Howard Kilbride-Jones, Ph.D., M.R.I.A.

Howard Kilbride-Jones was born in England, of Scottish parents, in 1907, and spent his school-days in India. While studying engineering in London from 1925-9, he attended extramural classes in anthroplogy at the University of London under Sir Arthur Keith. He then turned his attention to archaeology and studied at Edinburgh University under Gordon Childe from 1931-3, and dug with Mortimer Wheeler at Farnham, Dorset, in 1934. Against a background of these diverse interests, and a youthful indulgence in rally driving, Kilbride-Jones' career first focused on archaeology, and in 1934 he was appointed director of excavations for Aberdeenshire and Orkney, which involved fieldwork on important prehistoric monuments in the area. His major research was on zoomorphic brooches of the late-second to the early-sixth centuries, starting with publication of the Scottish examples in 1934-5, followed in 1937 by a comprehensive paper, `The evolution of penannular brooches with zoomorphic terminals in Great Britain and Ireland' in Irish Archaeology, vol. III, published by the Royal Irish Academy. Soon after this, in 1938, no doubt influenced by financial considerations, Kilbride-Jones switched back to engineering and went to Ireland as a manufacturer's agent for electronics. But his archaeological talent was not allowed to wither, and he excavated several important megalithic tombs and other prehistoric field monuments, including Drimnagh (1938), Lugg (1939) and Kilmashogue (1953) all in County Dublin, and Cohaw (1976) in County Cavan. He became a member of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland and served for a time during the 1950s as editor of its Journal. In 1955 he was elected to the Royal Irish Academy, having become a force to be reckoned with in Irish archaeology. His monograph Zoomorphic Penannular Brooches was published by the Society in the Research Report series in 1980, the same year that his Celtic Craftsmanship in Bronze appeared. At this time he visited Burlington House whenever he was in London: a romantic figure, bearded, long-haired, wearing a slouch hat and gold earings, he reminded one of Augustus John, but was essentially his own slightly eccentric, charming self. Sadly, Kilbride-Jones' health began to fail in the damp Irish climate and his doctors gave him only a year or two to live. Severe rheumatoid arthritis restricted his activities to such an extent that he was wheeled on to the plane by his wife for what they thought would be a last holiday in Malta. The warm, dry climate suited him and, much as he hated leaving his beloved Ireland (he had even acquired an Irish accent), he decided to settle in Malta with his family in an old house overlooking Saint Paul's Bay. He recovered his mobility and was an entertaining host to his many visitors; he researched the area archaeologically, painted pictures and wrote regular, graphic letters to the General Secretary on every conceivable topic. He died on 15 August 1995, while reading his Bible before going to bed.