What the heck is a lek?
Males great bustards perform spectacular courtship displays, gathering at a ‘lek’ or small display ground to try to impress the females.
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This type of chair – known as the Salisbury chair – is unique to the city. There are only around 60 other surviving examples. The decoration is unusual and was the topic of discussion by the museum’s Black History Interpretation Group.
This style of chair originated in France and was adopted in Salisbury between 1580–1650. Distinctive features include the shape of the seat – narrower at the back and usually with six sides – and angled arms supported by columns.
Made of walnut wood, it was probably created by several highly skilled carpenters. The initials at the top are those of Mayor Robert Bower. The lower initials are probably other officials. A copy of this chair was made almost 40 years later for another mayor.
The inclusion of a carving of two semi-naked Black women on the top of the chair is unusual. People of African heritage have been recorded in Britain since Roman times. A head, that is thought to be African, dating from about 1236 has been carved in Salisbury Cathedral. And Matthias the Morian (from northwest Africa or the Middle East) is recorded as buried in the cathedral grounds in 1601-2. British involvement in the transatlantic slave trade began in the1560s. Numerous wealthy Wiltshire families benefited financially from slavery during the 17th–19th centuries. Could this carving represent enslaved women or are they depictions of ‘exotic’ figures that we would consider racist today?
The carvings were discussed by the museum’s Black History Interpretation Group (these discussions can be seen below) – a group of local people from a Black or mixed heritage with an interest in history and decolonisation. This group was set up to help the museum to tell the story of slavery and Black history in its new Salisbury Gallery.
16th and 17th century Salisbury was renowned for its crafts. The Company of Joiners took woodworking to new heights and even created a unique Salisbury chair – of which this is an example. The Company of Joiners had their hall in St Ann Street, Salisbury. Local man Humphrey Beckham, the celebrated joiner, may have carved the grotesque corbels adorning the front of their hall – which can still be seen today. Humphrey worked until his death in 1671, reaching the grand age of 83 – remarkable for the time. Although there is no evidence that Humphrey carved the later mayoral chair of 1622, both mayoral chairs were created by skilled craftsmen.
The museum formed a Black History Interpretation Group to explore elements of Salisbury’s Black history. The group came up with diverging responses to the inclusion of the carvings of Black women on the top of the mayoral chairs held by Salisbury Museum. The museum holds two mayoral chairs, one dated 1585 and the other later copy is dated 1622 – the group compared and contrasted the way the figures are represented on the two chairs.
“Before Britain starts to get involved in the transatlantic slave trad there are these traveller’s tales… some are heroic, representing Africans positively, and others are very negative, and depicts African women as highly sexualised…they are monsters and aliens.” Robert Beckford, Black History Interpretation Group member
“The chair to me links more to Africa. [There] chairs were designed for kings. How people demonstrate their love to their loved ones is by making sure their image is carved on their chair. My grandfather was a king… he had much respect from my mother… and so an image of my mum is [carved] into his chair.” Charlotte Njie, Black History Interpretation Group member
“[In the 1585 chair] these are powerful women. It is depicting power… the hair is a crowing glory for an African woman.” Anonymous participant, Black History Interpretation Group
“The women [on the 1585 chair] feel more powerful… the ones [from 1622] look a bit more subservient. Almost trapped in a horrible situation.” Louisa Adjoa Parker, Black History Interpretation Group member
“While I like the constructive reading, my gut feeling is that it is hard to redeem it. In 1585 the dawn of the transatlantic slave trade and with little knowledge of African culture… this [chair] is a seat of power. How do you demonstrate that power? Well as an emerging slave trading nation we [include] these subjugated Black women…. shackled and at the service of other people.” Robert Beckford, Black History Interpretation Group member
Males great bustards perform spectacular courtship displays, gathering at a ‘lek’ or small display ground to try to impress the females.
The great bustard has a dignified slow walk but tends to run when disturbed, rather than fly.
The hen-bird on display at The Salisbury Museum was one of the last great bustards to be eaten in the town!