Stanley Gregory Beckensall is an international

rock art In archaeology, rock art is 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 also ...

expert. He was the first male graduate of Keele University^{'' ource? Contradicts linked page. '}. He was a Station Education Officer in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

, on

National Service National service is the system of 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 1939. The l ...

. He became head of

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

at Ifield Grammar School, Crawley New Town,

Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...

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

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

for two years. Afterwards, he moved to

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land on ...

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 on the south bank of the River Aln, south of Berwick-upon-Tweed and the Scottish bor ...

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, 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 known as pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the use of the first stone tools by hominins 3.3 million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use of ...

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 UK public research university based in Newcastle upon Tyne, North East England. It has overseas campuses in Singapore and Malaysia. The university is a red brick univer ...

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

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

colloquium on world rock art, he represented

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

. 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 celebratio ...

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 parishes in England, 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, Northumberland, Warden nearby, and ...

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

Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England, bordering Scotland. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumb ...

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,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly �About North East E ...

, Swaledale 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 (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