Athelstan Artefacts Exhibition. A UNIQUE exhibition of rare artefacts, that speak to the Anglo Saxon heritage of Malmesbury, prepares to open to the public. It’s all part of the Athelstan 1100 celebrations in the town (Tuesday July 2).
Volunteers from the Athelstan Museum have spent months arranging loans from prestigious organisations. The aim being to collate Athelstan artefacts that have never come together on display anywhere in the world.
It means this small Wiltshire museum, already home to an original Turner, is once again punching above its weight in celebrating local heritage of national importance.
Susan Mockler, vice chair of the museum management team, said: ‘We’d like to thank the generosity of:
- the British Library
- the Ashmolean Museum and
- Victoria & Albert Museum …
What it all means
‘This has meant the Athelstan Museum, a volunteer-run organisation, is putting on a once in a lifetime exhibition to celebrate the 1100 anniversary of Athelstan becoming King. We’re delighted to have secured these prestigious loans. No-one has seen together in one venue ever before.’
The artefacts include:
- An important collection of rare coins from the Anglo-Saxon period. The collection includes some from the time of Athelstan and his grandfather, Alfred the Great. Noonans, the famous antiquarian coin specialists have lent us several.
- An authentic and precious charter signed by Athelstan himself. It dates to 939 AD -the year of his death – and loaned by the British Library. Many Anglo-Saxon charters only exist as later medieval copies. But this survives in the form of the original document produced over 1,000 years ago in the presence of Athelstan and approved by him. In this charter he describes himself as ‘king of the English and guardian of all Britain’.
- The centrepiece of the exhibition is the so-called ‘Abingdon Sword’ loaned by the Ashmolean Museum. This rare and important iron sword hilt came to light near Abingdon in Oxfordshire in 1874. The decoration on the sword hilt indicates this was a high-status weapon dating from the time of Alfred the Great and Athelstan. The sword hilt is one of the most important examples of the late Anglo-Saxon silversmith’s art.Â
- Also on display are replicas of some of the greatest works of manuscript art produced at this time and linked to Athelstan and Malmesbury. This includes a copy of the earliest surviving version of the charter of Athelstan. The charter granted privileges including the town Common to the Burgesses of Malmesbury.
Volunteer and historian Tony McAleavy said:  ‘The exhibition will show that Malmesbury may be a charming market town today. But in the tenth century it was one of the most important places in England.’
Celebrations and events
There are a range of celebrations and events going on across the town including talks from some of the world’s leading Athelstan scholars.
A donation from entrepreneurs Whit and Kim Hanks who own the nearby Old Bell Hotel and Abbey House helped secure the artifacts – covering some of the costs of vital security and insurance. Further funds had to then be raised to meet the strict requirements around hosting the artefacts. These have come from the King Athelstan Memorial Fund and some private donors who are friends of the museum.
Volunteers will be giving extra time over the summer to keep the museum open to welcome an upswell of visitors expected to flock to Malmesbury over the coming months.Â
Chair of Trustees, Sharon Nolan: ‘We’d like to thank everyone who has made this exhibition possible either by a financial donation or volunteer hours. We’re thrilled to now announce this unique event and we hope many, many people will travel to see it.’
The exhibition opens to the public at 10am on Tuesday July 2 and runs until Sunday September 29th. For more information visit https://www.athelstanmuseum.org.uk/
