News & Events
Tavistock Museum needs you!
Tavistock Museum is looking for new volunteers to join our friendly team. We currently have vacancies for extra stewards to welcome visitors, particularly on Fridays
Turtle Returns To Tavistock
The museum has added the ‘Tavistock Turtle’ made by the Tuscan Pottery to its collection of crested-ware porcelain china. It is a rare object as it is likely this little sea creature would not have been a popular seller in our inland town.
Decorative Chapel China
Decorative chapel china belongs to a bygone age. Such china is rarely used today and has been replaced by cheaper plain crockery. In 2019, a large quantity of chapel china was donated to Tavistock Museum by The Tavistock Methodist Circuit.
Victorian Police Truncheon
This police truncheon is believed to have been used by Victorian policeman Mark Merritt, to defend himself during a number of violent assaults. The truncheon was donated to Tavistock Museum following many years in the Merritt family.
Medieval Coins
In 2015 a metal detectorist found two medieval silver groats in a field in the parish of Milton Abbot near Tavistock. These have been donated by the landowner and the detectorist to the museum where they are on display.
Publication of The School Punishment Book
Of all the exhibits in Tavistock Museum the one which attracts the most interest is the School Punishment Book from Stowford Church of England School, a small village school, near Lifton. The book was completed for the period February 1935 until November 1946 and records the names and misdeeds of 105 pupils between the ages of 6 and 14. As so many visitors have asked for a copy of the book the museum decided to publish it and now has copies available for sale from the museum shop and on the Devon Museums website.
