Edward Alexander Impey, (born 28 May 1962) is a British historian, archaeologist, and

museum curator A curator (from la, cura, meaning "to take care") is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the parti ...

. Between October 2013 and January 2022 he was

Master of the Armouries The Royal Armouries is the United Kingdom's national collection of arms and armour. Originally an important part of England's military organization, it became the United Kingdom's oldest museum, originally housed in the Tower of London from ...

and Director General of the

Royal Armouries The Royal Armouries is the United Kingdom's national collection of arms and armour. Originally an important part of England's military organization, it became the United Kingdom's oldest museum, originally housed in the Tower of London from ...

Early life and education

Impey was born on 28 May 1962 to Oliver Impey and Jane Mellanby. His father was a zoologist by training who became specialist in Japanese art, and his mother was a

neuroscientist A neuroscientist (or neurobiologist) is a scientist who has specialised knowledge in neuroscience, a branch of biology that deals with the physiology, biochemistry, psychology, anatomy and molecular biology of neurons, neural circuits, and glial ...

. His grandfather Kenneth Mellanby was a biochemist. He grew up in the City of Oxford where his father was a curator at the Ashmolean Museum. He was educated at the

Dragon School ("Reach for the Sun") , established = 1877 , closed = , type = Preparatory day and boarding school and Pre-Prep school , religion = Church of England , president = , head_label = Head , head = Emma Goldsm ...

, a preparatory school in Oxford, and at

Bedales School Bedales School is a co-educational, boarding and day independent school in the village of Steep, near the market town of Petersfield in Hampshire, England. It was founded in 1893 by John Haden Badley in reaction to the limitations of conven ...

, an independent school near

Petersfield Petersfield is a market town and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is north of Portsmouth. The town has its own railway station on the Portsmouth Direct line, the mainline rail link connecting Portsmouth a ...

, Hampshire. Impey has degrees in history and

archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landsca ...

. He studied at Oriel College, Oxford, graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree and a

Master of Philosophy The Master of Philosophy (MPhil; Latin ' or ') is a postgraduate degree. In the United States, an MPhil typically includes a taught portion and a significant research portion, during which a thesis project is conducted under supervision. An MPhil ...

(MPhil) degree. At Oxford, the BA is promoted to a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Th ...

(MA Oxon) degree a number of years after graduating, and an MPhil is a two-year taught master's degree. He remained at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

to undertake

postgraduate research Postgraduate research represents a formal area of study that is recognized by a university or institute of higher learning. By definition, the notion of “postgraduate” (United States) carries the implication that the candidate undertaking such ...

, and completed his Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) degree in 1991. His

doctoral thesis A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: ...

was titled ''The origins and development of non-

convent A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglic ...

ual

monastic Monasticism (from Ancient Greek , , from , , 'alone'), also referred to as monachism, or monkhood, is a religion, religious way of life in which one renounces world (theology), worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual work. Monastic ...

dependencies in England and Normandy 1000–1350''.

Career

Impey worked as a curator at Historic Royal Palaces and served as Director of Heritage Protection and Planning at English Heritage. On 30 July 2013, he was announced as the next

and Director General of the

. In 2022, however, he retired from this job and from work. He took up the appointments in October 2013 in succession to Lieutenant-General Jonathon Riley. Along with

John Goodall John Goodall (19 June 1863 – 20 May 1942) was a footballer who rose to fame as a centre forward for England and for Preston North End at the time of the development of the Football League, and also became Watford's first manager in 1903. He ...

, Impey is a patron of the Castle Studies Trust, a UK registered charity.

Personal life

In 2008, Impey married Karen Lundgren. Together, they have two daughters.

Honours

On 2 May 1996, Impey was elected a

Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

(FSA). In 2011, he was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Historical Society A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

(FRHistS).

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Impey, Edward 1962 births Living people British historians British archaeologists British curators Directors of museums in the United Kingdom Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London Fellows of the Royal Historical Society People educated at The Dragon School People educated at Bedales School Alumni of Oriel College, Oxford Place of birth missing (living people) People from Oxford Castellologists