Curators Choice – Ethel Rudkin Archive

As part of the Dynamic Collections: Documenting Northern Lincolnshire’s History project, a team of volunteers have been documenting and researching the collections. Project members Adam and Ruth share an interest in folklore and witchcraft, which led them to discover folklorist Ethel Rudkin.

Born in 1892, Ethel Rudkin was a prolific archivist and recorded Lincolnshire’s monuments, agriculture, traditions and stories which were beginning to dissolve across the rapidly evolving county. Through her collecting journeys in her beloved motor car, she acquired a large collection of artefacts, folklore, music and festival plays. Many of these now form part of the Ethel Rudkin archive, which is part of the Museum’s Local History Collection.

In this video, Adam and Ruth team up to share some of their favourite objects from the Museum’s Ethel Rudkin archive, including a witch stone!

Please note, a historic photograph included in this video features an individual wearing black face makeup, as was custom practice in some English folk traditions. Regardless of intent, black face makeup has the capacity to cause hurt. North Lincolnshire Museums retains photographs and records so as not to falsify the historical record. You can read the North Lincolnshire Museums Statement on Black Face Makeup in the Coleby Plough Jag here.