A prominent Fife historian was in London this week to receive a top honour.
Author and academic Barbara Crawford received the congratulations of ”all in St Andrews” as she collected an OBE.
Dr Crawford received the award for ”services to history and archaeology”.
Born in Yorkshire in 1940, she graduated from St Andrews University in 1963. Dr Crawford then taught at the university for more than three decades.
A much-loved figure within the institution’s medieval history department, she took early retirement in 2001.
However, far from ending her association with the university, Dr Crawford is now an honorary reader in history at St Andrews.
Since her retirement, Dr Crawford has continued to pursue her research into the history and archaeology of Scandinavian settlements in Scotland.
A member of the Norwegian Academy and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, she was a Commissioner of the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland from 1991 to 2001.
Dr Crawford also chaired the Treasure Trove Advisory Panel for Scotland from 1993 to 2001 and is currently president of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland.
As honorary director of the Strathmartine Centre for Scottish History an independent charitable trust established by the late Dr Ronald Cant she has been instrumental in encouraging many varied research projects.
Her latest book titled The Northern Earldoms. Orkney and Caithness from 870-1470AD. Joint Earldoms and Divided Loyalties reverts to the subject of her original doctoral thesis and is nearing completion.
Dr Crawford’s PhD had been widely regarded in its field as an extremely important and ground-breaking study into the Earls of Orkney and Caithness.
From 1977 to 1990, she excavated a site at Da Biggins in Papa Stour, Shetland.
Professor John Hudson, head of St Andrews University’s school of history, paid tribute to Dr Crawford.
”Dr Barbara Crawford is an eminent historian of Scandinavian Scotland in the Middle Ages and of contacts between Scotland and Scandinavia,” he said.
”Her work is distinguished by her use of archaeological as well as written evidence. Her own archeological interests are particularly connected to the the excavation of the site of the Norwegian royal farm on Papa Stour, Shetland.”
Professor Hudson said all in St Andrews would be delighted to endorse Dr Crawford as a worthy recipient of the OBE.
”She was, for many years, a distinguished and popular teacher at the university,” he continued. ”All at St Andrews would like to congratulate on her achievement in winning an OBE.”