Geoffrey John Wainwright, (19 September 1937 – 6 March 2017) was a British archaeologist specialising in
prehistory
Prehistory, also called pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the first known use of stone tools by hominins million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use ...
. He was the Chief Archaeologist 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 ...
from 1989 to 1999, and visiting professor to a number of universities. He served as president of the
Prehistoric Society from 1981 to 1985 and 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 ...
from 2007 to 2010.
Early life and education
Wainwright was born on 19 September 1937 in
Angle
In Euclidean geometry, an angle can refer to a number of concepts relating to the intersection of two straight Line (geometry), lines at a Point (geometry), point. Formally, an angle is a figure lying in a Euclidean plane, plane formed by two R ...
, Pembrokeshire, Wales.
He was educated at Pembroke Dock
Grammar School
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a Latin school, school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented Se ...
.
He studied archaeology at the
University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire in
Cardiff
Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...
, and graduated with a
first class Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1958.
He undertook
postgraduate research
Postgraduate research represents a formal area of study that is recognized by a university or institute of higher learning. The notion of "postgraduate" refers to studies following a undergraduate degree. Postgraduate research either occurs within ...
in "the Mesolithic cultures of south-west Wales" at the
Institute of Archaeology,
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 ...
,
completing his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in 1961.
Career
From 1961 to 1963, Wainwright was professor of
environmental archaeology
Environmental archaeology is a sub-field of archaeology which emerged in the 1970s and is the science of reconstructing the relationships between past societies and the environments they lived in. The field represents an archaeological-palaeoec ...
at the
University of Baroda in India.
He then joined the Inspectorate of Ancient Monuments in what was to become
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 ...
, serving as an inspector from 1963 to 1980, a principal inspector from 1980 to 1990, and as Chief Archaeologist from 1989 to 1999.
He was a visiting professor at the
University of Southampton
The University of Southampton (abbreviated as ''Soton'' in post-nominal letters) is a public university, public research university in Southampton, England. Southampton is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universit ...
from 1991, and was a visiting professor at the
UCL Institute of Archaeology from 1995 to 2005.
Wainwright was involved in his first
excavation as a university student: this was a
Mesolithic
The Mesolithic (Ancient Greek language, Greek: μέσος, ''mesos'' 'middle' + λίθος, ''lithos'' 'stone') or Middle Stone Age is the Old World archaeological period between the Upper Paleolithic and the Neolithic. The term Epipaleolithic i ...
settlement at
Freshwater West, Pembrokeshire, Wales. In 1965, he excavated an entire
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 ...
settlement in
Tollard Royal, Wiltshire: unusually for the time, and with "consternation from traditional archaeologists", he used a
JCB digger to clear the
topsoil
Topsoil is the upper layer of soil. It has the highest concentration of organic matter and microorganisms and is where most of the Earth's biological soil activity occurs.
Description
Topsoil is composed of mineral particles and organic mat ...
. He used the same technique at more Iron Age sites and also at some late Neolithic
henges
A henge can be one of three related types of Neolithic Earthworks (archaeology), earthwork. The essential characteristic of all three is that they feature a ring-shaped bank and ditch, with the ditch inside the bank. Because the internal ditches ...
.
In 1966, he excavated
Durrington Walls, and he found two
timber circles. In 1972, he excavated the Iron Age settlement at
Gussage All Saints, Dorset.
Later life
In retirement, Wainwright lived in
Pontfaen, Pembrokeshire, Wales.
He died at home on 6 March 2017, aged 79.
His funeral was held on 20 March at the Parc Gwyn Crematorium in
Narberth, Pembrokeshire.
Personal life
Wainwright was first married to Sue Lukes and they had three children.
Having divorced Sue, he married Judith Paton in 1977.
Honours
In the 1991
New Year Honours
The New Year Honours is a part of the British honours system, with New Year's Day, 1 January, being marked by naming new members of orders of chivalry and recipients of other official honours. A number of other Commonwealth realms also mark this ...
, Wainwright was appointed
Member of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
(MBE) in recognition of his services as Principal Inspector of Ancient Monuments for English Heritage.
In 2006, he was awarded the
Grahame Clark Medal for Prehistoric Archaeology by the
British Academy
The British Academy for the Promotion of Historical, Philosophical and Philological Studies is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences.
It was established in 1902 and received its royal charter in the sa ...
.
On 2 March 1967, he was 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 2011, he was elected
Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales (FLSW).
He was also a
Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA).
Selected works
*
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wainwright, Geoffrey
1937 births
2017 deaths
British archaeologists
Welsh prehistorians
Members of the Order of the British Empire
Fellows of the Learned Society of Wales
Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London
Presidents of the Society of Antiquaries of London
People from Pembrokeshire
Academic staff of Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda
Recipients of the Grahame Clark Medal