If Shells Could Speak

 

A conch shell.

Image courtesy of Warwickshire Museum

 

A fishing net, weighted with seashells and fragments of pottery

Image courtesy of Jon Radley

 

Sea-snail shells on fishing net.

Image courtesy of Warwickshire Museum

Shells can reveal many stories. Here is a conch shell measuring about 18cm long, the natural shelter of a sea-snail that lived in a tropical lagoon or on a coral reef, far away. Parts of the shell are riddled with holes. These tell us that it was later a home for a new generation of seabed inhabitants; tiny animals including sponges and worms that bored into the shell for protection from the elements and from predators.

Shells like this one are eminently collectable and are familiar objects to all of us, even though they are not found naturally in the chilly waters surrounding UK shores. Live ones, at least, are now afforded protection in many parts of the world where they are found. However, this has not always been the case and these shells can be found in collections all around the world.

Warwickshire collections

Warwickshire is no exception. This example is rather bleached and grubby and looks like it was collected a long time ago. Unfortunately, there is no documentation to indicate how it ended up in the Warwickshire Museum Collection. Perhaps it was a garden ornament, and its rather weathered surface would suggest this. Who collected it, and why? Was it a holiday souvenir, bought in some distant exotic market, or a British seaside gift shop? If only shells could speak!

This isn’t the only mysterious shell in our collection. In fact, we have many. Only recently, we came across an intriguing object within our stores, unpacked following our 2020 collections move. It is a fishing net, weighted with seashells and fragments of pottery. It was part of our ethnographic collection, amassed by the Warwickshire Natural History and Archaeological Society during the latter part of the 19th century or very early 20th century. Most of this collection was transferred to the British Museum long ago, but a few items remain in our care, including this net.

Kept for future generations’ insight

We know little about this intriguing and fragile item. However, the little shell weights might provide a clue. Many of the sea-snail shells are worn or broken, suggesting that they were collected from a beach. Additionally, they are clearly not the sort of drab shells that are found around UK coasts. They resemble subtropical or tropical shells characteristic of the Indo-Pacific area, which takes in the tropical Indian Ocean and parts of the Pacific Ocean. But who acquired the net for the Warwickshire Natural History Society, how, and from whom? We may never know, as like the conch shell, there appears to be no associated information. In the meantime we’ve repacked this precious and exotic item, so that future generations can hopefully shed some further light on it.