Brought to Light: The Remarkable Bateman Collection
Channel: Recording Archaeology
Date: 09/02/2024

The exhibition Brought to Light: The Remarkable Bateman Collection opened at Weston Park Museum, Sheffield, in May 2022. It was the result of many years of research into the life and collection of Victorian antiquarian and archaeologist Thomas Bateman (1821-1861) 
who had a private museum in his home at Middleton-by-Youlgreave, Derbyshire. Best known locally as a pioneer of early archaeology, he excavated over 200 prehistoric barrows in the Peak District earning him the nickname ‘The Barrow Knight’. He died prematurely aged 39 and his collection passed to his son Thomas William Bateman (1851-1895). In 1876, Thomas William loaned part of the collection to Weston Park Museum. The museum subsequently purchased this material in 1893. The dispersal of the remaining collection took place through a series of sales in 1893 and 1895. Research carried out by Sharon Blakey has revealed the extent to which Bateman items are spread across the museum collections 
around the world. The aim of the exhibition was to change the perception of the Bateman collection as an assemblage of local archaeological material and show that the original collection was vast in numbers of objects and breadth of subjects. This paper explores the initial inspiration for the exhibition, the process of developing it and the legacy the project 
has created.

Martha Jasko-Lawrence has been Curator of Archaeology at Sheffield Museums since 2015. Prior to Sheffield, she worked in museums in Buxton, Gairloch, Wisbech and London. She is Chair of Derbyshire Archaeological Advisory Committee and honorary Editor of The Museum 
Archaeologist, the journal of the Society for Museum Archaeology.
Sharon Blakey is a freelance collections researcher. Her background is as a maker and she taught ceramics and craft at Manchester School of Art for 30 years. She was lost to collections research the minute she stepped into an archive and that is now her focus. Her research into the Mary Greg Collection of Handicrafts of Bygone Times has been published 
in journals, as a website and as a co-authored book chapter. Her current research into the Bateman Collection forms the basis of the exhibition Brought to Light: The Remarkable Bateman Collection currently on display at Weston Park Museum, Sheffield.

Content warning: The Powerpoint for this paper will include two or three line drawings or 
illustrations of human remains (skeletons).