STATEMENT OF PURPOSE & KEY AIMS
THE MISSION OF Wisbech & Fenland Museum it to: collect, care for and interpret the natural and cultural heritage of Wisbech and the surrounding Fenland, for the benefit, enjoyment and inspiration of local people, visitors and all.
INTRODUCTION

This is a policy statement regulating the acquisition and disposal of items for the collections at Wisbech & Fenland Museum. The adoptions and implementation of this policy by the Museum complies with the Registration
Scheme for Museums & Galleries in the United Kingdom, it also encourages public confidence in the museum as a suitable repository

This policy defines the present state & use of the collections & reviews the current policy of acquisition & disposal. It ensures material is accepted according to a recognised strategy and serves as a reference document to guide curatorial decisions.
DESCRIPTION OF EXISTING COLLECTIONS
The collections include:
1.1.
Fine & Decorative Art: the Townshend and Kirk collections of fine and decorative art; the Kirk & Smith collections of Staffordshire figures; a number of fine busts of historic figures; a number of interesting pieces of furniture including C19 upholstered chairs and musical instruments.
1.2.
Costume:
A range of Victorian local costume; examples of high quality stumpwork; samplers.
1.3.
Archaeology:
Multi-Period finds from Fenland including flints, polished stone artefacts, prehistoric ceramics, Bronze Age metalwork hoards; an important La Tenne Scabbard chape; selection of Roman – British ceramics and small finds; Anglo – Saxon ceramics; medieval ceramics and small finds; Foreign Archaeology includes C19 collections of
Egyptology and Classical material.
1.4.
Numismatics:
Primary post-medieval coinage; tokens and commemorative medals; Emneth Roman coin hoard; C20 fruit picking tokens
1.5.
Ethnography:
Stanger collection (Niger); Ellis collection (Madagascar); Clarkson anti-slavery collection.

1.6.
Local History
Collection of Fenland drainage and agricultural tools; C19-20 local domestic collections; earlier C20 shop contents; weaponry
1.7.
Photographs c.10.000 prints and negatives (mainly E.Anglian subjects) including examples of early photography; Cotes collection; Smith collection; Ellis collection.
1.8.
Natural History:
Regionally significant geology collection of c.30,000 specimens; C18-19 herbaria collections incl. Skrimshire collections of mosses; Elgoods collection of c.20,000
Lepidoptera; Willis Esam collection of c.5,000 Coleoptera; historic bird & mammal mounts.
1.9.
Books, Manuscripts & Archives:
Museum Library of c.12,000 mainly C19 books; Town Library (historic loan collection) of c1,200 early books 7 medieval manuscripts; parish records for 26 parishes (loan); Woodgate local archive collections; Townshend Manuscript collection; extensive collection of local drainage & estate maps.
2.
CRITERIA FOR FUTURE COLLECTING
2.1.
Fine % Decorative Art:
2.1.1.
Oil paintings, watercolours, prints & drawings will be actively sought where there is a strong local association.
2.1.2.
Ceramics, sliver and glass will only be acquires to fill gaps in the displays, or where there is a specific local association
2.1.3.
Furniture will only be collected where there is a specific local association.
2.1.4.
Contemporary art and crafts will not be collected.
2.2.
Costume:
2.2.1.
Costume will only be acquired to fill gaps in displays or where there is a specific local association.
2.3.
Archaeology
2.3.1.
Individual finds with a local provenance will be collected.
2.3.2.
The museum is currently unable to accept complete excavation archives.
2.4.
Numismatics:
2.4.1.
Coins, medals and tokens will only be collected where there is a local association.
2.4.2.
stamps will not be collected
2.5.
Ethnographic Material:
2.5.1.
Ethnographic material will not be collected.
2.6.
Local History:
2.6.1.
Local and social history and ephemera collections will be actively sought.

2.6.2.
historic agricultural and industrial material will be collected where it relates to local practices. Storage restrictions may preclude the acquisition of large items.
2.7.
Photographs:
2.7.1.
Photographs with local associations of with direct links to existing collections will be acquired, with negatives and subject data if possible.
2.7.2.
Images from outside the defined collecting area will not normally be acquired.
2.8.
Natural History
2.8.1.
Zoological and geological material will only be collected to fill gaps in displays or where there is a local association.
2.8.2.
Botanical and entomological material will not normally be collected.
2.8.3.
Bird’s eggs will not be collected.
2.9.
Books, Manuscripts & Archives:
2.9.1.
Books & Manuscripts will be normally acquired to fill gaps in existing collections or where there is a local association.
2.9.2.
Archives will be normally acquired to fill gaps in existing collections or where there is a local association
3.
COLLECTING AREA
3.1.
The town of Wisbech.
3.2.
An area extending from Wisbech up to and including the villages of Walpole,
St.John’s Fen End, Outwell, Friday Bridge, Coldham, Guyhirn, Murrow, Parsons
Drove, Gedney Hill, Long Sutton, Sutton Bridge, Walpole Cross Keys, Three Holes,
Christchurch. This collecting area encompasses parts of the counties of
Cambridgeshire, Linconshire and Norfolk.
3.3.
Materials relevant to Fenland will also be collected form neighbouring areas, with due account being taken of the collecting policies of other museums within those areas.
4.
LIMITATIONS ON COLLECTING
4.1.
This museum recognises its responsibility, in acquiring material, to ensure adequate conservation, documentation and proper use of such material and takes in to account limitations on collecting imposed by such factors as adequate staffing, storage and conservation resources.
5.
OTHER MUSEUMS
5.1.
This museum will take due account of the collecting policies of other museums collecting in the same or related areas or subject fields and will consult with such organisations where conflicts of interest may arise or define areas of specialisms, in order to avoid unnecessary duplication and waste of resources. Within the
Fenland area relevant museums will include those at Chatteris, March, Whitlesey and Kings Lynn.

6. POLICY REVIEW PROCEDURE
6.1. This policy will be published and reviewed from time to time, at least once every five years. The date when the policy is next due for review is noted above. The MGC will be notified of any changes to this policy, and the implications of any such changes for the future of existing collections.
7. ACQUISITIONS NOT COVERED BY THE POLICY
7.1 Acquisitions outside the current state policy will only be made in very exceptional circumstances, and then only after proper consideration by the governing body of the museum itself, having regard to the interests of other museums.
8. ACQUISITION PROCEDURES
8.1. The museum will not acquirer, whether by purchase, gift, bequest or exchange, any object or specimen unless the governing body or responsible officer is satisfied that the museum can acquirer a valid title to the item in question, and that in particular it has not been acquired in, or exported from, its county of origin ( or any intermediate country in which it may have been legally owned) in violation of that country’s laws
(for the purpose of this paragraph “country of origin” includes the United Kingdom).
8.2. So far as biological and geological material is concerned, the museum will not acquire by any direct or indirect means and specimen that has been collected, sold or otherwise transferred in conservation law of treaty of the United Kingdom or any other country, except with the express consent of an appropriate authority e.g. a
British court in the case of a specimen seized from a third party under the Protection of Birds Act).
8.3. So far the British or foreign archaeological antiquities (including excavated ceramics) are concerned, in addition to the safeguards under sub-paragraph 8.1. above, the museum will not acquirer objects in any case where the governing body or responsible officer has reasonable cause to believe that the circumstances of their recovery involved the recent unscientific or international destruction or damage of ancient monuments or other known archaeological sites, or involved a failure to disclose finds to the owner or occupier of the land, or to the proper authorities in the case of a possible treasure Trove (under the terms of the Treasure Act in England,
Wales & Northern Ireland) or Bona Vacantia (Scotland).
8.4. As the museum holds and intends to acquirer archives, including photographs and printed ephemera, its governing body will be guided by the Code of Practice on
Archives for Museums in the United Kingdom (1996). The museum will also aim to meet the standards outlined in the Royal Commissions on Historical Manuscripts
Standards for Record Repositories (1990).
8.5. Gifts and bequests shall only be accepted on the basis that any conditions are approved by the governing body of the museum, and in all cases reference will be made to limitations on collecting as specified in this policy. The governing body of the museum shall reserve the right to refuse any offer of material.

8.6. The governing body of the museum will not normally accept material on loan unless for the purpose of temporary exhibitions or copying, or where the item is of exceptional interest to the museum (e.g. additional parish archival material from local relevant parishes). Any loan will be agreed in writing by the leader and the museum, including allocation of responsibilities renewable in writing. Use of the term
“permanent loan” shall be avoided and items will not be accepted on this basis.
8.7. Due to the nature of the museum’s activities, the museum may occasionally acquire certain items which are not intended to be retained for permanent collections.
Theses items may be used as educational or school handling collections. In such cases, documentation will clearly show the intended use of the object and donors will be made aware of the possibility at the time of entry and informed as a decision has been made regarding the material. These objects will be recorded separately outside the main accession record and shall not be treated as part of the permanent collection since their intended use implies that pressurisation cannot be guaranteed.
9.0 DISPOSAL PROCEDURES
9.1. By definition, the museum has a long-term purpose and should possess (or intend to acquire) permanent collections in relation to its stated objectives. The governing body accepts the principle that there is a strong presumption against the disposal of any items in the museum’s collection except as set out below.
9.2. In those cases where the museum is legally free to dispose of any item (if this is in doubt, advise will be sought) it is agreed that any decision to sell or otherwise dispose of material from the collections will be taken only after due consideration.
Decisions to dispose of items will not be made with the principle aim of generating funds. Once a decision to dispose pf an item has been taken, priority will be given to retaining the item within the public domain and with this in view it will be offered first, by exchange, gift of sale to Registered museums before disposal to other interested individuals or organisations is considered.
9.3. In cases in which an arrangement for the exchange, gift of sale of material is not being made with an individual Registered museum, the museum committee at large will be informed of the intention to dispose of material. This will normally be through an announcement in the Museums Association’s Museums Journal and other appropriate professional journals if appropriate. The announcement will indicate the number and nature of specimens or objects involved, and the basis on which the material will be transferred to another institution. A period of at least two months will be allowed for an interest in acquiring the material to be expressed.
9.4. A decision to dispose of a specimen or object, whether by exchange, sale, gift of destruction (in the case of an item too badly damaged or deteriorated to be of any use for the purpose of the collections), will be the responsibility of the governing body of the museum acting on the advice of professional curatorial staff, and not the curator of the collection acting alone. Full records will be kept of all such decisions and the item involved and proper arrangements made for the preservation and/or transfer, as appropriate, of the documentation relating to the items concerned, including photographic records where practical.

9.5. Any monies received by the museum governing body from the disposal of any item will be applied for the benefit of the collections. This normally means the purchase of further acquisitions but in exceptional cases improvements relating to the care of collections may be justifiable. Advice on theses cases will be sought from the
MGC.
9.6. The museum’s governing body, acting on the advice of the museum’s professional staff, may take a decision to return human remains, objects and specimens to a country of people of origin. The museum will take such decisions on a case to case basis, within its legal position and taking into account all ethnic implications. Under such circumstances it is recognised and accepted that it would be inappropriate to apply the procedure outlined in paragraphs 9.2 and 9.3
9.7. Where a museum object has been acquired with the aid of an external funding organisation, permission from that organisation will need to be sought before the object is deaccessioned or transferred to another museum. If the object is sold, repayment of the original grant may be required.
Approved by Wisbech & Fenland Museum Management Committee: Nov 2004.
Review Date: 2009.