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14. The Partridge Collection An important part of our large geology collection is known as the “Partridge Collection”. In researching this we have come across the astonishing story of one of Barnstaple’s most remarkable women. Ethel Mary Partridge was born in Barnstaple in 1872, the daughter of pharmacist James Partridge. She was educated locally, winning …

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16. A Hair from an Elephant's Tail This elephant hair was posted to Henry Desborough of Pilton, probably around 1860.  It found its way into the collections of the North Devon Athenaeum, perhaps via the Literary and Scientific Institution, of which Henry was a member. Museums in the 19th century became the home of all …

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19. Combe Martin Silver Ore This large sample of galena or lead sulphide almost certainly comes from the last successful reworking of the Combe Martin lead mines in 1848.  Combe Martin lead ore has a high silver content, containing up to 168 ounces of silver per ton. Mining at Combe Martin may have started in …

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21. Some Leyden Jars These glass jars, lined inside and out with zinc foil, were found lined up in a large wooden box, connected by metal wires.  We have no record of their provenance, but we believe they once belonged to the Barnstaple Literary and Scientific Institution. The Institution was set up in 1845, thanks …

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26. The Phrenological Head This ceramic head has been part of our collection for 175 years - longer than almost any other object.  It was given to the Barnstaple Literary and Scientific Institution by Dr.Richard Budd (1809-1896), who was the physician at the North Devon Infirmary for over 40 years. The 19th century pseudoscience of …

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29. Neolithic Stone Axes The stone objects seen here are axe heads from the ‘New Stone Age’ or Neolithic period found near Clovelly.  The people of the Neolithic are known as the first farmers, who, spreading from the eastern Mediterranean, arrived in Britain round about 4,000 BC. To create their fields of early wheat and …

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40. North Devon's Oldest Pottery In 1864 the geologist Townshend Hall was alerted to a concentration of prehistoric flint material at a spot on Baggy Point called Freshwater Gut, where rabbits had been burrowing. Conducting the earliest archaeological excavation in North Devon, Townshend Hall uncovered flint tools and waste together with these two fragments of …

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41. John Webber's Token This tiny copper alloy token has many stories to tell, of economics, manufacturing and local history 17th Century tokens were the first genuine trade tokens to appear in this country. The failure of parliament to provide sufficient small denomination coinage drove desperate traders to issue their own. Anyone with a reputation and …

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45. The Straight-Tusked Elephant Why an elephant in Barnstaple?  In 1844, workmen digging clay in the brickfields in Summerland Street unearthed this fragment of elephant tusk, together with some teeth (now in the Natural History Museum).  At this time the popular view was that the earth was no more than 5,800 years old, although many …

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60. The Brockenbarrow Urn This undecorated vessel once held cremated human remains from the second or early first millennium BC. It was recovered in 1906 from a round barrow (earth mound) on Challacombe Down by the Reverend Chanter of Parracombe who restored it and presented it to the North Devon Athenaeum. Dating from the Bronze …