BILL PUTNAM AND JOHN EDWIN WOOD
The authors (Bill Putnam on the right) at a book launching party in Dorset, December 2003
Bill Putnam
Bill Putnam studied Classics at University College, London, followed by the Postgraduate Certificate in Education at London University. He taught Classics at Newtown High School, Montgomeryshire for 13 years.
He then moved to Dorset as Principal Lecturer in Archaeology at Weymouth College of Education, which ultimately became Bournemouth University. He retired in 1995, though he continues to lecture to evening classes and summer schools for Bournemouth and Bristol universities, and to carry out archaeological research in the field.
Formerly secretary of the Council for British Archaeology Wessex Regional Group, and Chairman of Wessex Archaeology for 23 years. One time editor of Montgomeryshire Collections and the Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society. Elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London.
Major research projects have included the eleven-year excavation of the Dewlish Roman Villa, and the seven-year research programme on the Dorchester Roman Aqueduct.
Bill’s interest in the Languedoc and the story of Bérenger Saunière arose during holidays in the south of France. This prompted the desire, in cooperation with his colleague John Edwin Wood, to apply the principles of archaeological, historical and scientific research to this amazing tale, and to attempt to discover the underlying truth.
Bill lives in Dorchester in Dorset with his wife Maureen, and was awarded the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science by Bournemouth University in 2004.
John Edwin Wood
John Edwin Wood was educated at Darlington Grammar School and from there he went to the University of Leeds to study physics. After graduation he stayed on to undertake research in ferromagnetism, for which he was awarded his Ph. D. in 1951.
He then joined the Royal Naval Scientific Service and served in various research and development establishments, working on projects for the Royal Navy. From 1959 to 1976 he lived in Weymouth, and being interested in archaeology, he joined the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society though which he met Bill Putnam, beginning an association which has spanned about 40 years.
One of his interests was astromony in the neolithic and bronze ages, a study which combined archaeology and science. This culminated in the writing of a book, Sun, Moon and Standing Stones, which was published in 1978. He also took up an interest in genealogy and he has written several booklets on his family history.
In the 1980s, he served as President of the Wessex Group of the Council for British Archaeology and during that time continued working with Bill Putnam who was one of the CBA committee members.
In 1981 he left the Ministry of Defence and joined British Aerospace as Director of Underwater Engineering. He retired in 1990. In the last several years, he and Bill have worked together on the subject of Rennes-le-Château.
