The Material Culture of Wills Project
@materialwills.bsky.social
The Material Culture of Wills, England 1540-1790: a Leverhulme Trust project using digital tech & volunteers to transcribe 25,000 wills.
Visit our website: https://sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcultureofwills/
Visit our website: https://sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcultureofwills/
Pinned
📢 NEW Will of the Month Post 📢
January's post looks at the wishes of a Yorkshire widow who made a 'Living Will'📜
She not only divided up her material wealth, but also expressed hopes for later life, pre-empting any future incapacity.
Read about her wishes here: sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
January's post looks at the wishes of a Yorkshire widow who made a 'Living Will'📜
She not only divided up her material wealth, but also expressed hopes for later life, pre-empting any future incapacity.
Read about her wishes here: sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
📢 In Case You Missed It! 📢
Our new blog post reports on project Creative Fellow Chris Hoban's recent sold out gig at Topsham Folk Club, where he and the excellently-named band 'The Executors' performed music inspired by our wills 📜
🎶🎻🪗🪕
@leverhulme.ac.uk @uniofexeterhass.bsky.social #skystorians
Our new blog post reports on project Creative Fellow Chris Hoban's recent sold out gig at Topsham Folk Club, where he and the excellently-named band 'The Executors' performed music inspired by our wills 📜
🎶🎻🪗🪕
@leverhulme.ac.uk @uniofexeterhass.bsky.social #skystorians
'What a brilliant night! Wills: dry, formal, boring? This was story telling at its best: intriguing, engaging, human!’
In this new blog post, find out what happened when Chris Hoban and his band, The Executors, played to a packed house in Topsham
sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
#EarlyModern 🗃️
In this new blog post, find out what happened when Chris Hoban and his band, The Executors, played to a packed house in Topsham
sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
#EarlyModern 🗃️
February 6, 2026 at 9:03 AM
📢 In Case You Missed It! 📢
Our new blog post reports on project Creative Fellow Chris Hoban's recent sold out gig at Topsham Folk Club, where he and the excellently-named band 'The Executors' performed music inspired by our wills 📜
🎶🎻🪗🪕
@leverhulme.ac.uk @uniofexeterhass.bsky.social #skystorians
Our new blog post reports on project Creative Fellow Chris Hoban's recent sold out gig at Topsham Folk Club, where he and the excellently-named band 'The Executors' performed music inspired by our wills 📜
🎶🎻🪗🪕
@leverhulme.ac.uk @uniofexeterhass.bsky.social #skystorians
We are also thrilled to bring you the news that Chris has been recording his wills songs!
If you would like an email to let you know when the album is released, follow the link here 👇
If you would like an email to let you know when the album is released, follow the link here 👇
📢ALBUM ANNOUNCEMENT: A TIME OF MINDING📢
Chris Hoban has been recording all the music he composed as a fellow on the @leverhulme.ac.uk project The Material Culture of Wills!
Sign up here to be notified when the album is released:
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Photo: Tom Hurley #EarlyModern 🗃️
Chris Hoban has been recording all the music he composed as a fellow on the @leverhulme.ac.uk project The Material Culture of Wills!
Sign up here to be notified when the album is released:
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Photo: Tom Hurley #EarlyModern 🗃️
February 3, 2026 at 9:00 AM
We are also thrilled to bring you the news that Chris has been recording his wills songs!
If you would like an email to let you know when the album is released, follow the link here 👇
If you would like an email to let you know when the album is released, follow the link here 👇
📢NEW POST: a report on Chris Hoban's recent performance of music inspired by our wills at a sold gig for Topsham Folk Club 📢
📜🎶🎻🪗🪕
@leverhulme.ac.uk @uniofexeterhass.bsky.social @uoearchhist.bsky.social @cemsexeter.bsky.social
📜🎶🎻🪗🪕
@leverhulme.ac.uk @uniofexeterhass.bsky.social @uoearchhist.bsky.social @cemsexeter.bsky.social
'What a brilliant night! Wills: dry, formal, boring? This was story telling at its best: intriguing, engaging, human!’
In this new blog post, find out what happened when Chris Hoban and his band, The Executors, played to a packed house in Topsham
sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
#EarlyModern 🗃️
In this new blog post, find out what happened when Chris Hoban and his band, The Executors, played to a packed house in Topsham
sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
#EarlyModern 🗃️
February 3, 2026 at 8:48 AM
📢NEW POST: a report on Chris Hoban's recent performance of music inspired by our wills at a sold gig for Topsham Folk Club 📢
📜🎶🎻🪗🪕
@leverhulme.ac.uk @uniofexeterhass.bsky.social @uoearchhist.bsky.social @cemsexeter.bsky.social
📜🎶🎻🪗🪕
@leverhulme.ac.uk @uniofexeterhass.bsky.social @uoearchhist.bsky.social @cemsexeter.bsky.social
Reposted by The Material Culture of Wills Project
Sneak Peak ...
... of a little treat coming tomorrow - a full review of Chris Hoban's wills performance in Topsham last month!
And a very exciting related announcement ...
#EarlyModern 🗃️
📷 Photo courtesy of Tom Hurley, Devon Digital.
... of a little treat coming tomorrow - a full review of Chris Hoban's wills performance in Topsham last month!
And a very exciting related announcement ...
#EarlyModern 🗃️
📷 Photo courtesy of Tom Hurley, Devon Digital.
February 2, 2026 at 8:23 PM
Sneak Peak ...
... of a little treat coming tomorrow - a full review of Chris Hoban's wills performance in Topsham last month!
And a very exciting related announcement ...
#EarlyModern 🗃️
📷 Photo courtesy of Tom Hurley, Devon Digital.
... of a little treat coming tomorrow - a full review of Chris Hoban's wills performance in Topsham last month!
And a very exciting related announcement ...
#EarlyModern 🗃️
📷 Photo courtesy of Tom Hurley, Devon Digital.
📢 In Case You Missed It! 📢
January's 'Will of the Month' blog post is now live 📜
Read all about a Yorkshire widow's 'Living Will', as well as her ownership of 'global goods': tea, coffee, china, and a ladle for serving punch (made with sugar & spices) ☕🫖
sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
January's 'Will of the Month' blog post is now live 📜
Read all about a Yorkshire widow's 'Living Will', as well as her ownership of 'global goods': tea, coffee, china, and a ladle for serving punch (made with sugar & spices) ☕🫖
sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
January 29, 2026 at 9:38 AM
📢 In Case You Missed It! 📢
January's 'Will of the Month' blog post is now live 📜
Read all about a Yorkshire widow's 'Living Will', as well as her ownership of 'global goods': tea, coffee, china, and a ladle for serving punch (made with sugar & spices) ☕🫖
sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
January's 'Will of the Month' blog post is now live 📜
Read all about a Yorkshire widow's 'Living Will', as well as her ownership of 'global goods': tea, coffee, china, and a ladle for serving punch (made with sugar & spices) ☕🫖
sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
📢 NEW Will of the Month Post 📢
January's post looks at the wishes of a Yorkshire widow who made a 'Living Will'📜
She not only divided up her material wealth, but also expressed hopes for later life, pre-empting any future incapacity.
Read about her wishes here: sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
January's post looks at the wishes of a Yorkshire widow who made a 'Living Will'📜
She not only divided up her material wealth, but also expressed hopes for later life, pre-empting any future incapacity.
Read about her wishes here: sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
January 27, 2026 at 7:18 AM
📢 NEW Will of the Month Post 📢
January's post looks at the wishes of a Yorkshire widow who made a 'Living Will'📜
She not only divided up her material wealth, but also expressed hopes for later life, pre-empting any future incapacity.
Read about her wishes here: sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
January's post looks at the wishes of a Yorkshire widow who made a 'Living Will'📜
She not only divided up her material wealth, but also expressed hopes for later life, pre-empting any future incapacity.
Read about her wishes here: sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
Reposted by The Material Culture of Wills Project
Did medieval people buy each other Christmas gifts? New Year's Day was the main gifting day, but little is known about everyday people's present giving. Our project on London's customs records has uncovered a wealth of affordable items imported around this time: gloves and hats to toys and rattles🧵
Medieval Londoners’ cheaply imported mass-produced Christmas gifts look surprisingly familiar
We often imagine medieval life as dull, dirty and short, with little in the way of material comfort or decoration. However, medieval Londoners were importing toys, treats and trinkets by the boatload ...
theconversation.com
December 22, 2025 at 3:56 PM
Did medieval people buy each other Christmas gifts? New Year's Day was the main gifting day, but little is known about everyday people's present giving. Our project on London's customs records has uncovered a wealth of affordable items imported around this time: gloves and hats to toys and rattles🧵
🎄A FESTIVE TREAT: BONUS CHRISTMAS BLOG POST🎄
🎁As we approach the holidays, @lsangha.bsky.social has collected some of the best 'Christmassy' names in The National Archives' will registers.
🎅Featuring Mr Christmas, Christopher Pudding, John Turkey & many more 👇
sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
🎁As we approach the holidays, @lsangha.bsky.social has collected some of the best 'Christmassy' names in The National Archives' will registers.
🎅Featuring Mr Christmas, Christopher Pudding, John Turkey & many more 👇
sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
December 22, 2025 at 8:54 AM
🎄A FESTIVE TREAT: BONUS CHRISTMAS BLOG POST🎄
🎁As we approach the holidays, @lsangha.bsky.social has collected some of the best 'Christmassy' names in The National Archives' will registers.
🎅Featuring Mr Christmas, Christopher Pudding, John Turkey & many more 👇
sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
🎁As we approach the holidays, @lsangha.bsky.social has collected some of the best 'Christmassy' names in The National Archives' will registers.
🎅Featuring Mr Christmas, Christopher Pudding, John Turkey & many more 👇
sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
Reposted by The Material Culture of Wills Project
🎄CHRISTMAS BLOG POST!🎄
A silly gift for you all: I dug through The National Archive wills looking for Christmassy names. There were a lot, inc:
Mr 🎅
Christopher 🍮
❄️ Green
Thomas 🦃
Theophilia 🛷
sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
📜 #EarlyModern 🗃️ @leverhulme.ac.uk @uoearchhist.bsky.social
A silly gift for you all: I dug through The National Archive wills looking for Christmassy names. There were a lot, inc:
Mr 🎅
Christopher 🍮
❄️ Green
Thomas 🦃
Theophilia 🛷
sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
📜 #EarlyModern 🗃️ @leverhulme.ac.uk @uoearchhist.bsky.social
December 22, 2025 at 7:24 AM
🎄CHRISTMAS BLOG POST!🎄
A silly gift for you all: I dug through The National Archive wills looking for Christmassy names. There were a lot, inc:
Mr 🎅
Christopher 🍮
❄️ Green
Thomas 🦃
Theophilia 🛷
sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
📜 #EarlyModern 🗃️ @leverhulme.ac.uk @uoearchhist.bsky.social
A silly gift for you all: I dug through The National Archive wills looking for Christmassy names. There were a lot, inc:
Mr 🎅
Christopher 🍮
❄️ Green
Thomas 🦃
Theophilia 🛷
sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
📜 #EarlyModern 🗃️ @leverhulme.ac.uk @uoearchhist.bsky.social
🚨FAB PROJECT NEWS🚨
We are delighted to report that we have been awarded a free study break at a Landmark Trust property as part of their Landmark Futures scheme!
The whole team will spend a week in Bath at the handsome Georgian building, Elton House.
More here: sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
We are delighted to report that we have been awarded a free study break at a Landmark Trust property as part of their Landmark Futures scheme!
The whole team will spend a week in Bath at the handsome Georgian building, Elton House.
More here: sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
December 18, 2025 at 4:39 PM
🚨FAB PROJECT NEWS🚨
We are delighted to report that we have been awarded a free study break at a Landmark Trust property as part of their Landmark Futures scheme!
The whole team will spend a week in Bath at the handsome Georgian building, Elton House.
More here: sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
We are delighted to report that we have been awarded a free study break at a Landmark Trust property as part of their Landmark Futures scheme!
The whole team will spend a week in Bath at the handsome Georgian building, Elton House.
More here: sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
📢 NOW LIVE: December's 'Will of the Month' post! 📢
Read on to find out about the life of a Ragusan merchant who found himself in Stuart London, sick of 'the Disease of the Stone' 👇
He left bequests of: 1 parrot 🦜, 300 pairs of stockings 🧦, & 360 jars of wine 🍾
sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
Read on to find out about the life of a Ragusan merchant who found himself in Stuart London, sick of 'the Disease of the Stone' 👇
He left bequests of: 1 parrot 🦜, 300 pairs of stockings 🧦, & 360 jars of wine 🍾
sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
December 17, 2025 at 8:48 AM
📢 NOW LIVE: December's 'Will of the Month' post! 📢
Read on to find out about the life of a Ragusan merchant who found himself in Stuart London, sick of 'the Disease of the Stone' 👇
He left bequests of: 1 parrot 🦜, 300 pairs of stockings 🧦, & 360 jars of wine 🍾
sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
Read on to find out about the life of a Ragusan merchant who found himself in Stuart London, sick of 'the Disease of the Stone' 👇
He left bequests of: 1 parrot 🦜, 300 pairs of stockings 🧦, & 360 jars of wine 🍾
sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
Reposted by The Material Culture of Wills Project
In Alice's will, made in 1705, she left her wedding ring to her oldest daughter with the stipulation that it should then be passed down the Comber line with other Wandesford family heirlooms. Her younger daughter received her 'wedding bodice and crimson stomacher of flowered satin'. #EarlyModern 🗃️
15th Dec. 1651 #OTD Alice Wandesford married William Thornton. She describes the months of negotiations in what she calls 'tedious' detail in her ‘First Book of My Life’ (Book 1). Her mother wished to see her daughter's inheritance protected during marriage. Spoiler: it wasn't!
#EarlyModern 🗃️
#EarlyModern 🗃️
December 15, 2025 at 1:40 PM
In Alice's will, made in 1705, she left her wedding ring to her oldest daughter with the stipulation that it should then be passed down the Comber line with other Wandesford family heirlooms. Her younger daughter received her 'wedding bodice and crimson stomacher of flowered satin'. #EarlyModern 🗃️
Reposted by The Material Culture of Wills Project
🎅December Will of the Month!🎅
This merchant from the Republic of Ragusa made reference to the altarpiece he commissioned ✝️ 300 silk stockings🧦400 pairs of stirrups🐴, and a parrot 🦜.
#EarlyModern 🗃️
sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult... @leverhulme.ac.uk @uniofexeterhass.bsky.social
This merchant from the Republic of Ragusa made reference to the altarpiece he commissioned ✝️ 300 silk stockings🧦400 pairs of stirrups🐴, and a parrot 🦜.
#EarlyModern 🗃️
sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult... @leverhulme.ac.uk @uniofexeterhass.bsky.social
Will of the Month: A merchant of Ragusa and 300 pairs of stockings
When selecting previous wills to feature in our monthly series, we browsed testator metadata, looking for particular names or locations, or filtering by occupational, social, and marital status. All o...
sites.exeter.ac.uk
December 16, 2025 at 9:28 AM
🎅December Will of the Month!🎅
This merchant from the Republic of Ragusa made reference to the altarpiece he commissioned ✝️ 300 silk stockings🧦400 pairs of stirrups🐴, and a parrot 🦜.
#EarlyModern 🗃️
sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult... @leverhulme.ac.uk @uniofexeterhass.bsky.social
This merchant from the Republic of Ragusa made reference to the altarpiece he commissioned ✝️ 300 silk stockings🧦400 pairs of stirrups🐴, and a parrot 🦜.
#EarlyModern 🗃️
sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult... @leverhulme.ac.uk @uniofexeterhass.bsky.social
📢 NEW Will of the Month post 📢
For December's post, we searched for Christmas-related bequests🎅
'Stockings' led us to the will of a Ragusan merchant: featuring 300 pairs of stockings 🧦, a parrot & 360 jars of wine, & insights into foreign trade in Stuart London👇
sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
For December's post, we searched for Christmas-related bequests🎅
'Stockings' led us to the will of a Ragusan merchant: featuring 300 pairs of stockings 🧦, a parrot & 360 jars of wine, & insights into foreign trade in Stuart London👇
sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
December 16, 2025 at 8:31 AM
📢 NEW Will of the Month post 📢
For December's post, we searched for Christmas-related bequests🎅
'Stockings' led us to the will of a Ragusan merchant: featuring 300 pairs of stockings 🧦, a parrot & 360 jars of wine, & insights into foreign trade in Stuart London👇
sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
For December's post, we searched for Christmas-related bequests🎅
'Stockings' led us to the will of a Ragusan merchant: featuring 300 pairs of stockings 🧦, a parrot & 360 jars of wine, & insights into foreign trade in Stuart London👇
sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
The last Wills Project meeting before Christmas!
As you can see, we came suitably attired, but held off on the mulled wine since it was only 11am ..
A very productive year for us & our amazing community of volunteers - look out for our December will of the month & a special Christmas blog soon!🎉🎄🎅
As you can see, we came suitably attired, but held off on the mulled wine since it was only 11am ..
A very productive year for us & our amazing community of volunteers - look out for our December will of the month & a special Christmas blog soon!🎉🎄🎅
December 9, 2025 at 1:51 PM
The last Wills Project meeting before Christmas!
As you can see, we came suitably attired, but held off on the mulled wine since it was only 11am ..
A very productive year for us & our amazing community of volunteers - look out for our December will of the month & a special Christmas blog soon!🎉🎄🎅
As you can see, we came suitably attired, but held off on the mulled wine since it was only 11am ..
A very productive year for us & our amazing community of volunteers - look out for our December will of the month & a special Christmas blog soon!🎉🎄🎅
Reposted by The Material Culture of Wills Project
Found the 'people named after birds' page of the will register
December 4, 2025 at 5:52 PM
Found the 'people named after birds' page of the will register
📢 In Case You Missed It! 📢
We've been busy - catch up with our latest 'Project Progress Update' Blog Post 👇
sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
Find our more about our recent milestones, and the building of our project database 💻📜
@uniofexeterhass.bsky.social @leverhulme.ac.uk #skystorians
We've been busy - catch up with our latest 'Project Progress Update' Blog Post 👇
sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
Find our more about our recent milestones, and the building of our project database 💻📜
@uniofexeterhass.bsky.social @leverhulme.ac.uk #skystorians
December 4, 2025 at 8:35 AM
📢 In Case You Missed It! 📢
We've been busy - catch up with our latest 'Project Progress Update' Blog Post 👇
sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
Find our more about our recent milestones, and the building of our project database 💻📜
@uniofexeterhass.bsky.social @leverhulme.ac.uk #skystorians
We've been busy - catch up with our latest 'Project Progress Update' Blog Post 👇
sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
Find our more about our recent milestones, and the building of our project database 💻📜
@uniofexeterhass.bsky.social @leverhulme.ac.uk #skystorians
Reposted by The Material Culture of Wills Project
📢The wills team have been very busy of late!📢
Here's a little update on our progress over recent months - our volunteers completed Zooniverse and the database is on it's way...
#EarlyModern #DigitalHumanities #Transkribus 🗃️ @uoearchhist.bsky.social @uniofexeterhass.bsky.social @leverhulme.ac.uk
Here's a little update on our progress over recent months - our volunteers completed Zooniverse and the database is on it's way...
#EarlyModern #DigitalHumanities #Transkribus 🗃️ @uoearchhist.bsky.social @uniofexeterhass.bsky.social @leverhulme.ac.uk
December 2, 2025 at 10:53 AM
📢The wills team have been very busy of late!📢
Here's a little update on our progress over recent months - our volunteers completed Zooniverse and the database is on it's way...
#EarlyModern #DigitalHumanities #Transkribus 🗃️ @uoearchhist.bsky.social @uniofexeterhass.bsky.social @leverhulme.ac.uk
Here's a little update on our progress over recent months - our volunteers completed Zooniverse and the database is on it's way...
#EarlyModern #DigitalHumanities #Transkribus 🗃️ @uoearchhist.bsky.social @uniofexeterhass.bsky.social @leverhulme.ac.uk
Reposted by The Material Culture of Wills Project
📜 There's a new 'Project Progress Update' blog post over on the @materialwills.bsky.social blog! 📜
Read on for more about our research progress, featuring @zooniverse.bsky.social news & updates about our database 👇
#skystorians #history #citizenscience @leverhulme.ac.uk @transkribus.bsky.social
Read on for more about our research progress, featuring @zooniverse.bsky.social news & updates about our database 👇
#skystorians #history #citizenscience @leverhulme.ac.uk @transkribus.bsky.social
📢 NEW 'Project Progress Update' Blog Post! 📢
We've recently reached a very significant project milestone, and thought this would be the perfect moment to provide a research update: sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
Featuring @zooniverse.bsky.social news, and a sneak peek at our database! 📜✍️💻
We've recently reached a very significant project milestone, and thought this would be the perfect moment to provide a research update: sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
Featuring @zooniverse.bsky.social news, and a sneak peek at our database! 📜✍️💻
December 2, 2025 at 8:24 AM
📜 There's a new 'Project Progress Update' blog post over on the @materialwills.bsky.social blog! 📜
Read on for more about our research progress, featuring @zooniverse.bsky.social news & updates about our database 👇
#skystorians #history #citizenscience @leverhulme.ac.uk @transkribus.bsky.social
Read on for more about our research progress, featuring @zooniverse.bsky.social news & updates about our database 👇
#skystorians #history #citizenscience @leverhulme.ac.uk @transkribus.bsky.social
📢 NEW 'Project Progress Update' Blog Post! 📢
We've recently reached a very significant project milestone, and thought this would be the perfect moment to provide a research update: sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
Featuring @zooniverse.bsky.social news, and a sneak peek at our database! 📜✍️💻
We've recently reached a very significant project milestone, and thought this would be the perfect moment to provide a research update: sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
Featuring @zooniverse.bsky.social news, and a sneak peek at our database! 📜✍️💻
December 2, 2025 at 8:19 AM
📢 NEW 'Project Progress Update' Blog Post! 📢
We've recently reached a very significant project milestone, and thought this would be the perfect moment to provide a research update: sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
Featuring @zooniverse.bsky.social news, and a sneak peek at our database! 📜✍️💻
We've recently reached a very significant project milestone, and thought this would be the perfect moment to provide a research update: sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
Featuring @zooniverse.bsky.social news, and a sneak peek at our database! 📜✍️💻
📢November Will of the Month📢
Meet Reverend William Thomas, a widowed clergyman from Pembrokeshire who made his will in 1786.
William left his breeches to Billy Rees and asked to be buried 'as remote from every other grave as conveniently may be'.
🪦✝️💀 #EarlyModern 🗃️ #Trousers
Meet Reverend William Thomas, a widowed clergyman from Pembrokeshire who made his will in 1786.
William left his breeches to Billy Rees and asked to be buried 'as remote from every other grave as conveniently may be'.
🪦✝️💀 #EarlyModern 🗃️ #Trousers
November 25, 2025 at 9:27 AM
📢November Will of the Month📢
Meet Reverend William Thomas, a widowed clergyman from Pembrokeshire who made his will in 1786.
William left his breeches to Billy Rees and asked to be buried 'as remote from every other grave as conveniently may be'.
🪦✝️💀 #EarlyModern 🗃️ #Trousers
Meet Reverend William Thomas, a widowed clergyman from Pembrokeshire who made his will in 1786.
William left his breeches to Billy Rees and asked to be buried 'as remote from every other grave as conveniently may be'.
🪦✝️💀 #EarlyModern 🗃️ #Trousers
Reposted by The Material Culture of Wills Project
Many thanks to Public Engagement with Research at Exeter for featuring us prominently in their write up of the FUTURES festival 👇
@uoearchhist.bsky.social @uniofexeterhass.bsky.social
sites.exeter.ac.uk/per/2025/11/...
@uoearchhist.bsky.social @uniofexeterhass.bsky.social
sites.exeter.ac.uk/per/2025/11/...
Lights, Camera, Action! Performance and Film at the FUTURES Festival
Making the most of the festival’s location at Exeter Phoenix, the city centre’s hub for cinema and culture, FUTURES 2025 included a mix of films and performances. Each of these took different areas of...
sites.exeter.ac.uk
November 12, 2025 at 12:55 PM
Many thanks to Public Engagement with Research at Exeter for featuring us prominently in their write up of the FUTURES festival 👇
@uoearchhist.bsky.social @uniofexeterhass.bsky.social
sites.exeter.ac.uk/per/2025/11/...
@uoearchhist.bsky.social @uniofexeterhass.bsky.social
sites.exeter.ac.uk/per/2025/11/...
Reposted by The Material Culture of Wills Project
✍ Introducing ✍
Sharpie, a letterform recognition game for beginner #EarlyModern #palaeography
gjhilton.github.io/Sharpie/
AKA What I Did Over Reading Week.
#skystorians I’d be so grateful if you had time to share or take a look and tell me what sucks and needs fixing.
Love g 🗃️
Sharpie, a letterform recognition game for beginner #EarlyModern #palaeography
gjhilton.github.io/Sharpie/
AKA What I Did Over Reading Week.
#skystorians I’d be so grateful if you had time to share or take a look and tell me what sucks and needs fixing.
Love g 🗃️
Sharpie
Sharpie, a letterform recognition game for apprentice Early Modern palaeographers
gjhilton.github.io
November 12, 2025 at 11:11 PM
✍ Introducing ✍
Sharpie, a letterform recognition game for beginner #EarlyModern #palaeography
gjhilton.github.io/Sharpie/
AKA What I Did Over Reading Week.
#skystorians I’d be so grateful if you had time to share or take a look and tell me what sucks and needs fixing.
Love g 🗃️
Sharpie, a letterform recognition game for beginner #EarlyModern #palaeography
gjhilton.github.io/Sharpie/
AKA What I Did Over Reading Week.
#skystorians I’d be so grateful if you had time to share or take a look and tell me what sucks and needs fixing.
Love g 🗃️
Reposted by The Material Culture of Wills Project
Delighted everyone found this sculpture as delightful as me!
Tombs, monuments & funerals are something I will be writing about as part of my wills research project - I wonder what insights 25,000 English wills will bring?
🪦⚰️📜🗃️
All the info on the project here: sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
Tombs, monuments & funerals are something I will be writing about as part of my wills research project - I wonder what insights 25,000 English wills will bring?
🪦⚰️📜🗃️
All the info on the project here: sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
November 15, 2025 at 12:35 PM
Delighted everyone found this sculpture as delightful as me!
Tombs, monuments & funerals are something I will be writing about as part of my wills research project - I wonder what insights 25,000 English wills will bring?
🪦⚰️📜🗃️
All the info on the project here: sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
Tombs, monuments & funerals are something I will be writing about as part of my wills research project - I wonder what insights 25,000 English wills will bring?
🪦⚰️📜🗃️
All the info on the project here: sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
Reposted by The Material Culture of Wills Project
Couple of wills talks coming up: I'm presenting to the Devonshire Association, Tavistock & West Devon branch on Friday.
Then next Friday @bhamhistory.bsky.social & I are giving a talk at a joint Devon History Society & Devon Archaeological society workshop at Devon Heritage Centre.
🗃️
Then next Friday @bhamhistory.bsky.social & I are giving a talk at a joint Devon History Society & Devon Archaeological society workshop at Devon Heritage Centre.
🗃️
November 17, 2025 at 8:14 AM
Couple of wills talks coming up: I'm presenting to the Devonshire Association, Tavistock & West Devon branch on Friday.
Then next Friday @bhamhistory.bsky.social & I are giving a talk at a joint Devon History Society & Devon Archaeological society workshop at Devon Heritage Centre.
🗃️
Then next Friday @bhamhistory.bsky.social & I are giving a talk at a joint Devon History Society & Devon Archaeological society workshop at Devon Heritage Centre.
🗃️