Barley, M. W. (Maurice Willmore), 1909-1990

Maurice Willmore Barley was born on August 19, 1909, in Lincoln, England.

He was an English historian and archeologist specializing in medieval settlements and historic buildings. He was educated at Reading (Dip. Ed., 1932) and became a teacher at the University College, Hull, in the Department of Local History. He also taught local history and archaeology at adult education classes in Lindsey and East Yorkshire. The contact with the eminent folklorist Ethel Rudkin intensified Barley's interest in local history, and he began to publish about slate headstones, varieties of apples, architecture, and archaeology.

During World War II, Barley worked for the Ministry of Information. In 1946, he joined the Extra-Mural Department of the University of Nottingham. He became an Organising Tutor at the University College in Rural Nottinghamshire until 1962 when he became a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Classics, and Reader in Archaeology in 1965. In 1971, he was appointed Nottingham's first Professor of Archaeology. Barley organized major excavations of the Roman fort and town at Great Casterton, Rutland, and the medieval borough at Torksey, alongside minor excavations in Nottingham and Newark. At Nottingham, he developed his interest in medieval and vernacular architecture and obtained an M.A. in 1952. He published the book, “The English Farmhouse and Cottage” (1961) and “A Guide to British Topographical Collections” (1974). In 1951, Barley became actively involved in the development of the Council for British Archaeology, first as a member of the Executive Committee, then as Secretary (1954–1964). In 1966, he was appointed to the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments and Constructions of England. He served as President of the Vernacular Architecture Group (1957-1963) and Chairman of the York Archaeological Trust (1972-1990). He was also a Vice-President of the Society of Antiquaries of London and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. Barley retired from the university in 1974 but remained active in local and national heritage bodies and trusts, and worked on his autobiography, “The Chiefest Grain“ (1993).

In 1934, he married Mabel Gladys (Diana) Morgan (1910–2007). He died on June 23, 1991, in Nottingham, England.