Thornborough Archaeology Group

We are delighted to announce that James Lawton has joined TAG as an Advisor. As you’ll see below, James is a highly experienced specialist in geophysical prospection, and given the importance of the latter to TAG’s programme of fieldwork, this makes him a very important addition to the team:

“James is a professional Archaeological Geophysicist with a keen interest in promoting archaeology to the wider general public. He earned a degree in Geoarchaeology (you’ve got to love rocks and soils!) from the University of Bradford before completing a Master’s degree in Archaeological Prospection (everything geophysics!). All James has ever wanted to do is find old stuff and be in Time Team (which he has done!) — a geophysics Indiana Jones!

He now has over 15 years of experience in commercial archaeology, and most recently set up his own company undertaking geophysics. James has worked on some of the United Kingdom and Ireland’s largest infrastructure projects, undertaking surveys on HS2, East West Rail, the A9/A96 upgrades, County Carlow Bypass and several very large solar projects, including finding a Roman town in 2023 which has now been made a Scheduled Monument. Alongside this James has worked on many community projects, particularly in the Yorkshire region. The most impressive currently being at Street House near Loftus, for Dr Steve Sherlock, where James’s geophysics work helped locate the oldest salt making evidence in Western Europe.

As an archaeologist, James loves nothing more than looking at landscapes and how archaeological prospection techniques can detect the previously unknown. The work being undertaken by the Thornborough Archaeology Group encompasses just this and is a unique opportunity that James couldn’t let pass by!”