Museums from home: Wallace's Great Big Survey!

We are handing over to you. We would love you to take part in our big #Museusmfromhome event - Wallace's Great Big Survey! Lets use our time on lock-down to explore!

Although you can't visit the Museum in person the world around us is full of fascinating finds and we want you to document them. We want you to record what you find or see while working, playing or digging in your gardens, or what you can observe from your balcony, window or on a walk.
There are two ways you can join in - if you have a garden we would love for you to search it for interesting finds, they can be archaeological, historical or natural;  but if you don't have a garden don't worry - we would also like to carry out a wildlife survey too - that you can do as part of your daily exercise (please make sure to follow government guidelines) or from your balcony or window.

They survey will run from Friday 1st May to  Monday 4th May. You will need to accurately record your sightings or finds using the instructions below and complete a GDPR FORM so we can collect the finds data, you can read our GDPR notice HERE (You can choose to submit find anonymously if you prefer). The finds will be uploaded onto the blog to create a virtual museum of Uttlesford. The Museum team will try to identify as many of the objects as we can although this isn't always possible from pictures so please make sure the pictures clear!

 Below are two sets of instructions, one set for garden finds, and one set for observed finds.

What you will need for garden a garden finds survey

A finds tray (such as an old plastic tub, seed tray or draw)A brush for cleaning your finds such as an old tooth brush
Some water
A camera/camera phone for documenting your finds
A tape measure or ruler
A finds record sheet/ paper and pen
Optional: clear plastic bags like sandwich bags for your finds

A completed GDPR FORM you can read our GDPR notice HERE
For safety - Gloves to protect your hands

 What you need to do:

1. Identify an area of your garden to search, perhaps you are digging a pond, or digging over your vegetable patch
2. Carefully search the area for interesting finds. These could be archaeological like stone age tools or roman pottery, historical like Victorian glass bottles, or natural like animal bones, fossils or snail shells.
3. When you find something, photograph it in situ and complete a finds sheet and a GDPR FORM (you can read our GDPR notice HERE) you can print the one below.  If you don't have access to a printer you can write it out by hand or type it up the computer.

4. Then photograph your object with a scale, preferably with a ruler or tape measure edge in the photograph but a small coin will work too. Take good quality, clear pictures from a few angles on a plain background such as a sheet of paper.

5. Email your pictures and finds sheet and GDPR FORM to Museum@uttlesford.gov.uk with the subject Wallace's Great Big Survey.

What could you find?
To the below is an image of the kind of things you might find during your garden survey. We can't wait to see what you find!
Potsherds: pictured are a medieval jar rim, early post-medieval glazed slipware dish rim, piece of earthenware flowerpot, two glazed 19th century sherds (white and blue-and-white)
Animal bone: pictured, one fragment of a leg bone
 Fossils: pictured one Devil’s toenail (Gryphea) and one Belemnite
Clay pipe, early post-medieval
Copper alloy (bronze):  pictured a buckle, probably off a shoe, early post-medieval; George VI penny, dated 1937; early post-medieval jeton or casting counter, for doing sums or playing games

What you will need for an visual natural survey

1. A pen and paper
2. Camera
3. Record sheet
4. Completed Biological Record GDPR form

What you need to do:
Keep your eyes peeled for the wildlife around you, from your window, balcony or during your daily exercise. If you spot something, take a picture and complete the biological record sheet below.

Send your record form, Biological Record GDPR Form and picture to museum@uttlesford.gov.uk