Eric Birley
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Eric Barff Birley, Emeritus Professor Eric Barff Birley, M.B.E., M.A., D.Phil., D.Litt., F.B.A., Hon.F.S.A.Scot.
,"
Society of Antiquaries of London A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Societ ...
. n.d. ''(Retrieved 18 October 2010.)''
(12 January 1906 – 20 October 1995), was a British historian and
archaeologist 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 ...
, particularly associated with the excavation of the forts of
Hadrian's Wall Hadrian's Wall ( la, Vallum Aelium), also known as the Roman Wall, Picts' Wall, or ''Vallum Hadriani'' in Latin, is a former defensive fortification of the Roman province of Britannia, begun in AD 122 in the reign of the Emperor Hadrian. R ...
, notably at
Vindolanda Vindolanda was a Roman auxiliary fort (''castrum'') just south of Hadrian's Wall in northern England, which it originally pre-dated.British windo- 'fair, white, blessed', landa 'enclosure/meadow/prairie/grassy plain' (the modern Welsh word woul ...
. He was born in Eccles, Lancashire, England, on 12 January 1906.Wilkes, John.
Obituary: Professor Eric Birley
" ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
''. Thursday, 26 October 1995. ''(Retrieved 18 October 2010.)''
Breeze, David J.
Eric Birley (1906–1995): Vice-President 1951–1995
" bituary''
Britannia Britannia () is the national personification of Britain as a helmeted female warrior holding a trident and shield. An image first used in classical antiquity, the Latin ''Britannia'' was the name variously applied to the British Isles, Great ...
''.
Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies The Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies (The Roman Society) was founded in 1910 as the sister society to the Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies. The Society is the leading organisation in the United Kingdom for those intereste ...
. Vol. 27, (1996), pp. xi–xiv. ''(Retrieved 18 October 2010.)''
He died at Carvoran House, Greenhead,Professor Eric Barff Birley
" thePeerage.com. ''(Retrieved 18 October 2010.)''
Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land on ...
, England, on 20 October 1995, age 89. __TOC__


Education and career

Birley was educated at
Clifton College ''The spirit nourishes within'' , established = 160 years ago , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent boarding and day school , religion = Christian , president = , head_label = Head of College , head ...
. He then studied
classics Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...
at
Brasenose College, Oxford Brasenose College (BNC) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It began as Brasenose Hall in the 13th century, before being founded as a college in 1509. The library and chapel were added in the mi ...
, where he obtained a
double first The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading structure for undergraduate degrees or bachelor's degrees and integrated master's degrees in the United Kingdom. The system has been applied (sometimes with significant variati ...
in Mods and Greats.Hatfield College History: Principals & Masters
" ''Durham University''. ''(Retrieved 18 October 2010).''
He was influenced in the study of 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 landscap ...
by Michael Holroyd, his Brasenose tutor; R. G. Collingwood, the renowned authority on
Roman Britain Roman Britain was the period in classical antiquity when large parts of the island of Great Britain were under occupation by the Roman Empire. The occupation lasted from AD 43 to AD 410. During that time, the territory conquered was ...
; and F. G. Simpson, Director of Field Studies at Durham, and a great influence on Birley vis-à-vis the art and science of excavation.Draper, Simon.
From Aesica to Asia: A Short History of Archaeology at Durham University
" ''Durham University''. ''(Retrieved 18 October 2010.)''
Under the direction of F.G. Simpson, Birley began excavating at Hadrian's Wall in 1927 while an undergraduate. Birley's first archaeological dig occurred at
Birdoswald Birdoswald is a former farm in the civil parish of Waterhead in the English county of Cumbria (formerly in Cumberland). It stands on the site of the Roman fort of Banna. Middle Ages Birdoswald first appears in the written record in 1211 whe ...
. After graduating from Oxford, Birley worked for a short time for the
Society of Antiquaries of London A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Societ ...
acting as a construction site observer for the Society. It was during this period in London that Birley befriended
Mortimer Wheeler Sir Robert Eric Mortimer Wheeler CH CIE MC TD (10 September 1890 – 22 July 1976) was a British archaeologist and officer in the British Army. Over the course of his career, he served as Director of both the National Museum of Wales an ...
of the London Museum engendering in Birley a lifelong interest in "imported Roman ' samian' pottery with moulded decoration." A chance discovery in 1929 of two inscription stones in the ''praetentura''"'forward extent' This was the front part of the camp, between the ''via principalis'' and the ''porta praetoria'', and bisected by the ''via praetoria''. This area was generally filled with the tents or barrack-blocks of the garrison, the first
cohort Cohort or cohortes may refer to: * Cohort (educational group), a group of students working together through the same academic curriculum * Cohort (floating point), a set of different encodings of the same numerical value * Cohort (military unit ...
of a
legion Legion may refer to: Military * Roman legion, the basic military unit of the ancient Roman army * Spanish Legion, an elite military unit within the Spanish Army * Legion of the United States, a reorganization of the United States Army from 179 ...
being always housed here. In the camp described by
Hyginus Gaius Julius Hyginus (; 64 BC – AD 17) was a Latin author, a pupil of the scholar Alexander Polyhistor, and a freedman of Caesar Augustus. He was elected superintendent of the Palatine library by Augustus according to Suetonius' ''De Grammatic ...
, this area also contained the ''valetudinarium'' and ''veterinarium'', the tribunes' houses, the ''scholae'' of the officers, and the ''fabrica''; most of these building being transferred to the ''latera praetorii'' in the auxiliary forts." from
The Roman Army in Britain: Roman Military Glossary
, Roman-Britain.co.uk''(Retrieved 2010-10-18)''
at Birdoswald led Birley to suggest redating the Wall periods. This discovery, and Birley's redating, impacted the study of
Roman Britain Roman Britain was the period in classical antiquity when large parts of the island of Great Britain were under occupation by the Roman Empire. The occupation lasted from AD 43 to AD 410. During that time, the territory conquered was ...
tremendously inasmuch as it "has formed the basis of all subsequent work on the chronology of Hadrian's Wall." In 1929, having developed a keen interest in the Wall through his excavations, Birley succeeded in buying the Clayton Estate at
Chesterholm Vindolanda was a Roman auxiliary fort (''castrum'') just south of Hadrian's Wall in northern England, which it originally pre-dated.British windo- 'fair, white, blessed', landa 'enclosure/meadow/prairie/grassy plain' (the modern Welsh word woul ...
that had belonged to Anthony Hedley, the 19th century
antiquary An antiquarian or antiquary () is an fan (person), aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artifact (archaeology), artifac ...
. Nearby Houselands would also come up for sale; however, Birley could not afford the purchase of both properties, although he would eventually excavate them both. Chesterholm-Vindolanda would eventually be converted into a museum and research centre, in which the spectacular finds from
Vindolanda Vindolanda was a Roman auxiliary fort (''castrum'') just south of Hadrian's Wall in northern England, which it originally pre-dated.British windo- 'fair, white, blessed', landa 'enclosure/meadow/prairie/grassy plain' (the modern Welsh word woul ...
would be displayed and interpreted. In 1931, at the age of 24, he became a lecturer at the
University of Durham Durham University (legally the University of Durham) is a collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university in Durham, England, Durham, England, founded by an Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by royal charte ...
, "already with an impressive record of excavation on Hadrian's Wall, partly under the guidance of F.G. Simpson," whom he would replace upon the latter's stepping down as Director of Field Studies. Through trips to Germany and
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
, he began to expand his expertise in samian pottery,
epigraphy Epigraphy () is the study of inscriptions, or epigraphs, as writing; it is the science of identifying graphemes, clarifying their meanings, classifying their uses according to dates and cultural contexts, and drawing conclusions about the wr ...
, and his primary field of interest, the
Roman army The Roman army (Latin: ) was the armed forces deployed by the Romans throughout the duration of Ancient Rome, from the Roman Kingdom (c. 500 BC) to the Roman Republic (500–31 BC) and the Roman Empire (31 BC–395 AD), and its medieval contin ...
. As a consequence of these trips abroad, his continental reputation grew. In 1943, he was promoted to
reader A reader is a person who reads. It may also refer to: Computing and technology * Adobe Reader (now Adobe Acrobat), a PDF reader * Bible Reader for Palm, a discontinued PDA application * A card reader, for extracting data from various forms of ...
. In 1947, he became Vice Master of
Hatfield College , motto_English = Either the first or with the first , scarf = , named_for = Thomas Hatfield , established = , senior_tutor = , master = Ann MacLarnon (2017–) , undergraduates = 1010 (2017/18) , postgradu ...
. In 1949, he was promoted to Master of Hatfield. He would finish his academic career having been Master of Hatfield College (1949–1956); Professor of Romano-British History and Archaeology (1956–1971); Head of the Department of Archaeology (1956–1971); and Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences (1968–1971). In 1949, Birley established the first International Congress of Roman Frontier Studies. During his tenure, he was president of all three of the local archaeological societies. Also, during his years at Durham, he would influence such notable students as George Jobey and John Gillam, each of whom would go on to hold prestigious university teaching positions. One student recalls that Birley was "incredibly generous and trusting in … is… support to students." Birley would become known as an expert on the Roman army. For his "practical experience of the ways in which modern armies work," he was inspired in asking questions about organisation and methods of the Roman army. His expertise and work in this field served to make Birley the founder of the "Durham School" of archaeology having attracted
several highly-talented and influential postgraduate students to the Department, whose research has … "epitomised, and to a large degree set the agenda for, British work on the Roman military for much of the twentieth century."James, Simon. “Writing the legions: the development and future of Roman military studies in Britain,” ''
Archaeological Journal ''The Archaeological Journal'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal for archaeological and architectural reports and articles. It was established in 1844 by the British Archaeological Association as a quarterly journal, but was taken over by the B ...
''. 2002. v. 159, pp. 1–58. As cited in Draper.
Often known collectively as the "Durham School," they include David Breeze (Chief Inspector of
Ancient Monument In British law, an ancient monument is an early historical structure or monument (e.g. an archaeological site) worthy of preservation and study due to archaeological or heritage interest. The '' Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 197 ...
s for
Historic Scotland Historic Scotland ( gd, Alba Aosmhor) was an executive agency of the Scottish Office and later the Scottish Government from 1991 to 2015, responsible for safeguarding Scotland's built heritage, and promoting its understanding and enjoyment. ...
and Visiting Professor at Durham University since 1994), Brian Dobson (Emeritus Reader at Durham University), the late Mike Jarrett (former Professor at
Cardiff University , latin_name = , image_name = Shield of the University of Cardiff.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms of Cardiff University , motto = cy, Gwirionedd, Undod a Chytgord , mottoeng = Truth, Unity and Concord , established = 1 ...
),
Valerie Maxfield Valerie Maxfield FSA is a Roman archaeologist and emeritus Professor of Archaeology at the University of Exeter. She is a specialist in the archaeology of the Roman army and frontiers, and edited the ''Proceedings of the Devon Archaeological Socie ...
(Professor at
Exeter University , mottoeng = "We Follow the Light" , established = 1838 - St Luke's College1855 - Exeter School of Art1863 - Exeter School of Science 1955 - University of Exeter (received royal charter) , type = Public , ...
) and John Wilkes (
Emeritus Professor ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...
at the London Institute of Archaeology).
Birley's influence is still very much alive in the Archaeology Department at Durham University: "Durham Archaeology is still founded on the vision and determination of its early pioneers, notably Eric Birley and … is… influence lives on in successive generations of staff and students." In Birley's obituary, former Durham PhD student and Emeritus Yates Professor of Greek and Roman Archaeology at the Institute of Archaeology,
John Wilkes John Wilkes (17 October 1725 – 26 December 1797) was an English radical journalist and politician, as well as a magistrate, essayist and soldier. He was first elected a Member of Parliament in 1757. In the Middlesex election dispute, he fo ...
wrote in ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' that "Eric Birley dominated the study of the Roman army, of Hadrian's Wall and Roman frontiers in general for much of his 40 years as a teacher at Durham University, interrupted only by six years of war service, when he was engaged in the study of the German army for Military Intelligence."


World War II service

During
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, he worked in
military intelligence Military intelligence is a military discipline that uses information collection and analysis approaches to provide guidance and direction to assist commanders in their decisions. This aim is achieved by providing an assessment of data from a ...
. Birley was appointed to the Territorial Army Reserve of Officers Special List (a list of officers not formally attached to a unit) as a
second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...
on 25 August 1939, just prior to the outbreak of war. In the
New Years Honours The New Year Honours is a part of the British honours system, with New Year's Day, 1 January, being marked by naming new members of orders of chivalry and recipients of other official honours. A number of other Commonwealth realms also mark this ...
of 1943 Birley, by then promoted to the rank of
captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
and temporary major, became a member of the military division of the
Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...
(MBE). On 24 May 1945 Birley, since promoted to temporary
lieutenant-colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
, received permission from the war office to accept the award of the Polish order of
Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta ( pl, Order Odrodzenia Polski, en, Order of Restored Poland) is a Polish state order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on foreigners for outstanding achievement ...
fourth class (officer's cross). On 16 January 1948 he received permission to accept the American award of the
Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...
third class (officer). On 8 September 1953 Birley, whose permanent commission during the war had only been that of a lieutenant and who held the
war substantive rank Military ranks are a system of hierarchy, hierarchical relationships, within armed forces, police, intelligence agencies or other institutions organized along military lines. The military rank system defines dominance, authority, and responsibi ...
of major, was granted the permanent rank of major backdated to 1 January 1949. Major Birley reached the age limit (50 years) for service on 12 January 1956 and retired from the army on that date, being granted the honorary rank of lieutenant-colonel.


Personal life

In 1934, he married Margaret Isabel Goodlet, a former student of his who excavated at Housesteads and Vindolanda and with whom he published a report on the Vindolanda excavations. The marriage that would last over 60 years until his death. Their two sons, Robin (1935–2018) and
Anthony Anthony or Antony is a masculine given name, derived from the ''Antonia (gens), Antonii'', a ''gens'' (Roman naming conventions, Roman family name) to which Mark Antony (''Marcus Antonius'') belonged. According to Plutarch, the Antonii gens were ...
(1937–2020), would both become eminent in their field, and would continue their father's work at Vindolanda. The elder, Robin, was named after Birley's great influence,
R.G. Collingwood Robin George Collingwood (; 22 February 1889 – 9 January 1943) was an English philosopher, historian and archaeologist. He is best known for his philosophical works, including ''The Principles of Art'' (1938) and the posthumously published ...
, while the younger, Anthony, was named after Anthony Hedley, the former owner of Chesterholm. While still excavating at Chesterholm-Vindolanda to this day, the Birley family no longer reside there having left Chesterholm for Durham in 1950.


Birley family

Eric was the great-great-nephew of
Hugh Hornby Birley Hugh Hornby Birley (10 March 1778 – 31 July 1845) was a leading Manchester millowner and Tory who is reputed to have led the fatal charge of the Manchester and Salford Yeomanry at the Peterloo Massacre on 16 August 1819. Early life He was th ...
, who led the troops at the
Peterloo Massacre The Peterloo Massacre took place at St Peter's Field, Manchester, Lancashire, England, on Monday 16 August 1819. Fifteen people died when cavalry charged into a crowd of around 60,000 people who had gathered to demand the reform of parliament ...
in 1819.Entry on Birley family genealogy


Selected publications

* * * * * *Birley, Eric & Devijver, Hubert (1988). ''The Equestrian Officers of the Roman Imperial Army'', Vol. 1. Amsterdam: J. C. Gieben


See also


Official Vindolanda Site
* Robin Birley (son) * Anthony Birley (son) * Andrew Birley (grandson) * Brian Dobson *
David Breeze David John Breeze, OBE, FSA, FRSE, HonFSAScot, Hon MIFA (born 25 July 1944) is a British archaeologist, teacher and scholar of Hadrian's Wall, the Antonine Wall and the Roman army. He studied under Eric Birley and is a member of the so-ca ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Birley, Eric Barff British archaeologists English archaeologists Academics of Durham University Alumni of Brasenose College, Oxford People educated at Clifton College People from Eccles, Greater Manchester 1906 births 1995 deaths British people of English descent Scholars of Hadrian's Wall Scholars of Roman history 20th-century British historians