Editing John Leland (antiquary) (section)

==Leland and archaeology==
Leland was concerned to record evidence for the history of England and Wales as it was visible in the landscape, and he therefore took pains to note all kinds of archaeological remains, including [[megalith]]s, [[Hill fort|hillforts]], and Roman and medieval ruins. He came across several [[Roman Inscriptions of Britain|Roman inscriptions]], though he was unable to read most of them, complaining of one that it was made up of "letters for whole words, and 2. or 3. letters conveid in one".<ref>Toulmin Smith (ed.), ''Leland's Itinerary'', vol. 1, p. 141.</ref> He often reported finds of coins, writing of [[Richborough]], Kent, for example, that more Roman money had been discovered there "then in any place els of England".<ref>Toulmin Smith (ed.), ''Leland's Itinerary'', vol. 4, p. 62.</ref> He investigated and recorded building materials in some detail.

He was sometimes able to make astute and informed deductions from what he saw. At [[Lincoln, England|Lincoln]], for example, he identified three phases of urban development, beginning with a [[Britons (historical)|British]] settlement at the top of the hill (close to which "much Romaine mony is found"), the [[Anglo-Saxons|Saxon]] and medieval town further south, and a more recent riverside development at Wigford.<ref>Toulmin Smith (ed.), ''Leland's Itinerary'', vol. 1, pp. 30–31.</ref> He was able to judge that the existing fabric of [[Ripon Cathedral|Ripon Minster]] "indubitately was made sins the [[Norman conquest of England|Conquest]]".<ref>Toulmin Smith (ed.), ''Leland's Itinerary'', vol. 1, p. 81.</ref> He correctly distinguished what he called "Briton brykes" (actually [[Roman brick]]s) at several geographically dispersed sites, including [[Verulamium]], [[Richborough]], [[Portus Lemanis|Lympne]], [[St Mary in Castro, Dover|Dover Castle]], [[St Martin's Church, Canterbury|Canterbury]], and [[Bewcastle Roman Fort|Bewcastle]].<ref>Harris, "John Leland and the 'Briton brykes'".</ref>

He was normally content to record surface remains and recovered artefacts, but on one occasion he adopted a more interventionist approach. At the hillfort at [[Burrough Hill]], Leicestershire, he pulled some stones from the gateway to establish whether it had been walled or not: they were mortared with lime, which persuaded him that it had been.<ref>Toulmin Smith (ed.), ''Itinerary of John Leland'', vol. 4, p. 20.</ref> The account included in Leland's ''Itinerary'' may be regarded as the earliest archaeological field report.<ref>Chandler (ed.), ''John Leland's Itinerary'', pp. xxi, 275.</ref>