FASS Exclusive Internship: Abyssinia Project Intern - FASS Decolonisation/Lancaster City Museums
Closing Date: 17/11/2024

Please note: these internships are only available to current students in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Lancaster University.

If you apply for this role the information within your application will be shared with the recruiting organisation.

Lancaster City Museums run four nationally Accredited Museums – Lancaster City Museum, the Maritime Museum, Cottage Museum and King’s Own Royal Regiment Museum. They also care for the museum collection of the people of Lancaster and also of the King’s Own Royal Regiment.

The museums tell the story of the Lancaster area from earliest times to the present day, including the foundation of Lancaster during the Roman period, the development of the Castle and Priory as well as the wealth that came to the town and wider area in the 17^th and 18^th centuries – much of it in Lancaster through the transatlantic slave trade and the trade with the West Indies in slave-produced goods. In the Victorian period and 20^th century we look particularly at the story of Morecambe as it grew into a bustling seaside resort.

This FASS internship opportunity is a collaboration between FASS Decolonisation and Lancaster City Museums. The King’s Own Royal Regiment Museum Trustees, working closely in partnership with Lancaster City Museums (the King’s Own Museum is managed by Lancaster City Museums under a Service Level Agreement) has been fortunate enough to secure some funding from the Museums Association/Esmee Fairbairn for the project ‘Abyssinia: re-appraising a colonial era legacy of the King’s Own Royal Regiment.’

The Abyssinia Project focuses on community engagement, enhancing exhibitions, and documenting collection items from the 1868 Abyssinian expedition, during which the King's Own played a significant role. Our collection includes a diverse range of artifacts such as manuscripts, scrolls, crosses, photographs, textiles, and weapons. Of particular interest are Abyssinian objects in the collection taken or otherwise acquired during the Expedition and also items related to those who served in the King’s Own, including uniforms, photographs, the Abyssinia Medal, Regimental Presentations, and a bound set of letters dated 1868 from Lieutenant Herbert Charles Borrett to his wife, Annie and the diary of Major General (then Ensign) Edward Woodgate.

The display aims to closely examine the Abyssinian and King’s Own objects connected with the Expedition of 1868, exchange ideas and knowledge, and gain a deeper understanding. And more importantly we also want to tell a more thoughtful, nuanced story that reflects both the stories of the British soldiers alongside that of the Ethiopians.

The intern will work alongside Eyob Derillo as Project Officer and the wider museum team to assist with object research, object packing (to improve their storage conditions), assisting with the community engagement working group that we will be setting up and other community events. Training will be provided.

• Good communication skills
• Excellent people skills
• Excellent research skills
• Happy to work alone or as part of a team
• Logical and practical thinker
• Knowledge of databases

• Teamwork
• Time Management
• Verbal communication
• Written communication
• Research
• Planning and organising
• Exercising professional judgement
• Creativity