William Hawley
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant-Colonel William Hawley (1851–1941) was a British archaeologist who most famously undertook pioneering excavations at Stonehenge
.
The work was carried out between 1919 and 1926 largely by Hawley working alone although at other times assisted by Robert Newall, a draughtsman from the Office of Works. The weather and the confusing stratigraphy
of this site made work difficult but Hawley was able to make numerous breakthroughs regarding the history of activity on the site.
The work was initially focused on the supervised righting of some of the fallen stones late in 1919. Hawley dug out the foundations before the stones were replaced. Hawley was employed by the Office of Works, the antecedent of the Ministry of Works who had been passed responsibility for Stonehenge when it had been donated to the nation in 1918. They were primarily concerned with the danger of falling stones but funds were made available for Hawley to continue his investigations long after the righting work finished.
Hawley's work identified the Aubrey Holes
for the first time as well as the Y and Z Holes
and a variety of other posthole
s and stone holes within the centre of the monument. He found many of the cremated and uncremated human remains which first indicated a funerary role for Stonehenge. Excavation of the Avenue
, the ditch (Heelstone Ditch
) around the Heelstone
, and the trench (Arc Trench) leading up to Heelstone was also undertaken.
Hawley proved, from a thin stratum of stone chip debris he called the Stonehenge Layer, that the earthwork features, the Aubrey Holes and some of the other postholes and burials constituted earlier phases of activity that predated the erection of the megaliths. He also found an antler pick embedded in a lump of chalk indicating the construction method on site. Eventually he settled on three phases, the earthwork enclosure, a large stone circle now vanished that supposedly stood in the Aubrey Holes, and finally a larger megaliths phase involving the extant stones as Stonehenge 3. Hawley's model of a multiphase site did not agree with the contemporary interpretation and was ignored until Richard Atkinson
revived the idea in the 1950s. Although now considerably refined, his multi-phase interpretation is now fully accepted.
Certain of Hawley's other ideas such as Stonehenge being a fortified settlement were further off the mark and he died before his work was recognised.
Stonehenge
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument located in the English county of Wiltshire, about west of Amesbury and north of Salisbury. One of the most famous sites in the world, Stonehenge is composed of a circular setting of large standing stones set within earthworks...
.
The work was carried out between 1919 and 1926 largely by Hawley working alone although at other times assisted by Robert Newall, a draughtsman from the Office of Works. The weather and the confusing stratigraphy
Stratigraphy
Stratigraphy, a branch of geology, studies rock layers and layering . It is primarily used in the study of sedimentary and layered volcanic rocks....
of this site made work difficult but Hawley was able to make numerous breakthroughs regarding the history of activity on the site.
The work was initially focused on the supervised righting of some of the fallen stones late in 1919. Hawley dug out the foundations before the stones were replaced. Hawley was employed by the Office of Works, the antecedent of the Ministry of Works who had been passed responsibility for Stonehenge when it had been donated to the nation in 1918. They were primarily concerned with the danger of falling stones but funds were made available for Hawley to continue his investigations long after the righting work finished.
Hawley's work identified the Aubrey Holes
Aubrey holes
The Aubrey holes are a ring of fifty-six Late Cretaceous Seaford Chalk pits at Stonehenge named after the seventeenth-century antiquarian John Aubrey. They date to the earliest phases of Stonehenge in the late fourth and early third millennium BC...
for the first time as well as the Y and Z Holes
Y and Z Holes
right|thumb|400px|A plan of the Y and Z Hole circuits at Stonehenge in relation to the central stone structureThe Y and Z Holes are two rings of concentric circuits of near identical pits cut around the outside of the Sarsen Circle at Stonehenge. The current view is that both circuits are...
and a variety of other posthole
Posthole
In archaeology a posthole is a cut feature used to hold a surface timber or stone. They are usually much deeper than they are wide although truncation may not make this apparent....
s and stone holes within the centre of the monument. He found many of the cremated and uncremated human remains which first indicated a funerary role for Stonehenge. Excavation of the Avenue
Avenue (archaeology)
British Archaeologists refine the general archaeological use of avenue to denote a long, parallel-sided strip of land, measuring up to about 30m in width, open at either end and with edges marked by stone or timber alignments and/or a low earth bank and ditch...
, the ditch (Heelstone Ditch
Heelstone Ditch
right|thumb|200px|Heelstone Ditch Heelstone Ditch is a roughly circular feature surrounding the Heelstone at Stonehenge. It is not known if there was an intended relationship between the ditch and the heelstone although it is likely that the stone was in place either before or at the same time as...
) around the Heelstone
Heelstone
right|thumb|250px|Southwest face of HeelstoneThe Heelstone is a single large block of sarsen stone standing within the Avenue outside the entrance of the Stonehenge earthwork, close to the main road . In section it is sub-rectangular, with a minimum thickness of 8 ft , rising to a tapered top...
, and the trench (Arc Trench) leading up to Heelstone was also undertaken.
Hawley proved, from a thin stratum of stone chip debris he called the Stonehenge Layer, that the earthwork features, the Aubrey Holes and some of the other postholes and burials constituted earlier phases of activity that predated the erection of the megaliths. He also found an antler pick embedded in a lump of chalk indicating the construction method on site. Eventually he settled on three phases, the earthwork enclosure, a large stone circle now vanished that supposedly stood in the Aubrey Holes, and finally a larger megaliths phase involving the extant stones as Stonehenge 3. Hawley's model of a multiphase site did not agree with the contemporary interpretation and was ignored until Richard Atkinson
Richard Atkinson
Richard Atkinson may refer to:*Richard C. Atkinson , American psychologist and former president of the University of California*Richard J. C. Atkinson , British prehistorian and archaeologist*Richard Merrill Atkinson , U.S...
revived the idea in the 1950s. Although now considerably refined, his multi-phase interpretation is now fully accepted.
Certain of Hawley's other ideas such as Stonehenge being a fortified settlement were further off the mark and he died before his work was recognised.
Further reading
- AtkinsonRichard J. C. AtkinsonRichard John Copland Atkinson CBE was a British prehistorian and archaeologist.-Biography:He was born in Evershot, Dorset and went to Sherborne School and then Magdalen College, Oxford, reading PPE...
, R J C, Stonehenge (Penguin Books). 1956. - Hawley, Lt-Col W, The Excavations at Stonehenge. (The Antiquaries Journal 1, Oxford University Press, 19-41). 1921.
- Hawley, Lt-Col W, Second Report on the Excavations at Stonehenge. (The Antiquaries Journal 2, Oxford University Press, 36-52). 1922.
- Hawley, Lt-Col W, Third Report on the Excavations at Stonehenge. (The Antiquaries Journal 3, Oxford University Press, 13-20). 1923.
- Hawley, Lt-Col W, Fourth Report on the Excavations at Stonehenge. (The Antiquaries Journal 4, Oxford University Press, 30-39). 1923.
- Hawley, Lt-Col W, Report on the Excavations at Stonehenge during the season of 1923. (The Antiquaries Journal 5, Oxford University Press, 21-50). 1925.
- Hawley, Lt-Col W, Report on the Excavations at Stonehenge during the season of 1924. (The Antiquaries Journal 6, Oxford University Press, 1-25). 1926.
- Hawley, Lt-Col W, Report on the Excavations at Stonehenge during 1925 and 1926. (The Antiquaries Journal 8, Oxford University Press, 149-176). 1928.
- Newall, R S, Stonehenge, Wiltshire (Ancient monuments and historic buildings) (Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London). 1959.