Remembering Lys Drewett (1946-2023)

Lys Drewett passed away during the night of 4th April 2023. Our sincere condolences go to Lys' sons Joe, Abel and Dan and their families, and to Lys' sister.

Lys studied at the illustrious Leeds College of Art and Design where she focused on the drawing, making, and firing of ceramics. Professionally she was the archaeological illustrator for the then Sussex Archaeological Field Unit, now Archaeology South-East, of the UCL Institute of Archaeology. She taught archaeological illustration to the Institute’s undergraduate and MA students and ran short courses and study days on archaeological illustration for members of the Sussex Archaeology Society and the CCE Archaeology programme at the University of Sussex. Latterly she gave support to the Sussex School of Archaeology and History. At the Institute of Archaeology, she and her husband Peter Drewett were the founders of the now annual ArchaeoTech (then Prim Tech) course for new undergraduates. Lys accompanied and worked with Peter on many projects. At their home, the barn and associated field were the camping headquarters for many of their Sussex projects. In the early 2000s they similarly worked as a team running archaeological projects in Hong Kong, Barbados, and the British Virgin Islands. Post Peter's death in 2014, Lys served as an elected trustee of the Sussex Archaeological Society for 9 years, and in 2022 she was made an honorary life member. Last November she was elected Chair of the Lewes Archaeological Group, a position that she was not able to undertake due to ill health.

My first encounter with Lys as an archaeological illustrator was when I worked as a ceramic specialist for the Sussex Field Archaeology Unit. Lys was invaluable for producing drawings of even the smallest un-prepossessing sherds. When I subsequently became a Lecturer at the Institute of Archaeology, I inherited Lys' teaching of archaeological illustration and often returned to her drawings as a reference point for developing my own formats of archaeological illustration. Lys' range, quantity and quality of archaeological illustrations adds up to a very substantial published portfolio. Notably, mid-, and later-century volumes of Sussex Archaeological Collections and the Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society are generously peppered with her archaeological illustrations. She not only illustrated Peter's publications but more widely those of the Sussex Archaeological Field Unit as can be seen for instance in Sussex Archaeological Collections 114 (1976). Lys' archaeological illustrations have a distinct style - particularly for prehistoric pottery - they are far more detailed than the often-bland styles of then concurrent commercial archaeology. They enable the researcher to get an interpretive sense of texture and fabric composition, which are all key to ascribing the sources, traditions, and uses of ceramics. Lys had a delicate, 'light' and precise style. Her illustrations of knapped flint, for example, are particularly clear and crisp. Lys' range at its best in a single publication can be seen in the seminal Black Patch Bronze Age settlement publication, Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society 48 (1982), which includes her plans, a reconstruction drawing, and numerous illustrations of pottery, loom weights and flints.

Illustration is a form of communication that is essential in the effective publication of archaeology and Lys has made a lasting professional contribution to this. More than this, she supported and fostered archaeology at is very roots, through teaching, engagement in field projects, and trusteeship of Sussex's significant archaeological heritage.

Sue Hamilton, Professor of Prehistory, UCL Institute of Archaeology