Collection of Roman and Iron Age bronze objects to include t...

Hammer

£22

Collection of Roman and Iron Age bronze objects to include terret ring, Roman bronze pin, bracelet, pair tweezers

This item is from the collection of Lionel Walrond.  Lionel was born in 1927, his parents were tenant farmers on a small dairy farm in Somerset. Sadly, both parents died before Lionel's 4th birthday and he was brought up by aunties and an uncle in Pitney, Somerset.  On leaving school he was not drawn to a life in farming but became interested in history and archaeology.  This interest lead to the discovery of three Roman mosaics in South Somerset before his 18th birthday!  The most famous is the Low Ham Villa (the mosaic has pride of place in the Museum of Somerset).  Lionel fervently collected local historical artefacts and set up his own museum on the farm in a converted WWII American Army Nissen hut.  Local finds of Roman and Neolithic origin were displayed alongside agricultural bygones.  Lionel moved to Stroud in 1955 to take up the post of curator at the Lansdown Museum, a post which he held for the following 37 years.  He was a member of a number of local and national historical societies and was an elected fellow of the Museum Association.