Dr. Ray Howell, University of Wales, Newport

"For over a decade, Dr Howell has directed excavations at the decayed medieval urban site at Trelech, near Monmouth, in what was, in the 13th century, one of the two largest towns in Wales. Excavations there, largely conducted by UWCN undergraduate and postgraduate students, have revealed evidence of a presumed medieval hospice site, a motte and bailey castle, and large scale medieval and 17th century iron working.

Recently, Dr. Howell played an active part in the campaign to save the Newport Ship, an important late medieval vessel uncovered by workmen who were excavating the site for a new arts centre on the banks of the River Usk. The ship, which was dated to c.1465, has now been saved for posterity. During the campaign Dr Howell, who is the Council for British Archaeology’s honorary education officer for Wales, managed to enlist the support of Welsh actor and Hollywood star, Sir Anthony Hopkins, gaining some valuable publicity for the campaign.

Dr Howell is also currently working on the new five-volume Gwent County History. He is co-editing Volume I, Gwent from earliest times to the Norman conquest with Professor Miranda Aldhouse-Green of UWCN, and Volume II, Gwent from the Norman conquest to the Tudor accession, with Tony Hopkins of the Gwent County Record Office.

Dr. Howell’s research activities have attracted considerable media interest, with contributions to programmes for the BBC, HTV, S4C, Radio Wales, Radio Cymru and the BBC World Service. His most recent television appearance was in S4C’s major new series “Y Pompeii Cyntaf” which was broadcast in October and subsequently shown twice on S4C Digital." - Council for British Archaeology

• Reader in History and Medieval Archaeology
• Teaches Celto-Roman Studies, Medieval History and Archaeology
• Director of the Trelech excavation and research project
• Author of Celtic Wales , A History of Gwent, Searching for the Silures, and editor of volumes 1 and 2 of the Gwent County History, Lodge Hill Camp, Caerleon, and the Hillforts of Gwent (British Archaeological Reports British) by Joshua Pollard, Raymond Howell, and Adrian Chadwick, Archaeology and the National Curriculum in Wales (Educational Resources S.) by Raymond Howell, and Fedw Villages by Raymond Howell and Karen Spring.