Rosemary Cramp

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

MA)
Academic work
DisciplineArchaeology and medieval studies
Sub-discipline
Institutions

Dame Rosemary Jean Cramp,

FSA, FBA (6 May 1929 – 27 April 2023) was 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.

Early life and education

Rosemary Jean Cramp was born on 6 May 1929 in Cranoe, Leicestershire, England.[1][2] She grew up on her father's farm in Leicestershire[3][4] and was educated at Market Harborough Grammar, a grammar school in Market Harborough, Leicestershire.[5] At age 12, she found evidence of a Roman villa on her family land at Glooston.[6][7] She said she always felt she was meant to be an archaeologist, wanting a detective kit for her seventh birthday.[8]

Cramp went on to study English language and literature at

Old English poetry.[3]

Academic career

Cramp began her academic career at her alma mater, the University of Oxford,[5] where she was a fellow and tutor of English at St Anne's College from 1950 to 1955.[1][3]

In 1955, she moved to

professor emerita.[5] On her retirement, The Rosemary Cramp Fund was established by Durham's Department of Archaeology to recognise individuals and groups who make a significant contribution to the archaeology and heritage of Britain and Ireland.[14]

In 1992, she was a

visiting fellow at All Souls College, Oxford.[2]

Outside of her university work, she held a number of voluntary positions. From 1975 to 1999, she served as a member of the

Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England (now known as Historic England).[2] She served as Chairwoman of the Archaeology Data Service from 1996 to 2001.[2]

Cramp held a number of senior appointments within academic organizations. She was President of the Council for British Archaeology from 1989 to 1992, and an Honorary Vice-president from 1992.[2][15] She was President of the Society for Church Archaeology from 1996 to 2000.[1] From 1992 to 1997, she was vice-president of the Royal Archaeological Institute.[2] She was president of the Society of Antiquaries of London from 2001 to 2004.[1]

Cramp was a panellist in a 1958 episode of the gameshow Animal, Vegetable, Mineral? held at the Museum of Gloucester, and was an expert guest on a 2007 episode of In Our Time on the life of St. Hilda.[16]

Excavations at Monkwearmouth–Jarrow

From 1963 to 1978, Cramp excavated at Monkwearmouth–Jarrow Abbey, Northumbria, leading the team which discovered remains of the seventh and eighth-century buildings.[17] A final excavation occurred in 1984.[7] At the same time, Cramp was helping to develop and launch the Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Stone Sculpture, published by Durham University.[18]

Prior to the excavations, little was known of the physical buildings beyond Bede's written references.[19] During excavations, some of the earliest stained glass in Britain were discovered; the glass also comprises the largest collection of seventh and eighth-century stained glass in Western Europe.[20] Reflecting on the excavation, Cramp described the moment, saying that the shards of glass "looked like jewels lying on the ground."[6] Cramp's excavations also revealed the later communities on the site, dating from the 11th to the 16th centuries.[19]

The excavation reports were published in 2005 and 2006 through English Heritage.

World Heritage status was launched, but the application was later suspended.[23][24] The bid described the importance of the site, noting "its direct association with Bede, Biscop and Bede's teacher Ceolfrith makes it one of the most influential monastic sites in Europe."[25]

Cramp's Jarrow excavations led to the development of a museum and education programme, which eventually became Bede’s World. It featured an Anglo-Saxon farm with rare-breed animals, and is now known as Jarrow Hall and Bede Museum.[26]

Death

Dame Rosemary Cramp died in Durham on 27 April 2023, at the age of 93.[13][27][28][29]

Honours

On 8 January 1959, Cramp was elected

Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London (FSA).[30] In 2006, she was elected Fellow of the British Academy (FBA).[12] In 2008, she was awarded the Gold Medal of the Society of Antiquaries of London; it is awarded "for distinguished services to archaeology".[31]

Dame

The Sea, The Sea to Cramp.[9]

In 1987, Cramp was appointed a

Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) 'for services to scholarship'.[32]

Cramp was awarded a number of

honorary degrees. She was awarded Honorary Doctor of Science degrees by Durham University in 1995,[1] by the University of Bradford in July 2002,[5] and the University of Cambridge in 2019.[33] She was awarded Honorary Doctor of Letters degrees by University College Cork in June 2003 and the University of Leicester in 2004.[1][3]

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.[34] A second honorary volume was published in 2008; edited by Catherine Karkov and Helen Damico, Æedificia nova: Studies in Honour of Rosemary Cramp focused on the art, archaeology and literature of Anglo-Saxon England, and included an article by Cramp.[35]

Selected works

Scholia has an author profile for Rosemary Cramp.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Rosemary Jean CRAMP". People of Today. Debrett's. Archived from the original on 31 March 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i "CRAMP, Dame Rosemary Jean". Who's Who 2016. Oxford University Press. November 2015. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Text of the Introductory Address Delivered by Professor Eamonn Ó Carragáin" (PDF). University of Cork. 6 June 2003. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  4. ^ a b Addicott, Ruth (11 July 2011). "Digging detective". The Northern Echo. Archived from the original on 31 March 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  5. ^ a b c d e "PROFESSOR ROSEMARY CRAMP HONOURED BY UNIVERSITY OF BRADFORD". University of Bradford. 25 July 2002. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  6. ^ a b "Digging detective". The Northern Echo. 11 July 2011. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  7. ^ a b Cramp, Rosemary (Spring 2019). "Rosemary Cramp: On celebrating the stone sculpture of the Anglo-Saxons" (PDF). British Academy Review: 26–33.
  8. ^ "Last Word - Grace Bumbry, Don Short, Dame Rosemary Cramp, Wee Willie Harris - BBC Sounds". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  9. ^ a b "Professor Dame Rosemary Cramp obituary". The Times. No. 2023–05–05. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  10. ^ a b "Rosemary Cramp: interview". British Academy Review (35). The British Academy. 2019. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  11. ^ Charlie Taverner; Rowena Caine (23 June 2011). "Archaeology Professor made a Dame". Palatinate. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  12. ^ a b "Professor Dame Rosemary Cramp". britac.ac.uk. The British Academy. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  13. ^ a b "News and Events: Remembering Professor Dame Rosemary Cramp". durham.ac.uk. Durham University. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  14. ^ "Department of Archaeology : The Rosemary Cramp Fund – Durham University". www.dur.ac.uk. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  15. ^ "President and Trustees". Council for British Archaeology. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  16. IMDb
  17. ^ "Archaeological digs". www.stpeters-wearmouth.org.uk. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  18. ^ "The Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Stone Sculpture". www.ascorpus.ac.uk. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  19. ^ a b "Prof RJ Cramp – Durham University". www.dur.ac.uk. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  20. ^ "Create your Exhibition of the North | 100 Objects of the North". www.100objectsnorth.co.uk. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  21. ISBN 978-1848022188
    .
  22. ISBN 978-1848022195
    .
  23. ^ "World heritage Status Bid Information". www.stpeters-wearmouth.org.uk. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  24. ^ "North-East heritage bid withdrawn". 16 May 2012. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  25. ^ "The Twin Monastery of Wearmouth Jarrow". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  26. ISSN 0261-3077
    . Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  27. ^ Henderson, Tony (1 May 2023). "Leading North East archaeologist Dame Rosemary Cramp dies". Newcastle Chronicle. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  28. ^ "Professor Dame Rosemary Cramp obituary". The Times. 4 May 2023. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  29. ^ "Professor Dame Rosemary Cramp death notice". The Times. 12 May 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  30. ^ "List of Fellows – C". Society of Antiquaries of London. Archived from the original on 9 July 2012. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  31. ^ "Society Gold Medallists". Society of Antiquaries of London. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  32. ^ "No. 59808". The London Gazette (Supplement). 11 June 2011. p. 7.
  33. ^ "Cambridge confers 2019 honorary degrees". University of Cambridge. 19 June 2019. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  34. ISBN 978-1842170519
    .
  35. OCLC 191758381
    .

External links
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rosemary_Cramp&oldid=1213918125"