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December’s Object of the Month is a certificate awarded by the Royal Humane Society to Police Constable John Herbert Hughes of the West Riding Constabulary. PC Hughes was awarded the certificate in 1925 for restoring the life of a boy dragged from Skipton Canal. The certificate is printed on parchment and mounted and framed. It has been signed by…

November’s Object of the Month is a nightshirt, worn by a vagrant in Knaresborough Workhouse. It dates from between 1930 and 1945. The nightshirt is made from a coarse material, known as drabbet. It has been stamped with the initials ‘WRCC’, which stand for West Riding County Council, and the words ‘MEN TRAMP WARD’. The nightshirt…

Object of the Month: Police Jiu Jitsu Early 20th century policing can conjure up many images; a bobby on the beat with his whistle, truncheon, and a familiar but stern “Ello, ello, ello”. But an image we might not usually associate with interwar policing is Jiu Jitsu. August’s Object of the Month features an instructional police…

Policing the Great Yorkshire Show The 161st Great Yorkshire Show started today at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate. The event showcases the best of British farming, food and countryside, as well as first class entertainment. As one of the biggest agricultural events in the English calendar, and with more than 130,000 visitors and over 8500 animals in attendance, the show requires…

Object of the Month: July -  is a criminal record sheet for Mary Clancy. The record sheet records basic details about Mary Clancy, along with the crimes she committed between 1895 and 1914. It provides the date, the name in which the person was convicted, the place of the offence, the offence itself and the sentence. You can see Mary Clancy…

May’s Object of the Month is a pair of photographs of John William Thornton, who served as a police officer in Leeds in the early 20th century. John William Thornton was born on 11 June 1885 in Headingley to James and Alice Thornton. In the 1891 census, the family – James, Alice, John and 5 siblings - were living in Headingley, and…

This year’s AGM marked a milestone in the story of Ripon Museums with the retirement  of Anthony Chadwick as a trustee. Anthony’s involvement with the Trust goes back to its early years in the 1980s and he has been involved throughout with the development of its unique trio of law and order museums. His…

Ripon Museum Trust is very pleased to welcome Helen Thornton as their new Director. Helen has worked in the heritage and culture sector for 25 years mainly in public sector museums, galleries and government agencies in the North of England including Liverpool, Rotherham, Manchester, Leeds and Bradford.  Most recently, Helen has been Manager of Cartwright Hall Art Gallery in Bradford…

April’s Object of the Month is a chair, on display in the corridor of vagrants’ cells at the Workhouse Museum. The chair has been labelled as a “restraining chair”, with interpretation about the treatment of people with mental illnesses within the workhouse system in the 1800s. However, our Curator, Leah Mellors, has her doubts about…

Come to Ripon Workhouse Gardens this Easter to hunt for signs of Spring. In the Vegetable Garden  - spot our heritage vegetable seedlings like Mr James Scarlet Intermediate Carrots and Egyptian Turnip Rooted Beetroot.  - read about how vegetables were used in the Victorian Workhouse and pick up tips on how to grow your own in…