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John Robert Mortimer (15 June 1825 – 19 August 1911) was an English corn-merchant and archaeologist who lived in Driffield, East Riding of Yorkshire. He was responsible for the excavation of many of the notable barrows in the Yorkshire Wolds, including Duggleby Howe, recorded in the work ''Forty Years Researches in British and Saxon Burial Mounds of East Yorkshire''. He established a dedicated museum of archaeology at Driffield, one of the first of its kind. His excavations represent early examples of the application of scientific methods to the study of burial mounds; his written work and excavated finds remain a valuable resource in British archaeology. ==Biography== John Robert Mortimer was born at Fimber in the Yorkshire Wolds on 15 June 1852, the eldest of three children of local Farmer; he received a village school education at Fridaythorpe. In adult life he operated as a corn merchant, moving to the nearby larger town of Driffield in 1869; in the same year marrying Matilda née Mitchell, daughter of the vicar of Sancton and of Holme on the Wolds. His business included trade in seed, manure, fertiliser, and included malt kilns and a brewery as assets. Mortimer's interest was stimulated by visits to the 1851 Great Exhibition, and the geological and archaeological exhibits in the British Museum, and by the private collection of Edward Tindall of Bridlington. Together with his brother Robert, Mortimer assembled a small collection of fossil and antiquarian specimens; they also trained and instructed many local farm workers to collect any likely specimens they found; locally such artefacts became known colloquially as 'Mortmers'. During the latter part of the 19th century the area became a magnet for collectors, in part due to publicity from his collection; most sought ancient stone, flint and bronze weapons. Competition arose for these artefacts, causing a rise in their monetary value. Through their contacts with local agricultural workers the Mortimers were able to collect a great many thousands of specimens. In the late 1850s Mortimer began recording the linear earthworks of the local area. In the 1860s he began to excavate barrows; his first excavation was 4 May 1863 at High Towthorpe. Many of his excavations took place between 1863 and 1879, and were self-financed from his own business; in 1878 Mortimer opened a purpose built museum in Driffield. After the 1870s an agricultural depression caused the price of grain to decrease (see Repeal of the 1846 Corn Laws), he became bankrupt in 1887 owing £1800; the expenditure on the museum, and on excavation both contributing significantly. Mortimer continued to excavate, but often under the financial backing of other persons. Over his archaeological career he excavated over 300 such mounds, the bulk of his work was recorded in his ''magnum opus'' "Forty Years' Researches in British and Saxon Burial Mounds of East Yorkshire" (1905). He also excavated the Iron Age graveyard known as Danes Graves, or ''Danesdale''. Mortimer sometimes worked with his brother Robert, and also worked with the antiquarians Canon William Greenwell and Thomas Boynton. John Robert Mortimer died at home in Driffield on 19 August 1911. He had six children, five of whom survived him. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「John Robert Mortimer」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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