Scotsman Obituaries: Gordon Maxwell, noted Scottish archaeologist and aerial photographer​​​​​​​

Gordon Maxwell's impact on the archaeological record was dramatic

Gordon Maxwell was a pioneer in the development of aerial reconnaissance for archaeology in Scotland, discovering over a dozen Roman forts and fortlets, twice that number of Roman temporary camps and numerous Iron Age settlements. A true Scot with a wry and mischievous sense of humour, he took particular pleasure in choosing place names for some of his Roman discoveries that his English colleagues might find more difficult to pronounce, such as the forts at Drumquhassle, near Drymen, and Inverquharity, near Kirriemuir.

Maxwell was born in 1938 in Edinburgh, the son of Alina (née Smith) and Edward Maxwell, a stockbroker’s clerk. He won a place at Daniel Stewarts College, now Stewart’s Melville College, and subsequently a bursary to the University of St Andrews. He read Classics, but developed his archaeological experience by volunteering on various Roman excavations.

He enjoyed university life to the full, taking the opportunity to combine his love of Scots with his love of Greek by persuading one of his lecturers, Douglas Young, the poet and prominent Scottish Nationalist, to translate Aristophanes’ comedy The Frogs into Scots verse. Maxwell both produced and appeared in the première of the resulting play, The Puddocks, as well as co-designing the cover of Young’s self-published text. In his final year Maxwell was so busy masterminding the entertainment at the autumn ball that he neglected to find a partner for himself. At the last minute his friends found one for him, Kathleen King, a Londoner reading French. This blind date was so successful that they were married two years later in 1961 after she too had graduated.

Maxwell’s first job was as a teacher of Classics at Madras College, St Andrews. Here he was able to further fulfil his love of archaeology in his spare time and began to undertake his own excavations during the vacations, first at Crawford Roman fort in Lanarkshire and then at Drumcarrow Iron Age settlement near St Andrews.

He joined the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland, now part of Historic Environment Scotland, as an Investigator in 1964. He played a key role in the production of the traditional, magisterial county-based accounts of archaeological sites, the so-called Inventories, for Lanarkshire and Argyll. He continued that work on later Inventories, but in an increasingly editorial capacity as he rose in seniority, being appointed Head of Archaeology in 1991.

After the Second World War aerial survey, particularly for cropmarks, had become the single most important method of discovering new archaeological sites. Such sites can reveal themselves as differential growth in crops even when nothing remains visible on the ground. A lover of aircraft since his boyhood, Maxwell established the Royal Commission’s own comprehensive programme of aerial survey in 1976, which, despite suffering from chronic air sickness, he continued to direct until his early retirement in 1995.

He made so many important new discoveries that his personal impact on the archaeological record, particularly for the prehistoric and early historic periods, was dramatic, completely transforming our understanding of Scotland's lowland heritage. This was celebrated by the dedication to him of a volume of papers entitled From the Air: Understanding Aerial Archaeology and the conferring of an honorary professorship by his alma mater.

He not only found new sites, he put them into their wider academic context. He is well known for his co-authorship of what still remains the standard text on Rome’s most northerly frontier, the Antonine Wall, published in 1983. This was followed in 1989 by a more general book on the Romans in Scotland and a detailed consideration of the evidence for the famous battle of Mons Graupius in 1990.

He is universally remembered by colleagues as an erudite and very kindly gentleman, who made staff feel valued no matter how junior their position. He was particularly helpful to those in the early stages of their careers, whom he fostered and trained. A simple query addressed to him would often end up as a masterclass in aerial photographic interpretation.

In his spare time he was a dedicated and knowledgeable gardener. Having identified a semi-derelict half-acre plot of land in the picturesque village of Aberdour in Fife in the 1970s, Maxwell and his wife set about building a home for themselves and their two daughters, Amanda and Rebecca. Many happy weekends were spent slashing and burning, while the children ran about, hidden by the remaining undergrowth. Large bonfires were needed, whose sites eventually became the foundations of three herbaceous island beds. Every pathway created led you further around this magic garden that was later described as a “plant lover’s paradise”. It had its own website and was opened to the public for a few days each year to raise funds for charity. It even featured on The Beechgrove Garden in 1999.

Maxwell remained passionate about archaeology long after he had retired. He continued to undertake aerial surveys for a short time and opened new areas of investigation. He recognised that the supposed frontier earthwork in Perthshire, the Cleaven Dyke, lacked the expected regularity of a Roman work. Subsequent survey and excavation, in which he played a vital part, proved it to be the best-preserved Neolithic bank barrow in Britain.

He was always very active in his local community. He played Santa at Christmas parties for the youth club and even BT mascot Buzby at the front of a village sports day parade. Meanwhile, he continued to share his passion for archaeology through lectures, community talks and school visits.

In his final years, Maxwell lived with the effects of dementia, which he managed stoically and with typical derogatory humour. He is survived by his wife and their two daughters.

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