£10 – 30

• A digital adoption certificate with a photo of your object
• Your name placed on our adopter’s Thank You board in the Castle
• Subscription to the CMDF quarterly newsletter

£60 – 100

• Invitation to VIP exhibition openings
• A physical and digital adoption certificate with a photo of your object
• Your name placed on our adopter’s Thank You board in the Castle
• Subscription to the CMDF quarterly newsletter

Adopt by donating: Bronze £10 / Silver £60

Find me at: Colchester Castle

This face pot was excavated from the area of Stanwell Street in Colchester over 100 years ago and dates to AD 43-300. Face pots are unusual Roman cremation vessels that have a face applied to the body of the pot. Although there are similarities in style, each one is unique in some way. They are rare in Britain and have been associated with the Roman army, which may explain their popularity in Colchester. It is unknown whether the face was meant to represent an image of the deceased, a god or goddess or had some other meaning.

Adopt by donating: Bronze £10 / Silver £60

Find me at: Colchester Castle

This small Roman jug of clear blue-green glass dates to around AD 170 – 300. The spout would have enabled more controlled pouring, while its size suggests only small quantities of the contents would have been required. Colchester Museums curate one of the best collections of Roman glass in the country, especially of the first century AD, thanks to Boudica’s rebellion and destruction of the town. The Romans used glass to manufacture a huge range of objects, from bottles, bowls and bath flasks, to hairpins, gaming counters and even windowpanes.

Adopt by donating: Bronze £10 / Silver £60

Find me at: Colchester Castle

This jacket was found hidden in a house near Maldon and was donated to the museum in 1942. It likely dates somewhere between 1650 and 1666 and would have been worn by a serving man who worked at the household. Clothing and other items can be found inside the walls and under the floors of old buildings. Sometimes these are accidental losses, but often people placed these objects inside the fabric of the building as a form of magical protection.

Adopt by donating: Bronze £10 / Silver £60

Find me at: Colchester Castle

This Roman lamp has been made in the shape of a Murmillo gladiator’s helmet. Gladiators were incredibly popular in the Roman world and fought across the Empire in arenas, known as amphitheatres. The murmillo gladiator was a popular type, armed with an oblong shield, a short sword, and a distinctive helmet. The helmet would have been incredibly heavy to wear, with the holed visor restricting the fighter’s vision.

Adopt by donating: Bronze £10 / Silver £60

Find me at: Hollytrees Museum

In the early 1800’s, the Poet Jane Taylor lived in Colchester. It’s here that she is believed to have written the internationally loved poem ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’. The poem hasn’t lost popularity and is regularly used in children’s musical toys like this Fisher Price music box from the 1990s. You can see this in the Hollytrees Museum in the Childhood Gallery.

Adopt by donating: Bronze £10 / Silver £60

Find me at: Hollytrees Museum

This is a toy model made by Corgi of the car Chitty Chitty Bang Bang from the 1968 film. The figurines inside the car are the main characters Carcatacus, Jeremy and Jemima Potts, and Truly Scrumptious. The model is equipped with the retractable yellow and red wings. The model is currently on display in the Hollytrees Museum.

Adopt by donating: Bronze £30 / Silver £100

Find me at: Colchester Castle

This sculpture depicts Sheela-Na-Gig, a naked woman exposing her vagina. It once decorated St Mary’s Church in Eastthorpe, Essex. Images like this were seen in churches across Britain, and no one is sure why. It has been suggested that these images were used to teach morals in an age of low literacy. The sculpture is currently on display at Colchester Castle.

Adopt by donating: Bronze £10 / Silver £60

Find me at: the Natural History Museum

The sign was hung initially from the Whalebone Inn pub. The Whalebone was situated at 22 East Hill in Colchester and closed in 1935. The sign is made from a whale’s shoulder blade bone (scapula). One side is painted green, with the remains of the inscription in yellow.

Adopt by donating: Bronze £30 / Silver £100

Find me at: Colchester Castle

This mount or pendant is in the shape of a winged penis. The Romans believed images of the penis had magical protective properties. They would be worn as jewellery or put on buildings to keep away evil. The object is currently on display at Colchester Castle.

Adopt by donating: Bronze £30 / Silver £100

Find me at: Colchester Castle

This medieval silver brooch is decorated with gilt roses and dates to the 1300s. An inscription on the front reads IHS EST AMOR CORDIS MEI, which is Latin for ‘Jesus is the love of my heart’. It was discovered in Great Bromley, Essex. The brooch is currently on display at Colchester Castle.

Adopt by donating: Bronze £30 / Silver £100

Find me at: Colchester Castle

This pendant dates to the 1500s and is made of gold, ruby and diamond. It would have been worn by an incredibly wealthy person, with a very similar example being seen in a portrait of Queen Elizabeth I. Unlike most pendants that are worn around the neck, this may have been sewn into a dress or other item of clothing. The pendant is currently on display at Colchester Castle.

Adopt by donating: Bronze £30 / Silver £100

Find me at: Colchester Castle

This medieval wall painting depicts a woman in a long green dress. It originally decorated the wall of St Osyth Priory and is believed to date to 1395. The person depicted is unknown, but as an Augustinian Abbey, it is unlikely to be someone associated with the priory. It perhaps depicts a saint, but it is not clear which. Mary, Queen of Heaven, is sometimes portrayed with a crown of flowers. The painting is currently on display at Colchester Castle.

Adopt by donating: Bronze £30 / Silver £100

Find me at: Hollytrees Museum

Rocking horses were a popular toy for children during the Victorian period. This dapple-grey rocking horse made between 1890-1900 is an excellent example of what Victorian rocking horses looked like. They were made of wood, and the mane and tail were usually made of horse hair. This is on display at Hollytrees Museum in the Childhood Gallery.

Adopt by donating: Bronze £30 / Silver £100

Find me at: Hollytrees Museum

This Becky Doll, Friend of Barbie, was produced just before the Paralympic Games in Sydney in 2000. She has a racing-style wheelchair, gold medal, helmet and water bottle. This was one of the early Barbie dolls created to represent people with disabilities. Mattel has since produced other inclusive dolls, such as Barbies with behind-the-ear hearing aids, vitiligo and Down syndrome. You can see Becky on display in the Childhood Gallery at Hollytrees Museum.