top of page
Libby Howlett
Jan 301 min read
The staircase installed at Agecroft Hall is from Warwick Priory, the façade of which was used by Alexander and Virginia Weddell in...
4 views
Libby Howlett
Nov 26, 20243 min read
The museum's collection has over a hundred deeds relating to the history of Agecroft Hall, both the land and the people associated with...
84
Libby Howlett
Oct 30, 20243 min read
Savory tongue pie, trout pasties, scotch collops, and quaking pudding; sound yummy? These are examples of dishes made during the Tudor...
95
Libby Howlett
Sep 28, 20243 min read
Love tokens were small, personal gifts given to a loved one: be it from a man to his betrothed, a husband to his wife or a wife to her...
126
Libby Howlett
Aug 10, 20243 min read
Who doesn’t love a good beach read? Something quick and entertaining, be it a romance, comedy, mystery, or thriller, as long as it is not...
163
Lauren Hatfield
May 30, 20244 min read
From Barbies to basketball, jump ropes to Jenga, children of today have a seemingly endless variety of toys and games with which to play....
323
Libby Howlett
Mar 30, 20242 min read
Thomas C. Williams, Jr., was a man of varied interests, both business and personal, as evidenced by where he left his money after he...
159
Libby Howlett
Feb 29, 20243 min read
T.C. Williams, Jr. was inspired to create the Windsor Farms neighborhood in the image of an idyllic English village. In the center of his...
746
Libby Howlett
Jan 30, 20242 min read
The dining parlor at Agecroft Hall has obviously changed throughout its centuries in existence. While we are not sure when a dining...
234
Libby Howlett
Dec 19, 20231 min read
These greeting cards are a few of those held in our collection. They are from the 1880s through 1949. We extend our sincerest wishes for...
76
Lauren Hatfield
Nov 30, 20233 min read
During the holiday season, Agecroft Hall is dressed to impress. While wreaths and garlands abound, a special piece of our collection can...
896
Education Department
Oct 13, 20232 min read
“...These are they who by the permission of God disturb the elements, who drive to distraction the minds of men, such as have lost their...
228
Libby Howlett
Sep 26, 20233 min read
In the March Ask the Past post, we introduced a Williams’s family letter collection from the family’s voyage around the world--a trip...
97
AgecroftHall
Aug 18, 20233 min read
When the Dauntesey family moved out of Agecroft in the early 20th century, they took all of their belongings with them. As a result, the...
417
Libby Howlett
Jul 10, 20233 min read
T.C. Williams, Jr.’s name is inextricably linked to Agecroft, but he only lived in the house for a little over a year before his death at...
238
Libby Howlett
May 5, 20234 min read
In honor of this month’s coronation of Charles III, King of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth Realms, we are going to discuss...
574
Libby Howlett
Apr 8, 20231 min read
Enjoy these photos from our beautiful outdoors!
223
Libby Howlett
Mar 31, 20232 min read
Most museums have grappled with identity in the past few years as they started looking inwards and exploring more of their own history...
184
Libby Howlett
Feb 24, 20233 min read
Sleeping habits in the early modern era were a bit different from ours now. We are all led to believe that we need a solid seven to eight...
322
Libby Howlett
Jan 31, 20233 min read
Winter is long. Naps are great. On average, humans spend about 33 years in bed so those who can afford it often devote a great deal of...
272
Libby Howlett
Nov 23, 20223 min read
With the time change occurring in early November, it seems to get dark at 5m. Darkness is easy enough for modern people to combat...
152
Libby Howlett
Oct 31, 20222 min read
We have been the lucky recipients of generous donations here at Agecroft Hall & Gardens. While we, as with most museums, have strict...
141
Libby Howlett
Aug 31, 20223 min read
As a continuation of last month’s post, let us briefly discuss the other large collection of documents housed at Agecroft Hall. These...
136
Libby Howlett
Jun 30, 20222 min read
Deep in Agecroft’s archives lies a treasure trove of information that expands upon our current understanding of the house, its people,...
219
Libby Howlett
May 31, 20225 min read
We all think we know certain “facts” from Tudor history: people were so much shorter thanks to poor nutrition, no one lived past the age...
512
AgecroftHall
May 2, 20221 min read
Enjoy this collection of flower photographs from one of our favorite times of year!
101
Libby Howlett
Mar 31, 20223 min read
Sometimes, life is in the details. In the museum world, sometimes an object’s smallest detail can provide vast amounts of information....
136
Libby Howlett
Feb 25, 20223 min read
Many times, when people find out what I do for a living, the first question they ask is, “What is your favorite object?” I am always...
264
Libby Howlett
Jan 31, 20222 min read
When reading a recipe, salt is usually included—even in those shockingly sweet baked goods! Salt has a very long history (search online...
283
AgecroftHall
Dec 31, 20211 min read
We are so lucky to have had a great response to our August Ask the Past (which you can read here) We are fortunate to have a family...
130
AgecroftHall
Nov 23, 20213 min read
In the servants’ quarters on the upper floor of Agecroft Hall, there lies a secret space. What appears to be a solid, built in, shelf...
2,141
Libby Howlett
Oct 29, 20214 min read
William Shakespeare famously asked “What’s in a name?”[1] Try naming a baby, a new pet, or a company—the challenge to pick the perfect...
94
AgecroftHall
Sep 30, 20212 min read
History is constantly evolving—our knowledge grows and, at museums, our exhibits change to reflect that new knowledge. If you’ve visited...
108
Libby Howlett
Aug 31, 20211 min read
Agecroft Hall has a very long history. There’s been some version of the hall standing since approximately 1500. While we know about the...
270
Libby Howlett
Jul 31, 20212 min read
Earlier this summer, digital money was in the news with dogecoin, a form of cryptocurrency, stock doing extremely well in the market....
74
AgecroftHall
Jun 30, 20213 min read
In our upper hallway, a portrait of a woman hangs. This woman, Elizabeth Fitzgerald, Countess of Lincoln, was once thought to be the most...
526
Libby Howlett
May 31, 20216 min read
Today, high-profile divorces are reported as breaking news. There have been many epic divorces throughout history. Divorces among famous...
3,135
AgecroftHall
Apr 30, 20212 min read
For this month’s blog post, I took a moment to speak with Joseph Day, our Head of Horticulture and Maintenance, about our magnificent...
264
AgecroftHall
Apr 12, 20212 min read
Mantle Clock AH1967.0044 Late 1800s-early 1900s Brass Ormolu, Marble, Glass One of the many benefits of our self-guided tours is the...
178
AgecroftHall
Feb 26, 20214 min read
What was the cultural makeup of Tudor and Stuart England? If one were to judge on readily available sources—portraits from the time...
84
AgecroftHall
Jan 29, 20214 min read
Insurrections and rebellions against the ruling government are common throughout history. While we in the United States are used to...
1,751
Libby Howlett
Dec 23, 20202 min read
Agecroft Hall was rebuilt in Richmond in the late 1920s. In December of 1927, T.C. Williams, Jr. and his wife Bessie moved into the house...
205
Libby Howlett
Nov 27, 20204 min read
The United States conducts a census survey every 10 years. The most recent one—as you probably know, was taken earlier this year in ...
264
AgecroftHall
Oct 31, 20203 min read
Dr. Ian Tyers, a dedrochronologist from England, was here in 2016, inspecting and dating our wood panel paintings. While looking at our...
3,940
AgecroftHall
Sep 30, 20203 min read
During the 16th and 17th century, Michaelmas (pronounced mich-al-mis) was an important day, not only in the liturgical calendar, but also...
433
AgecroftHall
Aug 31, 20203 min read
Agecroft’s halls are filled with portraits, and they are some of the objects that prompt the most questions from visitors. This blog...
340
Libby Howlett
Jul 29, 20203 min read
At the far end of our gardens, past the formal Sunken Garden, sits the Tradescant Garden. Here, our horticulturalists have planted a...
1,114
AgecroftHall
Jun 26, 20203 min read
To understand the phenomenon of Curiosity Cabinets, we must first understand the mindset of European society in the early to mid-17th...
277
Libby Howlett
May 21, 20205 min read
It is said that history repeats itself, and those who do not learn from it are the ones doomed to repeat it. Well, as 2020 has proven, we...
573
Libby Howlett
Apr 29, 20203 min read
I began researching this post with great intentions of writing up a piece about Lady Day and its importance as an English quarter day....
327
AgecroftHall
Dec 13, 20202 min read
Needlework and Samplers
One of the earliest ways that a child, both girls and boys, would learn reading was through needlework. As a child was learning how to do...
17
AgecroftHall
Dec 13, 20203 min read
Queen Elizabeth I's Education
Elizabeth’s education differed from most of the other girls who were being educated at the time. She was taught by male tutors. Most...
10,936
bottom of page