Partnering with Canterbury Museums & Galleries and Canterbury Cathedral Archives, England’s principal cathedral provided the ideal location for the MeRit workshop on 14 October 2024. Over many years, Canterbury Museums & Galleries has developed a thriving health and wellbeing provision and regularly host groups such as CAMEO (Come and Meet Each Other – for over 55s with complex health needs), Sensing Culture (people with sight loss and visual impairments) and The Power of the Object group (a group for those experiencing symptoms of dementia/or social isolation). This was the first time participants from all these groups had been brought together. The workshop aimed to develop personal responses to the themes of ‘medieval lived religion’ and ‘the ritual landscape’, which might be taken forward as individuals or collectively. The brutal murder of Archbishop Thomas Becket (in 1170) and the ensuing pilgrimage to his tomb, martyrdom site and relics at Canterbury Cathedral provided the focus for the day.
Michael Lewis (British Museum and MeRit Co-I) introduced MeRit, the themes for the day, and a summary of the events leading to Thomas’ death and the Canterbury pilgrimage. Craig Bowen (Canterbury Museums) brought along some pilgrim souvenirs from Canterbury, including ampulla and badges, which the group very much enjoyed learning about and handling. Some of these were from the River Stour, said to be found near the Eastbridge Hospital. Then, led by Leanne Macdonald, attendees produced their own artistic response to the Becket badges from Canterbury, using etching to create their designs: these will be displayed in a case in The Beaney to highlight the Canterbury groups and their engagement with the MeRit project.
In the afternoon, the group visited the Canterbury Cathedral Archives, where Cressida Williams (Canterbury Cathedral) showed them a variety of objects connected with medieval religion and the ritual practices of the established Church. Led by Michael, they then visited the martyrdom site of St Thomas before tracing the steps of many pilgrims before them to the aforementioned Eastbridge Hospital, the spot where a large collection of pilgrim badges, now in Canterbury Museums, were (reputedly) found by mudlarks in the 1980s. Here, Nigel Fletcher-Jones (Eastbridge Hospital) led a tour of the Eastbridge Hospital gardens, including a history of the hospital, the Franciscans in Canterbury and their friary in the city. In the Franciscan Gardens, the group was dispersed to ponder further on what was an interesting and thought-provoking day.