Buxton Museum

Buxton Museum and Art Gallery
Terrace Road
Buxton
Derbyshire
SK17 6DA

01629533544
Website: http://www.derbyshire.gov.uk

Parent Organisation:
Funded by:

Local Authority

YLM Entry Submitted: Yes
Comments:

How many human remains are in its collection, and how many of those are of ancient British provenance, pre-Christian or in other way Pagan?:

Human remains and cinerary remains from 23 archaeological sites in the Peak District (our collecting area), all pre-300CE, as far as we can tell. It is difficult to tell exactly how many individual people from the fragmentary nature of the materials.

Total: 23

How many of these human remains are well documented, with clear context of date and place of exhumation?:

Almost all

Where there are ancestors in store, is there a history of use?:

Yes

Where there are ancestors in store, is there potential for use, in display, education or scientific analysis?

Yes

Does the museum have a disposal policy, and is it including HR with negligible potential in its discussions about disposal?:Yes

What sources of information about these human remains are in the public domain and where?:

Records on the H.E.R for Derbyshire; publications in several journals but mostly the Derbyshire Archaeological Journal; exhibited specimens can be seen at www.wonderofthepeak.org.uk; recent archaeological reports and theses.

Does the museum have ancestors (human remains) on display?:Yes

In permanent exhibitions about the geology and archaeology of the Peak District, The Wonders of the Peak, and in the Boyd Dawkins Study.
Before we redisplayed the Wonders of the Peak we did a temporary exhibition of the human remains and asked staff and visitors whether they had any opinion about displaying human remains. Other than showing respect, there was no dissent. We have since (5 years later) had one person asking us to put up a notice that human remains are on display, and another asking why we have used a replica of a skull in one of the displays rather than the original.

Does the museum hold any iconic ancestors, ie. complete skeletons with a well documented story, or those considered of national or local importance, and are these on display?:

One is; one has a replica skull representing it (it is from a group of significant skeletons); the last has only recently been deposited at the museum.

Has the museum used or considered using replicas in displays? If not, why not and what would you find useful in moving to these? If you have, what response did these receive?:

One is; one has a replica skull representing it (it is from a group of significant skeletons); the last has only recently been deposited at the museum.

Has the museum used or considered using replicas in displays?
Yes, in certain circumstances. However this is a science museum with animal remains as iconic as the humans.

If not, why not and what would you find useful in moving to these?
In some cases, replacing with casts would be disrespectful, consigning the original artefacts to store where only ‘special people’ can be admitted. A museum is where you can learn about the real world, see the real thing – in the case of these human remains these are more than 2,000 years old, true evidence of our ancestors who lived and worked here (men, women, children, babies and neo-natals) and the bone remains are source of active scientific research about our past and our future. This research justifies why the remains are here, and near to the sites where they were originally interred. It is disseminated through the academics own networks but also through public lectures at the museum. We do not assign religious or any other belief, to these remains of people; we explain what lives were like, partly from their remains and from other artefacts that survive from their time.

If you have, what response did these receive?
We use a cast for one of the skulls associated to a skeleton of significance because of the risk of separating parts of historically important remains. Only one person has commented in 5 years; they would have preferred the skull to be show but they understood our decision.

Documents:
https://www.honour.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/formidable/2/YLM-Questionnaire-2022-3.doc

4 October, 2022