Stuart Piggott's poems: acknowledgements and thanks

In line with Stuart Piggott's wishes, publication of his poems could not be considered until after his death—to quote the man himself in 1968: 'until I kick the bucket'¹—then, after his death, by the kind permission of his executor, Mrs Alison Sanderson. SP's archive of papers, which included the majority of his poems, was transferred to the Institute of Archaeology, Oxford, where they remain. Individual poems produced during his lifetime remain with their recipients.
From the beginning, Barry Cunliffe was our main helper and motivator by copying the poetry corpus and contributing wise comments; our thanks also to the staff of the Institute of Archaeology in Oxford during research among the then uncatalogued Piggott papers in 1996.

This site is not a biography of Stuart Ernest Piggott (1910–1996). Readers are directed to the comprehensive obituary by Roger Mercer and other memorials, notably by Vincent Megaw and Ian Ralston. It is an appreciation of the other side of a famous academic and hands-on archaeologist, the side embodied in his lifelong poems. He was diffident about that poetry but now nearly a generation after his death he would grin with characteristic amused irony if it were this side of his contribution which persisted rather than the inevitable crumbling of ephemeral archaeological constructs, however worthy.

Many other people have contributed poems, comment and information: Mr and Mrs Stewart Sanderson, Charles and Jessica Thomas, Vincent Megaw, Ian Ralston, Candida Lycett Green (also per the McPherson Library, University of Victoria, British Columbia), Clarissa Lewis, Lady Aileen Fox, Trevor Watkins, Ros Cleal, Richard Bradley, Anna Ritchie, Howard Colvin, Anthony Snodgrass, staff at the Welsh National Library for correspondence between SP and the poet and artist David Jones, the Bodleian Library and the Wiltshire Museum.
Many others helped with correspondence and enthusiasm for the project: Mary-Jane Mountain, Stephen Briggs, Judith Atkinson, David Brown at Oxbow Books, Beatrice Blance Clayre, Richard Feachem, Elizabeth Fowler, Carola Hicks, Morna McCusbic, Arthur McGregor of the Ashmolean Museum, Jacqueline Murray, Nancy Sandars.
For other assistance our thanks go to Adi Inskeep and Lindsay Perth.

Catriona (CMM) and Duncan McArdle (TDM)