APPENDIX TO THE TRANSACTIONS 



THE HA^^COCK MUSEUM AND ITS 

 HISTOEY* 



I.— INTRODUCTORY 



The Hancock Museum on Barras Bridge is a familiar 

 object to Newcastle people. Standing in a fine position at 

 the best entrance to the town, it is passed every day by many 

 hundreds of residents, and comes under the notice of almost 

 every visitor. But in spite of this there is reason for thinking 

 that the institution itself, and all that it stands for in the past 

 and present, are less generally known than they deserve to be. 

 There are many natives of Newcastle who have never yet 

 been inside the museum ; and few even of those wlio know its 

 interior are acquainted with the interesting history that lies 

 behind it. This history is regarded by competent outsiders as 

 one of which the district has a right to be proud. An outline 

 of it will be attempted in the present short series of articles,, 

 the main object of which is to tell in brief how the museum 

 came into existence, and how it has attained the important 

 position which it is acknowledged by general consent to hold 

 among the provincial museums of Great Britain. 



In the first place, however, it is necessary to lay stress on a 

 point which is often overlooked. The Hancock Museum 

 differs from the great majority of institutions of its class in 

 that it is not rate-supported. It is owned and maintained by 

 a private Natural History Society. This fact is a significant 

 one for both the Society and the museum. There are a large 

 number of natural history societies and clubs in the country, 

 but the position occupied by the Natural History Society 

 of Northumberland, Durham, and Newcastle-on-Tyne is in 



* A series of articles written by the Curator and published in the 

 Newcastle Daily Chronicle in November and December, 1907. Ordered 

 by the Council to be reprinted as an appendix to the Transactions. The 

 portrait blocks are kindly lent by the Editor of the Chronicle. 



