Audrey Henshall facts for kids

This ancient stone tomb at Maes Howe is a type of "chambered cairn" that Audrey Henshall studied.

Audrey Shore Henshall (1927 – 14 December 2021) was a British archaeologist. She was famous for her work on old Scottish stone tombs called chambered cairns. She also studied ancient pottery and very old clothes found in places like peat bogs.

Life and Work

Audrey Henshall was born in Oldham, England, in 1927. She went to the University of Edinburgh and finished her studies in 1949.

From 1960 to 1971, she worked at the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland. Here, she helped look after ancient objects. She also became an important member of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. This is a group that studies old things. She was also part of the London Society of Antiquaries.

In 1993, Audrey received a special award called an OBE. This award was given to her "for services to archaeology," meaning for her great work in studying the past. People called her a "leading authority" in many areas of early archaeology. In 2016, she received another award, the Dorothy Marshall Medal. This was for her amazing volunteer work in Scottish archaeology. Audrey Henshall passed away in Edinburgh in 2021 when she was 94 years old.

Studying Ancient Stone Tombs

Audrey Henshall spent a lot of time researching chambered cairns. These are very old stone tombs built by people long ago. Her research led to two important books about these tombs in Scotland. These books, published in 1963 and 1972, became key guides for anyone studying the subject.

She also wrote four more books about chambered cairns in specific parts of northern Scotland. She worked with other experts on these books.

• The chambered tombs of Scotland. Vol.1, Edinburgh University Press 1963
• The chambered tombs of Scotland. Vol.2, Edinburgh University Press 1972
• The chambered cairns of Orkney: an inventory of the structures and their contents, with J.L. Davidson, Edinburgh University Press, 1989
• The chambered cairns of Caithness: an inventory of the structures and their contents, with J.L. Davidson, Edinburgh University Press, 1991
• The chambered cairns of Sutherland: an inventory of the structures and their contents, with J.N.G. Ritchie. Edinburgh University Press 1995
• The chambered cairns of the Central Highlands: an inventory of the structures and their contents, with J.N.G. Ritchie. Edinburgh University Press 2001

Audrey also wrote articles about her findings, such as:

• The excavation of a chambered cairn at Embo, Sutherland. Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland; 96, 1962-1963
• Scottish chambered tombs and long mounds. In Renfrew, Colin, British Prehistory, Duckworth, 1974

Prehistoric Pottery

Audrey Henshall knew a lot about pottery from prehistoric times. This pottery was often found inside the ancient tombs she studied. She described these pottery pieces in her books about chambered cairns.

Many experts believe her work on ancient burials and pottery was very important. Some of her articles about pottery can be found in the Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. For example, she wrote about:

• Pottery and stone tools from Ness of Gruting (vol. 84)
• Beakers (a type of ancient cup) from Cawdor (vol. 114)

Ancient Textiles

Much of Audrey's work on old fabrics and clothing was published in the 1950s and 1960s. She was encouraged by another expert, Grace Crowfoot, and they wrote several articles together.

One of her most interesting studies was about the 300-year-old clothes of the Gunnister Man. These clothes were found preserved in a peat bog in Shetland. She also figured out what colors were used in textiles from hundreds of years ago. Her study of a tartan pattern found at Dungiven even helped bring back an old 17th-century tartan design. People found her detailed descriptions of these ancient clothes and fabrics very fascinating.

Here are some of her works on textiles:

• Note on an early stocking in "sprang" technique found near Micklegate Bar, York, Yorkshire Philosophical Society 1951
• Early textiles found in Scotland, with Stuart Maxwell. Society of Antiquaries of Scotland 1956
• Early textiles found in Scotland. Part II medieval imports, with G.M. Crowfoot and J. Beckwith. Edinburgh, 1956
• The Dungiven costume: (a study of 17th century native dress in Ulster) with Wilfred Seaby. With contributions by A.T. Lucas, A.G. Smith and A. Connor. Ulster Journal of Archaeology. vols. 24-25 (1961–62)
• Five tablet-woven seal tags, Royal Archaeological Institute 1965

More of her articles on textiles can be found in the Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, such as:

• Textile impression on iron fragment from Dun Cuier, Barra (vol. 89)
• Clothing found at Huntsgarth, Orkney (vol. 101)