News archive

Newly elected Fellows: 28 February 2008

The Society is pleased to welcome the following as Fellows, all of whom were elected in the ballot held on 28 February 2008.

Richard Ovenden: Keeper of Special Collections and Associate Director of the Bodleian Library, Oxford, with research interests in English and Scottish antiquaries and book collectors of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries
Gerald Morgan: writer, formerly head teacher and lecturer, specialist in the history of Wales and Celtic Studies
Edward Sargent: Conservation Officer for Medway Council, Kent, with extensive experience in the conservation of historic buildings and the history and development of London Docks
Alan George Walmsley: Associate Professor in Islamic Archaeology and Art, Institute of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies, University of Copenhagen, expert in the archaeology and history of the Early Islamic Near East
Emma Loosley: Lecturer in Art History, School of Arts, Histories and Cultures, The University of Manchester, specialist in Christian art, the archaeology of the Near and Middle East and monastic sites in Syria
Dieter Planck: Chairman of the German Limeskommission (formerly the Director of the State Archaeology Museum and the State Monuments Service of Baden-Württemberg), expert in the Roman period in Germany
Christopher James Rowe: Head of the Department of Classics and Ancient History, University of Durham, a distinguished classicist who has made a substantial contribution to Hellenic studies
Michael Jeffrey Silverman: researcher and writer, editor of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association’s Handbook, whose research interests include the dating of Anglo-Saxon poetry
Geoffrey Bond: Master of the Guild of Art Scholars, Dealers and Collectors, Board Member of the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council
Simon Richard Houfe: historian and art historian, formerly editor of the Antique Collector, specialising in Victorian painters and illustrators
Jane Rowan McIntosh: Senior Research Associate, Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Cambridge, researching the development of trade in the regions from Mesopotamia to the Indus basin in the fourth and third millennia BC
Trevor Foulds: Documentary Historian, Nottingham City Council, whose publications have made a substantial contribution to the study of the city and county of Nottingham
Rainer Wolfgang Grun: Professor of Earth Environment, Research School of Earth Sciences, The Australian National University, distinguished in the dating of archaeological sites and application of new dating techniques
Frederick Wilkinson: Arms and Armour Consultant who has published on firearms collections in the Royal Armouries and the Imperial War Museum
Timothy James Clayton: author and historian, specialist in eighteenth-century cultural and naval history and in engraved imagery and history of print trade; former Associate Editor for the Oxford DNB
Richard Silyn Kelly: Head of Sustainable Landscapes Section, Countryside Council for Wales, an archaeologist who has made a substantial contribution in raising awareness of the historic environment within Wales
Casper Johnson: County Archaeologist for East Sussex and an experienced field archaeologist who has led projects across southern England
David Anthony Stoker: writer, formerly Senior Lecturer at the University of Wales, who has made an important contribution to the study of the English provincial book trade in the eighteenth century
Peter Topping: Head of Archaeological Survey and Investigation, English Heritage, expert in field archaeology and landscape studies with publications on prehistoric landscapes in northern England
Peter Nicholas Poole-Wilson: Managing Director, Bernard Quaritch Ltd, who has played an important role internationally in advancing bibliographical studies and research
Gerallt David Nash: Senior Curator, St Fagans National History Museum, Cardiff, and an authority on traditional historic building practices and public structures in Wales
Matthew Reeve: Assistant Professor in Art and Architectural History, Department of Art History, Carleton University, Canada, a specialist in English medieval art and post-medieval antiquarianism
Anthony Charles Peers: Architectural Historian, Rodney Melville & Partners, Warwickshire, specialist in building conservation philosophy and repair techniques
Thomas Hugh Moore: Lecturer in Archaeology, Department of Archaeology, University of Durham, specialist in the Iron Age archaeology of Britain and western Europe
Stephen David Church: Senior Lecturer in Medieval History, University of East Anglia, specialist in kingship and the exercise and perception of royal power.

Newly elected Fellows: 24 January 2008

The Society is pleased to welcome the following, all of whom were elected as Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries in the ballot held on 24 January 2008.

Kate Heard: Print Room Supervisor, Ashmolean Museum, Deputy Editor of the Journal of the History of Collections, and Honorary Conference Secretary of the British Archaeological Association.
Rosemary Hill: Writer and historian (author of God’s Architect: Pugin and the building of romantic Britain), Trustee of the London Library and of the Victorian Society.
Sally Stradling: Heritage consultant and occasional lecturer at Oxford and Warwick universities.
Martin Joseph Postle: Assistant Director, Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art, London, expert on Sir Joshua Reynolds.
Teresita Majewski: Associate Research Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of Arizona, USA and Chief Operating Officer of Statistical Research, Inc.
Anthony Gerard Meehan Sinclair: Prehistorian and Senior Lecturer in Archaeology, School of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology, University of Liverpool.
David Parham: Senior Lecturer in Marine Archaeology, School of Conservation Sciences, Bournemouth University with specialist interests in prehistoric seafaring and ship construction.
Neil Robert Thomas Bingham: Architectural Drawings Curator, Royal Academy of Arts.
Steven James Ashley: Archaeologist and armorist, Fellow of the Chartered Society of Designers.
Robin Fleming: Professor of History, Boston College, Massachusetts, USA, specialising in the political history of Viking and Anglo-Norman England).
Simon Hancock: Historian and Curator of Haverfordwest Museum, Pembrokeshire, Chairman of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority.
Robert Scourfield: Building Conservation Officer, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority.
Simon Michael Dougal Gilmour: Director, Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, Vice-President of the Council for Scottish Archaeology, specialist in the Scottish Iron Age.
George Haggarty: Research Fellow, National Museum of Scotland, specialising in medieval pottery.
Jurgen Kunow: Director of the Rheinisches Amt für Bodendenkmalpflege, responsible for the State Heritage Agency of the Rhineland, President of the Association of German State Archaeologists.
Ricardo Joseph Elia: Chairman, Department of Archaeology, Boston University, Massachusetts, USA, specialist in archaeological heritage management.
Philip Abramson: Historic Advisor, Ministry of Defence, who has managed numerous excavations including Castleford Roman fort.
Keith Falconer: Head of Industrial Archaeology, English Heritage and Head of the RCHME Regional Office in Salisbury.
David Thomson: Archdeacon of Carlisle and Residentiary Canon of Carlisle Cathedral, adviser on the preservation and presentation of historic churches.
Jennifer Iris Rachel Montagu: art historian, Honorary Fellow of the Warburg Institute, Trustee of the British Museum, Officier des Arts et Lettres and Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur.
Fiona Jane Seeley: Finds and Conservation Manager, awarded the John Gillam Prize for her contribution to Roman pottery studies.
Alastair McCapra: Chief Executive of The Institute of Conservation, specialist in early Islamic and early British imperial history.
Lisa Reilly: Professor of Architectural History, School of Architecture, University of Virginia, USA, expert on Romanesque buildings in England and Norman architecture in Sicily.
Dan Hicks: Lecturer and Curator, School of Archaeology, Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, specialising in historical archaeology, especially sugar estates in the eastern Caribbean.
John Gater: member of the ‘Time Team’, Archaeological Geophysicist with Geophysical Surveys of Bradford, known for his major contribution to the development of geophysical survey in archaeology.

Frankfurt Colloquium: 20 February 2008

As part of our Tercentenary celebrations, the Römisch-Germanischen Kommission and the Society of Antiquaries are hosting a joint one-day colloquium in Frankfurt am Main on Archaeology in central and north-west Europe in the twenty-first century: perspectives and challenges for international co-operation. The colloquium will take place at the Cafe im alten Literaturhaus, Bockenheimer Landstraße 102, Frankfurt am Main, from 9am to 6pm.

9am	Opening address: Geoffrey Wainwright (SAL) and Friedrich Lüth (RGK)
9.15am to 11.45am	Early Monumental Graves: Tim Darvill, Friedrich Lüth Iron Age Oppida: Colin Haselgrove
10.45am to 11.15am	Tea and coffee
11.15am to 12.45am	Iron Age Oppida: Vincent Guichard, Susanne Sievers, Natalie Venclová
12.45am to 1.30pm	Lunch
1.30pm to 3.30pm	Roman Frontiers: David Breeze, Siegmar von Schnurbein Early Medieval: David Gaimster
3.30pm to 4pm	Break
4pm to 6pm	Panel discussion Chair: Geoffrey Wainwright Panel: Herwig Friesinger (A), Hermann Parzinger (D), Willem Willems (NL), Stefanie Martin‐Kilcher (CH), Jean Bourgeois (B), Michel Reddé (F), Kristian Kristiansen (DK/S), Barry Raftery (IRL), Romuald Schild (PL)

The colloquium will be rounded off by a public lecture at 8pm, at the Senckenberg‐Museum, Senckenberganlage 25, Frankfurt am Main given by Professor Lord Renfrew, FSA, on 'The dimensions of prehistory', followed by a reception at the Römisch‐Germanischen Kommission.

Fellows attending the event are invited to a celebratory Tercentenary dinner the evening before the colloquium, on February
19th, to be held in the Römerkeller in Frankfurt.

Fellows who have not received an invitation to the event and who would like to attend should send contact details to <info@sal300.de>.

The Stonehenge decision in full

A303 Stonehenge Improvement Scheme: the following statement was issued by Tom Harris, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department for Transport, on Thursday 6 December 2007.

'Making best use of taxpayers' money is essential in the allocation of funding to transport schemes. With that in mind the Government announced in 2005 that it planned to commission a review of options for the A303 Stonehenge improvement after a substantial increase in the estimated cost of the proposed 2.1km bored tunnel scheme. The approved budget for the scheme when it was taken to Public Inquiry in 2004 was £223m. The latest reported cost estimate is £540m which reflects a number of factors including unexpectedly poor ground conditions, more stringent requirements for tunnelling work and rapid inflation in construction costs.
'The review identified a shortlist of possible options, including routes to the north and south of Stonehenge. After careful consideration we have now concluded that due to significant environmental constraints across the whole of the World Heritage Site, there are no acceptable alternatives to the 2.1km bored tunnel scheme. However, when set against our wider objectives and priorities, we have concluded that allocating more than £500m for the implementation of this scheme cannot be justified and would not represent best use of taxpayers' money. I am today placing the final report of the Review on the department's website.
'I am therefore today withdrawing all the draft Orders which were considered at the Public Inquiry and I have instructed the Highways Agency to withdraw route protection for the complete scheme including the proposed bypass of Winterbourne Stoke.
'The Government recognises the importance of the A303 Stonehenge Improvement scheme and that today's announcement will come as a considerable disappointment for the scheme's supporters. The Highways Agency will investigate possible small scale improvements to the A303 as part of their overall stewardship of route. The department also plans to discuss with the South West region the implications of this decision for the wider strategy for improving the A303/A358 corridor to the M5 at Taunton.
'In addition, the department will work with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and English Heritage on their plans to take forward in consultation with other stakeholders a review of the World Heritage Site Management Plan and to consider alternative options for the development of new visitor facilities at Stonehenge in the light of our decision on the A303 improvement. This further work will include examination of the case for closing the junction of the A344 with the A303 as part of the investigation of options for improving the setting of Stonehenge, taking into account the wider heritage and environmental needs, to which the Government remains committed, for this iconic World Heritage site. The decision will be subject to a detailed assessment and public consultation, but we recognise the importance of this issue to the sustainability of the World Heritage Site.
'The Government remains committed to working with stakeholders in investigating options for improving the environment of Stonehenge, including new visitor facilities, and exploring possible small scale measures to improve traffic flows and safety along this section of the A303.'

In response, English Heritage issued the following statement:

'English Heritage is very disappointed that the 2.1km bored tunnel scheme for improvements to the A303 will not go ahead.

'The decision signals the end of the project championed by the DCMS and English Heritage over the last eight years which sought to improve both the landscape setting of Stonehenge and the visitor experience. The project, collectively decided upon by a range of national and regional stakeholders, was the best and most practical means by which the agreed vision for the Stonehenge World Heritage Site could have been achieved.

'However, it is encouraging that the Government recognises that improving the setting of the Stones and the visitor facilities is a priority. English Heritage will work closely with other stakeholders to look into alternative ways to achieve this.'

ICON condemns planned closure of the Textile Conservation Centre

ICON (the Institute for Conservation) has reacted with anger to the news that the Textile Conservation Centre at Southampton University is to close in 2009. ICON’s Chief Executive, Alastair McCapra, described the closure as ‘a serious assault on excellence, and a loss not just for the UK but on an international level, as there are so few centres of excellence in textile conservation anywhere in the world’.

Previously based at Hampton Court, the Textile Conservation Centre merged with the Winchester School of Art at the University of Southampton in 1998, and moved to a new purpose-designed building on the Winchester campus in the summer of 1999. Now Southampton has announced the closure of Winchester School of Art because it is not earning enough to be self-funding and to make a significant contribution to the central running costs of the university.

The Centre itself enjoys an excellent international reputation, attracting many students from outside the UK and sending 97 per cent of its graduates into conservation employment. ICON is supporting the efforts of the Textile Conservation Centre to find an alternative home.

ICON Chair, Simon Cane, said that: ‘The need for textile conservation is clear. At the moment the Victoria and Albert Museum is running a high-profile exhibition called “The Golden Age of Couture, Paris and London 1947–57”. Princess Diana’s gowns have just gone on display at Kensington Palace. The public want access to these fragile and perishable collections and unless they are stored, cared for and conserved properly, there will be nothing to see. If there are no skilled and trained conservators to do the work, public access will suffer.’

New Head of Library and Collections

The Society has appointed Heather Rowland, currently Librarian of the Religious Society of Friends, to succeed Bernard Nurse as our new Head of Library and Collections. Announcing the appointment, our General Secretary, David Gaimster, said: ‘Heather comes to us with a great track record in the management and development of library and archive services, having previously headed the Art and Architecture Library for Westminster (known amongst art historians as the best public library for the field in London) and having worked at the Arts Council of England. Heather will join us on 7 January 2008. Though Bernard retires at the end of 2007, we plan that he will stay with us for a short time in January to provide a handover.’

The Library of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), in Euston Road, London, is just thirty-four years older than our own Society, having been founded in 1673, with the aim of collecting ‘two copies of everything written by Quakers and one copy of everything written against them’. The library now has over 80,000 books and pamphlets, including a unique collection of seventeenth-century Quaker and anti-Quaker material.

William Morris treasures saved from floods

Floods 2 Prompt action by Kelmscott Manor's curatorial staff has ensured that unique works of art made by William Morris have been saved from flood damage at the Oxfordshire home of the arts and crafts movement founder. Tapestries, furniture and paintings were rescued as water lapped at the steps and seeped through the floor of the historic manor house, described in Morris's Utopian novel, News from Nowhere (1890), as 'the only house in England worth inhabiting'.

While the village of Kelmscott was rendered inaccessible by three feet of water, the Manor’s on-site managers, Jane Milne and Tristan Molloy, battled to raise heavy furniture onto pallets and move irreplaceable works to safety, including the important 'Cabbage and Vine' tapestry, woven entirely by Morris himself, and a portrait by Dante Gabriel Rossetti of Morris's wife, Jane, called 'The Blue Silk Dress'. Floods 1

Jane Milne said they had been helped enormously by residents from the village; in return Tristan Molloy toured the village in his homemade boat dispensing food from the Kelmscott cafe to neighbours who were left without electricity for several days as a result of the worst floods in the area that anyone in the village can remember.

David Gaimster, General Secretary of the Society of Antiquaries of London, which owns and manages the Manor, said: 'Clearly we won’t know the extent of any damage to the fabric of the building until a full assessment can be made, but everyone is very relieved that Jane and Tristan are safe and the collections have escaped damage'.

Because of damage to the house and outbuildings, and the need for extensive work to the floors and plasterwork, Kelmscott Manor will not be open again to vistors until spring 2008, and all events and tours planned for the remainder of 2007 are cancelled. Anyone intending to visit in 2008 should check for an update on this message by phoning the Kelmscott enquiries and bookings line (01367 252486), emailing (admin@kelmscottmanor.co.uk) or visiting our website (www.kelmscottmanor.org.uk).

Slavery

Slavery: buy now while stocks last

The Archaeology of Greek and Roman Slavery (2003), by the late F Hugh Thompson, FSA, has now sold out in the UK and second-hand copies cost in excess of £150. However the US distributor has six copies left at the bargain price of US$67.50, so if you are thinking of a copy, now is the time to place your order. Full details on the website of the distributor, International Publishers Marketing, 22841 Quicksilver Drive, Dulles, VA 20166, USA. Tel: 703-661-1586.

William Morris’s Kelmscott: landscape and history

Kelmscott launch Tuesday 8 May 2007 saw the launch of William Morris’s Kelmscott: landscape and history, published by Windgather Press (whose proprietor, Richard Purslow, is shown in our picture with Kate Owen, the Society's Publications Manager, outside the shop at Kelmscott Manor). Edited by Fellows Alan Crossley, Tom Hassall and Peter Salway, the book represents the fruits of the Kelmscott Landcape Project (KELP) established in 1996 to undertake a multi-disciplinary study of the parish that would also inform the Society’s management of Kelmscott Manor and its estate. Kelmscott book cover

The result is a book that embraces every aspect of Kelmscott, including the geology, prehistoric settlement on the Thames gravel terraces, field names and boundaries, the vernacular buildings, the church, the Manor and its garden, the people of the village and the rich legacy of art and furnishings that had its origin and inspiration in the village. This vivid portrait of Kelmscott serves both as a guide to house and village for those who want to go beyond the guidebook, and as a model of how to undertake and present a comprehensive study of a typical English landscape.

Presidential address

In his Presidential address given on the occasion of the Society's Anniversary Meeting on 25 April 2007, Professor Eric Fernie discussed what it means to be an 'antiquary' in the twenty-first century. He also awarded the Society’s Medal (given nnually by Council to those who have provided outstanding service to the Society or the aims of the Society) to Janet and Alan Frost for their contribution to the restoration of Kelmscott Manor, and the buildings of the wider estate. The full text of the President's address and the medal citation can be read here (Word file, 53KB).

Newly elected Fellows: 29 November 2007 ballot

The Society is pleased to welcome the following, all of whom were elected as Fellows in the ballot held on 29 November 2007.

As Honorary Fellows:

Arturo Carol Quintavalle: Director of the Centro Studi e Archivio della Comunicazione at the University of Parma, author of books that have transformed our understanding of the architecture and sculpture of north Italy in the eleventh and twelfth centuries and organiser of annual conferences at the University of Parma that have become a fixture in the medievalist art historian’s calendar.
Sir David Frederick Attenborough: Naturalist, broadcaster, trustee of the British Museum for over twenty years and an active member of the Sutton Hoo Trust.

As Ordinary Fellows:

Caroline Shenton: Assistant Clerk of the Records, Parliamentary Archives, expert in the court of Edward III and the household and wardrobe accounts of the reign, currently researching book on the 1834 Great Fire of Westminster.
Monica Mary Jackson: Archaeologist, Department of Archaeology, University of Sydney, New South Wales, author of Hellenistic Gold Eros Jewellery (BAR Int Series 1510 (2006) and The Amisos Treasure (forthcoming)
Robert Weaver: Senior Assistant Master and Keeper of the Fellows’ Library at Dulwich College (the Rare Book Collection), lecturing widely on manuscripts and mounting exhibitions of palaeographical material at Harrow, Dulwich, Guildford and Oxford.
Nicholas John Cooper: Post-excavation Manager, University of Leicester Archaeological Services, author of The Archaeology of Rutland WaterThe Archaeology of the East Midlands (2006). Co-ordinator of the East Midlands Archaeological Research Framework.
(2000) and an edited volume on
Raimund Karl: Senior Lecturer in Archaeology and Heritage, University of Wales Bangor, specialising in ‘Celtic’ social structures from the Iron Age to the early Middle Ages in continental Europe, Britain and Ireland, as well as Iron Age to early medieval chariotry, roads, travel and trade in central and western Europe, and central European Iron Age settlement archaeology.
Gabor Thomas: Lecturer in Late Antique/Early Medieval Archaeology, University of Reading, an expert on Middle and Late Anglo-Saxon ornamental metalwork, and on early-medieval settlement studies, carrying out fieldwork projects at Bishopstone and Lyminge.
Paul Raymond Latcham: Retired bookshop owner, editor of the Bookplate Journal, contributor to publications on bookplate art and history, author of DNB articles on military engineers.
Fiona Macintosh: Senior Research Fellow, Archive of Performances of Greek and Roman Drama, University of Oxford, specialising in the reception of classical drama in the modern world, especially the impact of nineteenth-century excavations of ancient sites on the staging of ancient plays.
Simon Robert Key: Member of Parliament for Salisbury since 1983. Minister for the Environment 1990–2 with responsibility for listed buildings and Founder Minister at the Department of National Heritage responsible for Heritage Lottery Fund legislation. Director and trustee of Wessex Archaeology involved in the campaign to improve management of Stonehenge World Heritage Site.
Irene Stavros Lemos: Reader in Classical Archaeology, Oxford University, Director of the excavation of the major Late Bronze/Iron Age site at Lefkandi in Euboea with numerous monographs on Lefkandi and Ancient Greek topics.
Francisco Estrada-Belli: University Professor, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, USA, specialising in the archaeology of his native Guatemala, director of a major project at the lowland Maya city of Holmul and its dependencies of Cival and Sufricaya, where he has brought to light important mural paintings, ritual deposits and architectural sculptures.
Seiichi Suzuki: Professor of English and Germanic Studies, Kansai Gaidai University, Japan, author of books on Gothic philology, poetic metre and early Anglo-Saxon metalwork (The Quoit Brooch Style (2000) and Button Brooches (in press), both for Boydell Press).
Sonja Marzinzik: Curator, Insular Early Medieval Collections, British Museum, with a specialist interest in the archaeology of the early Anglo-Saxon period, and dress accessories.
Caron Egerton Newman: Archaeological consultant running her own archaeological consultancy, specialising in infrastructure projects and the application of GIS techniques to historic landscape analysis. Medieval period co-ordinator for the North West Regional Research Framework.
Brian Vincent: Honorary Fellow in the Department of Anthropology, University of Otago, a leader in the analysis of south-east Asian ceramics, author of volumes published by the Society on excavations at Khok Phanom Di, including the most comprehensive study of an Asian prehistoric pottery production centre ever published.
Richard Walter: Archaeologist, University of Otago, prominent in the archaeology of the Pacific, with extensive fieldwork in the Cook Islands, New Zealand, Niue and the Solomon Islands. His latest monograph on the archaeology of Watom Island, Papua New Guinea, with Professor Roger Green, is a landmark volume for Lapita studies.
Mike Nevell: Archaeologist, with a special interest in new methodological approaches to the archaeology of industrialisation and standing buildings.
Jackie Hall: Archaeologist, specialising in monastic and ecclesiastical building analysis, and the assessment and analysis of loose stonework. Council Member of the BAA, Assistant Editor to the Society for Church Archaeology and Consultant Cathedral Archaeologist at Peterborough since 2005.
Hendrik Johannes Louw: Historian of architecture and construction, School of Architecture, University of Newcastle, former President, European Association for Architectural Education and Chairman of Construction History Society. Co-author of the definitive history of the origin of the sash window with major contributions to the history of building construction and the relations between Dutch and English architecture.
Mark Wycliff Samuel: Architectural Archaeologist and an expert in recording and analysing British architecture of Roman to nineteenth-century date, with special expertise in medieval masonry.
Michael Norman Morris: Chester City Archaeologist, whose work has resulted in the publication of a number of monographs on the archaeology of Chester and the recent successful joint excavation project of the Chester amphitheatre with English Heritage.
Julian Stewart Thomas: Professor of Archaeology, University of Manchester, author of Rethinking the Neolithic (1991), Time, Culture and Identity (1996) and Archaeology and Modernity (2004). Director of archaeological excavations of Neolithic and later prehistoric sites in Dumfries and Galloway (published as Place and Memory in 2007) and co-director of the Stonehenge Riverside Project.

Newly elected Fellows: 1 November 2007 ballot

The Society is pleased to welcome the following, all of whom were elected as Fellows in the ballot held on 29 November 2007.

Elaine Morris: University researcher at the Centre for Applied Archaeological Analysis, University of Southampton; renowned specialist in later prehistoric European ceramics.
Elizabeth Bartman: Associate scholar of the Courtauld Research Forum and a specialist in Roman sculpture; author of Ancient Sculptural Copies in Miniature and Portraits of Livia.
Roger Matthews: Professor of Archaoloogy, UCL Institute of Archaeology, former Director, British School of Archaeology in Iraq and British Institute of Archaeology at Ankara with extensive publications on the archaeology of the ancient Near East.
Ian Dungavell: Director, The Victorian Society, Hon Sec of the Joint Committee of the National Amenity Societies; editor, with David Crellin, of Architecture and Englishness 1880-1914.
Mark White: Senior Lecturer, Department of Archaeology, Durham University; prehistoric archaeologist specializing in the British Lower and Middle Palaeolithic; author of influential articles on Acheulian, Clactonian, and Levallois tool technologies and their implications for early human behaviour.
Jeremy Tanner: Lecturer in Classical Archaeology, UCL Institute of Archaeology; author of The Invention of Art History in Ancient Greece.
Susan Alcock: Director of the Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology, Brown University, US: author of books on Graecia Capta: The Landscapes of Roman Greece and Archaeologies of the Greek Past: Landscape, Monuments and Memory; co-director of the Pylos Regional Archaeological Project, studying Classical, Roman and Ottoman Messenia.
Michael Hill: Architectural Historian; co-author of Cotswold Stone Homes, a guide to their history and conservation, of The Country Houses of Gloucestershire Vol 3: 1830-2000 (with Nicholas Kingsley, FSA) and of Dorset country houses for the same series.
Janet Huskinson: Reader in Classical Studies, Open University; authority on Roman and early-Christian art, author of Roman Sculpture from Cyrenaica in the British Museum, Roman Sculpture from Eastern England and Roman Children's Sarcophagi.
Pamela Jane Smith: Affiliated Scholar, Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, specialist in the development of archaeology as an academic discipline, creator of an oral history archive of interviews with more than 150 individuals concerned with the evolution of archaeology in the twentieth century.
David Went: Archaeologist with English Heritage's archaeological survey team in York with publications on early churches, Martello towers, historic parks and new approaches to heritage management.
D'Arcy Boulton: Professor of Medieval History, The Medieval Institute, University of Notre Dame, specialising in the field of nobiliary culture and institutions, especially knighthood, knightly orders and heraldic emblems and insignia, author of The Knights of the Crown, which laid the groundwork for the study of monarchical orders.
Karim Arafat: Reader in Classical Archaeology and Director of the Centre of Hellenic Studies, Department of Classics, King's College London, author of Classical Zeus: a study in art and literature and Pausanias' Greece: ancient artists and Roman rulers.
Vedia Izzet: Lecturer at University of Southampton; specialist in Etruscan archaeology, with published fieldwork at Cerveteri; author of The Archaeology of Etruscan Society.
Richard Palmer: Librarian and Archivist, Lambeth Palace Library, London; author of books and articles on the history of Venice and northern Italy and two major catalogues: Hunterian Society records relating to John Hunter and Western manuscripts in the Wellcome Library.
Fergus Gillespie: Chief Herald of Ireland and an expert in Irish heraldry, language, culture and history.
Eva Panagiotakopulu: University Lecturer, Edinburgh, with extensive experience of archaeology in Egypt, Greece and the North Atlantic islands, specialising in the use of insect remains in the interpretation of archaeological environments.
Simon Jaggard: Head of Upper School, St Georges School, Cologne, Freeman and Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Painter-Stainers, a specialist in the art historical collections of that company and an authority on the works of Alfred Stevens.
Judith Goodison: Furniture Historian, co-author of English Furniture 1500-1840 and author of Thomas Chippendale the Younger at Stourhead. Trustee of the Handel House Museum and Director of the Academy of Ancient Music.
Raymond Howell: Reader in History and Archaeology, University of Wales; author of Fedw Villages, A History of Gwent, Celtic Wales (with Miranda Aldhouse-Green, FSA), The Romans in Wales and a regular contributor to Archaeology in Wales, Medieval Archaeology and Studia Celtica.
Nicholas Hardwick: Numismatist, Museum Curator and Honorary Associate, University of Sydney, Australia; specialist in ancient Greek coinage and related subjects in classical art and archaeology, author of papers on the coinage of Chios and Terone (ancient Torone).
Caroline Knight: Independent scholar, researcher and lecturer specialising in the architecture and history of Kensington Palace, the Cecils and Dutch and Flemish architects in Britain.
John Hargreaves: Retired Head of Humanities, Batley Girls’ High School; former President of the Halifax Antiquarian Society and editor of its Transactions, author of Halifax: the definitive history.
Kris Lockyear: Lecturer in Archaeology, UCL Institute of Archaeology; numismatist and specialist in the Roman archaeology of the Balkans and statistical applications in archaeology. Director of excavations at Noviodunum (Romania).
John Barnatt: Senior Survey Archaeologist for the Peak District National Park Authority and Conservation Officer for the Peak District Mines Historical Society, specialist in the archaeological landscapes of the Pennines and the Peak lead mines.

Newly elected Fellows: 11 October 2007 ballot

The Society is pleased to welcome the following, all of whom were elected as Fellows in the ballot held on 29 November 2007.

Simon Buteux, Research Fellow, University of Birmingham, former Director of the university’s field archaeology unit now running the National Ice Age Network and working on a new research framework for the British Palaeolithic.
Niall Brady, Director of the Medieval Rural Settlement Project, Discovery Programme, Dublin, who has published widely on medieval agrarian archaeology and medieval settlement.
Sheila Raven, Archaeological Research Assistant, Department of Continuing Education, manager of the current Marcham (Frilford) training excavation, assistant to Rupert Bruce-Mitford, editor and contributor to his Corpus of Late Celtic Hanging Bowls (2005).
Brigitte Bedos-Rezak, Professor of History, New York University, and a leading international authority on medieval European seals and their administrative, cultural and symbolic significance.
Michael Anderson, numismatic scholar with a detailed knowledge of the currency of South America, particularly the social and economic background and with special reference to the coinage of Ecuador.
Peter Didsbury, archaeologist, specialist in the Iron Age to post-medieval ceramics of East Yorkshire and the Humber region and a major contributor to Wharram Percy monographs.
Fred Scott Kleiner, Professor of Art History and Archaeology, Boston University, specialising in the study of Roman architecture and art, notably on imperial votive and triumphal arches, author of A History of Roman Art (2007) and Art and Politics in Imperial Rome (CUP, forthcoming).
Chris Gosden, Professor of European Archaeology, University of Oxford, author of important work on Pacific and European Prehistory, archaeological theory, and the archaeology of colonialism, currently leading a major AHRC-funded research project on British Iron Age art.
Ian Leith, photographer with the National Monuments Record, specialist in photographic history, and in the study and conservation of public sculpture through his work with the Public Monuments and Sculpture Association and the Sculpture Journal.
Friedrich Luth, Director, Romische-Germanishe Kommission of the Deutsches Archeologisches Institute, a leading authority on the north European Bronze Age, and has played a key role in the development of underwater archaeology in Germany.
Philip Freeman, University Lecturer, University of Liverpool, with a distinguished record of fieldwork in the UK, Jordan, Turkey and the Crimea, co-organizer of the Limes Congress in Jordan in 2000 and author/ editor of numerous publications.
Martin Bridge, University Lecturer and expert on the use of tree-ring widths as a means of dating historic timbers, author of numerous papers on dendrochronology in Medieval Archaeology and Vernacular Architecture.
Lucy Worsley, Chief Curator, Historic Royal Palaces, architectural historian, author of The Architectural Patronage of William Cavendish, first Duke of Newcastle, 1593 – 1676 (2004) and Cavalier: a biography of the household of William Cavendish, first Duke of Newcastle (2007).
Nicholas Stoodley, Archaeological Consultant and a specialist in early Anglo-Saxon archaeology, in particular in the fields of gender and the lifecycle.
Jeremy Haselock, Clerk in Holy Orders, Residentiary Canon, Precentor and Vice Dean of Norwich, specialising in medieval art and architecture, particularly medieval glass.
John Reay, Senior Manager, Bodleian Library, historian, writer and lecturer specialising in naval history, author of works on the Royal Navy in Catalonia during the Peninsular War, Nelson and the Admiralty.
Thomas Mannack, Reader in Classical Iconography, Beazley Archive, Oxford University, internationally recognised expert in Greek vase painting and director of the database published by the Beazley Archive.
Matthew Slocombe, Deputy Secretary, Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, architectural historian and the SPAB caseworker since 1991; previously caseworker for the Georgian Group.
Cyprian Broodbank, Senior Lecturer in Aegean Archaeology, Institute of Archaeology, director of the Kythera Island Project, with extensive publications on Aegean prehistory, especially An Island Archaeology of the Early Cyclades (CUP 2001).
Susan Hamilton, Reader in Later European Prehistory, Institute of Archaeology, specialist in landscape archaeology and in later British prehistory, especially ceramics, co-director of the Tavoliere-Gargano Prehistory Project, Southern Italy.
Stephen Bond, archaeologist and chartered building surveyor, joint course director of the postgraduate Conservation of the Historic Environment programme at the College of Estate Management, University of Reading.
Gabriele Cifani, Lecturer, University of Rome, specialist in archaic and mid-Republican architecture in Rome, patterns of settlement in central Italy and the Romanisation of North Africa.
David Wilson, Solicitor of the Supreme Court, Chartered Secretary, Director and Chief Executive, The Wordsworth Trust, author of seminal articles on 18th- and 19th-century art and history, particularly sculpture.
Madeleine Hummler, Reviews Editor, Antiquity, specialist in the European Iron Age and the prehistory of Sutton Hoo.
Robert Hunter, former Curator of Ceramics, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Collections, now editor of Ceramics in America, proprietor of Period Designs and author of numerous papers on early American ceramics.
Simon Buteux, Research Fellow, University of Birmingham, former Director of the university’s field archaeology unit now running the National Ice Age Network and working on a new research framework for the British Palaeolithic.
Niall Brady, Director of the Medieval Rural Settlement Project, Discovery Programme, Dublin, who has published widely on medieval agrarian archaeology and medieval settlement.
Sheila Raven, Archaeological Research Assistant, Department of Continuing Education, manager of the current Marcham (Frilford) training excavation, assistant to Rupert Bruce-Mitford, editor and contributor to his Corpus of Late Celtic Hanging Bowls (2005).
Brigitte Bedos-Rezak, Professor of History, New York University, and a leading international authority on medieval European seals and their administrative, cultural and symbolic significance.
Michael Anderson, numismatic scholar with a detailed knowledge of the currency of South America, particularly the social and economic background and with special reference to the coinage of Ecuador.
Peter Didsbury, archaeologist, specialist in the Iron Age to post-medieval ceramics of East Yorkshire and the Humber region and a major contributor to Wharram Percy monographs.
Fred Scott Kleiner, Professor of Art History and Archaeology, Boston University, specialising in the study of Roman architecture and art, notably on imperial votive and triumphal arches, author of A History of Roman Art (2007) and Art and Politics in Imperial Rome (CUP, forthcoming).
Chris Gosden, Professor of European Archaeology, University of Oxford, author of important work on Pacific and European Prehistory, archaeological theory, and the archaeology of colonialism, currently leading a major AHRC-funded research project on British Iron Age art.
Ian Leith, specialist in photographic history and in the study and conservation of public sculpture through his work with the National Monuments Record, the Public Monuments and Sculpture Association and the Sculpture Journal.
Friedrich Luth, Director, Romische-Germanishe Kommission of the Deutsches Archeologisches Institute, a leading authority on the north European Bronze Age, and has played a key role in the development of underwater archaeology in Germany.
Philip Freeman, University Lecturer, University of Liverpool, with a distinguished record of fieldwork in the UK, Jordan, Turkey and the Crimea, co-organizer of the Limes Congress in Jordan in 2000 and author/ editor of numerous publications.
Martin Bridge, University Lecturer and expert on the use of tree-ring widths as a means of dating historic timbers, author of numerous papers on dendrochronology in Medieval Archaeology and Vernacular Architecture.
Lucy Worsley, Chief Curator, Historic Royal Palaces, architectural historian, author of The Architectural Patronage of William Cavendish, first Duke of Newcastle, 1593 – 1676 (2004) and Cavalier: a biography of the household of William Cavendish, first Duke of Newcastle (2007).
Nicholas Stoodley, Archaeological Consultant and a specialist in early Anglo-Saxon archaeology, in particular in the fields of gender and the lifecycle.
Jeremy Haselock, Clerk in Holy Orders, Residentiary Canon, Precentor and Vice Dean of Norwich, specialising in medieval art and architecture, particularly medieval glass.
John Reay, Senior Manager, Bodleian Library, historian, writer and lecturer specialising in naval history, author of works on the Royal Navy in Catalonia during the Peninsular War, Nelson and the Admiralty.
Thomas Mannack, Reader in Classical Iconography, Beazley Archive, Oxford University, internationally recognised expert in Greek vase painting and director of the database published by the Beazley Archive.
Matthew Slocombe, Deputy Secretary, Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, architectural historian and the SPAB caseworker since 1991; previously caseworker for the Georgian Group.
Cyprian Broodbank, Senior Lecturer in Aegean Archaeology, Institute of Archaeology, director of the Kythera Island Project, with extensive publications on Aegean prehistory, especially An Island Archaeology of the Early Cyclades (CUP 2001).
Susan Hamilton, Reader in Later European Prehistory, Institute of Archaeology, specialist in landscape archaeology and in later British prehistory, especially ceramics, co-director of the Tavoliere-Gargano Prehistory Project, Southern Italy.
Stephen Bond, archaeologist and chartered building surveyor, joint course director of the postgraduate Conservation of the Historic Environment programme at the College of Estate Management, University of Reading.
Gabriele Cifani, Lecturer, University of Rome, specialist in archaic and mid-Republican architecture in Rome, patterns of settlement in central Italy and the Romanisation of North Africa.
David Wilson, Solicitor of the Supreme Court, Chartered Secretary, Director and Chief Executive, The Wordsworth Trust, author of seminal articles on 18th- and 19th-century art and history, particularly sculpture.
Madeleine Hummler, Reviews Editor, Antiquity, specialist in the European Iron Age and the prehistory of Sutton Hoo.
Robert Hunter, former Curator of Ceramics, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Collections, now editor of Ceramics in America, proprietor of Period Designs and author of numerous papers on early American ceramics.

Newly elected Fellows: 7 June 2007 ballot

The Society is pleased to welcome the following, all of whom were elected as Fellows in the ballot held on 29 November 2007.

Professor Doctor Johann Michael Fritz as Honorary Fellow (specialist in medieval and post-medieval silver and jewellery)
Susan Oosthuizen (Director for Community Education and Outreach at the University of Cambridge Institute of Continuing Education, Vice-Chair of the Universities' Association for Lifelong Learning and President of the Cambridge Antiquarian Society)
Revd Robin Griffith-Jones (Master of the Temple Church in London, New Testament scholar and historian of the early church)
John Arthur Davies (Chief Curator and Keeper of Archaeology within Norfolk Museums & Archaeology Service and a noted Roman coin specialist)
Birgitta Hoffmann (Honorary Research Associate at Liverpool University’s School of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology, and an expert on ancient, especially Roman, glass)
Mark Bowis (jewellery historian and Associate Director, Jewellery Department, Christie's)
Peter Charles Nicholas Stewart (Senior Lecture in Classical Art and its Heritage, Courtauld Institute, and specialist in ancient Roman art)
Simon Paul Burnell (archaeology and history editor and scholar in the field of Merovingian archaeology and history)
David Barrett (County Archaeologist for Derbyshire)
Alistair James Peter Campbell (medical practitioner with expertise in numismatics and silver whose important collection of Chester silver is on permanent loan at the Grosvenor Museum)
Ida Susanne Bangert (Research Assistant, Dept of Antiquities, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, working on the Leverhulme-funded Sir John Evans Centenary Project)
Heather Mary Jacqueline Jackson (Deputy Director of Excavations at Jebel Khalid on the Euphrates in northern Syria)
Stephen Edmund Dudley Fortescue (retired solicitor, local historian and Vice President of the Surrey Archaeological Society, for whom he was honorary legal adviser for many years)
Ian Patrick McClure (Director, Hamilton Kerr Institute, expert on the conservation of English medieval panel painting)
Thierry Crépin-Leblond (Director of the Musée National de la Renaissance, Château d'Ecouen, France, and a leading historian of French Renaissance art and architecture)
Susan Davina Mary Jenkins (Senior Curator, English Heritage, responsible for Apsley House and for curatorial research strategy)
Alan Thomas Howarth (Lord Howarth of Newport) (Minister for the Arts 1998–2001, Vice-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Archaeology Group, Vice-President of the All-Party Arts and Heritage Group)
Alexandra Katharina Maria Gajewski (independent scholar, specialist in the history of ecclesiastical architecture in Burgundy and Champagne 1100–1300, with a special interest in the Cistercians)
Jeremy Adam Ashbee (Head Properties Curator, English Heritage, and a specialist in castle studies)
Peter Michael Meadows (archivist and architectural historian, Under Librarian, Dept of Manuscripts, Cambridge University Library, since 1990, Keeper of the Ely Diocesan and Chapter Archives)
Adrian James Webb (Research Manager for UK Hydrographic Office Archives, member of the Council of the Naval Records Society and of the Somerset Archaeological and Record Societies)
Anthony Dudley Beckles Willson (independent scholar, authority on Alexander Pope’s life, in particular his contribution to garden history and landscape design)
Sabrina Harcourt-Smith (freelance art historian, research assistant to Sir Nikolaus Pevsner on several Buildings of England volumes, currently completing field work in Surrey for the Corpus of Romanesque Sculpture in Britain and Ireland)
Julian Marcus Luxford (University Lecturer, School of Art History, University of St Andrews, specialist in the art and architecture of English Benedictine monasteries 1300–1540)
Rose Cleary (archaeologist, University College, Cork, outstanding contributor to Irish archaeology, excavator of Lough Gur since 1977).

David Starkey launches Tercentenary lecture series

St James’s Church, Piccadilly, London, designed by Christopher Wren and consecrated in 1684 - just twenty-three years before the Society of Antiquaries was founded - was packed to capacity on 26 September 2007 when Fellow David Starkey gave a lecture on the them of 'The Antiquarian Endeavour', to launch the Society of Antiquaries' Tercentenary lecture series.

David reminded his audience that it was no coincidence that the Society of Antiquaries was formed in December 1707, in the same year that had, on 1 May, seen the Union of England and Scotland; scholars of the day were asking themselves ‘what is this new state called Britain, and what does its history look like?'. The Society was, for 150 years after its creation, the only body to take the British past seriously when the British Museum and the National Gallery treated Britain as a minor provincial diversion out of the great cultural highway of Europe. There were then no classifications of material into phased and dated typographies, no British Library, National Gallery or National Portrait Gallery: the Society acted as a universal repository and its Fellows began the process of naming, ordering and cataloguing the material past into the chronologies that we use today.

Commenting on the role of the antiquary today, he said that the Society was an evangelical body, standing up for the study of the past. 'It is the accumulated evidence of human skill and culture that we address', he said: 'Rootedness matters just as much as future destinations'.

‘Making History: Antiquaries in Britain, 1707—2007’

Royal Academicians, Fellows and distinguished guests from the worlds of heritage and culture thronged the Royal Academy’s exhibition rooms on 11 September for the official launch of the Society’s special Tercentenary exhibition. The Society’s Royal Patron, HRH The Duke of Gloucester (in the centre of the picture on the right) toured the exhibition with Royal Academy President, Sir Nicholas Grimshaw (far right) and the Royal Academy's new Secretary, Fellow Charles Saumarez Smith (back right) and said that the Society was one of the UK’s great institutions of learning and scholarship and praised its role in ‘transforming history from mush to precision’.

Our President, Geoff Wainwright (on the left), thanked all those who had contributed to the making of the exhibition and its splendid catalogue, 'the publication that our collections have always deserved but never achieved until now, doing full justice to a collection that is of immense significance in recording milestones in the discovery, interpretation and communication of Britain’s past.'

Geoff’s comments were echoed many times throughout the evening by guests astonished at the collection’s richness and diversity, and even those Fellows who could already claim familiarity with some of the paintings and objects saw them in an entirely new light, cleaned, conserved and displayed to great advantage in the splendid setting of the Royal Academy.