Anne Ross (archaeologist)
Anne Ross | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1925 |
| Died | 2012 (aged 86–87) |
| Occupation | Archaeologist |
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | University of Edinburgh |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Archaeology |
| Sub-discipline | Ancient Celtic religion and culture |
| Notable works | Everyday Life of the Pagan Celts |
Anne Ross (1925-2012) was a Gaelic-speaking British Celtic scholar and archaeologist. Her area of focus is ancient Celtic culture and religion, particularly Druidism and the cult of the head. She was considered one of Britain's leading Celtic scholars.[1]
Her book Pagan Celtic Britain is a central text in Romano-British studies, and was popular among "hippies and freethinkers in the 1960s" who were interested in Celtic pagan religion. Ross held a firm belief in paranormal phenomena, and was famously involved in story of the supposedly paranormal Hexham Heads.[2]
She was featured on television shows such as Out of the Past (1969), The Celts (1987) and The Celts (2000).
Education
[edit]Ross studied at the University of Edinburgh, where she earned her MA, MA hons, and PhD. She was a Research Fellow in the School of Scottish Studies, Edinburgh.[1]
Notable works
[edit]- Pagan Celtic Britain (1967)
- Everyday Life of Pagan Celts (1970)
- Grotesques and Gargoyles: Paganism in the Medieval Church (1975)
- A Traveller's Guide to Celtic Britain (1985)
- The Pagan Celts (1986)
- The Life and Death of a Druid Prince (1989)
Personal life
[edit]Ross was married to fellow archaeologist Richard Feacham. They had a daughter named Berenice.[3]
Hexham heads
[edit]
The Hexham heads are two small stone heads that were found in Hexham, England and were associated with alleged paranormal activity.
In 1971 two boys from Hexham discovered two small stone heads, which they dug up in their garden. Their mother, Jenny Robson, showed heads to their neighbor, who later reported seeing half wolf, half man creature in her bedroom. This figure became associated with the Wolf of Allendale. The heads were eventually sent to Ross, who was working at the University of Southampton, for further examination. In an interview with Nationwide, Ross stated that a few days after receiving the heads she woke up in panic in middle of night, and that when looked to door there was "this thing going out of it, and it was about six feet high, slightly stooping." She continued, stating that "It was half animal and half man - the upper part I would have said was a wolf, and the lower part was human." Her teenage daughter had a similar experience a few days later.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Ross, Anne (2000-11-01). Folklore of the Scottish Highlands. The History Press. ISBN 978-0-7509-5245-3.
- ^ "Anne Ross". Women in Cornwall. Retrieved 2024-11-14.
- ^ "The 'half-man half-beast' who has roamed Hexham and haunted families for decades". Hexham Courant. 2024-10-19. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
- ^ "Nationwide Hexham Heads report: Lost footage found in BBC archive". BBC. 2024-10-31. Retrieved 2024-11-14.