Charles S. T. Calder
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Charles S. T. Calder (March 1891 – December 1972) was a Scottish archaeologist who undertook extensive explorations from the 1920s to 1950s. He is best known for his explorations of
Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...
cairns and buildings in
Shetland Shetland (until 1975 spelled Zetland), also called the Shetland Islands, is an archipelago in Scotland lying between Orkney, the Faroe Islands, and Norway, marking the northernmost region of the United Kingdom. The islands lie about to the ...
in the 1940s and 1950s, although his contribution to the investigative work and publications of RCAHMS during a period of over 40 years service cannot be overstated.


Early years

Charles Shaw Tyrie Calder was born on 1 March 1891 in Forfar, and trained as an architect. In 1914 he joined the
Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) was an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government that was "sponsored" inanced and with oversightthrough Historic Scotland, an executive ...
(RCAHMS). Calder joined the Royal Engineers Territorial Force towards the end of
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. He enlisted on 30 March 1918 and probably trained at
Newark-on-Trent Newark-on-Trent () or Newark is a market town and civil parish in the Newark and Sherwood district in Nottinghamshire, England. It is on the River Trent, and was historically a major inland port. The A1 road (Great Britain), A1 road bypasses th ...
, Southwell, and
the Curragh The Curragh ( ; ) is a flat open plain in County Kildare, Ireland. This area is well known for horse breeding and training. The Irish National Stud is on the edge of Kildare town, beside the Irish National Stud#The Japanese Gardens, Japane ...
in Ireland. He saw some active service in France and Flanders with the 529th (East Riding) Field Company, Royal Engineers, although most of the fighting was over. He was promoted to Lieutenant on 30 September 1919, and soon after was demobilised.


Archaeologist

From the mid-1920s through to the outbreak of
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Calder was active in the resurgence of studies of Neolithic sites in Scotland as Investigator in the RCAHMS, as were
V. Gordon Childe Vere Gordon Childe (14 April 189219 October 1957) was an Australian archaeologist who specialised in the study of European prehistory. He spent most of his life in the United Kingdom, working as an academic for the University of Edinburgh and ...
,
Walter Gordon Grant Walter may refer to: People and fictional characters * Walter (name), including a list of people and fictional and mythical characters with the given name or surname * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–19 ...
and J Graham Callander, Keeper of the National Museum of Antiquities. By 1931 he had become an Associate of the Edinburgh Architectural Association. In the 1930s he excavated two
Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...
roundhouses on the
Calf of Eday The Calf of Eday (; ) is an uninhabited island in Orkney, Scotland, lying north east of Eday. It is known for its wildlife and its prehistoric ruins. History There is a Neolithic chambered cairn in the southwest overlooking Calf Sound, which s ...
, with the help of local men. He excavated other sites on Eday and the Calf of Eday in the late 1930s and prepared the first complete description of the
Dwarfie Stane The Dwarfie Stane is a megalithic chambered tomb carved out of a titanic block of Devonian Old Red Sandstone located in a steep-sided glaciated valley between the settlements of Quoys and Rackwick on Hoy, Orkney, Hoy, an island in Orkney, Scotlan ...
on
Hoy Hoy may refer to: People Given name * Hoy Menear (died 2023), American politician * Hoy Phallin (born 1995), Cambodian footballer * Hoy Wong (1920–2009), American bartender Surname * Hoy (surname), a Scottish and Irish surname * Hà ...
. World War II began in 1939. In 1940 Calder conducted an emergency excavation of a broch in
Caithness Caithness (; ; ) is a Shires of Scotland, historic county, registration county and Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area of Scotland. There are two towns, being Wick, Caithness, Wick, which was the county town, and Thurso. The count ...
before it was destroyed to make way for the new airport of
RAF Skitten Royal Air Force Skitten or more simply RAF Skitten is a former Royal Air Force List of former Royal Air Force stations, satellite station directly east of the village of Killimster, located north east of Watten, Highland, Watten, Caithness, Sco ...
. He found a saddle quern, grain rubbers, dishes, knocking stones, pivot stones, anvils, tether stones, pot lids, pounders and smoothing stones, a pestle and a whorl. There were also fragments of circular querns dating after the Roman period. On 14 January 1941 it was noted that Calder had relinquished his rank as Lieutenant on enlistment into the ranks. The war ended in 1945. In 1949 it was noted that he had retired from the Territorial Army with the rank of Lieutenant (Honorary Captain). In 1946 Calder was appointed senior investigator by the RCAHMS, and in 1951 principal investigator. He found, excavated and recorded many Neolithic sites in Shetland including the Stanydale Temple on
Mainland, Shetland The Mainland is the main island of Shetland, Scotland. The island contains Shetland's only burgh, Lerwick, and is the centre of Shetland's ferry and air connections. Geography It has an area of , making it the third-largest Scottish island a ...
, houses and cairns in
Whalsay Whalsay ( or ''Hvals-øy'', meaning 'Whale Island') is the sixth largest of the Shetland Islands in the north of Scotland. Geography Whalsay, also known as "The Bonnie Isle", is a peat-covered island in the Shetland Islands. It is situated ea ...
, and the
Sae Breck SAE or Sae may refer to: Science, technology, and medicine : * Selective area epitaxy, local growth of epitaxial layer through a patterned dielectric mask deposited on a semiconductor substrate * Sepsis-associated encephalopathy, neurological co ...
broch In archaeology, a broch is an British Iron Age, Iron Age drystone hollow-walled structure found in Scotland. Brochs belong to the classification "complex Atlantic roundhouse" devised by Scottish archaeologists in the 1980s. Brochs are round ...
in
Esha Ness Esha Ness, also written Eshaness, is a peninsula on the west coast of Northmavine, on the island of Mainland, Shetland, Scotland. Esha Ness Lighthouse is located on the west coast of the peninsula, just south of Calder's Geo. The lighthouse was ...
. Calder explored the Stanydale site in 1949. He thought it was a temple, and the name "Stanydale Temple" has stuck. He thought the design originated from Mediterranean temples. He saw a strong resemblance to these structures, saying, "it is almost impossible not to assume that the Maltese temples are the prototypes from which Stanydale is derived and which solve the question of its purpose." He excavated the
Standing Stones of Yoxie The Standing Stones of Yoxie is a Neolithic site in the parish of Nesting on the northeastern coast of Whalsay, in the Shetland islands of Scotland. It is located approximately to the southeast of Benie Hoose, not far from the steep cliffs of ...
and the nearby
Benie Hoose Benie Hoose, also Bunyie Hoose, is a Neolithic site in the parish of Nesting, northeastern Whalsay, in the Shetland Islands of Scotland. It is located approximately to the northwest of the Standing Stones of Yoxie, and about southeast of the ...
in
Whalsay Whalsay ( or ''Hvals-øy'', meaning 'Whale Island') is the sixth largest of the Shetland Islands in the north of Scotland. Geography Whalsay, also known as "The Bonnie Isle", is a peat-covered island in the Shetland Islands. It is situated ea ...
, interpreting the Yoxie structure as a temple similar to Stanydale and Benie Hoose as a house that may have been used by the priests. Calder worked in a period before the
Radiocarbon dating Radiocarbon dating (also referred to as carbon dating or carbon-14 dating) is a method for Chronological dating, determining the age of an object containing organic material by using the properties of carbon-14, radiocarbon, a radioactive Isotop ...
technique had been discovered. He was forced to rely on comparison with other buildings, sometimes distant, to estimate ages. His comparison of the Staneydale Temple to Maltese structures, then thought to be from the Bronze Age, is an example. With more accurate tools at the archaeologist's disposal, this is no longer considered a valid approach. Calder retired in 1960. He died in December 1972.


Bibliography

* * *Calder, C. (1961). Excavations in Whalsay, Shetland, 1954–55. ''Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland'', ''94'', 28–45. Retrieved from http://journals.socantscot.org/index.php/psas/article/view/8603


References

Citations Sources * * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Calder, Charles S. T. 1891 births 1972 deaths Scottish archaeologists Place of birth missing British Army personnel of World War I British Army personnel of World War II Royal Engineers officers