WILTSHIRE ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY
COLLECTIONS TRUST
Guidelines and Conditions for the Preparation and Deposition of Archaeological
Archives to Wiltshire Heritage Museum and Library
1.
Introduction
Wiltshire Heritage Museum (formerly Devizes Museum) is administered by the Wiltshire
Archaeological and Natural History Society (Company Limited by Guarantee) [WANHS].
Ownership of the museum collections is vested in the Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural
History Society Collections Trust, a separate body, and decisions about the acceptance of
excavation archives may only be made by the Trustees of the Collections Trust or by
authorised officers of the Wiltshire Heritage Museum acting on those Trustees’ behalf.
The WANHS Collections Trust is willing in principle to accept archives from archaeological
excavations or fieldwork which are relevant to the Museum’s adopted collecting policy and are
undertaken in its geographical collections area in central and north-western Wiltshire. These
are:
North Wiltshire district.
All parishes excluding Chippenham within, Chippenham without and Langley Burrell
(assemblages from these parishes should be referred to Chippenham Museum & Heritage
Centre).
Kennet district
All parishes excluding Avebury
(assemblages from Avebury should be referred to the Alexander Keiller Museum at Avebury).
West Wiltshire district:
The following parishes north of o.s. grid line parallel 46:
Atworth, Bradford on Avon, Bratton, Broughton Gifford, Bulkington, Chapmanslade, Coulston,
Edington, Great Hinton, Heywood, Holt, Keevil, Limpley Stoke, Melksham, Melksham without,
Monkton Farleigh, North Bradley, Semington, South Wraxall, Southwick, Steeple Ashton,
Upton Scudamore West Ashton, Westwood, Wingfield, Winsley.
And the north parts of the parishes of Bishopstrow, Chitterne, Corsley, Heytesbury, Knook,
Norton Bavant, Warminster.
(the assemblages from the parishes of Trowbridge, Hilperton and Staverton should be referred
to the Trowbridge Museum.)
The exceptions to this shall be where archaeological archives from sites within the area are
already held by other Wiltshire museums; in that case new finds should go to the museum
already holding material in order to keep the assemblage complete. Conversely, new
archaeological archives from a site outside the Museum’s collecting area should be offered to
this Museum if previous archives from the same site are already held here.
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The Museum will only accept intact archaeological archives unless otherwise agreed in
discussions prior to deposition. The archive is the totality of artefacts, samples, records,
photographs and published reports from each excavation, evaluation or survey.
In order to manage our collections effectively and to make them accessible to users, we seek
your co-operation in following these guidelines. We may decline an archive which does not
meet them. The conditions herein may be varied in special circumstances but only by prior
consultation with and by the written agreement of the Museum.
2.
Liaison between Museum and Excavator
The Museum must be informed of the proposed fieldwork and transfer of the archive at an
early stage. The site name and excavator’s code number should be used in all correspondence.
The Museum does not issue an accession number in advance of deposition.
An estimate should be made of the volume and types of material to be collected and excavated.
Immediately following examination of the excavated artefacts by specialists and before
preparation for deposition in the Museum, the appropriate people involved should meet with a
Museum curator to decide exactly which items to retain following the guidelines presently
outlined in Selection, Retention and Disposal of Archaeological Collections: Guidelines for use in
England, Wales and Northern Ireland (Society of Museum Archaeologists, 1993). [These
guidelines may subsequently be further redefined.]
The archive will be delivered to the Museum on a pre-arranged date; the transport costs will be
the responsibility of the depositor.
3.
Legal Title
The Museum will only accept archaeological archives to which it has full legal title. The
Fieldwork Officer must, at an early stage, resolve the question of ownership of the archive and
arrange for it to be legally transferred in writing to the Museum. The Museum will not accept
archives on a loan basis.
Copyright and reproduction rights to the photographs and plans in the archives will be
transferred to the Museum at the time of the transfer of the archive.
Copyright of the written or printed report remains the property of the excavator/the
person/body which commissioned the excavation or evaluation unless specifically transferred to
the Museum.
4.
Storage Grant
A grant will be required to cover the cost of storage in the Museum based on the
current English Heritage Storage Grant Rate and which will be reviewed annually. The
responsibility for obtaining an appropriate grant to accompany the archive or deposition will be
that of the depositor unless otherwise previously agreed with the Museum.
The Museum will obtain the storage grant in the case of archives from excavations funded by
HBMC(E). (It would be helpful if the funding body of the proposed excavation or fieldwork could be
specified in initial liaison/contact with the Museum.)
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In September 2009, the English Heritage Storage Grant Rate is ‘£1013.50 per cubic metre
(£17.23 per standard archive box)’.
5.
Public Accessibility
In accordance with the recommendations in the Association of County Archaeological Officers
Model Briefs and Specifications for Archaeological Assessments and Field Excavations (March 1993)
public access to the finds and written archive will not normally be given until at least six months
after the completion of the report.
6.
Labelling, Packaging and Conservation Requirements
Labelling
o All finds should be labelled or marked with an archival reference before their deposition in
the Museum.
o Small finds should be individually marked with the small finds number.
o A copy of the small finds list with these numbers must be included with the assemblage.
o Where individual objects are labelled, coat a small strip/area with an appropriate varnish
such as Ercalene or Paraloid B-72 and when dry write the number in permanent ink.
o It may not be possible to label all finds in this way due to surface corrosion, in which case
labels should be attached. Use permanent art-line pens or Tyvek labels.
o Labels should be added to the outside and inside of all boxes.
Packaging
Arrangements – finds must be packed in material order, with objects of similar weights in the
same box as follows:
1.
SMALL FINDS – these should be boxed individually and stored in groups as follows:
o Iron objects
o Copper alloy
o Bone and Ivory (worked)
o Coins
o Other materials (glass, lead, stone etc).
2.
BULK FINDS – should be boxed in separate groups as follows:
o Pottery (featured sherds or pots)
o Pottery (fabric types)
o Pottery (sealed groups)
o Animal bone
o Wall plaster
o Roof tiles.
Etc.
Materials
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o Smaller finds (excluding coins and common objects, e.g. nails) should be placed individually
in Stewart crystal boxes of appropriate size (polystyrene) with inert packing materials,
preferably plastazoate and acid free tissue.
o Larger small finds and those requiring micro-climates controlled with silica gel (e.g. iron,
copper alloy) should be placed in Stewart plastic boxes (polyethylene).
o Box lids should not be secured with sticky tape.
o Bulk materials should be placed in perforated polythene bags of appropriate size and
strength in acid free cardboard boxes.
o The sizes of storage boxes used by this Museum are as follows:
For bulk finds: 530 x 260 x 180 mm (65 mm lid)
For metalwork: 224 x 160 x 70 mm (case lid), in acid free card with non ferrous staples
CONSERVATION REQUIREMENTS
The archive will be carefully checked by a Curator before it is accepted by the Museum.
All wet/waterlogged, vulnerable finds should be stabilised and packed.
Selected coins should be cleaned for dating purposes.
All metal finds should be x-rayed (x-rays should be prepared and stored to archive
standards).
o Very fragile or actively corroding objects should be cleaned and stabilised.
o Bulk finds should be washed and dried.
o Care should be taken with the use of a brush on certain types of ceramic and stone.
o
o
o
o
BIBLIOGRAPHY
K Walker, 1990, Guidelines for the preparation of excavation archives for long-term storage. UKIC
Arch. Section.
Museums and Galleries Commission, 1992, Standards for the Museum Care of Archaeological
Collections
D. Watkinson (ed), 1998, First Aid for Finds, UKIC/RESCUE
Anon., Archaeological Archives: standards for creation, preparation, transfer and curation
Paul Robinson, Curator (October 2007)
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