Richard Avent

The following obituary first apeared in The Times on 9 August 2006

Richard Avent: archaeologist who tended Wales's historic buildings heritage and was an authority on castles

RICHARD AVENT was a key figure in the development of a distinctive approach to the organisation of archaeology in Wales which recognised the special needs of the country. He was also a distinguished academic, especially in castle studies.

John Richard Avent was born in 1948 and educated at Reading Bluecoat School, from where he went to University College Cardiff to read archaeology. While a student there he excavated at Cadbury Castle, Somerset, under Leslie Alcock.

Among the excavated objects was an Anglo-Saxon “button brooch”. This led to his study of the whole class of this type of brooch, financed largely by earnings from night shifts at a photocopying firm. He graduated in 1970 and gained his MA in 1974, his thesis work published in 1975 as Anglo-Saxon Garnet Inlaid Disc and Composite Brooches.

In 1971 he was appointed assistant curator at Carmarthen Museum, and two years later became an assistant inspector of ancient monuments at the Department of the Environment’s Cardiff outpost. He stayed with the inspectorate in Wales for the rest of his life, and was promoted to principal inspector in 1984 and chief inspector in 1990.

Avent was the first principal inspector of ancient monuments and historic buildings, taking on this post shortly after the formation of Cadw (Welsh: “To keep”), when responsibility for the heritage was transferred to the Welsh Office. As chief inspector he was responsible to the Welsh Assembly.

Avent was a key figure in a time of constant and often difficult change in Welsh archaeology. He responded well to this challenge, giving a special Welsh angle to the “management of change”. He guided Wales through the implications of “rescue” archaeology in the late 1970s, helping to establish the much-admired system of regional archaeological trusts, which he assisted as they changed and expanded their roles in the following years.

On the academic front Avent emphasised that not all castles in Wales were symbols of alien conquest: an important number were built by the Welsh princes. His Cestyll Tywysogion Gwynedd/Castles of the Princes of Gwynedd appeared in 1983. He also successfully fought to keep what can be termed “inspectorate core values” at a time when they were being abandoned in England. This can be clearly seen in the universally-admired Cadw guide books, several of which he wrote.

Avent was also concerned with new approaches to the past, championing pan-Welsh surveys of classes of monument and structures, the concepts of historic landscapes and the role of heritage conservation in the country’s farm schemes.

Castles remained a lifelong passion, and Avent had an international reputation in the subject. He will be remembered for his work on Laugharne Castle, brought back to life through his excavations and research after it came into state care.

Avent was sometimes cautious in his official dealings, although in a profession noted for mercurial characters this was probably a good thing. To hear him talk about his experiences with archaeological expeditions in Central America showed just how adventurous he could be.

In his earlier years Avent was a somewhat solitary character. This changed when, through an interchange of inspectors between Cardiff and London, Sian Rees arrived in his life. Ideally suited personally and professionally, they married in 1980.

Avent had recently been inducted as president of the Cambrian Archaeological Association, but he also played a wider role outside Wales. He became a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in 1979 and served on its council, 1989-92. He was a founder member of the ICOMOS (UK) World Heritage Committee.

Richard Avent was a kind, gentle and generous person. Even as one of the Welsh Establishment, he never lost his enthusiasm and schoolboy-like bounce. He was a caring and quietly creative public servant whose contribution to Welsh archaeology is incalculable.

He is survived by his wife, and a son and daughter. His younger son died in the diving accident off Gozo that claimed his own life.

Richard Avent, archaeologist, was born on July 13, 1948. He died on August 2, 2006, aged 58.

The following obituary, by David Breeze, FSA, first appeared in the Independent on 11 August 2006.

Archaeologist and conservationist who was a pioneer in the study of Welsh castles

With the death of Richard Avent, in a diving accident in Gozo together with his younger son, Rhydian, Wales has lost one of its most senior and respected archaeologists and conservationists and a noted exponent on Welsh castles. Avent had led the Inspectorate of Ancient Monuments and Historic Buildings within Cadw, the Welsh Assembly Government's historic environment service, for 22 years.

He brought to the post wide experience of Welsh archaeology, deep understanding of the problems of protecting, conserving and managing ancient monuments, considerable knowledge of archaeopolitics in Wales and his own specialist interest in Welsh castles. Underlying all of this was his enthusiasm for communicating his knowledge to the public. His leadership of his team of archaeologists and architectural historians was strengthened by his care for his staff.

Avent made three significant and lasting contributions to Welsh archaeology. In the late 1970s, in the face of the rising tide of rescue archaeology, he played a pivotal role in the creation and support of the four Welsh archaeological trusts (Clwyd-Powys, Dyfed, Glamorgan-Gwent and Gwynnedd). This was a unique approach to the structural problems of responding to rescue archaeology and it is a tribute to his foresight that the trusts have weathered the vicissitudes of the last 30 years, adapting to the changing circumstances and survive to this day.

Contrary to popular belief, the practice of archaeology changes over time. In the 1990s Avent had to respond to the shift from studying individual sites to investigating the wider landscape, what has become known as landscape archaeology. As so often, Cadw followed its own distinctive course by producing the Register of Historic Landscapes in Wales, listing the best landscapes and thus helping to ensure their survival.

The Edwardian castles of north Wales are the best known of all Welsh castles. They are, however, not Welsh, but English. Avent was among those who pioneered the study of the Welsh castles, particularly the castles of the Welsh princes, culminating in his book, Cestyll Tywysogion Gwynedd - Castles of the Princes of Gwynnedd (1983). In this way he was part of the renaissance which led, in a wider framework, to the establishment of the Welsh Assembly Government.

Richard Avent was born in Cookham, Berkshire in 1948. During his childhood he led a somewhat peripatetic existence as his father was in the RAF. Following school at Reading Bluecoat School he read Archaeology at University College, Cardiff. He undertook research on Anglo-Saxon button brooches, one of his reports being published in the prestigious Archaeologia series of the Society of Antiquaries of London in 1982. A period of a year or so in Carmarthen Museum preceded his appointment as an Assistant Inspector of Ancient Monuments in Wales in 1973. He rose through the hierarchy to become Principal Inspector (later renamed Chief Inspector) of Ancient Monuments and Historic Buildings in 1984.

As head of the Inspectorate, Avent had wide and demanding duties: he was, in effect, the chief archaeologist for Wales, often directly advising his Minister. His value was recognised by his masters in the most clear way. For nine years, Avent organised a conference on Welsh archaeology intended to aid understanding of the subject and seek sensible ways of studying it. Every conference was attended by his Minister: an impressive achievement - for both.

Avent led his team from the front, but he was always open to suggestions. He supported the distinctive approach of reviewing classes of monuments to determine which should be protected through scheduling, and it was under his leadership that the listing of historic buildings in Wales was completed. Avent also participated in the publication of a new series of guide-books to Welsh monuments, which were received to universal acclaim. He was an excellent representative for Welsh archaeology, thoughtful, articulate, enthusiastic, but most certainly never pompous or bombastic. He was not keen on some of the new structures of British and European archaeology, but he loyally performed his duty at such gatherings, most recently in April when he participated at a forum on the future of state archaeology at the annual conference of the Institute of Field Archaeologists.

In spite of the demanding duties of his post, Avent was determined to retain some hands-on work. He achieved this through his excavations at Laugharne Castle and his publications on castles, not least in the Cadw guide-book series. These publications were but one part of his enduring keenness to communicate his knowledge, experience and enthusiasm to a wide audience. It is not surprising that his contributions to bodies such as the Castle Studies Group and Château Gaillard, the European conference on castles, were so much appreciated. Through these gatherings, Avent was able to bring to an international audience the results of work on Welsh castles and he, in turn, attained an international reputation.

In Britain his wise counsel was sought by ICOMOS, the International Council on Monuments and Sites. He helped to establish the UK World Heritage Committee, on which he served from its inception, and his support and advice was invaluable when preparing the nomination for the Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd World Heritage Site, which was inscribed in 1986. In 2005 he helped organise and lead the ICOMOS-UK summer meeting in North Wales.

Richard Avent was everything a professional officer in the Civil Service should be: knowledgeable about his own subject, skilful in its interpretation, a sound manager and administrator and a good front-man for his organisation.

John Richard Avent, archaeologist: born Cookham, Berkshire 13 July 1948; Assistant Curator, Carmarthen Museum 1971-73; Assistant Inspector of Ancient Monuments, Wales 1973-76, Inspector 1976-84, Principal (later Chief) Inspector of Ancient Monuments and Historic Buildings 1984-2006; FSA 1979; President, Cambrian Archaeological Association 2006; married 1980 Sian Rees (one son, one daughter, and one son deceased); died Gozo, Malta 2 August 2006.