Mary Harfield (28 February 1879 - 1970) was a self-taught, Australian-British archaeologist, whose understanding of Cadbury Castle through field survey influenced the work and interpretations of the site by others, including Ralegh Radford.
Biography
editBorn on Shark Island in Australia, Harfield's father died before she was born and her mother returned with her children to England, where Harfield and her two brothers were fostered by the extended family. This later involved her living with family in Canada. In 1910 she returned to England to study nursing at St Bartholomew's Hospital in London. During the First World War she continued to nurse at the 1st London General Military Hospital.[1]
In later life she moved to Somerset and became interested in the archaeological remains local to her, particularly Cadbury Castle.[1] During the 1950s Harfield's field-walking identified a range of ceramics, including Neolithic pottery and an early medieval sherd.[2][3][4][5] Her work was used by Ralegh Radford to argue that there was significant Neolithic occupation at the site.[2] Her finds archive was subsequently acquired by Taunton Museum.[2]
Personal life
editShe had a dog called Caesar, who accompanied her on field surveys.[3]
References
edit- ^ a b Hull, Linda (2018-09-10). "Mary Harfield - Trowelblazers". Retrieved 2024-07-25.
- ^ a b c "Monument Number 1007704". www.heritagegateway.org.uk. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
- ^ a b Ashe, Geoffrey (2015-04-01). Camelot and the Vision of Albion. Aeon Books. ISBN 978-1-904658-70-2.
- ^ Foster, J. M. M. (1966). "Questing for Camelot". Folklore. 77 (4): 253–256. doi:10.1080/0015587X.1966.9717059. ISSN 0015-587X. JSTOR 1258667.
- ^ "Professor Leslie Alcock". The Telegraph. 2006-06-15. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
Further reading
edit- "Was this Camelot?", Australian Women's Weekly, 1967