Hunter Centenary 2012

Monday 14 May 2012 3:53 pm

The Hunter Archaeological Society held its first meeting in May 1912 and we were keen to celebrate our first 100 years. Thanks to a generous Lottery grant, we were able to organise a number of fantastic events.

On the evening of 11 May 2012, the Lord Mayor Sylvia Dunkley hosted a Reception in the Town Hall in recognition of the importance of the Society over the last century. This was attended by many members, councillors, museum staff, colleagues from Sheffield University and Sheffield Archives among others.

A conference marked the centenary of the Hunter Archaeological Society on the very same date as the inaugural meeting – 12 May. The conference was titled Shared Pasts: democratic traditions in British archaeology, and was held in the Cantor Building at Sheffield Hallam University. The contributors and delegates at the conference celebrated the tradition of ‘community heritage’ to which the Society continues to contribute.

Archaeology has long been a way for people of varied backgrounds and experience to discover their past. The establishment of provincial antiquarian societies during the nineteenth century arguably marks the beginnings of our democratic tradition. Volunteers and enthusiasts from many different backgrounds were the mainstay of archaeological research throughout the 20th century, and were core to the success of the rescue projects that responded to post-war development. The late 20th century brought a new challenge: at the same time as archaeological work became increasingly professionalised, the mass media dramatically widened awareness of and participation in archaeology. Community heritage projects now proliferate, thanks in large part to the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund, and participation is more diverse than it has ever been.

The speakers reviewed the history of public participation in British archaeology and mapped out the future for our ‘common heritage’ as the discipline faces economic constraints, challenges to social cohesion, and a questioning of established identities. Some of the papers were published in a special Centenary issue of the Transactions of the Hunter Archaeological Society, Volume 26 (1).

In the evening a Centenary Dinner was held in the Cutlers’ Hall attended by the Master Cutler Pam Liversidge, guest speaker David Hey and special guest Professor Sir Paul Mellars. On display was the newly restored portrait of Joseph Hunter, painted by HW Pickersgill in 1852 for the Cutlers’ Feast at the inauguration of his brother Michael Hunter.

The following day saw a range of excursions and walks on offer.

Also at the start of the year, Weston Park Museum installed a slideshow and an exhibition about the Society with a display case of items from Sheffield Castle, in the recording of which the Society played a a major part.

From September to December 2012, an exhibition entitled ‘Heritage Makers’ about the Society’s history was mounted in the gallery of Sheffield University Library at Western Bank. Speakers at a launch reception included Professor Vanessa Toulmin, Professor John Moreland and Dinah Saich.

The Society worked with seven primary schools across the region in June and July 2012 to communicate the excitement of archaeological discovery to 7 – 11 year olds. We held a programme of events for each school, beginning with an introductory session to archaeology as historical enquiry, and continued with the digging of ten test pits at each school. Hunter members and University of Sheffield students supervised pupils who dug the test pits in their school grounds. Pupils handled archaeological objects courtesy of Arteamus in the introductory session, then found and handled objects excavated from under their playing fields.

A follow-up session was held, featuring a cartoonist who drew pupils’ suggestions about the objects they found. Ideas went into a comic, launched in November 2012 at a special event at South Yorkshire Archaeology Day and distributed to participating schools, public libraries and museums. A full report on the finds from the excavations is available.