A History of the World via Greenfield and Ruthin
Post categories: Denbighshire, History & Memories, Rhyl
| 13:55 UK time, Friday, 10 September 2010
Joint BBC and British Museum project, A History of the World in 100 Objects returns to BBC Radio 4 on Monday for the concluding part of the series which has featured important artefacts from north east Wales.
It picks up from the 15th Century starting with old money - pieces of eight - and global trade and travel.
The project highlights other examples of this like the copper manillas - a Portugese word for bracelet - made in the mills in Greenfield, Flintshire, and which returned to these shores after being traded in Sierra Leone.
Scotch Cap, a device to stop prisoners communicating, courtesy Ruthin Gaol
They were produced in the 18th Century specifically to trade in Africa, in exchange for products, such as ivory and were part of the triangular trade between the UK, Africa and the Carribean, a trade route which included slaves.
Greenfield Valley Trust added the information about the manillas to the website supporting the project, along with other local interest groups, people and museums.
Other local objects include the macabre mask known as a Scotch Cap which prisoners in Ruthin Gaol were forced to wear to stop them communicating with other inmates.
A personal favourite is the Caergwrle Bowl.
To think something so ornate was fashioned 3,000 years ago - and why and how did it find its way to this corner of the world, much like Mold's Gold Cape?
Part of the project has been to allow people to share and upload images of artefacts they feel are important.
Contributor and archaeologist Erin Robinson, who has been working on Denbighshire's Heather and Hillforts project, added a photo of a stone with a 90-year-old inscription found during a dig on Penycloddiau hillfort on the Clwydian Range in 2008.
BBC Local covered the story at the time, 90-year-old note written on stone - and Mystery of stone 'note' is solved
There's still time to add an object.
And, as part of the project, so-called Relics Trails are being run by museums to encourage children to get involved with local history.
