Martin Biddle

Martin Biddle, (born 4 June 1937), is a British archaeologist and academic. He is an emeritus fellow of Hertford College, Oxford. His work was important in the development of medieval and post-medieval archaeology in Great Britain.

Early life Biddle was born on 4 June 1937. He was educated at Merchant Taylors' School, a public boys school in Hertfordshire. He went on to study at Pembroke College, Cambridge, graduating Bachelor of Arts (BA). This was later upgraded to Master of Arts (MA).

Biddle and his wife Birthe Kjølbye-Biddle examined Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre to explore the long-rumoured site of the tomb where Jesus was brought after his crucifixion. This meticulous study set out to define what is known about the tomb and the Aedicule, the little shrine that has covered the tomb since the early fourth century.

Proceeding backward from the present, they examined the site in detail, its appearances, and its destructions and rebuilding through the centuries, a survey that was constructed without restrictions, using traditional methods of architectural archaeology and the most recent techniques of photogrammetry.

Excavations Seacourt DMV 1958–1959 Nonsuch Palace 1959–1960 Winchester 1961–1971 Repton Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem

Honours Biddle was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1997 New Year Honours 'for services to the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England'. He was promoted to Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2014 Birthday Honours for services to archaeology.

On 1 January 1964, Biddle was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London (FSA). In 1985, he was elected Fellow of the British Academy (FBA). He served as president of the London and Middlesex Archaeological Society from 2011 to 2014.

Sackler Lecture In 2012, Raymond Sackler and his wife Beverly endowed a series of lectures in honour of Norman Hammond. These lectures are co-hosted by Peterhouse, Cambridge, and the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research. The third Sackler lecture in honour of Norman Hammond was given on 27 February 2017 at Peterhouse by Biddle on "Capital Considerations: Winchester and the Birth of Urban Archaeology".

Select works