Ultimately this contact led to me getting a place at Peking University to study Chinese Archaeology - an experience that was life-changing and has led me to live pretty much ever since in China/Hong Kong. This brought us closer together and I ended up having dinner with them a couple of times, being entrusted wither keys, driving him around sites like Hadrian’s wall (in her car), and me maintaining a relationship (that’s unfortunately now lapsed) with her after I graduated. In time, he came to the UK and while visiting Durham she put him up in her house and, since I was interested in Chinese archaeology, she roped me in to help look after him. While I ended up very interested in Anglo Saxon Art & Archaeology, our interests aligned more fully around China… When I was in the last year of my degree she went on a cultural mission there with the British Council (I think it was) and struck up a friendship with Prof Guo, the head of the Bureau of Cultural Relics. For some reason Rosemary was rather benign in any criticism of this which always surprised me as she is a very direct speaker (cf the first quote) Generally sleeping through the last year of my degree - I was rowing for the university, would invariably get to Rosemary’s lectures late after the early morning training, have to sit in the front row (the only space left) and then fall asleep through exhaustion. Once on a field trip through Yorkshire (I think), as Rosemary was driving us along a particularly pot-holed road, she turned her head back towards those of us sitting behind her and said with a huge grin “this one will be good for your kidneys” just as we hit a particularly large bump…. being told after my interview to get onto the degree course: “Remember Mr Stoneley - next time you are supposed to impress your interviewer”!!!! After this success, I was rather surprised to be offered a place. However, the pressures of teaching got in the way of archaeology but I retained a great interest. Over the years I went on to teach history in the East Riding, becoming a deputy head the 1960's I helped to excavate iron age and Medieval sites around Beverley and Hull. I believe a Mr Wilf Dodds (?) was there as a knowledgeable assistant. Her department operated from a humble shed in the grounds of Hatfield College where spades and trowels were kept. So interesting! She ,even then ,knew every stone. Miss Cramp soon took us to Jarrow and Monkearmouth. Within a very short time a bonny lady appeared to introduce us to the Anglo Saxons. ![]() ![]() I went up to Durham in 1956 to take a degree in Modern History, a course which to my surprise began with the Romans and an opening lecture by Eric Birley. Memories of Professor Dame Rosemary Cramp
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