Geoffrey Wainwright (19 September 1937 - 6 March 2017)


It is with great sadness that EAA learned of the death of British Geoff Wainwright MBE, former Chief Archaeologist of Historic England and an eminent prehistorian. As the Historic England official announcement mentions, Wainwright’s career spanned the transition from the days of rescue archaeology to the creation of today’s professional discipline - a transition that owed much to his own work, leadership, and vision.  He joined the UK Ministry of Works in 1963 as a field archaeologist, later becoming a Principal Inspector with responsibility for  archaeological investigations in southern England, during which time he oversaw the creation of the Central Excavation Unit.  He served as the Chief Archaeologist of English Heritage from 1989 to 1999 and was at the centre of developments that led to today’s planning-led approach to archaeology.  He was later President of the both the Prehistoric Society and the Society of Antiquaries of London. He was also member of the EAA until the time of his retirement.