   william stukeley frs, frcp, fsa (7 november 1687 â 3 march 1765) was an english antiquarian who pioneered the archaeological investigation of the prehistoric monuments of stonehenge and avebury, work for which he has been remembered as "probably... the most important of the early forerunners of the discipline of archaeology".hutton, ronald (2009). blood and mistletoe: the history of the druids in britain. new haven: yale university press. isbn 0300144857 p. 86. stukeley was also one of the first biographers of isaac newton, of whom he was a friend. he was an anglican clergyman. becoming involved in the newly fashionable organisation of freemasonry, he also began to describe himself as a "druid", and incorrectly believed that the prehistoric megalithic monuments were a part of the druidic religion. however, despite this he has been noted as being a significant figure in the early development of the modern movement known as neo-druidry. == life and work == william stukeley was the son of a lawyer at holbeach in lincolnshire on the site of stukeley hall, a primary school that now bears his name. after taking his m.b. degree at corpus christi college, cambridge, stukeley went to london and studied medicine at st thomas' hospital. in 1710, he started in practice in boston, lincolnshire, becoming a member of spalding gentlemen's society (founded by his friend maurice johnson ii), before returning in 1717 to london. in the same year, he became a fellow of the royal society and, in 1718, joined in the establishment of the society of antiquaries, acting for nine years as its secretary. in 1719 stukeley took his m.d. degree, and in 1720 became a fellow of the royal college of physicians, publishing in the same year his first contribution to antiquarian literature. stukeley was one of the firs
1687_births 1765_deaths 18th-century_antiquarians Alumni_of_Corpus_Christi_College,_Cambridge English_Anglicans English_Freemasons English_antiquarians English_archaeologists Fellows_of_the_Royal_College_of_Physicians Fellows_of_the_Royal_Society People_from_Holbeach Pseudohistorians