Explaining the Society’s Logo

The Logo which appears at the top left of our website and on all our paperwork is a very small line-drawing of a design by sculptor, designer and craftsman Charles Green (1836-1916), accepted by the Society’s committee in 1914, some two years after its formation. At that time it was known as the Crest.

From the design, Green made a wax model which then enabled a bronze plaque to be created as a printing block for putting the design on the cover of the Transactions – this was used on the journal for 55 years and became so iconic it developed into our logo. Despite discussions about modernising our image and changing the logo, tradition has won out.

The centrepiece of the design is Joseph Hunter’s head in later years, surrounded by olive branches, with the dates of his birth (1783) and death (1861). Just below him appears to be the image of a dog, possibly the beagle on Hunter’s own crest. He is surrounded by an oval banner bearing the words Sheffield * Hallamshire * The Hunter Archaeological Society. Below Hunter is an image of the Turret House at Manor Lodge with its distinctive chimneys.

Around the edges of the plaque are four characters Hunter had written about – Mary Queen of Scots (left), 6th Earl of Shrewsbury (top), Cardinal Wolsey (right) and Chaucer (bottom). In the four corners are places he wrote about – The Manor Lodge (bottom left), Hawle in the Ponds (Queen’s Head)(top left), Templeborough Roman fort (top right) and Carbrook Hall (bottom right). The bottom right inscription mistakenly says Hill instead of Hall.

The whole design is surrounded by a border of what look like Yorkshire white roses.

You can see Green’s signature at the base of the plaque.

The wax model and plaque were in the care of Sheffield Museums; the plaque has since gone missing but the wax model was on display during the Society’s centenary exhibition in 2012.

You can find more information about the plaque and crests at:

Doncaster, R 1987 The Hunter Archaeological Society: the Society Crest and the Joseph Hunter portraits. Transactions of the Hunter Archaeological Society 14 32-42

Morgan, R & Waller, M 2012 (2023) ‘Love of Historic Truth’ – the Life of Joseph Hunter. Transactions of the Hunter Archaeological Society 26 (2) 161-222