Tessa Wheeler
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Tessa Wheeler ( Verney; 27 March 1893 – 15 April 1936) was an
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 ...
who made a significant contribution to excavation techniques and contributed to the setting up of major British archaeological institutions after the
Second World War 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 ...
. Owing to the
gender politics Identity politics is a political approach wherein people of a particular race, nationality, religion, gender, sexual orientation, social background, social class, or other identifying factors develop political agendas that are based upon these i ...
of the era, she remains best known as the wife and professional partner of
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 ...
. They collaborated on major excavations in Wales and England (including
Segontium Segontium ( owl, Cair Segeint) is a Roman fort on the outskirts of Caernarfon in Gwynedd, North Wales. The fort, which survived until the end of the Roman occupation of Britain, was garrisoned by Roman auxiliaries from present-day Belgium and Ge ...
,
Caerleon Caerleon (; cy, Caerllion) is a town and community in Newport, Wales. Situated on the River Usk, it lies northeast of Newport city centre, and southeast of Cwmbran. Caerleon is of archaeological importance, being the site of a notable Roman ...
, and
Verulamium Verulamium was a town in Roman Britain. It was sited southwest of the modern city of St Albans in Hertfordshire, England. A large portion of the Roman city remains unexcavated, being now park and agricultural land, though much has been built upon ...
) and their investigation of
Maiden Castle, Dorset Maiden Castle is an Iron Age hillfort south west of Dorchester, in the English county of Dorset. Hill forts were fortified hill-top settlements constructed across Britain during the Iron Age. The earliest archaeological evidence of human ac ...
had been ongoing for two years when she died unexpectedly from complications following a minor operation.


Early and private life

Tessa Verney was born in Johannesburg, the daughter of John Verney, a doctor, and Annie Booth Kilburn. She had an elder half-brother from her mother's first marriage. The family moved to Lewisham, with her mother's third husband, a chemist. She was educated at
Addey and Stanhope School Addey and Stanhope School is a voluntary-aided, co-educational secondary school, located in Lewisham, London, England. It is a former grammar school and sixth form, with origins dating to 1606. The headmistress is currently Jan Shapiro. History ...
in Deptford, and read history at
University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...
from 1911 to 1914. She met her future husband Mortimer Wheeler in 1912, and they were married in May 1914. He served in the artillery in the
First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, initially as an instructor in the University of London Officers' Training Corps, and later at other places in Scotland and England. She accompanied Mortimer on his postings until he was sent to France in 1917. Their only child,
Michael Mortimer Wheeler Michael Mortimer Wheeler (8 January 1915 – 7 August 1992) was a British barrister. Early life and education The son of archaeologists Mortimer and Tessa Wheeler, he attended the Dragon School and Rugby School before going on to study law at ...
, was born in January 1915. He became a barrister and judge.


Career

Tessa followed Mortimer to Cardiff in 1920 when he took up a post at the
National Museum of Wales National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...
. He was Director of the National Museum of Wales from 1924 to 1926, and she was Keeper of Archaeology in the National Museum. They undertook excavations together at
Segontium Segontium ( owl, Cair Segeint) is a Roman fort on the outskirts of Caernarfon in Gwynedd, North Wales. The fort, which survived until the end of the Roman occupation of Britain, was garrisoned by Roman auxiliaries from present-day Belgium and Ge ...
in 1921–22 and at Gaer in 1924–25, working as a team. Tessa organised the excavations, controlled finances, and recorded the finds, and Mortimer interpreted the results. They were preparing an excavation at
Caerleon Caerleon (; cy, Caerllion) is a town and community in Newport, Wales. Situated on the River Usk, it lies northeast of Newport city centre, and southeast of Cwmbran. Caerleon is of archaeological importance, being the site of a notable Roman ...
in 1926 when Mortimer was appointed Keeper of the London Museum. The family moved to London, but Tessa undertook the excavation on her own in the winter of 1926–27. The excavation methods they used, for example the grid system (later developed further by
Kathleen Kenyon Dame Kathleen Mary Kenyon, (5 January 1906 – 24 August 1978) was a British archaeologist of Neolithic culture in the Fertile Crescent. She led excavations of Tell es-Sultan, the site of ancient Jericho, from 1952 to 1958, and has been called ...
and known as the Wheeler-Kenyon method), were significant advances in archaeological method, although later superseded. They were influenced greatly by the work of the archaeologist Lieutenant General
Augustus Pitt Rivers Lieutenant General Augustus Henry Lane Fox Pitt Rivers (14 April 18274 May 1900) was an English officer in the British Army, ethnologist, and archaeologist. He was noted for innovations in archaeological methodology, and in the museum display o ...
(1827–1900). The two constant themes in their attempts to improve archaeological excavation were, first, to maintain strict stratigraphic control while excavating (for this purpose, the baulks between trenches served to retain a record of the strata that had been dug through), and, second, to publish the excavation promptly and in a form that would tell the story of the site to the intelligent reader. They also published their results quickly after the excavations concluded, and Mortimer proved adept at generating favourable publicity. She became a lecturer at the London Museum in 1928, and became the second woman to be elected as a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries the same year. During her time in London she was also a member of the Research Council of the Society of Antiquaries. The Wheelers worked together to rejuvenate the London Museum and to establish an Institute of Archaeology in London, which was founded in 1934 and opened in 1937. She was an effective lecturer and teacher of the next generation of archaeology students. The Wheelers continued to work together, performing many major excavations within
Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
, including that of the Roman villa at
Lydney Park Lydney Park is a 17th-century country estate surrounding Lydney House, located at Lydney in the Forest of Dean district in Gloucestershire, England. It is known for its gardens and Roman temple complex. House and gardens Lydney Park wa ...
in 1928–29, Roman
Verulamium Verulamium was a town in Roman Britain. It was sited southwest of the modern city of St Albans in Hertfordshire, England. A large portion of the Roman city remains unexcavated, being now park and agricultural land, though much has been built upon ...
(modern-day
St Albans St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major ...
) in 1930–34, and the late Iron Age hill-fort of
Maiden Castle, Dorset Maiden Castle is an Iron Age hillfort south west of Dorchester, in the English county of Dorset. Hill forts were fortified hill-top settlements constructed across Britain during the Iron Age. The earliest archaeological evidence of human ac ...
, which was assistant directed by
Molly Cotton Mary Aylwin Cotton OBE, FSA, Hon FBA ( Marshall; 1902-1984),Potter, T. 1984. M. Aylwin Cotton, O.B.E., Hon. F.B.A. F.S.A 1902-1984. Papers of the British School at Rome 52: 1-2. known as Molly Cotton, was a British archaeologist and former doct ...
from 1934 to 1938. At Maiden Castle, the Wheelers collaborated with Beatrice de Cardi and Veronica Seton-Williams. The work from Caerleon, Lydney, and St Albans were published under their joint names. Tessa's excavation of mosaics was seen as her professional trademark. She successfully removed a Roman palace mosaic floor with all pieces intact. Her later life was blighted by the open unfaithfulness of her sexually adventurous husband, and she also suffered from ill-health, including blackouts and gastric problems. She may have exacerbated her symptoms through overwork and a desire to meet the exacting demands of her husband. After a minor operation in early 1936, she became seriously ill and died from a
pulmonary embolism Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a blockage of an pulmonary artery, artery in the lungs by a substance that has moved from elsewhere in the body through the bloodstream (embolism). Symptoms of a PE may include dyspnea, shortness of breath, chest pain p ...
at the
National Temperance Hospital The National Temperance Hospital was a hospital in Hampstead Road, London, between Mornington Crescent and Warren Street. History The hospital opened as the London Temperance Hospital on 6 October 1873 by initiative of the National Temperance Lea ...
in London. Her remains were cremated at
Golders Green crematorium Golders Green Crematorium and Mausoleum was the first crematorium to be opened in London, and one of the oldest crematoria in Britain. The land for the crematorium was purchased in 1900, costing £6,000 (the equivalent of £135,987 in 2021), ...
. Prior to her death, Tessa arranged for the start of the Institute of Archaeology, from finance and logistics to arrangement of accommodations at St. John's Lodge, Regent's Park. The Institute began accepting students the year after Tessa's death. She spent much of her early career in the shadow of her husband, like many earlier female archaeologists,Carr 2012, p. 1 but later work was published under their joint names and their contemporaries considered "the Wheelers" to be a team; some considered her to be the more talented field archaeologist. A black marble memorial plaque was unveiled at the UCL Institute of Archaeology in 1937. A biography was published by Lydia Carr in 2012.


Publications

*Wheeler, T. 1928. ''The Caerleon Amphitheatre: A summary''. London: Bedford Press. *Wheeler, R.E.M. & T. Verney Wheeler. 1928. ''The Roman amphitheatre at Caerleon, Monmouthshire'' (Archaeologia 78). Oxford: The Society of Antiquaries. *- 1932. ''Report on the excavation of the prehistoric, Roman, and Post-Roman site in Lydney Park, Gloucestershire'' (Reports of the Research Committee of the Society of Antiquaries of London 9). Oxford: The Society of Antiquaries. *- 1936. ''Verulamium: a Belgic and two Roman cities'' (Reports of the Research Committee of the Society of Antiquaries of London 11). Oxford: The Society of Antiquaries.


Notes


References

* Jane McIntosh, ‘Wheeler, Tessa Verney (1893–1936)’, ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004; online edition, September 201
accessed 11 March 2013

Tessa Verney Wheeler: researcher, excavator, teacher, communicator – and wife
Antiquity
Ghost hunting: Research memories of Tessa Verney Wheeler
OUPblog
Tessa Verney Wheeler: Women and Archaeology Before World War Two
Lydia C. Carr
UCL archives

Association of Roman Archaeology Bulletin 18, p. 7–8


External links


Tessa Wheeler’s plaque vs. display space
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wheeler, Tessa 1893 births 1936 deaths British archaeologists People associated with the UCL Institute of Archaeology People from Johannesburg Alumni of University College London Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London Deaths from pulmonary embolism British women archaeologists 20th-century archaeologists