Grace Simpson (1920–2007) was a British archaeologist who made her major contribution in Roman ceramics. Influence by her father, F.G. Simpson, who was Director of Field Studies at Durham and involved in the excavations of Hadrian’s Wall, she joined the Institute of Archaeology at UCL after the Second World War and started her career in Roman archaeology. Between 1950 and 1954 she worked as a research assistant to Eric Birley at Durham, who was also a student of her father and a remarkable Roman archaeologist. It is worth mentioning that Peggy Birley, who married to Eric Birley, was also a female archaeologist who worked on the excavations at Vindolanda with her husband. While it is unclear whether Simpson and Peggy have ever worked together, it still reveals that these two related women had made a great contribution to the research of Roman archaeology. In 1957, as a specialist in Roman ceramics, Simpson was invited to help the foundation of Rei Cretariae Romane Fautores (RCRF), an international organization specializing in the field of Roman pottery. In the following years, she continued to attend the congresses of RCRF and organized the 14th Congress in 1984.
Grace Simpson with John Gillam at the 4th Congress of RCRF in Strasbourg, 1963. (Reproduced with the permission of Susanne Zabehlicky-Scheffenegger)
Between 1950 and 1972, Simpson also worked as the Honorary Curator of the museum at Chesters Roman Fort. She spent a lot of time working on John Clayton’s collection of Roman antiquities as well as the finds excavated by her father. Simpson produced more than thirty academic papers, reports and books about Roman archaeology. Her most influential publication is Central Gaulish Potters, which is still regarded as an essential reference book for the study of Roman Samian ware.
More information about Simpson:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_Simpson
https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/library/browse/personDetails.xhtml?personId=577
Many thanks to Susanne Zabehlicky-Scheffenegger for her permission and support to reproduce the photos.
Guest Post by Zoey Fang as part of the 2021 UCL TrowelBlazers Digital Fieldwork Project.
