Currently touring Wessex Museums as part of our latest 'Objects on Tour' are Iron Age pots, these were excavated by Maud Cunnington at All Cannings Cross.

Famous for her work on the prehistoric sites of Wiltshire, Maud led many important early excavations across the county.  She was committed to bringing archaeology to a wide audience, opening up her excavations to visitors, writing popular books for children and giving public lectures. Maud was awarded with a CBE in 1948 for her services to British archaeology – the first woman archaeologist to receive the honour.  She was elected president of the Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society in 1933, the first woman to hold the position.  Maud’s excavations at All Cannings Cross included finds of pottery, animal bone, weaving equipment and iron tools show everyday life in the Iron Age.

You can find out more about Maud and other 'trowel-blazing' women on the Trowel Blazers website.

Wessex Museums  comprises 4 Museums in our region, Dorset County, Poole, Salisbury and Wiltshire Museum, working together to tell the story of Dorset and Wiltshire.  The aim is to share knowledge, artefacts and skills to a wider audience exploring the stories of Wessex and encouraging the communities around each museum to be involved and contribute.

The four items touring as part of Wessex Women are:

• Iron Age Pots discovered by archaeologist Maud Cunnington, from Wiltshire Museum
• Downton Lace Pillow, from Salisbury Museum
• Purbeck Stone Carvings by Elizabeth Muntz, from Dorset County Museum
• Granny Cousin’s Lantern and Bonnet, a Victorian “Knocker-upper”, from Poole Museum

Our four partner museums have explored their collections and found objects that tell the untold stories of our region's women and their past - from the unexpected to the ground-breaking and intriguing.