In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, digging up prehistoric graves was a popular leisure activity for gentlemen, who destroyed much important evidence in their hunt for ancient treasures. However, men such as William Stukeley in the 1720s, and General Pitt-Rivers in the 1890s carried out their work in a much more professional manner, and their story and legacy is described here. With individual chapters on Yorkshire, Derbyshire and the Peak District, Wiltshire, Dorset and Cornwall.

The Early Barrow Diggers

History

Marsden, Barry M.

Europe

Tempus Publishing Ltd.

In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries barrow digging became a field sport for local squires and parsons. Their desire for decorative relics led them to plunder the graves of their prehistoric ancestors. With a few notable exceptions their methods were lamentable: their workmen recklessly destroyed remains and pottery, and few made accurate records. What was most horrifying was the speed at which they worked  -  one individual digging over 30 barrows in a day and 9 in the space of two hours! Against this background it is perhaps amazing that any idea of the importance of recording provenance and context developed at all. But, in this fascinating survey of early field archaeology in Britain, Barry Marsden is able to highlight the careers and methods of the more responsible barrow diggers  -  from the first excavations of William Stukeley in the 1720s to the more orderly and painstaking work of the main nineteenth-century practitioners, concluding with the exemplary operations of Lt. General Pitt Rivers in the 1880s and 1890s. This substantially expanded and re-illustrated edition of a classic work that has been unavailable for many years has individual chapters on Yorkshire, Derbyshire and the Peak district, Wiltshire, Dorset and Cornwall.

Early Barrow Diggers

The History Press

The early barrow-diggers

Noyes Press

Portraits of Heroes: Derbyshire Fighter Pilots in the Second World War

Biographies & Memoirs

Leaders & Notable People

Amberley Publishing

This work follows the First World War career of Captain (later wing commander) Edwin Swale, CBE DFC and bar, who served with 210 Squadron RAF, piloting Sopwith Camel scouts between March and October 1918. During this timeframe, he destroyed seventeen enemy aircraft, the majority being the formidable Fokker DV11. He undertook a series of perilous operations, including patrols, bombing and strafing missions and bomber escorts. After the cessation of hostilities, he continued his flying career by piloting gliders over his native Derbyshire. He rejoined the RAF during the Second World War and ended the conflict as an intelligence officer in charge of Ultra operations with the 2nd TAF. His son Duncan also served in the RAF during the Second World War, flying low-level intruder operations in de Havilland Mosquitoes and earning a DFC and a US DFC. Swale also gave noted service to his native Chesterfield as a councillor, alderman, mayor and JP.This is his story, told in full and thrilling detail.

Camel Combat Ace: The Great War Flying Career of Edwin Swale CBE OBE DFC*

Pen and Sword Aviation

This work draws together a series of pen-portraits of some 40 individuals who helped shape the foundations of English prehistoric and later study, mainly during the 18th and 19th centuries. They represented a diverse cross-section of contemporary society including army officers, churchmen, country squires and gentry, suicides, bankrupts, a probable illegitimate Royal, farmers, tradesmen, plus a scion of the nobility and a superintendent of a 'lunatic asylum.' The list is of necessity subjective, as it seemed necessary, wherever possible, to have an image of each individual. As well as portraits, short biographies of each person are embellished with appropriate illustrations, including digs, artifacts, archaeological sites and some of their more interesting tombs, together with other images connected with their activities. The work will hopefully stand as an instructive and entertaining 'who's-who' of these early activists, together with an assessment of their importance in the study of the origins of English archaeology.

Prehistoric Pathfinders: Pioneers of English Archaeology

Ancient Civilizations

Fonthill Media

This guide, designed primarily for the `amateur travelling by car', provides a well-illustrated snapshot of the Palaeolithic to Roman period in Britain. Almost three hundred colour photographs of sites, places and finds, are accompanied by Barry Marsden's commentary on the history of the prehistoric and Roman people and culture of Britain.

Exploring Prehistoric and Roman England

Greenlight Publishing

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Books by Marsden, Barry M.