's predecessor bodies were ...
support was obtained to improve the museum, and the new museum reopened at the end of September 2011.
Exhibits include the
Frome Hoard, the
Low Ham Roman Mosaic, the bronze-age
South Cadbury shield and a range of other objects relating to the history of the county.
History
In 1874 the castle was bought by the
Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society and between 1899 and 1900 the Great Hall was repaired and refitted as their chief museum space. In 1908-9 the Adam Library was created to house the society's growing collection of books. The society now leases it to
Somerset County Council
Somerset County Council is the county council of Somerset in the South West of England, an elected local government authority responsible for the most significant local government services in most of the county.
On 1 April 2023 the county coun ...
to house the Museum of Somerset. A substantial proportion of the items held by the Museum were originally collected by the Society.
Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...
, accompanied by the
Duke of Edinburgh
Duke of Edinburgh, named after the city of Edinburgh in Scotland, was a substantive title that has been created three times since 1726 for members of the British royal family. It does not include any territorial landholdings and does not produ ...
, visited the museum on 8 May 1987.
In October 2007, plans for a £6.5 million improvement to the museum and the castle were submitted by Somerset County Council to the
Heritage Lottery Fund
The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom.
History
The fund's predecessor bodies were ...
. It closed to the public on 18 April 2008 for a two-year refit, and reopened as the Museum of Somerset on 29 September 2011.
Central to the new museum is the Tree of Somerset, a sculpture carved from
oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ...
from the
Quantock Hills
The Quantock Hills west of Bridgwater in Somerset, England, consist of heathland, oak woodlands, ancient parklands and agricultural land. They were England's first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, designated in 1956.
Natural England have des ...
, which depicts events from Somerset's history.
Exhibits
The museum hosts a collection of toys and dolls,
sculpture
Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable ...
,
natural history,
fossil
A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...
s, fine silver, remains of pottery, and it also contains a collection of archaeological items, including the mosaic found at the
Low Ham Roman Villa. Also included is the
Somerset Military Museum where visitors are enabled to follow the fortunes of the
Somerset Light Infantry
The Somerset Light Infantry (Prince Albert's) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army, which served under various titles from 1685 to 1959. In 1959, the regiment was amalgamated with the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry to form the Som ...
as they carried out their campaigns across the world.
Exhibits include the
Frome Hoard, a
hoard
A hoard or "wealth deposit" is an archaeological term for a collection of valuable objects or artifacts, sometimes purposely buried in the ground, in which case it is sometimes also known as a cache. This would usually be with the intention of ...
of 52,503
Roman coins found in April 2010 by
metal detector
A metal detector is an instrument that detects the nearby presence of metal. Metal detectors are useful for finding metal objects on the surface, underground, and under water. The unit itself, consist of a control box, and an adjustable shaft, ...
ist Dave Crisp near the town of
Frome
Frome ( ) is a town and civil parish in eastern Somerset, England. The town is built on uneven high ground at the eastern end of the Mendip Hills, and centres on the River Frome. The town, about south of Bath, is the largest in the Mendip d ...
.
The coins were contained in a ceramic pot in diameter, and date from AD 253 to 305. Most of the coins are made from debased silver or bronze.
The hoard is one of the largest ever found in Britain, and is also important as it contains the largest group ever found of coins issued during the reign of
Carausius
Marcus Aurelius Mausaeus Carausius (died 293) was a military commander of the Roman Empire in the 3rd century. He was a Menapian from Belgic Gaul, who usurped power in 286, during the Carausian Revolt, declaring himself emperor in Britain and ...
, who ruled Britain independently from 286 to 293 and was the first
Roman emperor to strike coins in Britain.
The Museum of Somerset acquired the hoard in 2011, using a grant from the
National Heritage Memorial Fund
The National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF) was set up in 1980 to save the most outstanding parts of the British national heritage, in memory of those who have given their lives for the UK. It replaced the National Land Fund which had fulfilled the ...
.
References
External links
Museum of Somerset
{{authority control
Museums in Somerset
Buildings and structures in Taunton
History of Somerset
History museums in Somerset
Archaeological museums in England
Local museums in Somerset
Musical instrument museums
Grade I listed museum buildings