A well-known Lanark figure has seen five decades of heritage research and work in the local community recognised with an MBE in the King’s new year honours.
Ed Archer, the long-standing chair of Lanark and District Archaelogical Society – who is also a former South Lanarkshire councillor and volunteer development officer, and spent nearly three decades teaching at Biggar High – says he is “very proud” to have received the honour.
His official citation is for “services to heritage and to the community in Clydesdale”, and he told Lanarkshire Live of his accolade: “It’s the result of working with lots of folk over the years and is for all the people round about me too.”
Ed has chaired the historic town’s archaeological society for more than four decades and his dedicated research – ranging from practical digs and metal detecting to painstaking library research and lecturing – has made him a prominent expert in the history of the town.
His work includes creating a hugely popular website and Facebook page of Clydesdale’s Heritage, which has more than 6000 followers, where he shares a host of fascinating information ranging from old photos to research work bringing Lanark’s rich centuries of history to life.
It includes researching the landmark week-long air show held in the area in August 1910 and discovering new evidence of Roman Scotland through a find of fourth-century coins, while his dedication to his subject has also seen him lecture at Glasgow University on his specialist topics and even travel as far afield as Kazakhstan and China for digs.
The former Biggar High teacher said: “Archaeology has been part of my life and I love doing all the research and finding out about local history. The 1910 Lanark air show was the third in world history and 330,000 people visited to see these new-fangled planes;there’s a monument to it in Lanark and I’m proud to be involved in its history.
“I’ve written about William Wallace, and rewrote the history of Roman times here with finds proving they’d stayed here longer then previously thought.
“What I enjoy most is meeting and talking to people, and I’m very proud of this award as it’s for all the people round about me and the community.”
Ed was awarded the Lanark Burgess award for services to heritage in 2013 – and has now been elevated to the royal honours list along with fellow Lanark community stalwart Karen Kelly, the long-serving head coach of the town’s successful swimming club.
He said: “I’ve had over 100 messages on Facebook congratulating me from people up and down country, and from all airts and pairts; the response since the MBE news was announced has been lovely. I’m very pleased for Karen, as she’s a lovely person and it’s great that she’s been recognised.
“There’s a interesting royal connection as the King’s last action as Prince of Wales, before ascending the throne, was here in Lanark.”
Ed grew up in Yorkshire and moved to Scotland to begin his teaching career after graduating from Liverpool University with a history degree – and met his wife, languages teacher Sandra, through his first placement at Airdrie Academy.
The couple married two years later and have two adult children, Jennifer and Tom; they began married life in Carluke and then moved to Lanark, where Ed has been a fixture of the local community ever since after immediately beginning to explore the stories of their historic new home town.
He taught history, as well as classics and even computing, over many years at Biggar High until retiring in 2001; and then went on to work as a development officer for Community Service Volunteers and built up a programme over nearly nine years which resulted in 500 local people aged over 50 getting involved in volunteering with 37 different local projects.
Ed also served for five years as an elected member of South Lanarkshire Council, becoming an independent representative for the Clydesdale North ward in 2012.
He is also involved with the local community council and Lanark Tenants’ and Residents’ Association; and is now looking forward to a royal palace presentation later this year.
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