Margaret Ursula Jones

Margaret Ursula Jones
Margaret Ursula Jones, shown filling in a form on a clipboard whilst inspecting freshly-excavated potsherds on site at Mucking.
Jones recording pottery at Mucking
Born
Margaret Ursula Owen

(1916-05-16)16 May 1916
Birkenhead, England
Died23 March 2001(2001-03-23) (aged 84)
Spouse
Tom Jones
​
​
(m. 1940; died 1993)​
Scientific career
Fields
InstitutionsMucking

Margaret Ursula Jones (née Owen, 16 May 1916 – 23 March 2001)[1][2] was an English archaeologist, best known for directing major excavations at Mucking, Essex.[1][3][4]

Born in Birkenhead, Jones first became involved in archaeology while studying at the University of Liverpool, where she volunteered on W. J. Varley's excavations. After graduating she worked as a wartime postal censor and freelance photojournalist, whilst continuing to volunteer on archaeological excavations around Britain. In 1956, Jones began working for the Ministry of Works as a freelance archaeologist in the burgeoning field of rescue archaeology. She worked at a number of sites, but is best known for her excavations at Mucking, a major Anglo-Saxon settlement and associated cemetery, with finds ranging from the Stone Age to the Medieval period.

The Mucking excavation, which Jones directed from 1965 to 1978, became Britain's largest ever archaeological excavation. It produced an unprecedented volume of material, although some academic archaeologists have criticised the fact that the results did not appear in print until decades after the excavation had ended. Jones' work at Mucking, as well as her role in founding the campaign group Rescue, was influential in the establishment of modern commercial archaeology in Britain.

  1. ^ a b Pitts, Mike (2 May 2001). "Margaret Jones obituary". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  2. ^ Webb, John. "Margaret Jones obituary". Thurrock Local History Society. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  3. ^ Roberts, Julia (4 December 2015). "Margaret Jones (living in the now)". HARN Weblog. Histories of Archaeology Research Network. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  4. ^ Matthews, John (9 May 2014). "Margaret Ursula Jones: Mucking In". TrowelBlazers. Retrieved 5 August 2016.