Robin George Livens, B.A.

Robin Livens was born in Cardiff on 30 May 1929, the son of the Professor of Mathematics at University College, Cardiff. He graduated from Cardiff in 1950 and went on to Cambridge but contracted TB while there and did not take a second degree. Livens began his career at the National Museum of Wales followed by a spell at the Hunterian Museum in Glasgow, where he worked as an assistant curator under the late Anne Robertson. In 1960 he was appointed to the new position of lecturer in archaeology within the history department at University College of North Wales, Bangor, later progressing to senior lecturer. Throughout his twenty-eight years at Bangor Livens won the affection of generations of students by his enthusiastic teaching and friendly hospitality. He specialized in Roman Wales, having studied under Dr Nash Williams in Cardiff, but taught on a much wider field and excavated in North Wales and the Marches. Livens was a considerable English stylist, with a particular antipathy for the split infinitive, and served with distinction as editor of several archaeological publications. Between 1967 and 1971 he was joint editor of Archaeology in Wales, the newsletter of the Welsh Council for British Archaeology; he also edited the archaeology section of the Bulletin of the Board of Celtic Studies, which was greatly expanded through his efforts, and was series editor of the Cambrian Archaeological Monographs. Livens used his Hunterian experience to supervise the Bangor Museum for several years, attracted by its notable archaeological collection. During his tenure as secretary of the archaeology section of the Board of Celtic Studies Livens initiated the important programme of analysis of Welsh bronze implements which is continued by Dr Peter Northover. In 1988 Livens moved to Nottingham, where he died on 1 April 1999 after a long illness.