Stanley Gregory Beckensall is an international

rock art In archaeology, rock arts are human-made markings placed on natural surfaces, typically vertical stone surfaces. A high proportion of surviving historic and prehistoric rock art is found in caves or partly enclosed rock shelters; this type al ...

expert. He was the first male graduate of

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 ...

^{'' ource? Contradicts linked page. '}. He was a Station Education Officer in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

, on

National Service National service is a system of compulsory or voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act ...

. He became head of

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

at Ifield Grammar School, Crawley New Town,

Sussex Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...

. He was head of English in a large comprehensive school in

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

for two years. Afterwards, he moved to

Northumberland Northumberland ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England, on the Anglo-Scottish border, border with Scotland. It is bordered by the North Sea to the east, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south, Cumb ...

to train teachers at

Alnwick Alnwick ( ) is a market town in Northumberland, England, of which it is the traditional county town. The population at the 2011 Census was 8,116. The town is south of Berwick-upon-Tweed and the Scottish border, inland from the North Sea ...

College of Education. He was later head teacher of two Northumberland schools, and was chairman of the Northumberland Teachers of Drama Association. He had written and produced many plays for young people and adults, two of which were broadcast on

BBC Radio Newcastle BBC Radio Newcastle is the Local BBC Radio, BBC's local radio station serving Newcastle upon Tyne, the neighbouring metropolitan boroughs, Northumberland and north east County Durham. It broadcasts on frequency modulation, FM, Digital Audio Br ...

, though he remains most famous for his writings on Prehistoric Rock Art. He has appeared on British television and in other British media many times. But his passion in life has remained

prehistoric 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 o ...

rock art. In May 2004, Stan Beckensall was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the

University of Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle University (legally the University of Newcastle upon Tyne) is a public university, public research university based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It has overseas campuses in Singapore and Malaysia. The university is a red brick un ...

for his contribution to the study of British rock art. In 2005 on the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

colloquium on world rock art, he represented

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

. In 2006, his website was awarded the Channel Four television ICT British Archaeological Award. He was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the

2019 New Year Honours The 2019 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebrati ...

for services to Prehistoric Rock Art and History in Britain.

List of published works

* The Prehistoric Carved Rocks of Northumberland (1974) * Northumberland place-names (1975) * Life and Death in Prehistoric Northumberland (1976) * Northumberland's Prehistoric Rock Carvings (1983) * Rock Carvings of Northern Britain (August 1986) *

Hexham Hexham ( ) is a market town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, on the south bank of the River Tyne, formed by the confluence of the North Tyne and the South Tyne at Warden nearby, and close to Hadrian's Wall. Hexham was the administra ...

, History Beneath Our Feet (1991) * Prehistoric Motifs of Northumberland Vol. 1 (1991) * Prehistoric Motifs of Northumberland Vol. 2 (1992) *

Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders the Scottish council areas of Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders to the north, Northumberland and County Durham to the east, North Yorkshire to the south-east, Lancash ...

n Prehistoric Rock Art (1992) * The Spindelstone Dragon (*) (1993) * Life and Death in the Prehistoric North (1994) * Shepherds, Rogues and Angels (*) (1995) * Prehistoric Rock Art of

County Durham County Durham, officially simply Durham, is a ceremonial county in North East England.UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. The county borders Northumberland and Tyne an ...

Swaledale Swaledale is a valley in North Yorkshire, England. It is one of the Yorkshire Dales, which are part of the Pennines, and within the Yorkshire Dales National Park. It is named after the River Swale, which runs through it. Swaledale is the mo ...

and Wensleydale (1998) * Prehistoric Rock Art in Northumberland (Oct 2001) * British Prehistoric Rock Art (Aug 2002) * Prehistoric Rock Art in Cumbria (Jun 2002) * Prehistoric Northumberland (Mar 2003) * Northumberland, Shadows of the Past (Jul 2005) * The Prehistoric Rock Art of

Kilmartin Kilmartin (, meaning "church of Màrtainn") is a small village in Argyll and Bute, western Scotland. It is best known as the centre of Kilmartin Glen, an area with one of the richest concentrations of prehistoric monuments and historical sit ...

(2005) * Place Names and Field names of Northumberland (Feb 2006) * Circles in Stone: a British Prehistoric Mystery (Oct 2006) * Hexham, A History and Guide (2007) * Northumberland from the air (2008) Unquiet grave. A novel (2008) Powdene, Newcastle* Northumberland's Hidden History (2009), Amberley
Prehistoric Rock Art in Britain (2009), Amberley
Northumberland Viewpoints (2010), Amberley
Empire Halts Here: Viewing the heart of Hadrian's Wall (2010), Amberley
Coastal castles of Northumberland (2011), Amberley
Hills and Valleys of Northumberland (2012), Amberley
Hexham Through Time (2012), Amberley
Northumberland Churches (2013), Amberley
Northumberland Prehistoric Rock Art 3rd printing (2014), The History Press
Forthcoming in 2014: Northumberland: a Celebration, Fonthill Media, Stroud
Pilgrimage: a tour of Northumberland in pictures and poems, Fonthill (*) Non fiction writings; plays.

References

External links

Northumberland Rock Art
a photo archive of Beckensall's studies. {{DEFAULTSORT:Beckensall, Stan Prehistoric art Alumni of Keele University Living people Members of the Order of the British Empire Year of birth missing (living people)

List of published works

References

Further reading

External links