The Cinderella Service: the Ordnance Survey and the mapping of the Antonine Wall

Abstract

A former archaeology surveyor with the Ordnance Survey describes the recent history of OS involvement with the Antonine Wall, culminating in the far-reaching 1980 Survey which was finally completed before the disbandment of OS archaeological services in 1983. Using the two most recent PSAS compilation articles on the Wall as exemplars (1995 & 2002), the author questions why archaeologists are unaware of, or are not using correctly, the legacy that the OS provided.