The Cunnington Family: Archaeological Lineage and Contributions (1754–1951)

I. William Cunnington I (1754–1810)

A pioneering Wiltshire antiquarian and early archaeologist. He undertook systematic excavations of Bronze Age barrows on Salisbury Plain in collaboration with Sir Richard Colt Hoare, including the famous Bush Barrow near Stonehenge. His methods laid groundwork for modern field archaeology.

Married Mary Meares in 1787.

Had four children: Mary (1788–1854), Elizabeth (1789–1866), Anne (1790–1873), and Thomas (d. 1815). Only Elizabeth continued the archaeological legacy through her descendants.

II. Elizabeth Cunnington (1789–1866)

Daughter of William I. Married her cousin William Cunnington II (1785–1846), a draper and wool merchant with no known archaeological activity. The marriage united two branches of the Cunnington family and produced several children who advanced the family's antiquarian pursuits.

III. William Cunnington III (1813–1906)

Son of Elizabeth and William II. A geologist and antiquarian, he founded the Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society (WANHS) in 1853. Known for his geological collections and publications, he described fragments excavated at Stonehenge in 1881, notably in Stonehenge Notes: The Fragments (1884).

Known professionally as William Cunnington FGS of Clapham.

Played a crucial role in classifying and preserving artefacts related to Neolithic Wiltshire. Married Jane Elliott in 1844; their children are not well-documented in archaeological contexts but continued family lines in Devizes.

IV. Henry Cunnington (1820–1887)

Son of Elizabeth and William II; brother of William III. A wine merchant by profession in Devizes, but definitively credited as the field excavator (“Mr H. Cunnington”) at Stonehenge in 1880–1881, responsible for recovering bluestone and rhyolite fragments from buried stone stumps such as 32c.

These finds were later analysed and published by his brother William III.

Married Lydia Mary Buckland in 1849. Had 12 children, including Henry Alfred (1850–1879), Herbert James (1851–1915), Cecil William (1855–1934), Joseph Grace Smith (1859–?), Edward Benjamin Howard (1861–1950), and several daughters who supported family endeavours.

V. Benjamin Howard “Ben” Cunnington (1861–1950)

Son of Henry; great-grandson of William I. A prolific field archaeologist who took over his father's wine merchant business before dedicating himself to archaeology. Honorary curator of Devizes Museum (now Wiltshire Museum) for 60 years, and co-excavator of major prehistoric sites across Wiltshire, often with his wife Maud. Notable projects include:

• Woodhenge (1925–26)
• The Sanctuary, Avebury (rediscovered and excavated, 1930)
• All Cannings Cross, Knap Hill, Figsbury Ring, and more

Ben was the fourth generation of the family engaged in archaeological work. He and Maud donated sites and artefacts to the state and museum collections.

VI. Maud Edith Cunnington (née Pegge; 1869–1951)

Wife of Ben Cunnington (married 1889). An accomplished archaeologist in her own right, Maud directed excavations at West Kennet Long Barrow, Figsbury Ring, Woodhenge, and The Sanctuary. She authored guides to Avebury and Devizes Museum, was elected the first woman president of WANHS (1931), and received a CBE in 1948 for services to archaeology.

Though not biologically descended from William I, Maud was central to the family's archaeological impact in the 20th century.

VII. Edward Cunnington (d. 1918)

Only child of Ben and Maud. Killed in action during the First World War. No known involvement in archaeological work.

VIII. Robert Henry Cunnington (c.1878–1959)

Son of Henry Alfred Cunnington (and Annette Wright Leach); grandson of Henry Cunnington; great-great-grandson of William I. A family biographer and custodian of the legacy, though not a field archaeologist. He authored From Antiquary to Archaeologist: A Biography of William Cunnington (1754–1810) (published posthumously in 1975), a key source on the life of William I, including family tree details.

His work helped preserve and document the family's contributions.

A partial family tree:

Click to embiggen - from https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/pedigree/portrait/GRBZ-KJL

Footnotes (Expanded and Corrected Sources)

1. Colt Hoare, R. & Cunnington, W. (1812–1819). The Ancient History of Wiltshire. Longman.
2. WANHS archives, Devizes Museum; founding records, 1853.
3. Cunnington, W. (1884). Stonehenge Notes: The Fragments. Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine, Vol. XXI.
4. Biodiversity Heritage Library (1884). p. 182. Retrieved from: https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/44863738
5. Cunnington, B.H. (1929). The Sanctuary, Avebury. Devizes: WANHS.
6. WANHS memorials; Commonwealth War Graves Commission records.
7. The Times, Obituary of Maud Cunnington, 1951; British Honours List, 1948.
8. Cunnington, R.H. (1975). From Antiquary to Archaeologist: A Biography of William Cunnington (1754–1810). Oxford: British Archaeological Reports.