Wessex Museums

Wicked Wessex!

Objects on Tour programme, 2018-2019

Our four partner museums delved into their collections and found  objects that tell stories of the region’s ‘wicked’ past – from grim and gruesome to strange and shocking!

Objects on Tour 

Each year, our four partner museums swap objects to tell stories of the region’s past.  The objects are chosen to fit a theme, which for 2018-2019 was Wicked Wessex. The objects were displayed at each museum in turn, rotating every three months.  Each museum also offered talks and children’s activities based on the theme.

This might look like an innocent jug, but beer and wine weren’t the only liquids that 'witch bottles' carried!
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Bellarmine jug -
Wiltshire Museum

Life was hard for sailors in the 1700s and 1800s. They faced harsh punishments, including being flogged with the dreaded cat-o’-nine-tails.
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Cat-o’-nine-tails -
Poole Museum

The maquette is a miniature version of the haunting martyrs’ memorial that still stands where Dorchester's town gallows were located.
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Maquette for the Martyrs -
Dorset Museum

This sinister contraption was used to punish people who were suspected of witchcraft.
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Scold's bridle -
The Salisbury Museum

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