The Pendle Witches of Lancashire
“...These are they who by the permission of God disturb the elements, who drive to distraction the minds of men, such as have lost their...
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Ask the Past
Agecroft's Blog
Libby Howlett
- Sep 26
- 3 min
Dear Diary - A View of 19th Century World Travel
In the March Ask the Past post, we introduced a Williams’s family letter collection from the family’s voyage around the world--a trip...
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AgecroftHall
- Aug 18
- 3 min
Long Lasting Lord of the Manor
When the Dauntesey family moved out of Agecroft in the early 20th century, they took all of their belongings with them. As a result, the...
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Libby Howlett
- Jul 10
- 3 min
Fashionable Franklin Street
T.C. Williams, Jr.’s name is inextricably linked to Agecroft, but he only lived in the house for a little over a year before his death at...
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Libby Howlett
- May 5
- 4 min
King Charles I
In honor of this month’s coronation of Charles III, King of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth Realms, we are going to discuss...
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Libby Howlett
- Apr 8
- 1 min
A Springtime Walk Through Agecroft's Gardens
Enjoy these photos from our beautiful outdoors!
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Libby Howlett
- Mar 31
- 2 min
Adventure of a Lifetime?
Most museums have grappled with identity in the past few years as they started looking inwards and exploring more of their own history...
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Libby Howlett
- Feb 24
- 3 min
Night Narratives
Sleeping habits in the early modern era were a bit different from ours now. We are all led to believe that we need a solid seven to eight...
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Libby Howlett
- Jan 31
- 3 min
A Long Winter's Nap
Winter is long. Naps are great. On average, humans spend about 33 years in bed so those who can afford it often devote a great deal of...
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Libby Howlett
- Nov 23, 2022
- 3 min
Lighting the Night: Light Devices at Agecroft Hall
With the time change occurring in early November, it seems to get dark at 5m. Darkness is easy enough for modern people to combat...
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Libby Howlett
- Oct 31, 2022
- 2 min
Portraits of the Past
We have been the lucky recipients of generous donations here at Agecroft Hall & Gardens. While we, as with most museums, have strict...
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Libby Howlett
- Aug 31, 2022
- 3 min
Documents of Yore
As a continuation of last month’s post, let us briefly discuss the other large collection of documents housed at Agecroft Hall. These...
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Libby Howlett
- Jun 30, 2022
- 2 min
The Receipts
Deep in Agecroft’s archives lies a treasure trove of information that expands upon our current understanding of the house, its people,...
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Libby Howlett
- May 31, 2022
- 5 min
Married to the Facts
We all think we know certain “facts” from Tudor history: people were so much shorter thanks to poor nutrition, no one lived past the age...
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AgecroftHall
- May 2, 2022
- 1 min
April's Abundance at Agecroft
Enjoy this collection of flower photographs from one of our favorite times of year!
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Libby Howlett
- Mar 31, 2022
- 3 min
All In The Details
Sometimes, life is in the details. In the museum world, sometimes an object’s smallest detail can provide vast amounts of information....
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Libby Howlett
- Feb 25, 2022
- 3 min
Playing Favorites
Many times, when people find out what I do for a living, the first question they ask is, “What is your favorite object?” I am always...
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Libby Howlett
- Jan 31, 2022
- 2 min
The Great Salt
When reading a recipe, salt is usually included—even in those shockingly sweet baked goods! Salt has a very long history (search online...
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AgecroftHall
- Dec 31, 2021
- 1 min
Response to our August “Call for Help!”
We are so lucky to have had a great response to our August Ask the Past (which you can read here) We are fortunate to have a family...
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AgecroftHall
- Nov 23, 2021
- 3 min
Priest Hole
In the servants’ quarters on the upper floor of Agecroft Hall, there lies a secret space. What appears to be a solid, built in, shelf...
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Libby Howlett
- Oct 29, 2021
- 4 min
A Tale of Two Thomases
William Shakespeare famously asked “What’s in a name?”[1] Try naming a baby, a new pet, or a company—the challenge to pick the perfect...
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AgecroftHall
- Sep 30, 2021
- 2 min
New Perspectives on Old Objects
History is constantly evolving—our knowledge grows and, at museums, our exhibits change to reflect that new knowledge. If you’ve visited...
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Libby Howlett
- Aug 31, 2021
- 1 min
Can You Help?
Agecroft Hall has a very long history. There’s been some version of the hall standing since approximately 1500. While we know about the...
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Libby Howlett
- Jul 31, 2021
- 2 min
Strongboxes in the Agecroft Collection
Earlier this summer, digital money was in the news with dogecoin, a form of cryptocurrency, stock doing extremely well in the market....
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AgecroftHall
- Jun 30, 2021
- 3 min
Portrait of Elizabeth Fitzgerald
In our upper hallway, a portrait of a woman hangs. This woman, Elizabeth Fitzgerald, Countess of Lincoln, was once thought to be the most...
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Libby Howlett
- May 31, 2021
- 6 min
The Fall of Anne Boleyn
Today, high-profile divorces are reported as breaking news. There have been many epic divorces throughout history. Divorces among famous...
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AgecroftHall
- Apr 30, 2021
- 2 min
A Peek into our Gardens
For this month’s blog post, I took a moment to speak with Joseph Day, our Head of Horticulture and Maintenance, about our magnificent...
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AgecroftHall
- Apr 12, 2021
- 2 min
Agecroft's Tiffany Clock
Mantle Clock AH1967.0044 Late 1800s-early 1900s Brass Ormolu, Marble, Glass One of the many benefits of our self-guided tours is the...
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AgecroftHall
- Feb 26, 2021
- 4 min
Others in Early Modern English Society
What was the cultural makeup of Tudor and Stuart England? If one were to judge on readily available sources—portraits from the time...
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AgecroftHall
- Jan 29, 2021
- 4 min
Why Rebellion? Wyatt's Rebellion.
Insurrections and rebellions against the ruling government are common throughout history. While we in the United States are used to...
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Libby Howlett
- Dec 23, 2020
- 2 min
A Christmas Masque at Agecroft Hall, 1927
Agecroft Hall was rebuilt in Richmond in the late 1920s. In December of 1927, T.C. Williams, Jr. and his wife Bessie moved into the house...
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Libby Howlett
- Nov 27, 2020
- 4 min
A Very Brief Compilation of Census Data Relating to Agecroft Hall
The United States conducts a census survey every 10 years. The most recent one—as you probably know, was taken earlier this year in ...
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AgecroftHall
- Oct 31, 2020
- 3 min
Apotropaic Mark
Dr. Ian Tyers, a dedrochronologist from England, was here in 2016, inspecting and dating our wood panel paintings. While looking at our...
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AgecroftHall
- Sep 30, 2020
- 3 min
Michaelmas
During the 16th and 17th century, Michaelmas (pronounced mich-al-mis) was an important day, not only in the liturgical calendar, but also...
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AgecroftHall
- Aug 31, 2020
- 3 min
A Portrait of a Unknown Gentleman by Adrian Thomas Key
Agecroft’s halls are filled with portraits, and they are some of the objects that prompt the most questions from visitors. This blog...
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Libby Howlett
- Jul 29, 2020
- 3 min
Who are the John Tradescants?
At the far end of our gardens, past the formal Sunken Garden, sits the Tradescant Garden. Here, our horticulturalists have planted a...
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AgecroftHall
- Jun 26, 2020
- 3 min
Gentleman’s Study—Curiosity Cabinets
To understand the phenomenon of Curiosity Cabinets, we must first understand the mindset of European society in the early to mid-17th...
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Libby Howlett
- May 21, 2020
- 5 min
Quarantine during the 1600s in England
It is said that history repeats itself, and those who do not learn from it are the ones doomed to repeat it. Well, as 2020 has proven, we...
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Libby Howlett
- Apr 29, 2020
- 3 min
Changing Times and English Calendars
I began researching this post with great intentions of writing up a piece about Lady Day and its importance as an English quarter day....
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Libby Howlett
- Mar 4, 2020
- 3 min
Icon, Kazan Mother of God
Icon, Kazan Mother of God ca. 1900 AH 1967.0011 A-B Enamel and silver Russian As anyone who has visited Agecroft Hall & Gardens knows,...
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AgecroftHall
- Jan 28, 2020
- 2 min
Clavicytherium
AH 1978.0014 Early 17th century, modified in the 19th century Italy Wood, brass, parchment, ivory In the centuries before television and...
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Libby Howlett
- Oct 21, 2019
- 2 min
Agecroft Hall Guest Book
1942-1967 The Mortons entertained quite frequently at Agecroft Hall, as evidenced by the guest book now displayed in the Williams...
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AgecroftHall
- Sep 30, 2019
- 2 min
The Fanciful Chimney
Rising exuberantly above the roofline towards the sky, Agecroft Hall’s fanciful red brick chimneys are a striking contrast to its black timb
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AgecroftHall
- Jun 25, 2019
- 2 min
Charles Gillette: Gardens in Virginia
Much of the credit for Agecroft Hall’s elegant gardens belongs to the designer who originally laid them out: Charles Gillette. Beginning...
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AgecroftHall
- Apr 11, 2019
- 4 min
The Williams Library
In 1925, T. C. Williams, Jr. purchased Agecroft Hall, sight unseen, at an auction in England. The house was then dismantled, shipped to...
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AgecroftHall
- Mar 1, 2019
- 3 min
Agecroft Hall and its Undeniable Englishness
Agecroft Hall is rich with history and boasts an outstanding collection of objects from the Tudor and early Stuart periods, 1485-1660....
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Libby Howlett
- Jan 1, 2019
- 3 min
Picture of a Pardon
. We hold in our collection a universal pardon dating to January 15, 1559, the date of Queen Elizabeth I’s coronation. This pardon was...
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AgecroftHall
- Dec 14, 2018
- 2 min
Christmas during the 1940's
Christmas during the 1940s was, obviously, much different than the previous decade. Traditions changed throughout the decade as...
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By Joshua Dow
- Nov 27, 2018
- 2 min
The Question of the Tobacco Box: The Year 1654 and Dutch/English Tobacco Trade
One of the objects in Agecroft’s collection is a wooden tobacco box. Made in the late 19th century in the Netherlands, this fruitwood box...
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Libby Howlett
- Nov 1, 2018
- 1 min
Laundry Counter/Laundry Tally Board
One of the most impressive, though small, pieces in our collection is our 17th century laundry counter, also known as a laundry tally. By...