Lancashire Archaeological Society

Lancashire Archaeological Society is a learned society dedicated to the study, preservation, and promotion of the archaeology and heritage of Lancashire and adjacent counties. The Society engages with archaeological fieldwork, publications, collections management, and public outreach across urban centres and rural landscapes. It collaborates with county councils, museums, universities and national bodies to further research on prehistoric, Roman, medieval and post-medieval sites.

History

The Society was founded in 1878 in a period of expanding antiquarian interest alongside institutions such as British Museum, Society of Antiquaries of London, Royal Archaeological Institute, Victoria and Albert Museum, and Yorkshire Archaeological Society. Early members included figures associated with Lancaster Castle, Chetham's Library, Liverpool Royal Institution, Manchester Museum, and industrial patrons from Lancashire coalfield, Lancashire textile industry, and Cottonopolis. The Society's development intersected with national developments exemplified by the Ancient Monuments Protection Act 1882, the formation of English Heritage, and the archaeological responses to railway and canal construction that affected sites along the Liverpool and Manchester Railway and the Ribble Estuary. Over successive decades the Society worked alongside county archaeologists from Lancashire County Council, curators from Museum of Liverpool, academic staff from University of Manchester, Lancaster University, University of Central Lancashire, and heritage professionals from National Trust and Historic England.

Organisation and Governance

The Society operates through an elected Council comprising a President, Vice-Presidents, Secretary, Treasurer and specialist officers linked to fields represented by Institute for Archaeologists members, university departments such as University of Leeds and University of Sheffield, and partner museums including Tullie House Museum and Wardle Museum. Governance follows charitable frameworks similar to Charity Commission for England and Wales guidance and engages with regional bodies like North West Regional Assembly and local planning authorities such as Wyre Borough Council and Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council. Committees reflect research strands relating to prehistoric hillforts near Pendle Hill, Roman sites along the River Ribble, medieval archaeology in Lancaster, and industrial archaeology at locations connected with Richard Arkwright and Samuel Crompton.

Activities and Publications

The Society organises lectures, symposia and conferences in partnership with academic hosts including University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, University College London, and local institutions such as Harris Museum and Art Gallery and Museum of Lancashire. Fieldwork and recording projects coordinate volunteers, professional archaeologists from firms like MOLA, and students from Keele University and University of Central Lancashire. Its principal publication, a peer-reviewed journal, publishes excavation reports, artefact studies and landscape analyses comparable to journals such as the Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society, Antiquity (journal), and the Journal of Roman Studies. The Society also issues monographs, excavation memoirs and occasional papers that document finds akin to reports produced by Portable Antiquities Scheme submissions, and contributes to county historic environment records used by Historic England and district archaeologists. Regular bulletins and newsletters circulate to members alongside collaborative volumes with Lancashire County Council Archaeology Service and curated catalogues for exhibitions at venues such as Walker Art Gallery and World Museum Liverpool.

Collections and Archaeological Projects

Collections held or catalogued by the Society span artefacts from Mesolithic sites, Neolithic monuments, Iron Age hillforts, Romano-British settlements, Anglo-Saxon cemeteries, medieval churches, and industrial-era workshops. The Society has supported excavations at Roman forts near Over Burrow Roman Fort, coastal sites by the Irish Sea, medieval urban archaeology in Preston, and landscape surveys across the Forest of Bowland and Fylde. Material culture studies have examined ceramics, metalwork and numismatics in collaboration with numismatists linked to British Numismatic Society and specialists from York Archaeological Trust. Conservation partnerships involve curatorial work at Lancaster Maritime Museum, object conservation labs at National Museum Wales, and storage collaborations using standards from The National Archives. The Society has contributed to rescue archaeology responses to infrastructure projects including work related to the M6 motorway and port developments at Port of Liverpool.

Outreach and Education

Educational outreach includes public lectures, guided archaeological walks, school programmes aligned with syllabi from examination boards such as AQA and OCR, and hands-on training excavations for community volunteers and students. Collaborative events run with heritage organisations like English Heritage, National Trust, Heritage Lottery Fund, and local museums including Lancaster City Museum and Wigan Pier Museum. The Society fosters research skills through workshops on pottery identification, radiocarbon dating collaborations with laboratories at University of Bradford, and landscape recording using methodologies promoted by Council for British Archaeology and the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists. Digital engagement has included online catalogues, virtual talks and contributions to national datasets such as Heritage Gateway and regional Historic Environment Records.

Category:Archaeological societies in the United Kingdom Category:History of Lancashire