Stanley Denys Trevor Spittle OBE, MA, FSA, (

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

1920 – 7 December 2003) was an English archaeologist.

Biography

Spittle studied

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...

Pembroke College, Cambridge Pembroke College (officially "The Master, Fellows and Scholars of the College or Hall of Valence-Mary") is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college is the third-oldest college of the university and has over 700 ...

, and in 1935 became a member of the “Friends of the Fitzwilliam Museum”. Spittle was involved in the 1951

Samothrace Samothrace (also known as Samothraki, el, Σαμοθράκη, ) is a Greek island in the northern Aegean Sea. It is a municipality within the Evros regional unit of Thrace. The island is long and is in size and has a population of 2,859 (2011 ...

Expedition of the

New York University Institute of Fine Arts The Institute of Fine Arts (IFA) of New York University is dedicated to graduate teaching and advanced research in the history of art, archaeology and the conservation and technology of works of art. It offers Master of Arts and Doctor of Philoso ...

which unearthed two ancient Greek structures - a hall for votive gifts of the sixth century B.C. and a great altar court. Spittle also contributed to the reports on the preceding excavations, published in 1964 and 1982. He was Editor (in charge), Cambridge office,

Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England The Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England (RCHME) was a government advisory body responsible for documenting buildings and monuments of archaeological, architectural and historical importance in England. It was established in 19 ...

, involved in studying the wall paintings at Pembroke College, of the archaeological sites of Cambridgeshire, the archaeological sites of Northamptonshire, as well as the historic town of

Stamford, Lincolnshire Stamford is a town and civil parish in the South Kesteven District of Lincolnshire, England. The population at the 2011 census was 19,701 and estimated at 20,645 in 2019. The town has 17th- and 18th-century stone buildings, older timber-framed ...

. He also produced illustrations. He was made a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in 1956. He served as president of the

Royal Archaeological Institute The Royal Archaeological Institute (RAI) is a learned society, established in 1844, with interests in all aspects of the archaeological, architectural and landscape history of the British Isles. Membership is open to all with an interest in these ...

, 1981–1984. Spittle was an important collector of art with an extensive collection including 25

illuminated manuscript An illuminated manuscript is a formally prepared document where the text is often supplemented with flourishes such as borders and miniature illustrations. Often used in the Roman Catholic Church for prayers, liturgical services and psalms, the ...

s; these manuscripts originally belonged to Sir Thomas Watson, and when Watson died in 1921 he left 25 volumes, which eventually ended up in the hands of Spittle. Shortly before his own death in 2003 Spittle helped devise the (2007) exhibition at the

Fitzwilliam Museum The Fitzwilliam Museum is the art and antiquities museum of the University of Cambridge. It is located on Trumpington Street opposite Fitzwilliam Street in central Cambridge. It was founded in 1816 under the will of Richard FitzWilliam, 7th Vis ...

, Cambridge, entitled "Private Pleasures: Illuminated manuscripts from Persia to Paris", which showcased his collection of manuscripts dating from the 10th to the 20th centuries. Highlights included a Byzantine Gospel, a Flemish Book of Hours, an Ottoman Koran and a Venetian copy of Cicero. Dr Stella Panayotova, Keeper of Manuscripts and Printed Books at the Fitzwilliam Museum and the curator of Private Pleasures, said "This exhibition celebrates the passion for medieval manuscripts, the pleasure of collecting them and the excitement of sharing them with others. We are delighted to have the opportunity to display this selection of treasures from so personal a collection."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spittle, Denys 20th-century English architects English art collectors English archaeologists Alumni of Pembroke College, Cambridge 2003 deaths 1920 births People of the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England Presidents of the Royal Archaeological Institute