The displays in the three galleries feature some of the finest collection of 16th to early 20th century Honiton lace; Honiton Pottery; a mid Victorian furnished doll's house; palaeontology; children's toys; war memorabilia, mementoes of Allhallows School and the Borough of Honiton; coins and trade tokens.

In the town famous for lace making, Allhallows Museum has one of the most comprehensive collections of
Honiton Lace in the world. Displays in the Nicoll and Norman galleries feature exceptional examples of Honiton lace dating from the 16th to 20th century. 

Lacemaking demonstrations are given by volunteers throughout the months of June, July and August

For more than 400 years lacemaking was a cottage industry providing a meagre livelihood for thousands of workers throughout East Devon.  Patronised by royalty, Honiton lace was  in great demand.   When lace could be made cheaply by machine, hand made lace fell out of fashion and could no longer be made commercially. 

Honiton lace is one of the world's high quality laces which was much in demand during the 17th and 18th centuries amongst the rich both at home and abroad. In 1698 over half the population of Honiton earned their living from lace. In the 19th century when lace could be made more cheaply by machine, hand made lace fell out of fashion to the great distress of the people of Honiton.

There never was  a lace factory in Honiton - it was a cottage industry.  Lace 'manufacturers' employed people all around the area to design the lace and to  make it  and then they sold the finished product.  Lace makers  worked at home and were poorly paid. Often manufacturers owned the local shops and paid their workers with tokens which could only be spent in their own shop.   

The main characteristic of Honiton lace is the 'sprig'  - a term used for a flower, leaf or other design - each made separately. The designs for sprigs are usually taken from the Devon countryside. The finished sprigs were then sewn onto net to form the finished design  or garment.

 

Long before dinosaurs roamed the area, it was covered by the sea. Many of the fossils on display in the Murch Gallery were discovered when the Honiton by-pass was constructed in the 1965.

The fossils show that about 140,000 years ago, Honiton was   the home of large deer, oxen, elephant and hippopotamus and we  had the same sort of climate then  that we associate with Africa today.

In 2005,  Harry Pearman and John Wilmut  of  the William Pengelly Trust  created an  on-line library showing  images of the  Honiton by-pass bones. They can be found at  http://pengellytrust.org/library/honiton.htm  

Pottery has been made in Honiton for over 240 years.  One of the earliest references to the trade in Honiton can be found in a poster dated  November 21st.  It  lists Samuel Ford, Thomas Brooke, Charles Denham, William Flood, Isaac Collins and John Linnington's  whose occupations were given as potters.


Originally the pottery manufactured in the town was  a coarse type of earthenware.  Honiton pottery was started at the site in the High Street by Mr James Webber in 1881. The clay he used  was dug from the ground behind the pottery.   When Mr Webber retired,  Forster and Hunt continued the business. Then they sold it to Charles Collard in 1918, who with his daughter and partner Joan exported Honiton pottery world-wide. 

Production stopped during WW2 and the pottery was re-opened in 1945. Charles Collard retired two years later and sold the pottery to  Hull and Barratt  who started to modernise the process and used bought-in white clay. After another change of ownership in 1961 the pottery finally ceased production in the 1990s. 

The Honiton Girl Guides have staged a display to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Girl Guides.

Guiding started in Honiton in 1948 with 1st Honiton Brownies. 1st Honiton Guides followed in 1949 along with 2nd Honiton Guides and
2nd Honiton Brownies.
In 1978 3rd Honiton Brownies opened and a Rainbow unit open in 1994. Two names associated with early guiding in Honiton were Miss Doidge and Joan Richards. Today,  Honiton has four thriving units of Brownies and Guides continuing the strong traditions of Guiding into the 21st century.

One display case contains mementos of Allhallows School which began on these premises in the Middle Ages. The school moved to Rousdon near Lyme Regis in 1938 and closed in 1998. Allhallows school probably began as a chantry school where priests taught boys to read Latin so that they could sing in the choir.

Sir Arthur Travers (Bomber) Harris was a pupil of Allhallows School here in Honiton. A slate plaque commemorates Harris who was Air Officer Commanding in Chief, Bomber Command from February 1942. On Tuesday July 23rd 1945 the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors admitted Sir Arthur Travers Harris as the third Honorary Freeman of the Borough of Honiton. He was presented with a casket containing the certificate of Freedom at a ceremony the following day.

The Honiton lace jabot and cuffs have been returned to Honiton museum until such time as a future Speaker of the House of Commons chooses to wear them as part of the ceremonial regalia. Designed by the Honiton artist Tom Griffiths the lace was first worn by Mr Bernard Weatherill.







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The Victorian rules for mourning did not apply as much to men as they did for women. Men were only expected to wear a black arm band but widows would have to go into  'deep mourning' for at least a year after their husband died.  Deep mourning meant that a widow would have to dress entirely in black at all times, and she could only leave her house to go to church or visit very close relatives.  In the second year after the death of her husband, a widow could include visiting close friends, as well as visiting relatives.  Then during the third year of mourning she could start wearing the 'half mourning colours of grey, white or purple.




However, Queen Victoria ordered that everyone should wear mourning  attire to social occasions for three years following Prince Albert's death in December 1861.  Queen Victoria remained in mourning for the rest of her life.

 

Honiton was under the jurisdiction of a Portreeve until it became a Borough in 1847.

One display case shows numerous objects decorated with the town seal. The origin of the figures featured is lost in time, but the most likely interpretation of the scene is that it represents the Annunciation and that the figures are the Angel Gabriel and the Virgin Mary, with the hand of God bestowing His blessing.







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On December 28th 1257 in Westminster, Henry III granted Honiton a market charter (Calendar of Charter Rolls Volume 11 420.) Ancient documents state that Honiton Fair dates from about 1221. Sheep, cows and calves, and horses were all traded at the fair. A cattle market was held near the King's Arms and the horse fair was held near the White Lion.

The Town Crier opens Honiton Fair on the Tuesday after 19th July every year. He walks up the High Street carrying a long pole garlanded with flowers and a golden glove tied to the top. At midday precisely he rings his bell and shouts each of these sentences three times:

'Oyez! Oyez! Oyez! The Glove is up!

The Fair is begun!No man shall be arrested!

Until the glove is taken down! God save the Queen!'

Then follows the age old custom of throwing hot pennies from the upper windows of some of the local pubs to the crowds of children waiting in the street below.

Esme Nicoll (one of the Museum founders) donated this  splendid example of a Victorian doll's house which dates from c1840. It gives children a wonderful  insight into how people lived around 160 years ago. 

It has all its original wallpaper and paintwork, contemporary furniture and hand worked fine wool petit point carpets. 

The rosewood furniture was imported from Walterhousen in Germany about 1830. The cast tin plate pieces were made by Evans & Cartwright in Wolverhampton who made toys between 1820 and 1850. The piano really plays a  tune as it has a musical box inside.

The oldest doll c 1830 - is a Grodnertal type with wooden body and is in its original clothes. The two bisque headed dolls with cloth bodies are a little younger and have been re-dressed.  The yellow half - tester bed is hand made and the curtain and vallance are beautifully embroidered in feather stitch.   



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Four display cases show items from conflicts from the past two centuries up to the present day. 

 The ‘stowaway' doll was found after a German plane crashed and it is thought to have been a mascot belonging to one of the crew.