Craven Museum & Gallery

The museum's biology collection consists mainly of the collection of naturalists and enthusiast collectors. Collections include the Colonel Tottie 19th century bird egg collection, the entomology collection, the botany collection and the zoology collection.[20]

The Geology collection is made up of a variety of rocks, minerals and fossils, most of which were collected by local collector Welbury Wilkinson Holgate and Dr Arthur Raistrick.[20] Many of the rocks and minerals are from the Craven area, like limestone and of fossils in the collection range from ammonites, coral and bivalves to the vertebrae of an Ichthyosaurus.[20][21]

The archaeology finds range from the Paleolithic to post medieval many of which have been found on local excavations. Collections include cave finds from nearby Elbolton and Victoria caves, a lithics collection, finds from Doggerbank, Roman finds from nearby Kirk Sink Villa and from the Sunderland collection, and an Elizabethan coin hoard.[22][23][24]

The museum has a collection of artefacts associated with social history in Craven. The artefacts cover homelife with a display of domestic appliances, childhood with a collection of toys, working life with exhibits on agriculture and lead mining and notable people from Craven such as the Calendar girls, co-founder of Marks and Spencer, Thomas Spencer and Thomas Cresap, who became a pioneer in America.[25][26][27][28]

Over the last four decades, the museum has interviewed local people to find out more about the history of the Craven area. There are seventy tapes overall covering topics such as life during the World Wars, working on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and farming.[29]

Museum has an eclectic collection of oil and watercolour paintings, prints, textiles and sculptures, many made by local artists such as Reginald Arthur Smith, Kenneth Holmes and William Shuttleworth.[30][31][32] The majority of the paintings feature local scenery or people such as Lady Anne Clifford of Skipton Castle.[33] A large portion of the art collection is made up of the famous Roebuck collection belonging to art collector Clement Roebuck.[34]

There is a collection of costumes and accessories in the museum, many of which are on permanent display.[35] These include dresses from the 18th century up to the contemporary pieces like 1940's evening dresses and uniforms from the Skipton Brass Band and the Home Guard and accessories include spectacles and Ladies handbags.[35]

An incomplete copy of Shakespeare's First Folio owned by a local businessman and donated by his daughter in the 1930s and was misidentified as a second folio until recently when it was identified by Dr. Anthony James West.[36] The folio is one of only four on display in the world.[37]

An Iron Age Celtic sword which was found on nearby Flasby moor and was owned by Captain Preston of Flasby hall and was eventually donated to the museum.[38] The sword was made around the end of the Iron Age, the sword is made of iron and the scabbard is made of copper and is lined with wood with typical Celtic decorations on it.[39] Because of how well it was preserved, it is believed that the sword was thrown into a pit as a ritual offering.[40]

A Frankish gold coin dating from made between 580AD and 630AD and was found in the 1970s in the Holy Trinity Church in Skipton during construction work.[41] A small hole near the edge of the coin suggests it may have been worn as a pendant.[42] The Tremissis it is also part of the BBCs a history of the world project.[41]

A collection of 33 silver Denarii dating from 30 AD to 170 AD found in nearby Hebden by two metal detectorists Colin Binns and Mick Wilson. It is believed the hoard may have been hidden by a legionary for when he left the army and settled in the area.[43]

Stone carved head dating from Celtic Britain and is believed to have been used for ritual purposes such as an offering to a deity or as a symbol of power.[44]

Objects belonging to Olympic rower Andrew Triggs Hodge and Paralympic archer Danielle Brown, including the oar that Triggs Hodge used during the coxless four 2012 London Olympic final and the all in one racing suit he was wearing. There is also the target face that Brown used in the semi final of the women's individual compound open during the 2012 Paralympic games.

A collection of 17 objects made by the famous carver Robert Thompson otherwise known as 'Mouseman'.[45] Museum received collection from the son of Kenneth Hodgson, who was an avid collector of 'Mouseman' furniture.[45]

145 pieces of art given to the museum by millionaire Clement Roebuck in 1988.[46] Roebuck was an avid art collector and sat on the selection committee for the Huddersfield art gallery and would often acquire pieces rejected by the committee.[47] In later life he moved to Starbotton in Upper Wharfedale and then Langbar near Bolton Abbey.[47]

Roman engraved amethyst found in nearby Hellifield and donated to the museum in 1934.[48][49] The carving presents a man, possibly Odysseus offering wine to the cyclops Polyphemus before blinding him. Intaglios were used to make seals by stamping the intaglio in wax.[48]