Shiela Broomfield: 40 years an ‘amateur’
Anyone interested in the history and archaeology of the south-east must be aware of Shiela Broomfield's name recurring frequently on committee lists in various publications. Shiela is one of the cogs without which the mechanisms of many local societies would grind to a halt, and is currently the Membership Secretary of the KAS, sitting also on the Fieldwork and Membership Committees and on the KAS Council. She also represents KAS on the Standing Conference for London Archaeology.
Her father took great glee in telling everyone that Shiela's great grandfather 'had built Stonehenge!' (He was in fact Clerk of Works on the Antrobus Estate at the start of the twentieth century and died to re-erect one of the fallen stones). As a child she accompanied her parents, or sometimes just her father on the back of his tandem, to various museums and sites. This kindled an interest which found an outlet when she attended summer courses in 1964/5 at Wroxeter run by Birmingham University which was "infinitely preferable" she feels, to her other option of going to Benidorm with the girls from the Australian bank where she worked!
Excavation at the Stanes Moor causewayed enclosure followed, a five minute bike ride away from her home in Stanwell, Middlesex. Over the next few years she dug whenever possible with the City of London Excavation Group under Nick Fuentes, mainly Roman sites, although a day's excavation was often followed by crossing the river to help the Southwark group sort pottery, usually seventeenth century tin glaze. This was before the Museum of London was created and most of the tools were stored in Peter Marsden's office in the Guildhall and Shiela has pushed wheelbarrows through most streets in the City.
Newly-wed in 1968, Shiela moved to Kent: "we drew circles around a map of London until the circumference reached affordability." She joined the Maidstone Archaeological Group and subsequently the KAS in 1969, although commuting to London left less time for practical archaeology. However, she still managed to do some digging in Barming and Cranbrook.
Moving to Hildenborough in 1973 after the birth of their daughter, she and husband Chris now share their home with four cats named after composers, reflecting another of her passions, classical music. You can see Fred (Delius) enjoying Archaeologia Cantiana on page 8. As the Treasurer and Membership Secretary, Shiela is heavily involved with Tonbridge Music Club which puts on six concerts a year, and she and Chris also attend concerts in London, especially at the Wigmore Hall. It was music that brought the couple together, as they met in the arena, "most appropriate..." of the Royal Albert Hall.
Holidays, not surprisingly, tend to have an archaeological/historical theme linked with food and wine, with France as a regular destination. Shiela's map reading often puzzles Chris, until on the horizon looms a megalith, roman villa, hillfort or cave (of both kinds). Her linguistic powers are tested to the full when collecting the output from the rows of vines dotted around France, some of which they have rented for over ten years.
She joined the Tonbridge Historical Society and its archaeological group run by Andrew Webster (one time treasurer of the KAS) and has been its Secretary for the last nine years. Excavation with the group included the medieval pottery site at Lower Parrock and the Iron Age hillfort at Garden Hill, both in Sussex. The medieval site of Huggetts Farm near Buxted followed and she became joint director with Dot Meades, the site owner from 1980. Dot, a founder member of the Wealden Iron Research Group, persuaded Shiela to join the WIRG committee, and she became Secretary from 1987 to 2002, and is now Treasurer.
This added further to her responsibilities, having been Subscriptions Secretary and Treasurer of the London Archaeologist since 1978. Her acceptance of the LA role came on a day when she had already allowed her arm to be twisted to join the PTA committee at her daughter’s school. Packing the quarterly LA magazine takes place in her home, cats amongst boxes, envelopes and labels. Feline 'help' notwithstanding, at least new computer technology enables greater efficiency, the former three-day task of addressing envelopes with a roller spirit duplicator now but a memory.
The KAS sponsored excavation of the Sedgebrook Roman Villa coincided with a long held wish to add to her practical skills with an academic qualification. The Diploma in Archaeology, being run for the first time at the University Centre in Tonbridge in 1987, gave her the ideal opportunity.
The input of people like Shiela, organising quietly and efficiently behind the scenes, often goes largely unrecognised by the majority. But the appreciation of those with whom she works closely is evident; displayed on her desk is a plaque of polished bloom in honour of her work with WIRG. She was recently elected an honorary member of the CBA, in recognition of her work in London and the South East.
She dislikes the word 'amateur' as having derogatory overtones, but what do you call someone who is as knowledgeable, capable and hard working as any professional, yet unpaid? Having had the opportunity to work in the field alongside professionals, including the Oxford Archaeology Unit at St Nicholas Church, Sevenoaks, she has always felt their total acceptance, and sees current pressures for excavation only by 'qualified' persons as a move towards reducing the opportunity for 'amateur' involvement. As for her many administrative roles, "I’m a practical person in the lucky position of being able to contribute to the archaeological world in so many different ways".
Her contribution to archaeology is to be applauded… and Fred would agree!