Biography of Leslie Alcock

Leslie Alcock (1925-2006) was the first Professor of Archaeology at the University, from 1973 to 1990.

Alcock was brought up in Manchester and educated at Manchester Grammar School. He served with the Gurkhas in India during the Second World War, reaching the rank of captain, and won a scholarship to study History at Brasenose College, Oxford. He pursued his interests in archaeology there, and became President of the Oxford Archaeology Society.

After graduating BA (1949) and MA (1950), Alcock worked in India on the excavation of the Bronze Age Indus Valley site of Mohenjo-daro. He then served for a short time as Director of the Archaeological Service of Pakistan.

Alcock was appointed Assistant Lecturer in Archaeology at University College, Cardiff in 1953 where he worked for the next twenty years. He led the team which excavated Cadbury Castle in Somerset in the late 1960s: the excavation of the reputed site of King Arthur's Camelot attracted considerable media interest. Alcock published his popular and influential book Arthur's Britain in 1971.

After taking up the Chair at Glasgow in 1973, Alcock carried out a number of excavations on Dark Age sites in Scotland and the north of England. He was honoured with an OBE in 1991.

Summary

Leslie Alcock
Archaeologist
Born 24 April 1925.
Died 7 June 2006.
University Link: Professor
Occupation categories: archaeologists
Search for this person in UK Who's Who
Record last updated: 19th Aug 2008

University Connections

University Roles

• Professor

Academic Posts

Professorships:

• Archaeology (James Dalrymple Chair)

Images

Leslie Alcock