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William Stukeley
1687–1765
Best known for his vivid studies of Stonehenge and Avebury, this English antiquary helped turn curiosity about Britain’s ancient past into careful fieldwork. He was also a physician and later an Anglican clergyman, which gives his life an unusual mix of science, scholarship, and faith.
5 Audiobooks
Abury, A Temple of the British Druids, With Some Others, Described
by William Stukeley
Itinerarium curiosum (centuria I) : or, an account of the antiquities, and remarkable curiosities in nature or art, observed in travels through Great Britain
by William Stukeley
Stonehenge, a Temple Restor'd to the British Druids
by William Stukeley
The Philosophy of Earthquakes, Natural and Religious
by William Stukeley
About the author
Born in 1687 in Holbeach, Lincolnshire, William Stukeley studied at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, trained in medicine, and worked as a physician before later taking holy orders in the Church of England. He became a Fellow of the Royal Society and moved easily among the learned circles of early 18th-century Britain.
Stukeley is remembered above all for his investigations of prehistoric monuments. His surveys and drawings of Stonehenge, Avebury, and other ancient sites are still valued because they preserve features that were later damaged or lost. He wrote influential books on Stonehenge and Abury, and his work helped shape the early study of archaeology in Britain.
He was an energetic and imaginative writer as well as a careful observer. Some of his ideas, especially his attempts to connect ancient monuments with the Druids, are no longer accepted, but his field records remain an important part of how we understand Britain’s prehistoric landscape. He died in 1765.