John Clayton

John Clayton (1792-1890) is known for his work with Richard Grainger and John Dobson in their redevelopment of Newcastle City Centre. However, his work as an antiquarian is often overlooked.

Clayton used portions of his wealth to buy land which contained parts of Hadrian’s Wall. In doing so, he is directly responsible for having saved remainders of the wall, some of which still stand today. His endeavour began when he inherited his father’s estate, Chesters, in 1832. He investigated the site, prevented stone robbing and began excavating in 1840. He had an active interest in preserving Hadrian’s Wall, as was noted at his memorial: “Whenever an estate came into the market having on it some portion of the Wall, he strove to become its possessor”. This interest involved the acquisition of large portions of the wall and frequently rebuilding parts of it. By the time of his death, Clayton owned close to 20 miles of Hadrian’s Wall and five forts, out of the 80 Roman miles it used to be. This impressive amassment of the site denotes his dedication to its conservation; he was a pioneer in the preservation of its’ history. This was a time when archaeology was expanding as a discipline and public interest in the Wall was increasing.

Following his death, his archaeological estate was preserved, the Clayton Collection of Roman Antiquities was created and the Wall was hailed a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1987. The collection consists mainly of Clayton’s findings and is maintained by the English Heritage.