Name Rosemary Cramp | ||
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Books Wearmouth And Jarrow Monastic Sites |
Meet the archaeologist rosemary cramp
Dame Rosemary Jean Cramp, (born 6 May 1929) is a British archaeologist and academic specialising in the Anglo-Saxons. She was the first female professor appointed at Durham University and was Professor of Archaeology from 1971 to 1990. She served as President of the Society of Antiquaries of London from 2001 to 2004.
Contents
- Meet the archaeologist rosemary cramp
- Early life and education
- Academic career
- Honours
- Selected works
- References
Early life and education
Cramp was born on 6 May 1929 in Cranoe, Leicestershire, England. She grew up on her father's farm in Leicestershire. She was educated at Market Harborough Grammar, a grammar school in Market Harborough, Leicestershire.
Cramp went on to study English language and literature at St Anne's College, University of Oxford. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree; as per tradition, her BA was later promoted to Master of Arts (MA Oxon) degree. She remained at St Anne's to complete a postgraduate Bachelor of Letters (BLitt) degree in 1950; her thesis concerned the relevance of archaeological evidence in relation to Old English poetry.
Academic career
Cramp began her academic career at her alma mater, the University of Oxford. She was a fellow and tutor of English at St Anne's College, Oxford, from 1950 to 1955.
In 1955, she moved to Durham University as a lecturer in archaeology. The Department of Archaeology was officially created the following year, in 1956, and specialised in Roman and Anglo-Saxon archaeology. She was promoted to senior lecturer in 1966. She became the first female professor at Durham University when she was appointed Professor of Archaeology in 1971. She retired in 1990 and was appointed Professor Emerita. In 1992, she was a visiting fellow at All Souls College, Oxford.
Outside of her university work, she has held a number of voluntary positions. From 1975 to 1999, she served as a member of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. She was a Trustee of the British Museum between 1978 and 1998. From 1984 to 1989, she was a member of the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England (also known a Historic England). She served as Chairwoman of the Archaeology Data Service from 1996 to 2001.
Cramp has held a number of senior appointments within academic organisations. She was President of the Council for British Archaeology from 1989 to 1992, and has been an Honorary Vice-President since 1992. She was President of the Society for Church Archaeology from 1996 to 2000. From 1992 to 1997, she was Vice-President of the Royal Archaeological Institute. She was President of the Society of Antiquaries of London from 2001 to 2004.
Honours
On 8 January 1959, Cramp was elected Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London (FSA). In 2006, she was elected Fellow of the British Academy (FBA). In 2008, she was awarded the Gold Medal of the Society of Antiquaries of London; it is awarded "for distinguished services to archaeology".
In 1987, Cramp was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). In the 2011 Queen's Birthday Honours, she was promoted to Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) 'for services to scholarship'.
She has been awarded a number of honorary degrees. She was awarded Honorary Doctor of Science degrees by Durham University in 1995 and by the University of Bradford in July 2002. She was awarded Honorary Doctor of Letters degrees by University College Cork in June 2003 and the University of Leicester in 2004.
A Festschrift was published in Cramp's honour in 2001. It was titled Image and Power in the Archaeology of Early Medieval Britain: Essays in Honour of Rosemary Cramp, and was edited by Helena Hamerow and Arthur MacGregor. Contributors included Nancy Edwards and Martin Carver.