0:00:02 > 0:00:06We've heard some tall tales over the years on the Antiques Roadshow, but a man who rides pigs bareback?
0:00:06 > 0:00:08That's an odd one, but it's true,
0:00:08 > 0:00:12which is why it qualifies to be included in this collection of Priceless Antiques Roadshow.
0:00:36 > 0:00:38Hello again. It's funny how our attitude
0:00:38 > 0:00:41to an object can change in an instant.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44Earlier this year, a man showed me an ordinary lemon squeezer.
0:00:44 > 0:00:45Rather boring, I thought.
0:00:45 > 0:00:51I was about to walk away when he told me it once belonged to Marilyn Monroe. That got me interested!
0:00:51 > 0:00:57In this episode, standby to witness some remarkable objects with cracking claims to fame.
0:00:57 > 0:01:02That's the most staggering story. I'm holding Buffalo Bill's gauntlet.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05Every image... The classic image of Buffalo Bill
0:01:05 > 0:01:09- is of him in his hat with these great gauntlets.- That's right.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12It's part of his trademark.
0:01:12 > 0:01:17We revisit a moment in history that still casts a shadow, even today.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21Gruesome, but at the same time, I have to say, rather fascinating.
0:01:21 > 0:01:27These are all slaves that were actually sold and the names of the people who actually bought them.
0:01:27 > 0:01:31And two Roadshow experts hit the road in search of magical jewels.
0:01:33 > 0:01:37- But this doesn't smell of anything to me.- So what is it?
0:01:37 > 0:01:40- Gosh, it's gold.- Yeah.
0:01:40 > 0:01:42Oh! That is amazing.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45I can hear you asking, where does the pig fit into all that?
0:01:45 > 0:01:47Well, you're about to find out.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50We love a good story on the Antiques Roadshow,
0:01:50 > 0:01:54and no more so than one about an object which comes with the lure of a famous owner.
0:01:54 > 0:01:58Here from our archives, a handful of legendary moments
0:01:58 > 0:02:01when even the experts couldn't quite believe what they were hearing.
0:02:03 > 0:02:08Our first unusual item turned up in the most surprising of places.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11Hilary Kay certainly couldn't believe her eyes when she
0:02:11 > 0:02:15unwrapped the gloves of famous Wild West showman Buffalo Bill
0:02:15 > 0:02:18when the Antiques Roadshow visited Norfolk.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22I love a parcel, and I love a parcel that has got a treasure in it.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25Rather a dilapidated and dirty treasure, I'm afraid.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28I don't know, these look pretty good to me.
0:02:28 > 0:02:33The Buffalo Bill gloves that came into Holkham were spectacular.
0:02:33 > 0:02:37To find a bit of what looks like North American Indian beadwork
0:02:37 > 0:02:41here in the middle of Norfolk does slightly surprise me.
0:02:41 > 0:02:45- Who went over to America to get these?- Nobody.
0:02:45 > 0:02:52My grandfather, who I don't think ever went to America in his life, was very into animals and what have you.
0:02:52 > 0:02:57He went off to see the Wild West show run by Buffalo Bill
0:02:57 > 0:03:00and he was presented with these by Buffalo Bill.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03I don't know which Wild West show it was, it was a long time ago.
0:03:03 > 0:03:07The story then unfolded with the lady owner talking about
0:03:07 > 0:03:13her grandfather who had actually acquired these gloves from Buffalo Bill's Wild West show.
0:03:13 > 0:03:15That's the most staggering story.
0:03:15 > 0:03:20So, I am holding Buffalo Bill's gauntlet?
0:03:20 > 0:03:26- Yes.- Every image... The classic image of Bill Cody, Buffalo Bill,
0:03:26 > 0:03:30is of him in his hat with these great gauntlets on.
0:03:30 > 0:03:34- That's right.- It's part of his trademark, isn't it?- That's right.
0:03:34 > 0:03:38Now, he came over, Buffalo Bill, he brought his show over in 1887,
0:03:38 > 0:03:42and he set up a proper Wild West encampment.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46- He did.- I wonder how your grandfather actually met him.
0:03:46 > 0:03:47Was he in the inner circle?
0:03:47 > 0:03:50Not that I'm aware of, but he was very into animals and
0:03:50 > 0:03:54he had this private zoo, and he probably, I'm assuming that he went
0:03:54 > 0:03:56to the show to see what animals might be available.
0:03:56 > 0:04:01Because, having brought them over from America it's much cheaper not to have to take them back again.
0:04:01 > 0:04:05Because, probably, Buffalo Bill was only too keen to encourage
0:04:05 > 0:04:10possible purchasers, he made this presentation as a sort of come on, so to speak.
0:04:10 > 0:04:16That was one thing and then we delved into this extraordinary world of her grandfather.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19This, to me, is the perfect Antiques Roadshow moment.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22You have an object and it sets you off
0:04:22 > 0:04:28down wonderful tangents into completely unenvisaged
0:04:28 > 0:04:34eccentricities, which culminated in a photograph of her grandfather's keeper riding a pig.
0:04:34 > 0:04:39So your grandfather was an eccentric collector of animals of all types?
0:04:39 > 0:04:42Very eccentric, yes. But he also liked them to be ridden.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45- To be ridden?- To be ridden. - What, everything?
0:04:45 > 0:04:47He used to get...
0:04:49 > 0:04:52his keepers to ride everything. I have just brought one.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54That's fantastic!
0:04:54 > 0:04:59I don't think I have ever seen a pig being ridden before!
0:04:59 > 0:05:01That is just dynamite. Is that him?
0:05:01 > 0:05:04- No, it's one of the keepers. - Oh, it's one of the keepers.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07Well, I suppose the pig wouldn't let just anybody ride him, would it?!
0:05:07 > 0:05:13- No!- Well, the first thing to say is that beadwork of any description is terribly valuable
0:05:13 > 0:05:18back in America, where it originated. That's obvious.
0:05:18 > 0:05:22But if you combine that with the iconic status of someone
0:05:22 > 0:05:27like Buffalo Bill, you are actually talking quite a lot of money here.
0:05:27 > 0:05:33- I think we should start at £10,000. - Right.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35And maybe go up from there.
0:05:35 > 0:05:37Right, thank you very much indeed.
0:05:37 > 0:05:43Spectacular object, wonderful owner and a story that you couldn't make up.
0:05:44 > 0:05:50Sometimes a document provides the evidence you need to pronounce a strange item authentic.
0:05:50 > 0:05:54This was the case at an Antiques Roadshow in London a few years ago.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57It was at Mansion House that Nelson's hair came in
0:05:57 > 0:06:00and Wellington's hair came in.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03"The Duke of Wellington begs Mr Diamond will come promptly
0:06:03 > 0:06:07"and cut the Duke's hair on Wednesday at 11 o'clock."
0:06:07 > 0:06:11The point about that was everyone will turn around and say,
0:06:11 > 0:06:14"Well, there's enough hair from Wellington to stuff a sofa",
0:06:14 > 0:06:19but what you need is the provenance to go with it. Now, who is Mr Diamond?
0:06:19 > 0:06:24Mr Diamond was the husband of my great-great-grandfather's sister.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28It's very complicated, but here is this wonderful card.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32I assume he cut everybody's hair...
0:06:32 > 0:06:34royalty and all sorts of people's hair like that?
0:06:34 > 0:06:38Yes, I believe so. The Duke of Wellington, Princess Charlotte...
0:06:38 > 0:06:41Yes, tremendous.
0:06:41 > 0:06:46The actual document itself, the little calling card I suppose, the little advertisement,
0:06:46 > 0:06:51was vital in one sense, but you could put the two together, the hair and the card,
0:06:51 > 0:06:55and that is what we are looking for, those sort of provenances.
0:06:55 > 0:07:00Here is what the Duke of Wellington's hair looks like. How can one describe it?
0:07:00 > 0:07:02It is almost blonde, really, isn't it?
0:07:02 > 0:07:08So often you see these little pieces of hair and they come in very tiny
0:07:08 > 0:07:12little snippets, but that was, I would say, in quantity.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15Mind you, he must have had an enormous amount of chance to
0:07:15 > 0:07:19take famous hair, certainly if he clipped them every two months or so.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22This, of course, is the great Nelson.
0:07:22 > 0:07:28This is salt and pepper, which is precisely as Nelson's hair was supposed to be.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31Have you any idea how much these pieces are worth?
0:07:31 > 0:07:35I did have it valued some time ago for insurance purposes,
0:07:35 > 0:07:39household insurance, and they said about £200 pounds.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42- What, for them both?- Yes.
0:07:42 > 0:07:48Well, the Duke of Wellington, here, I reckon somewhere in the region of £500.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51Nelson, well we are coming up to Nelson's bicentenary,
0:07:51 > 0:07:56and any Nelson material is getting quite a lot of money.
0:07:56 > 0:08:00I reckon that this piece would be worth £5,000.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03Well, the reason people want to collect hair, the reason
0:08:03 > 0:08:08people want to collect autographs, is that they want to feel
0:08:08 > 0:08:12not exactly closer to somebody, but they want a relic.
0:08:12 > 0:08:17People have always wanted relics, right the way from pilgrims and earlier,
0:08:17 > 0:08:20have always wanted a little bit of something because it brings
0:08:20 > 0:08:24them closer to the bravery, the gallantry, and in some ways
0:08:24 > 0:08:29the excitement of the battlefield, if you can call it excitement.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31# Robin Hood, Robin Hood Riding through the glen... #
0:08:31 > 0:08:35It is always a challenge to be sure that an item with a claim to fame
0:08:35 > 0:08:38is genuine, but at Renishaw Hall, our host for the day,
0:08:38 > 0:08:42Sir Reresby Sitwell, was so convinced of his item's famous origins,
0:08:42 > 0:08:44all Michael Aspel could do was agree.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50Sir Reresby, this is claimed to be an original bow of Robin Hood.
0:08:50 > 0:08:51How did it come into your possession?
0:08:51 > 0:08:53My uncle bought it.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56He remembered seeing the bow hanging in a neighbouring country house
0:08:56 > 0:09:01about three miles from here, and he was rather intrigued to see it there.
0:09:01 > 0:09:0350 years or more later it came up for sale.
0:09:03 > 0:09:08The house had been broken up and among the contents was sold this bow,
0:09:08 > 0:09:13which was bought by the principle of a local technical college.
0:09:13 > 0:09:18He put it up for sale in the late '40s, early '50s, and my uncle attended the auction and it was
0:09:18 > 0:09:21knocked down to him for the princely sum of £29.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24But what makes you think that it actually is the genuine article?
0:09:24 > 0:09:27I didn't think I would be holding Robin Hood's bow
0:09:27 > 0:09:29in the Antiques Roadshow,
0:09:29 > 0:09:32and I wasn't even sure I was holding it when I was holding it.
0:09:32 > 0:09:37It's one of those times where people bring along these objects and give you this background and
0:09:37 > 0:09:41you can't say, "Rubbish", or, "You just made that yourself", or "Somebody nicked it".
0:09:41 > 0:09:43But, I mean, was this his bow?
0:09:43 > 0:09:45I remember saying to him,
0:09:45 > 0:09:49"Sir Reresby, where did you get this from?", and all that, but it did have a kind of provenance.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52There were bits of ancient writing that proved that it was.
0:09:52 > 0:10:00This document here, which goes with it, describes it as being given to Mr Bartlett by the owners
0:10:00 > 0:10:06of Kirklees Priory, and legend has it that Robin Hood was taken ill there
0:10:06 > 0:10:11and fled to Kirklees to his distant cousin for medication.
0:10:11 > 0:10:17But she was a very naughty lady and she had a lover, sometimes known as Red Roger,
0:10:17 > 0:10:20and they conspired to murder poor Robin.
0:10:20 > 0:10:24Why they should want to murder Robin, I don't know,
0:10:24 > 0:10:28so a hole was cut in him and he bled to death.
0:10:28 > 0:10:32- That's a very sad end. How far could he actually fire an arrow? - I don't know.
0:10:32 > 0:10:36According to legend, he's supposed to have said,
0:10:36 > 0:10:40"Where my last arrow lands, that's where I'd like to buried be."
0:10:40 > 0:10:44Sir Reresby was so convinced that it was Robin Hood's bow that
0:10:44 > 0:10:47if I had actually argued with him or said, "I simply do not believe
0:10:47 > 0:10:53"this and I'm sure our experts will prove it nonsense", he would have cracked me over the head with it.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56I didn't want to risk that so we have to play it straight.
0:10:56 > 0:11:00And always the excuse is, "I'm not an expert, what do I know?".
0:11:00 > 0:11:03Robin Hood's bow? I'm not sure Michael was convinced!
0:11:03 > 0:11:06It all comes down to that word we hear a lot of on the Roadshow -
0:11:06 > 0:11:12provenance. Irrefutable evidence that a piece can be tied directly to an owner or a maker.
0:11:12 > 0:11:16There's one smart way of making that connection - by using your eyes.
0:11:16 > 0:11:21Penny Brittain tells us now about an object that came her way almost by accident,
0:11:21 > 0:11:24that proved on closer inspection to have much more to it.
0:11:25 > 0:11:31I brought a very sweet, tactile little spoon
0:11:31 > 0:11:37that I absolutely love, and I acquired it not for very much
0:11:37 > 0:11:44money, simply because I love the way that the seed pod at the head just sort of drops out its seeds.
0:11:44 > 0:11:48I just like using it at my breakfast table, into the jam.
0:11:48 > 0:11:52Not that everybody obeys my rules, but it is the jam spoon.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55I didn't think much of it, other than I liked it,
0:11:55 > 0:11:59until I saw its big brother or sister in the Fitzwilliam Museum,
0:11:59 > 0:12:02saw on the label that the big brother was made
0:12:02 > 0:12:09by George Jensen and was dated about 1944, and I thought, "Good heavens, that looks just like mine!"
0:12:09 > 0:12:14I rushed home, opened the drawer, got the spoon out, went to look for the marks with my
0:12:14 > 0:12:19little loop, and saw it had JG and Sterling and Denmark
0:12:19 > 0:12:23and realised it was by George Jensen.
0:12:23 > 0:12:28Because I'm not a silver person and I don't normally look at silver,
0:12:28 > 0:12:31I was really interested to know a bit more about George Jensen.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34Anyway, he was Danish and a brilliant designer,
0:12:34 > 0:12:42and I decided that if I was going to collect something, it had to have an intrinsic value to it.
0:12:42 > 0:12:47I think in this day and age, when the market is so volatile, it is comforting to know that,
0:12:47 > 0:12:51no matter what prices are doing, whether they are in or out of fashion,
0:12:51 > 0:12:53you have actually got something
0:12:53 > 0:12:58by a named designer that is universally collectable.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01The Americans love George Jensen,
0:13:01 > 0:13:07and it is made of silver so it has its latent value in there.
0:13:07 > 0:13:13For my money, a piece of named silver that you can enjoy and use,
0:13:13 > 0:13:16well frankly, you can't do better.
0:13:17 > 0:13:19When our team of experts aren't on duty at Roadshows,
0:13:19 > 0:13:23they love nothing more than ferreting about for new treasures.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26Last year jewellery expert John Benjamin stumbled across
0:13:26 > 0:13:29a collection of gems that made his pulse race.
0:13:29 > 0:13:33Keen to share his find, he invited fellow Roadshow jewellery hound Jo Hardy to join him.
0:13:33 > 0:13:37"Great", she said, "you take us there. I'll drive".
0:13:44 > 0:13:46Interesting woman, Jo is.
0:13:46 > 0:13:50She's something of a free spirit. One of life's more unusual people.
0:13:53 > 0:13:58- Hi, John!- I'm not getting on the back of that.- Of this?
0:13:58 > 0:14:00I'm not getting on the back of a motorbike.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03You'll be fine, it's like sitting in an armchair.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06Are you ready?
0:14:06 > 0:14:10Don't worry, Jo Hardy is a highly experienced biker and,
0:14:10 > 0:14:17with John safely on board, they set off to Smallhythe Place in Kent in search of some rather special gems.
0:14:20 > 0:14:25Rather wonderful rustic and atmospheric house. Do you know who lived here?
0:14:25 > 0:14:29- I've got no idea.- Come round here and look at this painting.
0:14:29 > 0:14:34- Do you recognise her? - The face looks familiar. Who is she?
0:14:34 > 0:14:39This is the house, for the last 30 years of her life, of Ellen Terry,
0:14:39 > 0:14:43THE woman of the 19th century stage.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46- Beautiful lady. - Beautiful woman, wasn't she?
0:14:46 > 0:14:49She was the ultimate Shakespearean actress.
0:14:49 > 0:14:56She was the Judi Dench of her day, and she inhabited her role in a way that nobody else could.
0:14:56 > 0:15:01This place is a veritable shrine to the woman's memory.
0:15:01 > 0:15:08There is something particular that I want you to have a look at, so follow me and I'll take you there. Come on.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10Fabulous.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16Ellen Terry first trod the boards as a child in the 1850s,
0:15:16 > 0:15:20and her career spanned many decades and myriad leading roles.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23She established her name as a Shakespearean actress,
0:15:23 > 0:15:30but also acted in plays by the likes of Shaw and Ibsen, and even ventured into film in her later years.
0:15:30 > 0:15:34Today John and Jo are hunting through the precious collection at the house
0:15:34 > 0:15:36for some gems befitting a leading lady.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39Have a look through here. Would you like that in your bedroom?
0:15:39 > 0:15:45Oh, my goodness! I like the outfit. I would like to see you in it, John.
0:15:45 > 0:15:50I don't think it would have suited me! The primary reason we are here is just behind you.
0:15:50 > 0:15:52Have a look at this.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58These prize pieces from Ellen Terry's collection,
0:15:58 > 0:16:03gathered over many years, have a strong theatrical story behind them.
0:16:03 > 0:16:04Oh, fantastic.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07Oh, that's amazing.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10Let's have a little look inside.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13- Yes, let's open it. - Take that lid back carefully.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15Fabulous. Am I allowed to pick them up?
0:16:15 > 0:16:18Well...
0:16:18 > 0:16:20I've got to dance, have I?
0:16:20 > 0:16:22Well, let's put these on.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24So, take your pick.
0:16:24 > 0:16:28Can I pick one out?
0:16:28 > 0:16:30Let's have a look.
0:16:30 > 0:16:34- It's Mr. Shakespeare. - Correct.- Very appropriate, isn't it?
0:16:34 > 0:16:37Shakespeare was fundamental to her whole life.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40You know, she was the ultimate Shakespearean actress.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43- Yes, absolutely.- And the base of it?
0:16:43 > 0:16:45The base of it... Purple.
0:16:45 > 0:16:47We like purple.
0:16:47 > 0:16:52Well, these have absolutely perfect inclusions inside the stone,
0:16:52 > 0:16:56which are called tiger stripes, and that is very indicative of amethyst.
0:16:56 > 0:17:03- Next?- Next, OK. I think I'll pick out these earrings in their fitted box.
0:17:03 > 0:17:05Good, I'm glad you selected those.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08- Prime Victoriana, would you not agree?- Absolutely.
0:17:08 > 0:17:13I thought you would like the turquoise, the way they're set almost like Liquorice Allsorts.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15Yes, it does! They do look like that.
0:17:15 > 0:17:20- Little clusters like that.- Well, turquoise was one of the oldest and first gemstones ever to be mined.
0:17:20 > 0:17:22How far back does it go?
0:17:22 > 0:17:24Gosh, thousands and thousands of years.
0:17:24 > 0:17:29I'm going to move you on to what you must have seen winking in the corner there.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32No, no, I've been waiting for you, John, to get your hands on this.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35- There we are.- Oh, look at that.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37So... Take it out, go on.
0:17:37 > 0:17:41And the fact that the clasp here has got its own special area.
0:17:41 > 0:17:43A kind of cavity for it.
0:17:43 > 0:17:44Look at this!
0:17:44 > 0:17:46That's amazing.
0:17:46 > 0:17:48- Come on down. - That is amazing, amazing.
0:17:48 > 0:17:50What is it made of?
0:17:50 > 0:17:52What's it made of?
0:17:52 > 0:17:54I have to give it a sniff test.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56Why are you doing that?
0:17:56 > 0:17:57Old habits die hard.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02No, because gold doesn't smell.
0:18:02 > 0:18:07But if it's silver gilt or silver, you will smell the tarnish smell.
0:18:07 > 0:18:09Exactly. So?
0:18:10 > 0:18:12But this doesn't smell of anything to me.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15- So what is it?- Gosh, so it's gold!
0:18:15 > 0:18:17Oh! That is amazing.
0:18:17 > 0:18:19It looks very heavy, doesn't it?
0:18:19 > 0:18:23It does, yes. It is very deceiving because it is, in fact, quite light.
0:18:23 > 0:18:30It is, isn't it? These long gold chains reached a peak of popularity in about 1830, 1835,
0:18:30 > 0:18:35so this is George IV to William IV, but the key component
0:18:35 > 0:18:39of the chain is quite clearly the clasp, which is fashioned as a hand.
0:18:39 > 0:18:43If you don't mind me saying, the primary reason
0:18:43 > 0:18:49why I wanted to get you down here to look at all this collection was to look at this one piece.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51This is absolutely fabulous.
0:18:51 > 0:18:53Look, it's got the different coloured metals.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55It defies the imagination.
0:18:55 > 0:18:59Can I just ask you to look at the clasp and look at the little tiny stone in the finger.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01The green stone in the finger.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05And, do you know, I think this might be an emerald.
0:19:05 > 0:19:10You get symbols such as hands, hoops, hearts...
0:19:10 > 0:19:16they're all examples of Georgian, William IV, Victorian, sentimentality.
0:19:16 > 0:19:22So it is a sentimental motif. She was on the stage at the Lyceum Theatre...
0:19:22 > 0:19:26thousands of people would queue up to go and see her in her various roles, whatever it may have been,
0:19:26 > 0:19:28as Lady Macbeth,
0:19:28 > 0:19:31Cordelia in King Lear, Ophelia...
0:19:31 > 0:19:35If you imagine the potency of these people, now this is what is left.
0:19:35 > 0:19:37It condenses down to all of this.
0:19:37 > 0:19:43For me, and goodness me, Jo, I have seen a lot of chains, but for me,
0:19:43 > 0:19:47I have never seen one quite of this distinction.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52When you and I handle this piece of jewellery,
0:19:52 > 0:19:54we are touching a piece of jewellery
0:19:54 > 0:19:59that was originally owned by my heroine here, Ellen Terry.
0:19:59 > 0:20:03They are lightning rods between then and now, and that means
0:20:03 > 0:20:06they have a kind of potency about them
0:20:06 > 0:20:10that somehow can sadly be lacking in more ostentatious modern jewellery.
0:20:10 > 0:20:15There you are, there is Smallhythe, what did you think?
0:20:15 > 0:20:17Brilliant, thank you so much for bringing me here.
0:20:17 > 0:20:22Fantastic, I've really got a sense of this lady who was an amazing woman. A real gem of a place.
0:20:22 > 0:20:26Well, it's been my pleasure. I'm so pleased to show this off to you.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28- Oh, thank you.- It is my gem too.
0:20:28 > 0:20:32- I've got to go now. Are you going to come on the back of the beast? - Your motorbike?- My motorbike.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35- No.- No?
0:20:35 > 0:20:40Those pieces tell us so much about another life and another time.
0:20:40 > 0:20:45Sometimes objects arrive at Roadshows that remind us of darker periods in our history.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48They can make uncomfortable viewing but, equally,
0:20:48 > 0:20:52they serve as important reminders of years that shouldn't be forgotten.
0:20:52 > 0:20:57The slave trade took place between the 16th and 19th centuries.
0:20:57 > 0:21:03Fuelled by an insatiable demand for goods and labour, this period witnessed the trafficking
0:21:03 > 0:21:06of African peoples to the Americas via European ports.
0:21:06 > 0:21:12It is thought that between nine and twelve million people arrived in the New World in this way.
0:21:12 > 0:21:14The facts and figures serve to remind us
0:21:14 > 0:21:17of the brutality of this history.
0:21:17 > 0:21:18For our experts,
0:21:18 > 0:21:22objects like this also bear witness to an uncomfortable era.
0:21:25 > 0:21:30It's not often you're going to see me doing miniatures on the Roadshow,
0:21:30 > 0:21:32but there was this little group
0:21:32 > 0:21:35of miniatures that had something special about it,
0:21:35 > 0:21:37and they brought it to me.
0:21:37 > 0:21:39My family had plantations
0:21:39 > 0:21:45in Jamaica, Barbados, British Guiana and Suranam.
0:21:45 > 0:21:49My husband, not to be outdone, searched around his family,
0:21:49 > 0:21:51cousins and all,
0:21:51 > 0:21:57and he outdid me with this beautiful, beautiful shield
0:21:57 > 0:22:01of all his family, with relatives going back through the generations.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04So, what we're looking at here is an assembly of miniatures
0:22:04 > 0:22:09- that was assembled right at the end of the 18th century.- That's right.
0:22:09 > 0:22:14Just at a time when Jamaica and all the other West Indies were teetering towards abolition of the slave trade.
0:22:14 > 0:22:18- That's right.- It represents a very interesting period.- Yes.
0:22:18 > 0:22:22'Slavery does surface in a lot of what we do.'
0:22:22 > 0:22:25I am interested in the slave trade because, of course,
0:22:25 > 0:22:30it is an immensely important part of our history.
0:22:30 > 0:22:33Many of the houses we go to simply wouldn't be there
0:22:33 > 0:22:41if it hadn't been for the whole trading triangle between Africa, Britain and the West Indies.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43So, it's something we have to face.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46Now, we can't put a name to all of these miniature painters,
0:22:46 > 0:22:49that would take some time, but we are able to identify three of them.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52Gervase Spencer at the top,
0:22:52 > 0:22:58this is Charles Jagger, and this is by Daniels of Bath and Plymouth.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00Those are the three best.
0:23:00 > 0:23:06Well, on the outside, of course, you have got this lovely family collection of lovely portraits,
0:23:06 > 0:23:10of lovely people, who've stepped out of the lovely pages of Jane Austen.
0:23:10 > 0:23:14But, behind it of course, once you start digging, you realise
0:23:14 > 0:23:19that these people, this family, was actually based on,
0:23:19 > 0:23:24or derived their wealth from, the slave trade.
0:23:24 > 0:23:29Letters, diaries and historic documents regularly illuminate the past on the show,
0:23:29 > 0:23:33but as Clive recalls, few can be as shocking as those
0:23:33 > 0:23:37which set out in minute detail the terrible trade in human beings.
0:23:37 > 0:23:41I have seen many ships' accounts and copy letter books,
0:23:41 > 0:23:44for the most part they are terribly boring, but here,
0:23:44 > 0:23:48what a gruesome tale unfolds when you actually read through these.
0:23:48 > 0:23:52Gruesome, and at the same time, I have to say, rather fascinating.
0:23:52 > 0:23:54These are all slaves that were actually sold,
0:23:54 > 0:23:58and the names of the people who actually bought them down on this side here.
0:23:58 > 0:24:00This is the most incredible account.
0:24:00 > 0:24:04When I saw the ledger it certainly didn't give me any feelings
0:24:04 > 0:24:06of the Pirates Of The Caribbean.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08There was no joy in it at all, really.
0:24:08 > 0:24:12It was just trafficking human flesh.
0:24:12 > 0:24:14'It's a shock, I have to say.'
0:24:14 > 0:24:20"The sale of 234 slaves imported in the ship Dalrimple.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23"Pat Fairweather, Master, out of Africa."
0:24:23 > 0:24:27He bought two men there at £40 each, £80, and so it goes on.
0:24:27 > 0:24:32On to the following page, and this is 1778, don't forget, and the price here,
0:24:32 > 0:24:36the sum total is £6906.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39- That's a hell on lot of money. - It is in those days.
0:24:39 > 0:24:40Quite remarkable.
0:24:40 > 0:24:46It was quite detailed and it had lists of slaves and how expensive they were.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49'Strong men were fetching £100.' Tell me the history.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52I understand that they were going to be destroyed
0:24:52 > 0:24:58- and my father, approximately 50 years ago, rescued them, really. - Where were they?
0:24:58 > 0:25:02They were in an old farm building, as far as I understand it.
0:25:02 > 0:25:07- I think he was clearing it out and someone was told just to burn them all.- Yes.
0:25:07 > 0:25:09Father managed to rescue just a few of them.
0:25:09 > 0:25:15Just a few. The feeling in my water is that it is probably a very valuable collection.
0:25:15 > 0:25:21I happen to feel shocked when I see a slavery inventory like that.
0:25:21 > 0:25:27It brings it home to you in real terms what the slave trade was like.
0:25:27 > 0:25:31That human beings could be trafficked in this way.
0:25:31 > 0:25:36It just showed how unfair life was for these people.
0:25:38 > 0:25:43A significant campaigner in the movement to end slavery came from a familiar name on the Roadshow,
0:25:43 > 0:25:46porcelain manufacture Josiah Wedgwood.
0:25:46 > 0:25:50Lars Tharp found evidence of his important influence in Wells.
0:25:50 > 0:25:54"Am I not a man and a brother?"
0:25:54 > 0:25:57And there is the figure of a kneeling slave.
0:25:57 > 0:26:02"British and Foreign Anti-Slavery society".
0:26:02 > 0:26:06- What an interesting object that is. - Very interesting. - How did it come to you?
0:26:06 > 0:26:13In 1960 my mother bought a table from a friend of a friend who was moving into an old people's home.
0:26:13 > 0:26:18She paid £5 for the table, which was a Victorian card table.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21A beautiful table, she has still got it. That was in the drawer.
0:26:21 > 0:26:27The little cameo that was discovered in the back of a piece of furniture was
0:26:27 > 0:26:29an amazing discovery.
0:26:29 > 0:26:33To me, if I found something like that I'll would have said,
0:26:33 > 0:26:36"This is the valuable object, forget the piece of furniture."
0:26:36 > 0:26:42Maybe rosewood with a steel cuff and then this lovely cameo.
0:26:42 > 0:26:44Let's see whether it works.
0:26:46 > 0:26:51Actually, it shows you just how finely carved that is.
0:26:51 > 0:26:56This is an image I recognise from my ceramics background.
0:26:56 > 0:27:03In 1787, Josiah Wedgwood, who was a prominent member of the Anti-Slavery Society,
0:27:03 > 0:27:05commissioned one of his artists -
0:27:05 > 0:27:11we think it was William Hackwood, a very, very talented carver of cameos -
0:27:11 > 0:27:15to create a special medallion which shows a kneeling slave.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18Well, the abolitionist cause,
0:27:18 > 0:27:24the anti-slavery cause, began to get going in the 1780s.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27Josiah Wedgwood was a prominent figure.
0:27:27 > 0:27:34He was responsible for creating or commissioning one of his modellers to make the celebrated little cameo
0:27:34 > 0:27:39which was then mass produced, which was then sold or given to people who
0:27:39 > 0:27:42were like-minded, along with Wedgwood.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45This was the way in which these prominent members of society,
0:27:45 > 0:27:48one of the ways, in which they spread the word.
0:27:48 > 0:27:52Wedgwood's own cameos, the seals on the back of envelopes.
0:27:52 > 0:27:56This was the great and the good trying to convince the other
0:27:56 > 0:28:00great and the good that slavery was a bad thing.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03It took them almost two generations to achieve that.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06This is an incredibly poignant piece of social history,
0:28:06 > 0:28:11and for that reason it is going to be worth a lot more than your average cameo.
0:28:11 > 0:28:16- I'm going to say it is worth somewhere in the region of £1,500 to £2,000.- Really?
0:28:16 > 0:28:20Well, the value is meaningless, really, because it'll go back in the drawer.
0:28:24 > 0:28:27Lars Tharp unpicking a story that haunts us even today.
0:28:27 > 0:28:31We are just about there for today's selection from the archives.
0:28:31 > 0:28:36Join us tomorrow when we will bring you more memorable moments on Priceless Antiques Roadshow.
0:28:42 > 0:28:45Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:45 > 0:28:48E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk