Helen Evangeline O'Neil (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Donovan) (1893 – 23 August 1984) was an English archaeologist who specialized in Iron Age settlements throughout south central England. She was a member of the

Royal Archaeological Institute The Royal Archaeological Institute (RAI) is a learned society, established in 1844, with interests in all aspects of the archaeological, architectural and landscape history of the British Isles. Membership is open to all with an interest in thes ...

and in 1968 was made a member of the Most Excellent

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

for her contributions to archaeology.

Early life

O'Neil, born Helen Evangeline Donovan in 1893, lived with her family at Camp House in

Bourton-on-the-Water Bourton-on-the-Water is a village and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England, that lies on a wide flat vale within the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The village had a population of 3,296 at the 2011 census. Much of the village ...

, a rural village in the Cotswolds area of south central England. Camp House was located near the west entrance of the Salmonsbury Iron Age camp, an archaeological site consisting of a fortified enclosure believed to have been occupied from the Late Neolithic or Early Bronze Ages through the Roman period, possibly serving as a market center for trade. The archaeological activity in this area likely influenced her aspiring interest in archaeology.

Archaeological activities

In 1931, O'Neil became actively involved in the archaeological activities at Salmonsbury Camp. Shortly afterward in 1932 and 1933, she became a member of the

and the

Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society The Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society is a learned society concerned with the history and antiquities of the City of Bristol and the historic county of Gloucestershire. It was founded on 21 April 1876; and is a registered charity ...

. Her renown as an archaeologist grew, and in 1938 she was invited to serve as the Honorary Curator of the

Corinium Museum The Corinium Museum, in the Cotswold town of Cirencester in England, has a large collection of objects found in and around the locality. The bulk of the exhibits are from the Roman town of Corinium Dobunnorum, but the museum includes material ...

in Cirencester. During her excavation work at Salmonsbury, she met and married Bryan Hugh St. John O'Neil in 1939, a distinguished archaeologist at the Ministry of Works who would later become the Chief Inspector of Ancient Monuments. O'Neil is the author of over 40 academic articles covering human artifacts such as axes, coins, and pottery in numerous sites throughout the United Kingdom , especially in Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Worcestershire, and Hertfordshire. She conducted work for a number of organizations, including the

Ordnance Survey The Ordnance Survey (OS) is the national mapping agency for Great Britain. The agency's name indicates its original military purpose (see Artillery, ordnance and surveying), which was to map Scotland in the wake of the Jacobite rising of ...

and the Ancient Monuments Inspectorate. Her findings over her four decade career have received many awards and recognitions. In 1948, she was elected as a Fellow to the

Society of Antiquaries of London The Society of Antiquaries of London (SAL) is a learned society of historians and archaeologists in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1707, received its royal charter in 1751 and is a Charitable organization, registered charity. It is based ...

, and in 1968, she was recognized as an MBE, or Member of the Most Excellent

. A collection of her findings, including drawings, photographs, and numerous artifacts such as Iron Age currency bars, ornamental lead tanks, and human remains, has been displayed at the Wilson Arts Gallery and Museum, which, in 1984, under its old name, the Cheltenham Art Gallery and Museum, published records of her work and that of another prominent woman English archaeologist, Elsie Clifford.

Personal life

For most of her adult life, the O'Neils lived away from Gloucester, but following her husband's death in 1954, she returned to Camp House in Bourton-on-the-Water, from where she conducted most of her later archaeological studies. Helen died in 1984.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:O'Neil, Helen English archaeologists English women archaeologists 1893 births 1984 deaths Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London Members of the Order of the British Empire Contributors to the Victoria County History