Tokens of Love

Fflur Morse, 23 January 2024

Cow's horn with names and elaborate patterns carved into it, mostly within circles but with one heart shape.

Carved cow’s horn, 1758

Today in Wales we celebrate Santes Dwynwen, the patron saint of friendship and love.

With Valentine’s Day also on the horizon, what better time than now to explore some of the objects in our collection which were given as tokens and symbols of love. Most of us are familiar with the concept of love spoons and their significance to Wales, and you can learn more about their history and designs here.

But in this blog, I would like to focus on some of the lesser-known objects related to love in the collection, starting with the Knitting Sheath.

Knitting needle sheaths were often carved as love tokens. Sheaths were worn by knitters to hold one of their needles while they worked. This allowed them to use their free hand to manipulate the yarn. The sheath was either tucked into the knitter’s waistband or tied around their waist.

This knitting sheath is inscribed with the date 1802, with the name ‘Thomas Smith’. It was probably made as a present and love token, like several others in our collection. It is decorated with a flower, heart, and fish motif.

Black-and-white photograph of two long, thin, wooden artefacts with patterns carved onto them, placed above a ruler which shows them to be a little over 20cm long.

Top: Carved knitting needle sheath, 1802 Bottom: Carved knitting needle sheath, 1754

The example below it is of an earlier date and was made in 1754.

Like many of the lovespoons in the collection at St Fagans, both sheaths feature balls carved within a cage – this was commonly thought to represent the number of children desired by the carver.

Another popular love token was the Staybusk. This was a piece of wood which was inserted into the front of a woman’s stays to keep the torso upright. They were usually made from whalebone, wood or bone. A busk was often given to a woman as a love token from a suitor because they were positioned close to the heart. Many were carved or painted with inscriptions and motifs, such as hearts, initials and flowers.

Below is a carved wooden staybusk from Llanwrtyd, Powys. It is inscribed with the initials RM and IM.

A long, slender wooden artefact with intricate patterns carved into it, which are especially densely carved in the upper centre.

Carved wooden staybusk from Llanwrtyd

The symbol of the wheel features heavily on this staybust, and it was said that this represented a vow by the carver to work hard, and to guide a loved one through life.

Tokens such as knitting sheaths, staybusts and lovespoons were available to people of all classes. Made with affordable materials that were readily available, each token was completely unique and driven by the emotion and passion of the carver.

Carved love tokens encompassed a wide variety of styles and designs, and came in all shapes and sizes, such as this cow horn, beautifully carved in 1758 in the Aberystwyth area, as a gift by Edward Davis for his sweetheart Mary.

Cow's horn with names and elaborate patterns carved into it, mostly within circles but with one heart shape.

Carved cow’s horn, 1758

These tokens shed a unique light on the emotional experiences of the receiver, and those who loved them. They were cherished objects belonging to ordinary people, whose stories are so often hidden from history. Through the beautifully carved symbols and motifs on the love tokens, we can learn a little about their hopes and desires and gain a glimpse into their very own love stories.

Happy Holidays Bulb Buddies

Penny Dacey, 22 December 2023

I wish to say a big thank you to all the schools who participated in the investigation this academic year. Thank you for sharing your weather records, comments and photos. I hope you all enjoy the holidays.

Please share any observations on the type of weather you see over the holidays with your comments when you return to school. I wonder if any of us will have a white Christmas!

Happy holidays,

Professor Plant

Skills Development Placement at St Fagans

Chloe Ward, 13 December 2023

Harri recently finished a Skills Development Placement at St Fagans National Museum of History, where he shadowed our Front of House staff one day week for 6 months. The placements offer workplace experience for people 16+ who have barriers to work, allowing them an opportunity to build skills and confidence. In St Fagans, we specifically support individuals who are bilingual and Welsh speaking for front of house skills development placement roles.

Before Harri finished, we caught him for a chat to see what it was like taking part in a skills development placement at St Fagans! Here’s what he said: 

 

How did you get involved in a Skills Development Placement with us at Amgueddfa Cymru? 

I started in September 2022. I helped out with the Food Festival at St Fagans and Lauren from Elite Employment Support put me in touch with the Volunteering & Placements department. I met with the team at St Fagans. I am bilingual and it’s an added bonus that I could use my Welsh whilst on placement. 

 

What did you do whilst on placement? 

I started in the galleries for 2 hours. I felt the need to extend my hours to 10.00-3.00, which was just right. 

Whilst on the galleries I helped the Museum Assistants by using the clicker to count people’s attendance. 

Sometimes I would help Will clean any spillages on the galleries. 

I spent a day with Ryland – I remember travelling with him on the buggy to the castle, that was fun! We made sure the garden and the surroundings were tidy. 

 

What did you learn during your time at St Fagans? 

I learned team working skills and learned about the museum itself. Communication with the Museum Assistants. If I was ever unsure what to say to visitors, I would get advice from the Museum Assistants. Speaking to Bryn (a member of staff at St Fagans) was very insightful into the history. 

 

What did you enjoy about your experience? 

Everything! 

For example, I bought some bread from the bakery and my parents and brother were delighted.

For me I just felt more relaxed and that I’m at home here. I was introduced to lots of Museum Assistants, they were very interesting, chatty, friendly, and endearing. 

 

A big thank you to Harri for chatting to us about his time at St Fagans. He has now been successfully recruited as a pool staff member for the shop at St Fagans - so a big congratulations! 

 

Summary of an archaeology work placement, 2022-23

David Hughes (Student Work Placement), 13 November 2023

There is often some competition from people interested in archaeology to participate in Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales’ student work placements, and I was delighted to secure a placement to help the museum assess and catalogue human remains. 

Joining a small group of individuals on placement, some of whom are students from Cardiff’s Archaeological Science course, we worked alongside the Curator to assess skeletons from the early medieval cemetery at Llandough, near Cardiff.  The excavations in the early 1990s produced in excess of a thousand skeletons, which have remained in Amgueddfa Cymru’s archive awaiting full examination. 

We learnt how the skeletons must be stored and handled in accordance with ethical standards for dealing with human remains.  Each skeleton is individually assessed for completeness, and sometimes it is possible to identify the sex and observe evidence of age and disease.  This information is recorded for entry into the Amgueddfa Cymru catalogue and will be useful in future research of human remains and the Llandough site, and contribute to the study of medieval archaeology more generally. 

Examining human remains provokes reflection on the lives of medieval people and, whilst it may not be for everyone, it does bring us closer to the past in a special way.  The work placement was an excellent learning experience.  The Curator, Adelle was very patient with all the questions raised by the student placements and generous in sharing her knowledge and skills.  It is a great way for Amgueddfa Cymru to engage with the public, and I am grateful for the opportunity to see behind the scenes and contribute to the work of the museum.  I hope Amgueddfa Cymru will continue to offer such opportunities for those who would like to get involved.

 

For more information on work placements for students, visit the 'Get Involved' pages of the website. It is possible to sign up to a mailing list to hear about any placements when they are advertised.

ESOL Trip to National Museum Cardiff

Souleymane Ouedraogo - Welsh Refugee Council Volunteer, 8 November 2023

On Tuesday 12th September Amgueddfa Cymru kindly hosted our ESOL class on an ESOL trip-out to the National Museum of Wales in Cardiff. Welsh Refugee Council volunteer Souleymane Ouedraogo submitted the following report on the special outing. 

As part of an outing organized by Welsh Refugee Council ESOL tutors Marie and Chris; ESOL learners from different cities in Wales gathered at the National Museum of Wales in Cardiff. We were warmly welcomed to Amgueddfa Cymru (National Museum of Wales) by museum staff recalling that Wales has several museums including that of Cardiff created more than a century ago. 

We then went to visit the Clore Discovery Centre. In this learning centre, there are multiple carefully preserved objects from geological, paleontological, archaeological and natural history research. Each object has its origin story. After the tour of the centre, there was time for a practical exercise that combined theory and practice seen during previous ESOL lessons. We practiced brilliantly with the support of our guide and the WRC delegation. It was both fun and educational at the same time. 

We then proceeded to visit the Art Gallery. Pictures and paintings are often tinged with landscapes and varied reliefs. Everyone can analyse and appreciate the artwork in their own way. Some paintings are very old (over 500 years), others more recent. You often have to get closer to better understand the artistic work. You need eyes to see, but even better, you need to have ingenious eyes to understand the messages conveyed by these beautiful paintings. Thanks to the great work of painters of other times, each new generation has elements of research to better understand history. 

I would like to thank the Welsh Refugee Council for organizing the outing but even more so the National Museum for having offered this invitation. It has allowed us to not only learn a little more about the culture of Wales but to also create contacts for possible opportunities in the future. 

 “I would like to reiterate our thanks to Amgueddfa Cymru, for an excellent day for our students.  I thought that there was a really nice balance of activities, excellent use of relevant artifacts and pictures – not to mention your enthusiastic and motivating presentation.” said Martin Smidman Volunteer & Partnership Manager at the Welsh Refugee Council.

Diolch yn fawr Amgueddfa Cymru.

Photo of people on an ESOL trip to National Museum Cardiff

A group photo in the Clore Discovery Centre!