On Saturday (22nd June) Carlotta gave a talk to the Yorkshire Archaeological Society in Leeds. The talk focussed on the work that the project has completed on the Yorkshire material and highlighted the importance of the time that Pitt-Rivers spent working in Yorkshire. Yorkshire appears to have influenced Pitt-Rivers work considerably and it is a great shame that we know so little about his early work in 1867. We hope to build upon our existing knowledge as the project moves into a more research based phase.
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| One of the three rags collected by Pitt-Rivers from St. Helen's Well (PRM 1884.140.331 .1). |
The society were incredibly friendly and provided great nuggets of information. One particularly interesting piece of information was about the three tied rags, from St. Helen's Well, that we have in our collection. St Helen's Well was, and by some still is still, known for its healing powers. People would leave rags tied to a near by tree or drop coins or stones into the well - they would then take a sip of the water. The idea was that the illness would pass from the person into the object and they would be cured.
The information and local knowledge that the project gained from the talk in Leeds really emphasised why it is so important to communicate with local societies. We look forward to our talks in London and Surrey in the near future.
