RARE medieval artifacts arrive in Jersey next week for the Jersey Heritage Trust’s 2004 exhibition, Brothers in Arms?
The exhibition is a focal point of this year’s 800th anniversary of the Island’s unique constitutional links with the Crown.Brothers in Arms? is the result of a partnership between the Heritage Trust and the Royal Armouries.
It will feature 117 prestigious loans of medieval arms and armour from the Armouries, the British Museum, the Museum of London, the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris and the Musée de Normandie in Caen.
Local finds from the Société Jersiaise collection, some of which have never been displayed in public before, will also be included.Brothers in Arms covers the period from 1204 to 1483, telling the story of the most pivotal time in the Channel Island’s history by recounting the stories of battles, knights and French raids as the isolated islands battled for their survival.The exhibition’s curator is Karen Watts, senior curator of armour at the Armouries and a visiting lecturer at the University of Leeds and the Ecole du Louvre in Paris.
She has a personal interest in Jersey’s history as her mother comes from Normandy where the family home is built with stones taken from one of William, Duke Of Normandy’s castles.’The exhibition is being installed as I speak using the indigenous Jersey material, excavated at Mont Orgueil which has not been shown before.
This includes a gun port from the Castle which has been held in store as there has never been an opportunity to put it out before,’ she said.Other items include English and French coins, arrow heads, dagger blades and pieces of chain mail including a neck guard moulded by time into a solid lump of metal.’There’s a wonderful range of objects,’ she enthused.
‘The great thing about the exhibition is it’s not just arms and armour, there’s a whole range of other wonderful things like sculptures, pottery, silver and seals.
‘We are even getting the matrix for the current Bailiff’s seal from Sir Philip Bailhache.’The UK loans arrive on Monday and next week the Heritage Trust’s Head of Community Learning, Doug Ford, is off to Caen to collect more items to add to the French artifacts which have been arriving since the start of the year.Brothers In Arms is not just about arms and armour displayed behind secure glass.Throughout its duration - it runs at the Jersey Museum until October - there will be talks, story telling, fighting demonstrations and attractions aimed at all ages.Brothers in Arms will be officially opened by the Lieut-Governor, Air Chief Marshal Sir John Cheshire, at 6 pm on Monday 5 April and to the public from the following day.
Article posted on 27th March, 2004 - 12.00am
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