Sir Charles Peers, C.B.E., F.B.A.

Abstract

THE gold medal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of London has been awarded to Sir Charles R. Peers in recognition of his services to archæology in Great Britain. This medal, generally accepted as the highest award in archaeology in Great Britain, has been awarded on three occasions only, the first recipient being Sir Arthur Evans, who was followed, by the Abbé Breuil and then Sir Aurel Stein. Sir Charles Peers, who was educated at Charterhouse and King's College, Cambridge, and is by profession an architect, was appointed inspector of ancient monuments under the Board (now Office) of Works in 1910. His appointment was the result of prolonged agitation by archæologists and others interested in the preservation of antiquities in Great Britain. It marks an epoch in the history of British archaeology. The inspectorship had been vacant since the death of General Pitt-Rivers in 1900, while the Ancient Monuments Acts, of which the first was passed in 1882, had long been virtually a dead letter. In 1913, three years after Sir Charles's appointment, a consolidating and amending Act was passed, which much enlarged the powers of the Commissioners, and he was given the standing and title of chief inspector of ancient monuments.