My name is Bethan Welch, and I am studying MA International Heritage Management. Over the last six weeks, I have been lucky enough to work with the Museum of the Order of St John as a Collaborative Research Intern. The main aim of the internship has been to research ten objects from the medieval collection and write interpretation about them, to be posted on the new Collections Online website.
My first task was to use the Bearers of the Cross website, which showcases the Museum’s medieval collections, to explore, research and pick twenty to thirty artefacts that I thought could be interesting to write about. As the project was designed to facilitate non-specialist engagement with medieval objects (and because I am not a medievalist myself), I tried to pick attention-grabbing items such as an ornate model of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, or alternatively, more everyday, relatable things like coins and tiles.
Then, I got to visit the Museum. I explored the exhibitions, got taken on a wonderful tour introducing the Order and its work in the medieval period, specifically, viewed and handled the artifacts that I had listed as being interested in, and got the opportunity to sit in on a team meeting.
Once we had narrowed the list down to ten objects, I began to research them in more detail, using books and podcasts produced by the Museum, resources and collections from other museums, and academic works. I shared the interpretation I had written about the first three artifacts in order to get feedback and make sure I was along the right lines in terms of both content and tone, which was really helpful. Some of the objects were definitely harder to research and draw interesting stories out of than others. I ended up writing about a range of items, including those aforementioned as well as manuscripts, a bread stamp, a lion head door knocker (or coffin handle!), a lead bulla, a mortar, and a pouring vessel. Lots of these types of items were new to me as I have tended to study more modern history, so it was really exciting to research new things and use different types of sources.
I have thoroughly enjoyed the internship. As mentioned, it has been fascinating to get to know a new period, topic, and set of objects, and writing accessible and exciting interpretation in the space of around sixty words has been a really interesting challenge. It has also been great to work with a museum that I was previously unfamiliar with, and see how such a unique site operates. I have developed a range of skills and have thoroughly enjoyed working with the team. I will be thrilled if my work can help to engage and interest anybody in the Museum’s rich history and fascinating collections.
