Dr Hugh Willmott
BA Hons., MA, PhD (Dunelm), FSA, MCIfA
School of History, Philosophy and Digital Humanities
Senior Lecturer in European Historical Archaeology
Archaeological Advisor to the Diocese of 91Ö±²¥
+44114 222 2940
Full contact details
School of History, Philosophy and Digital Humanities
C09
Minalloy House
10-16 Regent Street
91Ö±²¥
S1 3NJ
- Profile
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I studied medieval and early modern archaeology at the University of Durham, completing my PhD in 1999. After a brief period working in commercial archaeology, I was appointed a lecturer in archaeology at 91Ö±²¥ in 2004 and promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2010.
My research interests lie in the medieval and early modern periods and the archaeology of monasticism. Fieldwork is at the core of my work and I have directed a number of notable research and student training excavations: West Halton (2003-9), Monk Bretton Priory (2010), Thornton Abbey (2011-16), Little Carlton (2016-17), Scremby (2017-19), Crowland (2022-23) and Cerne Abbey (2023-present).
- Qualifications
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PhD
MA (by research) Archaeology
BA (Hons) Archaeology
- Research interests
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A key focus of my recent work has been the archaeology of the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Between 2011-16 I undertook a major survey and excavation project centred on the well-preserved monastic enclosure at Thornton Abbey, Lincolnshire, a site converted into an early modern estate by several successive families of wealthy landowners. I recently published a book on the which was the first-ever comprehensive archaeological treatment of the topic. This work was shortlisted for Book of the Year in the .
I have also undertaken extensive excavation on early Christian settlements in England. I led the survey and excavation of the Anglo-Saxon marshland settlement at . This research identified Little Carlton as a nationally important, high-status, early Christian site occupied between c. AD 650-780 and the project was shortlisted as Research Project of the Year in the . I also co-directed excavations with (Newcastle University) at , the location of the hermitage founded by St Guthlac in AD 699. With (Bournemouth University), I have also published the Saxon glass working evidence from Raleigh Radford's 1950s excavations at .
My fieldwork has sometimes also resulted in some expected discoveries. My excavations at Thornton Abbey revealed the remains of a , which was the first to have been found in a rural setting and one of less than half a dozen known nationally. In 2018, I undertook a rescue excavation, on behalf of Historic England, of an early , and subsequently led the research and publication of this exceptional burial.My current fieldwork, in collaboration with (University of Oxford) is a multidisciplinary landscape and excavation project focusing on the Anglo-Saxon and later medieval monastery at .
- Publications
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Books
- The Dissolution of the Monasteries in England and Wales. 91Ö±²¥: Equinox Publishing Ltd..
Journal articles
- . Applied Spectroscopy.
- . European Journal of Archaeology.
- . Journal of Field Archaeology.
- Anglo-Saxon ivory: exploring exotic artefacts from Scremby’s early medieval cemetery. Current Archaeology, 399.
- . Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 49.
- . Church Archaeology, 21, 33-52.
- Buried in the Bronze Age: unearthing a rare log coffin in Lincolnshire. Current Archaeology, 380.
- . Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 39.
- . Antiquaries Journal, 101, 181-212.
- . Journal of Anatomy, 238(1), 185-212.
- . Antiquity, 94(373), 179-196.
- Glaziers and the removal, recycling, and replacement of windows during the Reformation in England. Church Archaeology, 19, 45-52.
- . Archaeological Journal, 177(1), 336-355.
- . Yorkshire Archaeological Journal, 88(1), 121-150.
- .
Chapters
- The other finds, A Vanishing Landscape: Archaeological Investigations at Blakeney Eye, Norfolk (pp. 206-207).
- In Gerrard C & Gutierrez A (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Later Medieval Archaeology OUP
- , West Country Households, 1500-1700 (pp. 321-338). Boydell and Brewer
- Saxon Glass Furnaces In Gilchrist R & Greene C (Ed.), Glastonbury Abbey: archaeological investigations 1904-79 (pp. 218-238). London: Society of Antiquaries of London.
- Table glass in the West Country home, c. 1500-1700 In Allan J, Alcock N & Dawson D (Ed.), West Country Households, 1500-1700 (pp. 321-338). Woodbridge: Boydell Press.
Conference proceedings papers
- The Neolithic Reorganization: A Preliminary Synthesis of Paleodemography from Neolithic Age to Iron Age in Northern China. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Vol. 183 (pp 167-167)
- Using lasers to investigate the chemistry of archaeological human bones. JOURNAL OF ANATOMY, Vol. 238(1) (pp 208-208)
- The Dissolution of the Monasteries in England and Wales. 91Ö±²¥: Equinox Publishing Ltd..
- Research group
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Hugh is interested in supervising research students who have an interest in historical archaeology and/or material culture studies.
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Current Research Students
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Primary or co-supervisor
- Samuel Bromage (Co-supervised with Dr Kate Giles, University of York)- An Archaeology of the Dissolution of Urban Religious Houses in Yorkshire and its Impact on the Early Post-Medieval Townscape (WRoCAH)
- Emma Hook- An archaeological and osteological investigation of the medieval hospital cemetery in England and Wales (WRCoAH)
- Kathryn Libby- Metalworking and identity in Early Medieval Lindsey
- Cait Scott- The Evolution of Audley End (AHRC CDP)
Second Supervisor
- Angela Maccarinelli - The social and economic role of freshwater fish in medieval England (WRCoAH)
- David Montgomery - Glass Imports to China on the Silk Road during the Han and Six Dynasties (WRCoAH)
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Completed PhD Students
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Primary Supervisor
- Rachel Askew - The social role of material culture in Civil War period castles (2013)
- Francesca Breeden - An archaeological study of the medieval Charterhouses of the English Province (2018)
- Alex Cassels - Dress accessories in England AD 1200-1500, an archaeological study of consumption (2014)
- Courtenay-Elle Crichton-Turley - The application of structure-from-motion 3D modeling in material culture studies (2018)
- Claire Finn - The material culture of drinking in the 17th-century Dutch Republic (2014)
- Samantha Garwood - Cross cultural exchange in the post-medieval Adriatic: An examination of glass artefacts from the 15th through mid 18th centuries (2017)
- Charlotte Howsam - Book fittings and fixtures: an archaeology of medieval literacy (2016)
- Martin Huggon- The Archaeology of the Medieval Hospitals of England and Wales, 1066-1546 (2018)
- Freya Massey - Ritual practices and special deposits in vernacular housing of the post-medieval period (2014)
- Greig Parker - The material environment and the formulation of social identity amongst Huguenot communities in London (2011)
- Peter Townend - An Archaeological Study of the Monastic Order of the Gilbertines (2017)
- Verónica Velasquez Sánchez-Hidalgo - Maiolica and the construction of ideologies in New Spain (2015)
Second Supervisor
- Tamsyn Fraser - Investigating animal husbandry practices through the analysis of animal remains from medieval to modern times (2020)
- Lenny Salvagno - The neglected goat: a methodological approach to the understanding of the role of this species in English medieval husbandry (2016)
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- Teaching activities
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Undergraduate
- HST2115 - Archaeology of the Later Medieval Church
Postgraduate
- HST420 - Culture in Society in Later Middle Ages
- HST411 - Funerary Archaeology
- HST413 - Heritage Museum and Field: Archaeology in Practice
- Professional activities and memberships
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Professional Roles
- – Fellow (FSA)
- – Member (MCIfA)
- – Peer reviewer
- - Chair
Recent Conferences & Invited Lectures
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Keynote Speaker
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- Keynote speaker- 'A Black Death Mass Grave at Thornton Abbey', Society for Church Archaeology Conference (September 2019)
- Keynote Speaker- ‘A Century of Excavation: Challenging Some of the Myths of Monastic Archaeology in the 21st century’, Leeds Monasticism Conference (May 2014)
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Invited Talks & Lectures
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- Guest lecturer- 'Excavations at the migration period cemetery at Scremby', British Museum Medieval Seminar Series (February 2020)
- Guest Lecturer- 'Excavations at the Migration Period Cemetery at Scremby', Historical Association (December 2019)
- Invited speaker- 'Women of the Wolds, Excavation of the Early Anglo-Saxon Cemetery at Scremby', Current Archaeology Awards (February 2018)
- Guest lecturer-'Famine and Plague at Thornton Abbey', The 2018 Maurice Barley Lecture, University of Nottingham (December 2018)
- Invited speaker- 'Monastic windows at the Dissolution', Society for Church Archaeology Conference (September 2017)
- Invited speaker- 'The Early Christian Settlement at Little Carlton', Current Archaeology Awards (February 2017)
- Invited speaker- 'Recent research and excavation at the Middle Saxon settlement at Little Carlton', Society for Lincolnshire History and Archaeology (September 2016)
- Invited speaker- 'Glassmaking and the Saxon Monastery, Glastonbury, Barking and Beyond', Society for Church Archaeology Conference (September 2016)
- Invited Speaker- ‘Recent excavations at Monk Bretton Priory’, Yorkshire Archaeological Society (April 2014)
- Invited Speaker- ‘The role of glaziers in the repair and recycling of medieval monastic windows in England’ 6th International Colloquium Abbey Museum Ten Duinen 1138, Koksijde (October 2013)
- Public engagement
Public engagement:
I frequently give talks on my research and archaeology more generally to schools, local societies and other public bodies. Several of my public lectures are available to view on YouTube:
Churches Conservation Trust Public Lecture (24/9/20)
Current Archaeology Live Conference (5/3/21)
Society of Antiquaries of London Evening Lecture (25/3/21)
I am also a regular a contributor to the popular publications including and .In the media:
I am always conscious of the importance of communicating my research to as wide an audience as possible, and I have shared the results of my work through a variety of broadcast, print and online media. I am a regular contributor to documentaries and factual programming (Sky History, Digging for Britain, Time Team,
National Geographic) as well as mainstream news outlets (BBC, The Guardian, Times, Express, Daily Mail).The following is a sample of my output:
Broadcast media
Time Team 04/05/24
Time Team 02/09/23
SKY History Curse of the Ancients 05/04/22
Print/Online
Thornton Abbey
National Geographic 18/02/20
BBC 30/11/16
Little Carlton
The Guardian 01/03/16
The Daily Mail 01/03/16
BBC News 02/03/16
Express 04/03/16