Objektnummer
55/6
Upphovsman
Beskrivning
This polished wooden walking stick has a birds head handle and a brass ferrule. It is carved with birds, beasts, a cross, biblical quotations and the inscription 'Carved by a poor shepherd in the years 1844 to 1849 Henry Beecham, Kidlington, Oxfordshire'. The donor did not know how the stick came into her sister's possession, from whence she acquired it.
Fysisk beskrivning
1 walking stick: wood; brass
<DIV STYLE="text-align:Justify;font-family:Georgia;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;font-size:16;color:#000000;"><P><SPAN><SPAN>SHEPHERDS WALKING STICK // DETAILS // Categories A Year On the Farm // Theme(s) Arts and crafts, People // Collection Domestic and Personal Objects // Date 1844-1849 // Object number 55/6 // DESCRIPTION // The patience and skill that have been poured into this practical work of art is obvious. That it took years to make is confirmed on the stick itself, which proclaims: ‘Carved by a Poor Shepherd in the years 1844 to 1849’. Alongside this, the shepherd artist also names himself as Henry Beecham from Kidlington, Oxfordshire. // The stick is also a twin. A near-identical example was carved by his cousin, Thomas Beecham, while he stayed with his uncle for a period. Henry used his time well, learning various shepherd remedies and potions which he sold around the region. His successes allowed him to found the company Beecham’s Pills, which would go on to become the multinational SmithKlineBeecham, and is now GlaxoSmithKline. Thomas began his life as a poor shepherd much like Henry, but by his own sharp and entrepreneurial mind he literally went from rags to riches.</SPAN></SPAN></P></DIV>
Arkivhistorik
It is carved with the quotations: 'Fear not you would wish to die, The Lord hath given and the Lord hath taken away, Blessed be the name of the Lord', 'Beware of death' and 'O death where is they sting, O grave where is they victory'., Miss H. A. Beecham, Head of Department in the Sub-Department of Economic History at the University of Nottingham in 1961 and who died in 1989, had a similar stick carved by her great-grandfather, Thomas Beecham, circa 1840. It is carved with similar illustrations, ciphers and words, and it is believed that the two sticks are connected. The stick has since passed down to her niece. Thomas Beecham carved his stick while staying with his uncle Henry Beecham. Thomas arrived in Kidlington in 1840 and left in 1847. It was during this time that Thomas began producing pills for animals from shepherd remedies and recipes, as well making his own experiments with natural ingredients found around the local area. Thomas would later go on to found Beechams Pills, now a part of GlaxoSmithKline., During research on this object for the redevelopment of the Museum, a surviving member of the Beecham family was tracked down and contacted via the social media platform Twitter. This is the first object in the Museum to have a Tweet as part of its historic correspondence.
Produktionsplats
Kidlington
Datum
1844 - 1849
Objektnamn
Material
Teknik
Dimensioner
Digital referens
- L:\MERL\Objects\JISC 2012\60 series negatives\60_1324.tif - High resolution image
- L:\MERL\Objects\JISC 2012\60 series negatives\60_1325.tif - High resolution image
- L:\MERL\Objects\JISC 2012\60 series negatives\60_1326.tif - High resolution image
- L:\MERL\Objects\JISC 2012\60 series negatives\60_1327.tif - High resolution image
- L:\MERL\Objects\JISC 2012\60 series negatives\60_1328.tif - High resolution image
