Lily Chitty

Lily Frances "Lal" Chitty, (20 March 1893 – 8 February 1979) was a British archaeologist and independent scholar, who specialised in the prehistoric archaeology of Wales and the west of England. She has been described as one of the "pioneers in the mapping of archaeological data".

Early life and education Chitty was born on 20 March 1893 at Lewdown, Devon, England. She was the eldest child of the Reverend James Charles Martin Chitty (1865–1938) and Gwen Ethlin Georgiana Chitty (née Jones; 1861–1933). One of her two younger brothers was the archaeologist and priest Derwas Chitty. She was educated at home,

After the end of the war, Chitty returned to the family home. Her father was made Rector of Yockleton, also in Shropshire, in 1920. During this time she developed her interest in archaeology and particularly in prehistoric artefacts. In 1924, she was appointed the Ordnance Survey's honorary correspondent for archaeology in Shropshire. In 1926, she also became the local contact for the Ancient Monuments Board. Having met Harold Peake, during 1927 she was tasked with "drawing bronze implements for the British Association". She then moved by herself, returning to the family's house in Pontesbury, Shropshire.

In addition to the indexes she produced, Chitty wrote and published 146 articles in scholarly journals. These were mainly artefact reports on single objects, but she also expanded upon incomplete or incorrect early publications concerning Bronze Age hoards.

In 1972, a Festschrift was published in Chitty's honour. Contributors included W. F. Grimes, F. W. Shotton, and Richard J. C. Atkinson.

Selected works Chitty, L. F. (1925). "Three bronze implements from the Edgebold Brickyard, Meole Brace, Shropshire". The Antiquaries Journal, 5(04), 409–414. Chitty, L. F. (1936). "Single-faced Palstaves in Portugal and in Ireland". Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society (New Series), 2(1–2), 236–238. Varley, W. J., Jackson, J. W., & Chitty, L. F. (1940). Prehistoric Cheshire (No. 1). Cheshire rural community council. Chitty, L. F., & Lily, F. (1963). "The Clun-Clee Ridgeway: a prehistoric trackway across south Shropshire", in Culture and Environment: essays in hour of Sir Cyril Fox.