William Cunnington

[1] In contrast to the vast majority of antiquarians of the time, Cunnington realised that to fully understand the barrows which fascinated him, they should be excavated and recorded carefully and methodically.

By modern standards, Cunnington's excavation methodology – predominantly involving a shaft trench dug from the crown of a barrow to ground level in search of "novelties" – was poor, but he was the first archaeologist to undertake such an extensive campaign of work and was a true pioneer.

John Parker is more frequently discussed in correspondence between Cunnington and Hoare and it is clear that he was often despatched on travels across the Wiltshire Downs in search of new sites.

John, born in 1780, is portrayed with some warmth by Cunnington and he comes across as hard-working and enthusiastic, being deeply disappointed by the failure of excavations to produce interesting material.

2009 research by Paul Everill has revealed the first reference to the use of a trowel on an archaeological site in a letter from Cunnington to Hoare in 1808, which describes John Parker using one in the excavation of Bush Barrow.