We are very lucky to have a keen detectorist living in Charlbury, Neil Pakenham-Walsh. In preparation for our current exhibition on the history of the Playing Close, Neil obtained permission from the Thomas Gifford Trust to search the Close to see what he could find, Along with a lot of modern ring pulls and other recent debris, he found a number of very interesting objects which people had dropped over the years.
Among the objects Neil unearthed were coins, badges, keepsakes and buttons. One find that initially puzzled him was a small metal object in the shape of a closed fist. This turned out to be a skirt lifter, used by Victorian ladies to hitch up their long skirts when climbing steps. A Royal Artillery brooch was a reminder of how young men would give brooches to their sweethearts before going off to fight in the Second World War.
Neil’s find from the Playing Close are on long-term loan to the museum from The Thomas Gifford Trust. They are on display in a special case beside our exhibition on the history of The Playing Close. Earlier finds, including an Elizabethan silver sixpence, musket balls and a lovers’ silver coin, are also on display for you to browse through. Neil’s finds have been notified to Ed Caswell, Oxfordshire Finds Liaison Officer, and are entered on the British Museum Portable Antiquities Database. The museum is very grateful to Neil for donating these valuable additions to our collection.
