Tell us about yourself:

I joined PAS as a volunteer in March. I studied History at Royal Holloway, University of London for my undergraduate degree and went on to study Ancient History for my MA, graduating in September 2018. Since then I have worked at the Roman Baths Museum in Bath. I am hoping to gain more practical experience with museum collections and aim to form a career as a curator or collections manager.

What does your role involve?

My role involves helping my FLO identify and record artefacts onto the PAS database. Moreover, I have begun to start blogs for the social media pages to help promote the important work that PAS does.

What areas of history/archaeology are you most interested in?

As a student I developed a passion for the ancients, especially the Romans. I particularly enjoy social history and art and architecture. This is part of the reason why I enjoy volunteering in PAS as the variety of finds helps develop our knowledge of everyday life in the past. I also really enjoy the Medieval period and I’m looking forward to expanding my knowledge through my volunteering.

Why did you start working for the PAS?

At university I realised I wanted to pursue a career in the museum world but I was unsure in what area. I have worked for the Roman Baths Museum, Bath for the past 2 years and my involvement there helped me realise that my passion lies in museum collections. Moreover, I really enjoy that the PAS is open to all and is doing important work in building our knowledge of British history. All of this made me really excited to volunteer for the scheme.

What do you enjoy most about volunteering for the PAS?

I have enjoyed learning more about different time periods in British history and how much information we can gain from small finds. I feel privileged to be able to handle objects from our culture and history. Plus, the scheme provides lots of opportunities for training sessions. One of my favourites so far was learning about Roman coins.

What is your favourite find from Cornwall that has been recorded on the PAS database and why?

One of my favourite objects is Roman in origin and is perhaps an unusual choice, CORN-88C1B3. It is a nail cleaner/pick that would have been kept in a bathroom or bathhouse. I find this really interesting as not many of these have survived from the period and it’s small objects like these that have helped form our knowledge of hygiene rituals.