Most museums have grappled with identity in the past few years as they started looking inwards and exploring more of their own history through research into their archives. Agecroft Hall is no exception.

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 hours of consecutive sleep a night.

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 money and effort to ensuring that they have a comfortable place to sleep. Have you ever heard that Shakespeare left his “second best bed” to his wife?

With the time change occurring in early November, it seems to get dark at 5m. Darkness is easy enough for modern people to combat thanks to a vast array of lighted technology.

We have been the lucky recipients of generous donations here at Agecroft Hall & Gardens. While we, as with most museums, have strict parameters on what we accept into our collections, our most recent donation aligns with an institutional goal to incorporate more 20th century Richmond history into the narrative of Agecroft’s centuries-long story that we present.

As a continuation of last month’s post, let us briefly discuss the other large collection of documents housed at Agecroft Hall. These documents, which include things like indentures, bonds, wills, and pardons, all concern Agecroft Hall lands and family in England from the late 1200s to the early 1800s.

Deep in Agecroft’s archives lies a treasure trove of information that expands upon our current understanding of the house, its people, and its rebuilding in Richmond. One of our biggest resources is the collection of checks, statements, invoices, and receipts that have been saved from the rebuilding of the house.

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 of forty, and everyone smelled bad as no one bathed regularly. However, research has dispelled many of these facts as nothing more than fiction.

Sometimes, life is in the details. In the museum world, sometimes an object’s smallest detail can provide vast amounts of information. There are many examples of this in the collection at Agecroft Hall & Gardens.

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 stumped by this question.

When reading a recipe, salt is usually included—even in those shockingly sweet baked goods! Salt has a very long history (search online for books written totally about salt!), and is prized in cooking around the world. Today salt is relatively inexpensive and widely available.

We are fortunate to have a family member currently serving on our board. Mrs. Katherine Martin has generously let us look through family scrapbooks and photos.

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 moniker can be daunting. Naming children in Tudor England used to be a bit formulaic: the first son was named after the father, and the first daughter was named her after her mother or grandmother.

Agecroft Hall has a very long history. There’s been some version of the hall standing since approximately 1500. While we know about the families that called the hall home, we’d like to know more about the other people at Agecroft Hall—those who worked there.

Earlier this summer, digital money was in the news with dogecoin, a form of cryptocurrency, stock doing extremely well in the market. Digital currency proves how money today no longer requires physical tokens.

Today, high-profile divorces are reported as breaking news. There have been many epic divorces throughout history. Divorces among famous and influential people can cause a stir amongst the general public.