A county archaeologist is a local government employee in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, responsible for overseeing development-led archaeological investigations as required by PPG16. Nominated as the archaeological advisor by each local planning authority, the County Archaeologist recommends which developments are likely to threaten archaeological sites, and advises methods of mitigating their impact, usually through the imposition of planning conditions. The role developed in the 1970s in response to damage done to Britain's archaeological resources in the 1960s. Other responsibilities include maintaining the Sites and Monuments Record, managing the

Portable Antiquities Scheme The Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) is a voluntary programme run by the United Kingdom government to record the increasing numbers of small finds of archaeological interest found by members of the public. The scheme begun in 1997 and now covers m ...

, education and outreach activities and co-ordinating research agendas. It has become more common for this position to lead a team or staff in carrying out their responsibilities in these areas. In

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

the County Archaeologist's role is filled by

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...

except in

Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...

and The City.

References

Archaeology of the United Kingdom Archaeological organizations {{UK-archaeology-stub

See also

References