Elizabeth Grayson Hartley, was an American archaeologist and curator. She spent most of her career as the Keeper of Archaeology at the Yorkshire Museum in York.
Career
Hartley attended the Kent Place School and Mount Holyoke College. After graduating she studied at the University of Edinburgh and the University of London. She was appointed the first Keeper of Archaeology at the Yorkshire Museum in 1971 and worked in this post until her retirement in 2007. The museum acquired some important objects during this time, including the Coppergate Helmet, and the Middleham Jewel. Peter Addyman described her as ‘ most determined, imaginative and devoted American expert – whose legacy to her adopted city will extend far into the future’.
Exhibitions
Hartley oversaw the development of several important exhibitions in the Yorkshire Museum. The 1976 exhibition "The Viking Kingdom of York" was seen by over 78,000 visitors. The Coppergate helmet was first put onto display in a permanent gallery space in 1980 following a £30,000 grant from the British Museum as part of the "International Viking Exhibition". A third successful Viking exhibition, "The Vikings in England" was opened by the Prince of Wales on 30 March 1982 and was seen by over 235,000 visitors before it closed in October of the same year. This exhibition was awarded the European Museum of the Year Special Exhibition Award as a result of the presentation of the exhibition in the Museum and for additional educational projects organised by Hartley. In 2001 she developed an exhibition titled "Alcuin & Charlemagne: The Golden Age of York". The 2006 exhibition "Constantine the Great: York's Roman Emperor" was described as "the most important archaeological-historical loan exhibition to have been held in a provincial British museum". Hartley was "the driving force" behind the exhibition, which attracted over 58,000 visitors. Beyond the Yorkshire Museum, in 1978 Hartley developed an exhibition for the Malton Museum in advance of the museum moving previses from the Milton Rooms to the Old Town hall. She was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London in November 1995, and was a trustee of the Malton Museum.
Personal life
Elizabeth G. Hartley was originally from Summit, New Jersey. She met her husband Brian Hartley, also an archaeologist, whilst working at the British Museum. They married in 1973 at the St Columba's United Reformed Church.
Hartley, E. 1985. Roman Life at the Yorkshire Museum. York, Yorkshire Museum.
Hartley, E. 1985. Anglo-Saxon & Viking life at the Yorkshire Museum : gallery guide. York, Yorkshire Museum
Wilson, P., Hartley, E., and Wacher, S. 2003. 'John Stewart Wacher BSc, MIFA, FSA: an archaeological bibliography', in Wilson, P. The archaeology of Roman towns: studies in honour of John S. Wacher. Oxford, Oxbow. xvi.
Hartley, E., Hawkes, J., Henig, M., and Mee, F. 2006. Constantine the Great: York's Roman Emperor. Lund Humphries
