Much of the Society's famous archaeological collection is on display in the Great North Museum: Hancock, under an agreement with Newcastle University, along with those of the Natural History Society of Northumberland and the Shefton Collection.
Our collections range from the Palaeolithic period through to the Tudors and Stuarts with world famous artefacts such as
- the Tribley Shield, one of the first objects to be donated to the Society in 1813,
- the Milecastle 38 inscription, which proved that Hadrian was responsible for building Hadrian's Wall,
- the Aemilia finger ring (YouTube video), possibly the earliest Christian artefact from Roman Britain,
- the Rothbury Cross, the earliest known Rood in Britain
and many more. We also have extensive Social History collections, housed across a wide spectrum of museums in the north of England, including the Discovery Museum, Beamish, and Bellingham Heritage Centre.
See below for a selection of highlights from our collections.
