News in brief

Newly elected Fellows: 19 June 2008

The Society is pleased to welcome the following as Fellows, all of whom were elected in the ballot held on 19 June 2008.

• Nadia Durrani, MA, PhD, Editor of Current World Archaeology, specialist in the archaeology of pre-Islamic Yemen and the archaeology of the First World War.
• Koji Mizoguchi, BA, MA, PhD, Associate Professor of Archaeology, Graduate School of Social and Cultural Studies, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan, specialist in Japan’s Yayoi period.
• Joanna Story, BA, PhD, Senior Lecturer in Early Medieval History, The School of Historical Studies, University of Leicester, specialist in the political and cultural history of Carolingian Europe.
• Richard Luther Caradoc Jones, BA, DPhil, Lecturer in Medieval History, The School of Historical Studies, University of Leicester, Director of Clay Hill excavations, Sussex, and castellologist.
• Michael Batt, BA, Archaeologist, French Ministry of Culture, specialist in rescue archaeology and field archaeology in Brittany.
• Conor Newman, BA, MA, Lecturer in Archaeology, Department of Archaeology, National University of Ireland, Galway, former director of the Discovery Programme’s survey of the Hill of Tara.
• Susan Elizabeth Kelly, BA, MA, PhD, researcher, expert on Anglo-Saxon history, has edited major ecclesiastical archives for the British Academy Anglo-Saxon Charter series.
• Tom Richard Grenville Wilson, BSc, MA, Archaeologist, Network Archaeology Ltd, former Senior Archaeologist for the Museum of London, has excavated prehistoric to post-medieval sites.
• Tyler-Jo Smith, MA, DPhil, Assistant Professor of Classical Archaeology, Department of Art, University of Virginia, authority on Greek vase-painting, has excavated in Turkey, Greece and Sicily.
• Alan Charles Lovell, MA, Chartered Accountant, Chairman of the Appeal Committee of the Mary Rose Trust.
• Peter Hughes, BA, Art Historian, former Head Curator of the Wallace Collection, leading scholar of decorative arts, especially furniture and eighteenth century France.
• David Howard Heslop, BA, County Archaeologist, Tyne and Wear, has directed numerous excavation projects and published on Thorpe Thewles and Guisborough Priory.
• Naomi Jane Sykes, BA, MSc, PhD, Lecturer in Zooarchaeology, Department of Archaeology, University of Nottingham, expert on Roman and medieval animal bones.
• Robert Edward Liddiard, BA, MA, PhD, Lecturer in Medieval History and Landscape Archaeology, School of History, University of East Anglia, with major contributions to the fields of landscape and castle studies.
• Paul Barry Pettitt, BA, MA, PhD, Senior Lecturer in Archaeology, Department of Archaeology, University of Sheffield, specialist in European Palaeolithic technology, rock art and excavations at Creswell Crags.
• Brendan Francis Cassidy, MA, PhD, Reader in the History of Art, St Andrews University, former director of the ‘Index of Christian Art’, Princeton University, authority on thirteenth-century Italian art.
• Francis Owen Grew, BA, MPhil, Senior Curator in Museum Management, Museum of London, publications on Roman London.
• Kirsty Ann Rodwell, BA, Buildings Archaeologist, Chair of the Wiltshire Buildings Record, publications on archaeology and architectural history.
• Oliver Urquhart Irvine, BA, MA, Cultural Property Manager, British Library, publications on the history of art, cartography and international legislation.
• Christopher Hartop, BA, author and consultant, silver specialist, former Chairman and Trustee of the Silver Society, publications on English silver.
• Derek Long, MA, DPhil, scientist and collector, former Co-Director NATO Advanced Studies, authority on Raman spectroscopy.
• Craig Peter Barclay, MA, MLitt, Curator, University of Durham Museums, former Keeper of Archaeology at The Hull and East Riding Museum; interests include Civil War coinage.
• James Adam Fraser Wilkinson, MA, Director of Edinburgh World Heritage, former Secretary of SAVE Britain’s Heritage; has played a crucial role in saving Tyntesfield and Dumfries House for the nation.
• Harry Rodger Allen, BA, PhD, Associate Professor in Archaeology, Department of Anthropology, University of Auckland, New Zealand, expert in the archaeology of South-east Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
• Peter Dixon Hiscock, BA, PhD, Reader in Archaeology and Anthropology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia, specialist in Palaeolithic technology and Australian archaeology.

Newly elected Fellows: 22 May 2008

The Society is pleased to welcome the following as Fellows, all of whom were elected in the ballot held on 22 May 2008.

• Scott Howard Mandelbrote, Director of Studies in History, Tutor for Undergraduate Admissions, Perne Librarian, Peterhouse, Cambridge, specialising in modern intellectual history).
• James Russell Raven, Professor of Modern History, Department of History, University of Essex, specialising in the history of printing, publishing, bookselling and libraries.
• Robert Tittler, Professor Emeritus of History, Concordia University, Montreal, specialising in on the history of English towns and social context of urban life from the later Middle Ages to the early seventeenth century.
• Thomas Felix Marlborough Pryor, manuscript and archive consultant, assessor of manuscripts for the Reviewing Committee on the Export Works of Art.
• Helen Walker, Archaeologist, Essex County Council Field Archaeology Unit, specialising in medieval and post medieval pottery.
• James Robinson, Curator of Medieval Art and Archaeology, Department of Prehistory and Europe, British Museum, specialising in medieval ceramics.
• Stephen Giles Hudson Freeth, former Keeper of Manuscripts, Guildhall Library, specialising in monumental brasses and funeral monuments.
• Thomas E Russo, Professor of the History of Art, Department of Art and Art History, Drury University, Springfield, Missouri, USA, specialising in classical and medieval art.
• Gillian Swanton, Trustee of Wessex Archaeology, directed of excavations in Wiltshire.
• Preston Miracle, Senior Lecturer in Archaeology, Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, specialising in  Palaeolithic and Mesolithic archaeology, director of the Pupicina Cave excavations, Croatia.
• Robert Tear, internationally acclaimed operatic and concert tenor, conductor and writer on musical, archaeological and topographical subjects.
• Charles Peter Kendall, Team Leader for Kent and East Sussex, English Heritage and Inspector of Ancient Monuments for Medway, an authority on Westenhanger Castle and Shurland Hall.
• Judith Alfrey, Historic Buildings and Landscapes Inspector, CADW, and authority on rural buildings in Wales.
• David Clark, Oxford University Department for Continuing Education, Oxford director of courses in vernacular architecture, specialising in medieval shops.
• George Cunningham, Senior Lecturer, Department of History, University of Limerick, conservationist and winner of Ireland’s National Trust award for a lifetime contribution to heritage).
• David John Adshead, Head Curator and Architectural Historian, National Trust.
• Holley Martlew, archaeologist specialising in  Bronze Age Cretan coarseware.
• Paul Pattison, Senior Properties Historian, English Heritage, specialising in landscape archaeology and post-medieval fortifications, especially the Western Heights at Dover.
• Christopher Brandon, architect and maritime archaeologist, specialising in Roman hydraulic concrete.
• P Maureen Carroll, Reader in Roman Archaeology, Department of Archaeology, University of Sheffield, specialising in Roman Europe.
• Gordon Leslie Higgott, architectural historian, English Heritage, specialising in  British classical architecture, Inigo Jones and Sir Christopher Wren.
• Penelope Jane Ellis Davies, Associate Professor, Department of Art and Art History, University of Texas, Austin, specialising in the art and architecture of the Roman republic.
• Gerard A A March Phillipps De Lisle, writer specialising in the history and antiquities of Leicestershire.
• Jeanne-Nora Andrikopoulou-Strack, Director, Prospektion, Rheinisches Amt für Bodendenkmalpflege, director of excavations on Roman military and civil sites.
• Neil Martin Faulkner, Features Editor, Current Archaeology, Director, Sedgeford Historical and Archaeological Research Project and co-director of the Great War Archaeology Group, specialising in late Roman Britain.
  

Presidential address 2008

In his Presidential address given on the occasion of the Society's Anniversary Meeting on 23 April 2008, Geoffrey Wainwright argued that it was right for the Society to be involved in the great debates of the day about public policy towards the heritage and said that we could do so from a position of independence.  'We are independent of government both intellectually and financially', he said; 'we are not beholden to vested interest groups, we are not party political and we are independent of mind.  This has always enabled us to challenge the status quo and be intellectually stimulating.  It has allowed us to offer platforms to controversial speakers and provided opportunities for their views to be challenged.  We must ensure that this precious independence is maintained over the years to come enabling us to tackle ever more controversial issues and provide innovative solutions.' He particularly lamented the lack of progress on a road and visitor centre improvement scheme for the landscape around Stonehenge.

He also awarded the Society’s Medal (given annually by Council to those who have provided outstanding service to the Society or the aims of the Society) to Bernard Nurse in recognition of all that he has contributed to the Society as our Librarian for twenty years.

To mark the Tercentenary, the Society also awarded its Gold Medal, the highest accolade that this Society can bestow, to our Honorary Vice-President Rosemary Cramp, Emeritus Professor at the University of Durham, who was our President from 2001 to 2004. In presenting the medal, Professor Wainwright said that 'Rosemary is viewed with respect as well as affection by those with whom she has worked during her illustrious career at the University of Durham where she built up a modern archaeology department and trained three generations of students. She combines the skills of archaeologist, historian, art historian and Old English expert and her report on the excavations at the Wearmouth and Jarrow monastic sites appeared in 2005 and 2006.  The successive volumes of the Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Sculpture have appeared regularly, in which she – as creator, author and editor – and the Corpus Team have produced a work of reference that will inform scholarship for decades to come.'

The full text of the President's address and the medal citations can be read here (Word file 57KB)

Women in the Heritage Day: 4 April 2008

HIStory made way for HERitage on 4 April 2008 when the Society of Antiquaries brought together over one-hundred archaeologists, curators, archivists and art and architectural historians to celebrate the contribution of women, past and present, to our knowledge and appreciation of heritage. Women representing all aspects of the sector took part including the granddaughter of archaeologist Tessa Verney Wheeler, one of the first women to be elected as a Fellow of the Society in 1921, and Beatrice di Cardi, aged 93 and still active in archaeology in the United Arab Emirates.

Also attending was Rt Hon Margaret Hodge, MBE, MP, the Minister for Culture, Creative Industries and Tourism, who said 'I am delighted that the Society of Antiquaries is drawing attention to the achievements of women through this event. Women have often struggled to get the recognition they deserve for the work they have done in enhancing society's knowledge and appreciation of heritage.'

Professor Rosemary Cramp, CBE, FSA, chairing the day-long seminar, said: 'Many of these women formed a supportive network as friends, and seized the opportunity to enter the "new" field of archaeology which had not already been exclusively claimed by men.'

Women were first admitted as Honorary Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries in 1920, and in 1921 the first women were elected as Fellows by ballot. Joan Evans, the first woman President of the Society, described these historic events in her History of the Society of Antiquaries, published in 1956:

‘On 19 February [1920] the President "reminded" the meeting that, under the Act [the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act], the Fellowship was now open to women and that it was therefore competent for Fellows to nominate women as candidates for election into the Society.  At the Council of 25 February six ladies were chosen for nomination honoris causa:  Mrs Eugenie Strong, Mrs Ella Armitage, Miss Gertrude Lowthian Bell, Miss Nina Frances Layard, Miss Rose Graham, and Miss Maud Sellers. Mrs Armitage and Miss Sellers refused the nomination: the others accepted.  Mrs Strong and Miss Graham were put up for election honoris causa and elected on 3 June 1920: Miss Bell on 13 January and Miss Layard on 3 March 1921.  The first women elected in the ordinary way were Mrs Reginald Lane Poole and Mrs Mortimer Wheeler.’

Society of Antiquaries celebrates Heritage Lottery Fund success

The Society of Antiquaries has been awarded almost £300,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund to take material from its collections on tour to four major regional museums. The touring exhibition will build upon the much-praised 'Making History' exhibition, mounted at the Royal Academy of Arts in 2007 to celebrate the Society's Tercentenary. It will be hosted by the Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens, the Potteries Museum in Stoke-On-Trent, the Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum and The Collection: Art and Archaeology in Lincolnshire.

The Society’s President, Geoff Wainwright, said, 'Following the success of our Tercentenary Exhibition at the Royal Academy this generous Heritage Lottery Fund grant will enable us to share the beauty and interest of our collections with others across the country and demonstrate to a wider audience the richness of our common heritage.'

The touring exhibition will, for the first time, enable public access outside London to one of the country’s most important historical collections of paintings, drawings, prints and artefacts. The project will involve local history and archaeology groups and underlines the Society’s commitment to creating learning opportunities and increasing public access to its rich collections and resources.  A virtual exhibition will be hosted on the Society’s website and a series of publications will include a fully illustrated children’s timeline and guidebook.

Antiquaries in Europe: the role of national antiquarian societies today: 16 May 2008

Supported by English Heritage, this international colloquium to celebrate the Society's Tercentenary will take place on Friday 16 May 2008, from 9.30am to 5.30pm. It aims to provide an overview of the intersecting interests and future challenges for independent national heritage bodies (NGOs) in Europe today. By meeting together, we aim to initiate a more formal network of national independent heritage bodies with an eye to future international collaboration and joint initiatives.

The Colloquium will explore the current role of independent national Learned Societies working in the cultural heritage across Europe. Each participant will profile the history, governance, objectives and the work of their respective institution and its membership and will examine the current role of that institution in the national cultural heritage of that country and indeed on the international stage. Contributors include representatives of the The Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities, the Finnish Antiquarian Society, the Royal Academy of Archaeology of Belgium, the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, the Royal Archaeological Society of Tarragona, Spain, The Archaeological Society of Athens, and the Präsidium der Verbände für Altertumswissenschaften, Germany.

A presentation on the Society’s history and current role will take place on the previous evening, Thursday 15 May, followed by a wine reception. The full programme for both days can be downloaded here (Word file 73KB).

Tickets, including wine and refreshments, cost £15 (Fellows) / £25 (public) and are available from the Society (admin @ sal.org.uk).

Westminster Abbey Chapter House: its history, architecture and context: 4 and 5 July 2008

Booking has now closed: all places have been booked

Over the past decade, much research on the Chapter House and Pyx Chamber has been carried out, leading to some remarkable revelations, including the dating of a door in the vestibule to the reign of Edward the Confessor. This Society of Antiquaries Tercentenary Research Symposium will bring together the scholars involved to present the results of unpublished recent research and to assess our current knowledge of what the chronicler Matthew Paris described as ‘a chapter house beyond compare’, ranking as one of the spectacular achievements in Gothic architecture.

Co-hosted by the Society of Antiquaries and the Dean and Chapter of Westminster, with the support of English Heritage, the symposium will be held at the Society of Antiquaries and will be followed by visits to the Chapter House, Undercroft and Pyx Chamber before the event concludes with a reception in the Abbey Museum. If you would like to take part in the seminar, the conference fee is £40 for both days, £20 for a single day and the number of places is limited to 100. The full programme for both days can be downloaded here (Word file 41KB) and a booking form can be downloaded here (PDF file 102KB) for printing and posting back to the Society.