Christopher Charles Taylor, (7 November 1935 – 28 May 2021) was a British

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

and landscape historian. He was Head of Archaeological Survey for the

Royal Commission on Historical Monuments Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family or royalty Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, ...

(RCHM) from 1985 to 1993, having worked as an investigator for the RCHM since 1960.

Early life and education

Taylor was born at

Lichfield Lichfield () is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in Staffordshire, England. Lichfield is situated south-east of the county town of Stafford, north-east of Walsall, north-west of ...

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...

, to agricultural engineer Richard Taylor and shopkeeper Alice (née Davis). He was educated at King Edward VI School, Lichfield, then at the University College of North Staffordshire (now

Keele University Keele University is a Public university#United Kingdom, public research university in Keele, approximately from Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England. Founded in 1949 as the University College of North Staffordshire, it was granted uni ...

), where he graduated in history and geography in 1958. Having worked whilst a student for the commission on archaeological fieldwork (later part of

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, a battlefield, medieval castles, Roman forts, historic industrial sites, Lis ...

), he took a diploma in prehistory from the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

before beginning work for the Commission full-time in 1960.

Career

In 1960, Taylor joined the Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (RCHM) as an investigator. He was subsequently promoted to senior investigator and then principal investigator. From 1985, until he retired in 1993, he served as head of

archaeological survey In archaeology, survey or field survey is a type of field research by which archaeologists (often Landscape archaeology, landscape archaeologists) search for archaeological sites and collect information about the location, distribution and organi ...

for the RCHM. Taylor was a landscape archaeologist, specialising in interpreting earthworks. In the 1980s, he led the survey and interpretation of the earthworks around

Bodiam Castle Bodiam Castle () is a 14th-century moated castle near Robertsbridge in East Sussex, England. It was built in 1385 by Sir Edward Dalyngrigge, a former knight of Edward III of England, Edward III, with the permission of Richard II of England, R ...

in Sussex. The work revealed that the landscape had been carefully adapted to shape how visitors experienced that castle, and contributed to a historiographical change interpreting castles as residences as well as fortifications.

Personal life

In 1961, Taylor married Angela Ballard (died 1983). They had a son and a daughter. In 1985, he married secondly Stephanie Ault (née Spooner). Taylor died on 28 May 2021, aged 85.

Honours

Taylor was an elected

Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London The Society of Antiquaries of London (SAL) is a learned society of historians and archaeologists in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1707, received its royal charter in 1751 and is a Charitable organization, registered charity. It is based ...

(FSA). In 1995, he was elected a

Fellow of the British Academy Fellowship of the British Academy (post-nominal letters FBA) is an award granted by the British Academy to leading academics for their distinction in the humanities and social sciences. The categories are: # Fellows – scholars resident in t ...

(FBA), the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and social sciences. In 2013, he was awarded the John Coles Medal for Landscape Archaeology by the British Academy.

Selected works

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Christopher 1935 births 2021 deaths 20th-century British archaeologists Landscape historians Historians of the British Isles Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London Fellows of the British Academy Alumni of Keele University Alumni of the University of London People educated at King Edward VI School, Lichfield People from Lichfield