John Gilbert Hurst FSA FBA (15 August 1927 – 29 April 2003) was a British archaeologist and pioneer of the study of medieval archaeology.
He was educated at Harrow and then, following National Service, went up to Trinity College, Cambridge to read archaeology.
Although his studies at Cambridge were exclusively concerned with prehistory, his interests already lay in the medieval period, and while still an undergraduate he co-directed the excavation of Northolt Manor.
His principal task was in rescue archaeology, particularly in the medieval period, determining how to spend the meagre budget and this involved travelling round the country, visiting excavations and talent spotting, and many of the leading authorities in medieval archaeology owe their initial success to his support.
He established with Maurice Beresford the Deserted Mediaeval Village Research Group[3] from which sprang the Society for Medieval Archaeology founded in 1957, in which he filled almost every office, including President; he then led the formation of the Post-Medieval Ceramic Research Group which turned itself into the Society for Post-Medieval Archaeology, of which he also became president.