ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the development of medieval archaeology in Britain since the formation of the Society for Medieval Archaeology. Anglo-Saxon archaeology had been ‘very largely a museum study’ until that point, centred on objects and the cemeteries from which they came, but now fieldwork came into its own at Thetford, Yeavering and elsewhere, while the pre-war excavations at Sutton Hoo did much to stimulate public interest through its spectacular grave goods. One organization which has had direct but untrumpeted impact on the development of medieval archaeology in Britain is the Ancient Monuments and Historic Buildings Directorate, in its various incarnations. It is unhelpful that medieval archaeologists have acquired a reputation for resistance to the latest theoretical developments. Since 1957 there has been a huge overall expansion in the number of students and universities, matched both by increases in academic staff in archaeology departments and the overall number of other institutions who teach archaeology.
