Hugh is the author of six books and numerous papers covering topics such as the Black Death, the development of the early church, glassmaking and the Dissolution of the Monasteries.
AN EARLY BRONZE AGE LOG-COFFIN BURIAL FROM TETNEY, LINCOLNSHIRE
In July 2018, during groundworks at Tetney Golf Course, an unscheduled round barrow was flattened by a mechanical digger, which also scattered the remains of the primary burial consisting of a single individual interred in an oak log-coffin. Analysis of the remains shows that the individual buried in the coffin was a robust male in his 30s, and strontium and oxygen isotope analysis indicate that he did not grow up in the immediate vicinity. The coffin is formed from a substantial split and hollowed oak log, which has chiselled grooves at either end, still retaining fragments of a securing rope. Dendrochronology and 14C wiggle-matching reveal that the oak was felled in 2032BC and conforms to a well-established Early Bronze Age burial pattern. Plant macrofossils and pollen from within the coffin indicate that the individual was provided with organic bedding and pillow, possibly garlanded and accompanied by other plant offerings.
The Dissolution of the Monasteries in England and Wales
Hugh’s most recent book The Dissolution of the Monasteries in England and Wales is available from Equinox Publishing. Nominated as Current Archaeology’s Book of the Year 2022 it has received extremely positive reviews:
“This is undoubtedly an important work of scholarship that will be valuable for many years to come.” - Current Archaeology
“This is an important and long-needed book covering a very difficult and complex subject.” - Dr Glyn Coppack, Former Principal Inspector of Ancient Monuments at English Heritage
“This is a work of scholarship that stands out for tackling an important subject that is out of fashion and making it not only interesting but relevant to a wide range of readers.” - Church Archaeology
“The Dissolution of the Monasteries in England and Wales is the first full-length archaeological treatment of this subject… it makes an important intervention in a field in which scholars have tended to be reluctant to engage with the dissolution.” - Reformation
“What Willmott presents in this book will be invaluable to further work on this interdisciplinary frontier.” - Church History
Hugh is also the author of a number of other books and monographs:
