The first week of sifting debris from under the floors has already yielded some fascinating finds! We will be posting a debris diary here every #FindsFriday to keep you up to date on what we unearth. So what did we find between 26th and 28th July? @NatTrustArch Image
The bags we sorted this week were all from the ‘Wallpaper Attic’. Last year we found a lot of evidence which pointed to this room being used as a place for sewing, mending and the storage of documents over a long period. The tiny items discovered add further to this narrative. Image
Many more pins were retrieved, a still-threaded needle, buttons, lumps of sealing wax, fragments of textile and a piece of paper through which had been pricked a design that would have been ‘pounced’ with chalk onto fabric for embroidery. Image
A piece of newspaper advert which states that “On this day is published the Twelfth Epistle of the First Book of Horace by George Ogle Esq.” can be dated to 1737 and appears to have been cut into a triangle for use as a patchwork template (the pin holes are still visible) Image
From the same year is an article printed in a 1737 edition of the Gentleman’s Magazine, which was a monthly digest of news and comment which was first published in 1731. One side of our fragment is from a piece called “An unseasonable retirement from business”.
which had originally been printed in the London Journal. The other side is from an article, which is called “On Affectation, particularly in men” and is an amusing read! Perhaps a member of the household – maybe even the 3rd Baronet himself – subscribed to the magazine. Image
Builders who worked on Oxburgh in its earliest years dropped lots of lovely hand-made rose-headed nails, which we retrieved in abundance. Image
There was a great deal of lead shot, perhaps shotgun cartridges were being stored or filled in this space. We wondered if they might relate to the sewing activity as lead weights were used to add weight to dress hems, but the shape difference means that this seems unlikely. Image
Although tiny, all of these items build up a lovely picture of the social history of the house, and we are looking forward to seeing what next week’s volunteers find. You can see this all in action at Oxburgh Hall Sun-Weds, 10am-2pm, until August 15.
Thank you to curator Anna Forrest for these fascinating insights into the finds.
Thank you also to @DCMSArts @HeritageFundUK @wolfsonfdn for supporting our #RaisetheRoof project.

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More from @OxburghHallNT

3 Sep
It's #FindsFriday time with week six of our #DebrisDiary. A few interesting finds have emerged out of the dust this week, thanks to the eagle eyes of our volunteers and staff. @NatTrustArch 📷Nicholas Farka Image
First up we have this curious bell, found under the floorboards of what would have been servant accommodation. Maybe it was part of Oxburgh’s staff bell system. It is metal and the button still moves when pressed…although we doubt anyone is receiving anything now. Image
Next up we have this delicate little black ribbon and a collection of beads and buttons. Which add to the narrative that these attic spaces were being used as a sewing room. One or two have nice big windows so maybe the abundance of light made it the perfect needlework space. ImageImage
Read 6 tweets
27 Aug
It's that time again...#FindsFriday! It is week five of our #DebrisDiary as sifting continues, and volunteers have been focusing on bags of debris from the attics which run east from the gatehouse. These attics have an intriguing history.
@NatTrustArch Image
Tree-ring dating of timbers in this area indicates that they were felled between 1551 and 1579. This period of Elizabeth I’s reign was particularly dangerous for Catholics like the Bedingfelds; not the most obvious time for them to have been investing in home improvements.
It has long been suggested that there was a secret chapel in the house, so perhaps this phase of work relates to the covert creation of a discreet place of worship on the top floor of the house. One which was quick dash away from the priest hole. 📷RedZebra Image
Read 9 tweets
20 Aug
Good morning on this lovely #FindsFriday! It is week four of our #DebrisDiary as we continue to sift through the rubble taken from beneath the attic floors. @NatTrustArch Image
First up is a bit of an odd find; a chocolate wrapper of some sort. Last year we actually found a mostly complete (sans chocolate) Terry’s Gold Leaf box hidden beneath the floorboards. We wonder if this wrapper may have come from that! Image
Dating from the 1940s and produced under the rationing restrictions of WW2, perhaps these chocolates were ‘contraband’. Clearly whoever ate them didn’t want anyone else to know about them so hid the evidence. Photo by @mjc_associates Image
Read 6 tweets
13 Aug
#DebrisDiary time! Week three of sifting debris from beneath the attic floors has revealed some items which differ from those previously found by volunteers working on this project. @NatTrustArch Image
A delicate glass button, which survived intact despite being both being dropped and hoovered up, was a lovely clean, clear contrast to the brown dust it was found in. Image
A volunteer also found a tiny piece of gilded, carved wood which could have dropped from a picture frame or piece of furniture. Image
Read 6 tweets
6 Aug
#DebrisDiary time! Week two of sifting debris from beneath the attic floors has turned up some more interesting items for #FindsFriday. So what did we find between 1st and 4th August?
@NatTrustArch Image
This week's debris were taken from the Wallpaper and Tank Attics, the finds found in each room are quite different. This tray shows a typical selection of small objects found in one sifting session from the Wallpaper Attic, which give us an impression of how that room was used. Image
We have found pins, lead shot, textiles, lovely coloured-glass beads, and some tiny pieces of newspaper, printed books and hand-written documents. We don’t currently have a date for the beads, but we still find ourselves trying to imagine the dresses they might have adorned. Image
Read 9 tweets

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