RAMM continues to add objects and specimens to its permanent collection. Some are historic, documenting the city’s past landscape and people. Others record current biodiversity, new innovation and recent events.
RAMM’s collecting is guided by its Collections Development Policy. This outlines the kind of items the museum seeks to collect and the ethical considerations it adheres to. RAMM reviews this document at least every five years. This ensures collections in RAMM’s care remain relevant and reflect contemporary society.
RAMM would like to thank all the donors, funders and supporters who make it possible to acquire new objects for the collection. Find out how you can support RAMM.
If you would like to donate an object to RAMM please contact us. Please do NOT bring objects to the museum without a prior appointment with a member of the Collections Team.
Browse a selection of RAMM’s acquisitions in 2023, expand the sections below for 2020 – 2022:
Christine Hawken’s lace
Christine Hawken was a talented maker, teacher and researcher. Two books of her patterns and fillings were sold in her memory with all proceeds given to HospiceCare. When The Devon Lace Teachers dissolved in 2023 they gave Christine’s collection to RAMM.
1953 coronation souvenir periscope (Periscope)
The company Selcol was established in 1953 as subsidiary of Selmer Company, a musical instrument manufacturer. Selcol made garden furniture and plastic toys like this periscope. The same year saw Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation. This periscope was marketed as a way of seeing over the heads of the huge crowds gathered in London to view the Queen’s procession.
self-portrait (self-portrait)
Self-portrait photograph of artist Melinda Schwakhofer wearing a Covid face mask with the words “Este Mvskokvlke Owis :: I Am Mvskoke”.
Puppets
Collection of nine wayang golek puppets
finger ring with inscription (ring (finger))
This simple silver ring is inscribed +A+G+L+A+A which probably represents the words, translated from Hebrew: Atha Gebri Leilan Adonai, meaning ‘Thou art mighty forever, O Lord’. The inscription has amuletic significance and was invoked as a charm against fever during the Middle Ages. The use of Hebrew may have been seen as giving the charm extra, almost magical, power.
sleeve ruffle pattern in rose point lace (lace pattern)
Charlotte Treadwin designed this lace pattern for a sleeve ruffle. It was published in the supplement to The Englishwoman’s Domestic Magazine.
Invertebrate collection
Approximately 2000 spiders, ticks, fleas and lice collected by Toddy Cooper.
Collection of pots and vessels
Bruce Kent’s collection of pots, vessels and pieces of barkcloth.
Mrs Isaac Oliver (Miniature)
Gillie Hoyte Byrom hand paints enamels for a world-wide clientele from her studio in Dartington, Devon. She creates portrait miniatures using traditional vitreous enamel skills taught to her in Barcelona in 1990. some are of living people, others take their inspiration from historic artworks.
The original work is a watercolour on vellum, 50mm, at the National Portrait Gallery.
Mr Isaac Oliver (Miniature)
Enamel miniature by Gillie Hoyte Byrom. The original work is a watercolour on vellum, 50mm, at the National Portrait Gallery.
Helena Snakenbourg (Miniature)
Enamel miniature by Gillie Hoyte Byrom. Original artwork is oil on Wood 62.3 x 48.3cm, at Tate Britain.
Edward, Prince of Wales (Miniature)
Enamel miniature by Gillie Hoyte Byrom. Original art work: oil on panel 56.8 x 44 cm at National Gallery of Art, Washington.
Edward, Prince of Wales (Miniature)
Enamel miniature by Gillie Hoyte Byrom. Original art work: Oil on panel 107.2mm x 82mm, with His Majesty the King.
Princess Elizabeth (Miniature)
Enamel miniature by Gillie Hoyte Byrom. Original art work: Oil on panel 108.5mm x 81.8mm, with His Majesty the King.
Henry VIII (Miniature)
Enamel miniature by Gillie Hoyte Byrom. Original art work: Unique composition of Henry VIII based on the work of Hans Holbein the Younger with particular reference to the full length Preparatory Cartoon for Whitehall (National Portrait Gallery, London); the Thyssen-Bornemisza oil portrait ( Madrid); the Remigius Van Leemput oil portrait (The Royal Collection) and the full length oil portrait (Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool).
Queen Jane Seymour (Miniature)
Enamel miniature by Gillie Hoyte Byrom. Original art work: Oil on wood 65cm x 40.5cm by Hans Holbein the Younger. Kunsthistoriches Museum, Vienna.
Queen Mary I (Miniature)
Enamel miniature by Gillie Hoyte Byrom. Original art work: Oil on panel 83.9 x 114.4cm by Antonis Mor. The Marquess of Northampton, Castle Ashby, Northamptonshire.
Queen Elizabeth I (Miniature)
Enamel miniature by Gillie Hoyte Byrom. Original art work: Oil on panel 787mm x 610mm. Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool
dress pin (pin)
Enamel miniature by Gillie Hoyte Byrom. Original art work: Oil on panel 787mm x 610mm. Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool
Trinket dish
Trinket dish commemorating 100th anniversary of the St Luke’s College Chapel in 1863.
Gold
Fragment of gold ingot, possibly hack-gold from Kilmington.
Copper ingot fragments
Hoard of copper alloy ingot fragments from Colyton (about 1000-800 BC).
Finger ring decorated with entwined beasts and cat-like heads (ring)
Rings of this period are rare in Britain and very few have this incredible level of decoration. On each corner is cat-like head with large, almost bat-shaped ears. Between each pair of masks there are two intertwined beasts.
hoard of axeheads and a blade
Hoard of axeheads and a blade from Farway, Early Bronze Age (2600-1600 BC).
pilgrim badge of St Barbara
St Barbara was associated with towers and lightning and was the patron saint of miners and military engineers (people associated with explosives). Found at Stockland.
Archaeological archives include:
- Hemyock (early medieval ironworking)
- Tiverton (neolithic pottery, lithics and plant remains)
- Butts Road and Higher Ridgeway, Ottery St Mary
- Bow (grooved ware pottery)
- Bull Meadow Park, Exeter
- Old Rydon Lane, Exeter
- High Peak, Sidmouth
- Sidwell Street, Exeter
- Court Lane, Seaton
- Royal Naval Stores Depot, Exeter
- Barton Farm, Burlescombe
- Exe Bridge Retail Park
- South Down Farm, Beer
King and Queen
‘King and Queen’ is an early work of exceptional maturity reflecting Brian Rice’s interest in American Abstract Expressionism and the paintings of Robert Motherwell. Aluminium paint and bold marks in red and black create a balanced work where colour and mood are reminiscent of the Spanish landscape. © Brian Rice
Study for Wing
These two studies show Randall-Page’s enduring interest in forms found in nature. They evoke the intricate patterns of the natural world, especially the delicate, curving structures of insect wings. This aquatint was made using a stencil, as part of an exhibition of the artist’s work at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park in 2009, while the burnt sienna on paper was made as a study for a temporary installation created for One Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London in 2010. They accompany the sculpture Wing acquired by RAMM in 2020.
Deller’s teapot
A teapot from one of Deller’s Cafes in Exeter. The first Deller’s Café opened on 31 October 1906 next door to the Royal Clarence Hotel on Cathedral Yard. Later, in December 1916, a second branch opened on Bedford Street, and then a third in 1923 at 48/49 High Street.
Biophilia: The Exeter Florilegium
The wildflowers displayed in ‘The Exeter Florilegium’ were gathered on Shelton’s daily walks during lockdown, with contributions and dedications from NHS staff and the general public. Collected within a mile radius of the Royal Devon & Exeter hospital, these flowers and personal messages convey the shared experiences of many during the spring and summer of 2020.
Commissioned by RAMM and purchased with support from Arts Council England, the Arts Council England/V&A Purchase Grant Fund, the Friends of RAMM and the Kent Kingdon Bequest.
The Sweetest Thing
In 2020 RAMM invited Joy Gregory to create new artwork in response to the themes and ideas explored in the exhibition In Plain Sight and the objects on display. The Sweetest Thing is Gregory’s first textile work. It refers directly to the ‘Combesatchfield’ embroidery also in RAMM’s care.
Presented by the Contemporary Art Society with support from Arts Council England and the Friends of RAMM.
Perseverance Mars lander parachute fabric
On 18 February 2021, four minutes after entering the Martian atmosphere, NASA’s Perseverance lander deployed its parachute made from fabric developed and produced by Heathcoat’s in Tiverton, Devon. The fabric can withstand huge extremes of temperature and still be strong enough to withstand the incredible force of deployment at great speed. A Heathcoat’s engineer described it as ‘the strongest, lightest and most heat resistant parachute fabric ever produced’.
Face mask
This facemask was made by Tiverton-based Heathcoat Fabrics, using a special antiviral fabric developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although face coverings have been used for centuries, this design was first used as a public health measure during the 1918 Influenza pandemic.
Mental health nursing ephemera
David Williams trained as a mental health nurse at the Digby and Wonford Hospital in the early 1960s. Mental health nursing was one of the first nursing disciplines to encourage male students to train.
Wasp spider egg sac
On 3 September 2021 RAMM’s Natural Sciences Curator spotted a female wasp spider in the long grass by the museum’s off site store. This was the first year the grass had been allowed to grow long. By the 9 September she had laid this egg sac. The following week she was gone. In May 2022, once certain the eggs had hatched, the sac was added to RAMM’s collection. This object is not on display.
Herman Yellow Old Woman’s regalia
In 2022 RAMM returned ceremonial regalia belonging to Chief Crowfoot, an important late nineteenth-century Blackfoot leader to the Siksika Nation. At the handover, ceremonial elder Herman Yellow Old Woman gave a set of his own regalia to the museum. He tanned the hide and did all the beadwork himself. He wishes that it ‘remain at the museum forever’.
Professor David Nichols’s sea urchins
A collection of fossilised and dried specimens made by echinoderm expert Professor David Nichols. A few, like those pictured here, show unusual growth patterns. Some years ago David donated his research library to RAMM. He also wrote a very detailed biography of Percy Sladen – a Victorian scientist who shared his love of this fascinating group of marine animals.
Honiton lace crown
Honiton lace crown made by Pauline Cockram, a Devon lace maker, in 2022 to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II
Love the NHS quilt
This quilt celebrating the NHS was handmade by Exeter resident and RAMM volunteer Carol Mcfadzean during the first COVID-19 lockdown in spring 2020. Rainbows became symbolic of showing support for the NHS with many people decorating their windows with them.
Carol’s coronavirus challenge
RAMM volunteer Carol McFadzean made this quilt during the Covid pandemic. Carol’s quilting group were given the challenge to make something on the theme of ‘letters’. This quilt represents the healing heart of the NHS, the balance between life and death and the tears shed during 2020
Toothpaste pot
A growing range of tooth powders and toothpastes began to be commercially available in the mid-1800s. Chemists would often develop their own toothpaste recipe and use ceramic pots like this one to advertise their products. This toothpaste sold by a Plymouth-based chemist was made using areca nuts, which are now known to cause cancer.
Breast reliever
Breast relievers were manual breast pumps used to express milk to ease discomfort when breastfeeding. This model was called the ‘Omega’ and was manufactured by a company called Ingram’s in London.
Exeter Hip
Two donations of material relating to the ‘Exeter Hip’. One of the most common surgical procedures today is a hip replacement. This operation replaces a damaged hip joint with an artificial one. Orthopaedic surgeon Professor Robin Ling and engineer Professor Clive Lee took a revolutionary collaborative approach to designing a new implant. Known around the world as the Exeter hip it is considered to be the ‘gold standard’ in replacement hip stems.
Scabbard Mount
A decorative mount from a scabbard. It is made from gilded silver and the square recess at the point of the pyramid would originally have held a gem or piece of glass. These mounts date from the early-medieval period, probably 6th or 7th centuries, and are found across England and Europe. Really decorative examples were found at Sutton Hoo.
Cloth seal
Lead cloth seals were attached to bales of cloth as part of the regulation and taxation of the cloth industry. This example is unusual as it was originally gilded (gold-plated). The Royal arms and gilding suggests that this seal was used to mark a particularly important type of cloth.
Common Quaker Moth (Print)
Sarah worked from a quaker moth in RAMM’s collection to create this stunning mezzotint. ©Sarah Gillespie
Peppered Moth (Print)
Sarah worked from a live peppered moth specimen to create this stunning mezzotint. ©Sarah Gillespie
Exeter NHS Nightingale Hospital mural (painting)
In 2020 Exeter artist LP Edits was invited to paint a mural for the Nightingale Hospital Exeter, which had recently opened to provide increased bed capacity for the RD&E during the COVID-19 pandemic. He created this version on paper especially for RAMM. © LP Edits
Hip flask (Hip flask)
Cyrus Austin won this silver plated hip flask during a Whist Drive at Barnfield Hall, Exeter in January 1918. Cyrus was an American serviceman, who served in the Canadian army during the First World War. While serving with the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force in France he became ill with nephritis (kidney problems) and being invalided to No 5 Hospital in Exeter to recuperate. He was in Exeter from December 1917 to January 1918, he then spent time at several other military hospitals in England before returning to Canada and being discharged due to ill health. His full military medical record is digitised and available online. This object is not on display.
Several artworks by Devon-born artist Wilfred Avery that depict the Devon coast. Presented by the executor of the Estate of Wilfred Avery with Art Fund support, 2022. © Executor of the Estate of Wilfred Avery
A Lego® brick model of RAMM (model)
In 2022 RAMM commissioned Warren Elsmore to create several models of Exeter scenes using LEGO® bricks for the exhibition ‘Brick by Brick: A LEGO Brick History of Exeter.’ The model of RAMM is now part of the museum’s permanent collection. It is made of 41,236 individual bricks.
Archaeological archives include sites at the following locations:
- Branscombe
- North Hall, Widecombe-in-the-Moor
- Maunders Row, Otterton
- Buckfast Abbey
- Cullompton (prehistoric pottery)
- Bovey Tracey
- Sampford Peverell
- Chudleigh
- Treasbeare Farm, Cranbrook
- Bridgetown, Totnes
face mask (Face mask)
Covid mask made by Samoan artist Reggie Meredith as part of a major Pacific barkcloth project in 2020.
The King’s Tomb (Print)
This work shows the continuation of Brian Rice’s awakened interest in archaeology and associated imagery with motifs inspired by rock art. This interest first presented itself with his print ‘Mazefield’ of the same year. ‘The King’s Tomb’ explores universal abstract patterns found in prehistoric rock engravings.
NHS heart and rainbow badge (Badge)
Metal badge made to celebrate the NHS during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Given to a nurse at the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital by a patient.
Lateral flow test (Lateral flow test)
During the COVID-19 pandemic mass asymptomatic testing programmes were carried out around the world to try and prevent the spread of the virus. In the UK, the public were encouraged to test twice a week using lateral flow tests like these.
Hand Sanitiser
During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic there was a global shortage of Personal Protective Equipment and medical disinfectants. Many manufacturers adapted their factories to try and meet this shortfall. This hand sanitiser was produced by Exeter Gin.
archer’s bracer (archer’s bracer)
This object is not on display.
stained glass window (stained glass window)
A late 16th century stained glass panel that depicts the Bampfylde family crest.
Collection of Etchings
Collection of etchings depicting locations in the South West by Edwin Edwards.
Photograph of Joey
Joey the Stanley crane was a much-loved and much photographed resident of Kew gardens. After his death he found his way to RAMM’s collection and is on display in the ‘In Fine Feather Gallery’
negligée worn by Vivien Leigh (negligée)
The white nylon lace trimmed negligée is said to have been a gift to the actress Vivien Leigh (1913-1967) from her mother Gertrude Hartley (1888-1972).
Stone family miniatures (miniatures)
John Stone was an Exeter Silversmith. These portraits are of him and his family.
pot, beaker (beaker)
Archaeologists call this type of Early Bronze Age pottery a beaker. While many beakers were used for food and drink they are also often found with burials. This was the case with the Cranbrook beaker.
uniform of the Lord-Lieutenant of the county of Devon (tunic)
Sir Eric Dancer KCVO CBE KStJ wore this uniform while serving Queen Elizabeth II from 1998 until his retirement in 2015. A Lord-Lieutenant is the British monarch’s personal representative in each area of the United Kingdom
dress hook
Silver gilt dress hook or hooked fastener from Burlescombe.
European beaver (mammal)
Taxidermy mount of a female beaver from Devon Wildlife Trust’s trial on the River Otter prepared by Jazmine Miles-Long.
Codd-neck bottle (bottle)
Codd bottles were glass bottles designed for the storage of fizzy drinks. Their characteristic feature is the pinched neck, which trapped a marble of glass; these replaced the use of cork stoppers which tended to loosen when dried out.
chariot fitting (terret ring)
This is a fragment of an ornamented Romano-British chariot fitting called a terret ring. These rings were usually used in pairs and guided the reins from the chariot to the horse’s bit
penny of William II (coin)
New addition to the collection of important collection of Saxon and early medieval coins in RAMM’s care.
Anyone may come and go (Print)
Exeter-based artist-collective Preston Street Union (PSU) were inspired by RAMM’s collection of wooden tillet printing blocks.
National Fire Service helmet (helmet)
This helmet was used by a member of the National Fire Service in Exeter. The National Fire Service was formed in the Second World War by bringing together local fire services and the national Auxiliary Fire Service
RAMM also accepted archaeological archives for sites at Newcourt Drive, Cranbrook, Thorverton, Paul Street in Exeter, Crown Land Axminster, Hayes Farm and St Sidwell’s Point.
Wing (sculpture)
Randall-Page is known for his stone sculptures, inspired by the geometric shapes and patterns of nature. Made up of over 600 individual ceramic tiles, Wing embodies the delicate and intricately patterned structure of an insect’s wings on a monumental scale.
Eden 6 (photograph)
Susan Derges is a critically-acclaimed artist whose experimental photographic techniques, along with a move to live and work on Dartmoor in 1992, led her to create new, innovative work of local rivers.
Ocean Flowers (photographs)
This unique artists’ book by Susan Derges and John Wedgwood Clarke includes 23 Giclée prints and 23 poems. They created the work for the ‘Sea Garden’ exhibition at RAMM in 2019.
Landscape with Trees and Cliffs (painting)
Wilfred Avery was born in South Moulton, Devon. This is one of many works by Avery to depict the Devon coast.
Exeter Chromatic (lace)
Devon lace teachers and their students made a new piece of lace for the 2020 exhibition ‘By Royal Appointment’. Inspired by an old lace design and an historic style of Devon lace the piece, named ‘Exeter Chromatic’, brings RAMM’s extensive lace collection into the 21st century.
brass finial (finial)
This brass finial was mistakenly collected as an example of a Friendly Society pole head. Friendly Societies were 19th and early 20th century cooperative organisations to support rural workers. In some ways they were proto-trade unions but they also adopted semi-masonic symbols to create a sense of identity.
Handle with Care
Exeter-based photographer Brendan Barry worked with a group of young people aged thirteen to seventeen years old to create five photographic prints.
The interior of Exeter Cathedral (drawing)
To draw this view of the interior Thomas Girtin must have placed himself in the nave of Exeter Cathedral looking east towards the choir and altar. The scene is dominated by the soaring vaulted ceiling.
Touch-Line
Series of photographs by Michelle Sank. Sank worked with the players and fans of Exeter Chiefs and local clubs in and around Exeter documenting their enjoyment of the game in the build-up to Rugby World Cup 2015.
climate crisis banner (banner)
Fridays for Future Exeter created this banner. Part of the wider global youth movement started by Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg, this group of young people local to Exeter grew from January 2019. Their work centres on organising monthly strikes in Exeter, raising awareness of the escalating climate crisis, and encouraging urgent action from local organisations.
Icing from RAMM’s 150th birthday cake (icing)
Section of icing from the sponge cake commissioned to celebrate RAMM’s 150th birthday in April 2018. This object is not on display.
150th birthday sash (sash)
Sash placed around the statue of Prince Albert at the Queen Street entrance to celebrate RAMM’s 150th birthday in 2018. This object is not on display.
Patient information plaque (plaque)
These plaques would have hung in the Devon and Exeter Hospital, they give an insight into the strict admission procedures for hospital patients in the 18th and early 19th centuries. It was common for patients to only be admitted if they came to the hospital on a specific day or had a recommendation from a hospital governor or senior member of staff.
RAMM also accepted archaeological archives from sites at Frog Street in Exeter, Ashford Road and Exeter Road in Topsham, Pin Brook, Winham Farm Solar Park in Cullompton, Meadow View Nursery in Honiton, Challabrook in Bovey Tracey and Exeter’s Flood Defence Scheme.
You may also like:
In Plain Sight – Transatlantic slavery and Devon
LONG READ: Did you miss this exhibition in 2022? It is recreated online. ‘In Plain Sight – Transatlantic Slavery and Devon’ uses RAMM’s collections and the expertise of many contributors to shed light on local relationships with slavery that are all around us, but for some remain ‘hidden in plain sight’.
By Royal Appointment: Devon’s lacemakers
LONG READ: By Royal Appointment tells the story of Devon lace through collections at RAMM. Discover the the local people who made lace for the royal family.
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