Public engagement through outreach activities has been a key part of the MeRit project: it is important to us that people outside academia have the opportunity to learn about medieval lived religion and (where possible) get involved with our project. The focus of this activity has been in our case study areas of North Yorkshire, Norfolk and Kent, working with the Yorkshire Museum and York St John University, Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery and the Council for British Archaeology’s (CBA) Young Archaeologists’ Club (YAC), and Canterbury Museums & Galleries and Canterbury Cathedral archives & library.
In North Yorkshire, we worked with colleagues at the Yorkshire Museum and local metal-detectorists on a co-curated display of items related to medieval religion, especially those that ordinary people would have owned as part of their everyday religious practices. As part of this project, animation students from York St John University produced creative responses to the items destined for display. These were shown alongside the display in the foyer of the museum. To highlight the work of everyone involved, a celebration event was organised at the Yorkshire Museum, featuring a talk by MeRit project lead Roberta Gilchrist, the premier screening of the student animations, and an opportunity to see the co-curated display.
This collaboration was named by the Society for Museum Archaeology as runner up for its Award for Engagement and Collaboration 2025. The judges praised the team for working hard ‘to ensure the voice of the metal-detecting community was strong within the project, creating a positive working relationship and engagement with archaeology’. They described it as an ‘excellent project’ that ‘highlights the opportunities for working with groups that might not necessarily engage through traditional museum avenues’.
The key activities in Norfolk involved working with local members of the Young Archaeology Club. Using the medieval collections held by Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery, YAC members had the opportunity to handle medieval religious finds, which formed the basis for discussion about how past rituals relate to those in practice today. This session provided the springboard for the YAC for creative and other learning activities throughout the year. As part of the activities in Norwich, MeRit project co-investigator Michael Lewis gave a public talk at the Castle Museum, organised by the Norfolk Archaeological & Historical Research Group and the Norwich & Norfolk Archaeological Society. Also, a partnership was formed with the Lynn Museum to document its important collection of pilgrim badges. With volunteer help, this involved the collection being photographed, measured and weighed, and select objects being scientifically tested by University of Reading colleagues on the ReMade project.
In Kent, through Canterbury Museums & Galleries and Canterbury Cathedral, MeRit worked with several groups that support opportunities for people over 55 with complex health needs (CAMEO), those with sight loss and visual impairments (Sensing Culture) and those experiencing symptoms of dementia or social isolation (Power of the Object). It was the first time these groups had come together for shared activities, which included craftwork inspired by objects from Canterbury Museum and by our own Canterbury pilgrimage – we visited Canterbury Cathedral, including the martyrdom spot of St Thomas, and the Eastbridge Hospital, where some of the pilgrim badges in the museum collection were found. Since the workshop, the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) has linked with Sensing Culture.
Alongside these activities, several other individuals have been in touch with the PAS in light of the MeRit project, including detectorists who have found relevant material culture and are keen to learn more about their sites. This included someone who found a Limoges figurine near a church, so they donated it to the church (where it likely came from) for display.