Is it a map...? Is it a game....? Any ideas appreciated!

[MissM]

Hi Everyone

Edna kindly told me of all your replies and the interest these squares have generated.  We had a family crisis at the weekend and it is still continuing, hence why I have not been in here.  I also didn't get any notifications of replies on this thread when I checked my emails, so I didn't look in.  My apologies for not getting back to your messages.

Thank you so much for all your interest.  I'm going to send your messages to Chris but in the meantime, I'm going to try and give you a bit more info.

I would say the whole sheet is about 3 foot square and the smaller squares are about 5 or 6 inches square.  I think the big sheet is linen and the smaller squares are card.  At one end on the back of the sheet at the initial RW in black ink and at the other Richard Watt.  These appear to have been printed (or possibly stamped) and not written.  

I would say crayons were used to colour the symbols and the 'graph' lines are drawn with pencil.  I would put my whole weeks supply of chocolate on the fact that no felt tips were used!  (Did I really just say that???) The writing is in pencil and appear to be cursive which suggest an adult hand.  Some of the colours appeared to be lightly coloured in as if the position was not definite.

The Speke Hall estate owned and was surrounded by 2000 acres of farmland in an area that definitely isn't square, and neither were any of the farms within it.  I guess the gardens at the Hall could've been different then though.

Until 1876 there weren't any Churches on that land so I don't know if the crescent crosses were connected to religion at all.  

The Hall eventually passed into the hands of the last Richard's niece when she was 21 years old (I think this was 18750) but previously, other tenants had been looking after the place.  I guess anyone could have taken a sheet with Richard's initials on and made a game on one side but I'm hoping it was one of the Richards that did it.

Thanks again for all your suggestions, I hope we do find an answer to all this!

Best wishes,

Lynne

[MissM]

Oh No!   

I've just read Alison's post about the felt tips!!!!

Can I take back my stake of a whole week's supply of chocolate before anyone claims it?

Please?

Lynne

[ali607]

oh well lol it def looks like felt tip from where im standing! But as you have seen the original ill take your word for it that its crayons - but the colours as displayed on my monitor really look to vivid and solid to be crayons in my opinion!

Good luck
Alison

[Paul Caswell]

I can just believe that this was done with rubber stamps and some kind of ink pad but it looks a bit too freehand to me.

The colours would support the rubber stamp idea as I believe cmy colours are much easier than rgb ones. They are certainly much cheaper.

MissM,

Thanks for the extra details. I didn't realise it was so small. How many squares were there? Across and down please.

Paul

[Ruskie]

Why would the cards be glued on linen? (Miss M can you ask your friend if this definitely IS card on linen?) How have they remained stuck on for all this time (even if this was made in the 50's/60's)? If I glued cardboard on fabric, even with a special modern glue, and then folded it up, I don't think it would stay fully glued on for very long. The brightness of the colours doesn't ring true - once again, even if this was done in the 50's the colours would have faded substantially.

[Christopher]

MissM didn't mention the cards being stuck on ... her post said that they were on the linen. Paul mentioned stuck in his post. Maybe the cards are sewn on to the linen.

[clematised]

Lynne was referring to the initials RW and the name Richard Watt as being Printed or stamped and not the patterns or the Graph pattern

I have looked at it at 200% and unable to read the pencil writing and at 400% it pixelates

Edna

[Ruskie]

Ahh, OK thanks, Christopher - maybe MissM can confirm how they are attached?

[little meg]

I have tried to enhance the second pic with photoshop, but it is still too small and difficult to read.
It would be better for MissM to post the images in the photo restoration board at a larger size (it is allowed in there )

attached enhanced pic, just played with the contrast.

Margaret