The Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society was founded in 1853, and is one of the largest county-based

archaeological 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 landscap ...

societies in the United Kingdom. It runs the

Wiltshire Museum The Wiltshire Museum, formerly known as Wiltshire Heritage Museum and Devizes Museum, is a museum, archive and library and art gallery in Devizes, Wiltshire, England. The museum was established and is run by the Wiltshire Archaeological and Natu ...

Devizes Devizes is a market town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. It developed around Devizes Castle, an 11th-century Norman architecture, Norman castle, and received a charter in 1141. The castle was besieged during the Anarchy, a 12th-century ...

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

which has the best

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

collections in Britain, including finds from

Avebury Avebury () is a Neolithic henge monument containing three stone circles, around the village of Avebury in Wiltshire, in southwest England. One of the best known prehistoric sites in Britain, it contains the largest megalithic stone circle in t ...

and

Stonehenge Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, west of Amesbury. It consists of an outer ring of vertical sarsen standing stones, each around high, wide, and weighing around 25 tons, topped by connectin ...

. It also publishes the ''

Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine ''Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine'' is a county journal published by the Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society (WANHS), based in Devizes, England. It has been published almost annually since 1854 and is distri ...

''. A history of the society was published in 1953, under the title ''The Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society: 1853–1952: a centenary history''. As well as continuing to publish an approximately annual journal, the ''Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine'', the society has in the past published books of Wiltshire interest, such as the ''

Tropenell Cartulary The ''Tropenell Cartulary'' is an English medieval manuscript cartulary compiled for Thomas Tropenell (''c.'' 1405 – 1488), a Wiltshire landowner, in the 15th century. History A cartulary is a medieval manuscript, usually taking the form of a ...

''. The present-day

Wiltshire Record Society The Wiltshire Record Society is a text publication society in Wiltshire, England, which edits and publishes historic documents concerned with the history of Wiltshire. History In 1937, Ralph Pugh was the chief mover in a proposal to found the rec ...

began life as the Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society Records Branch.

Notable officers

* George Scrope – first President *

Robert Awdry Robert Awdry (20 May 1881 – 3 February 1949) was an English cricketer who later became chairman of Wiltshire County Council. He played nine first-class matches for Oxford University Cricket Club between 1902 and 1904. The third son of C ...

– President 1936–1946, Chairman until his death in 1949 *

Margaret Guido Cecily Margaret Guido, (née Preston; 5 August 1912 – 8 September 1994), also known as Peggy Piggott, was an English archaeologist, prehistorian, and finds specialist. Her career in British archaeology spanned sixty years, and she is recogni ...

– Vice President from 1984, Co-President 1987–1994 *

Stuart Piggott Stuart Ernest Piggott, (28 May 1910 – 23 September 1996) was a British archaeologist, best known for his work on prehistoric Wessex. Early life Piggott was born in Petersfield, Hampshire, the son of G. H. O. Piggott, and was educated t ...

– Co-President 1987–1996

References

External links

* {{authority control Archaeology of England Organisations based in Wiltshire Archaeological organizations Natural history societies