Participant Info

First Name
Robyn
Last Name
Lacy
Country
Canada
State
Affiliation
Golder Associates Ltd.
Website URL
https://spadeandthegrave.wordpress.com/
Keywords
archaeology, historical archaeology, landscape, burial ground, gravestone, cemetery, Newfoundland, New England, 17th century, colonial, settlement, graveyard, graves, burial, lime kiln, excavation, built heritage, cultural heritage
Availability
Media Contact
Additional Contact Information
Please email or contact me through my website or twitter, I check all regularly.
PhD
other credentials

Personal Info

Photo
About Me

I am an archaeologist and archaeological illustrator, with a Masters in Historical Archaeology from Memorial University of Newfoundland, and my BA in Archaeology with a minor in Museum & Heritage Studies from the University of Calgary. My MA research focused on 17th-century burial landscapes of British settlements in North America, where I surveyed the organization of burial spaces in early 17th-century settlements along the coast of New England and eastern Newfoundland, 63 in total, to create a statistical frequency model to help inform further research on ‘lost’ 17th-century colonial burial grounds. This informed the excavation at the 1621 settlement of Ferryland, where I lead a team for 10 weeks looking for evidence of the earliest 17th-century burials at the site.

My ongoing research includes gravestone iconography and inscription work, conservation of gravestones and burial spaces and informing the public on how to better preserve their historic burial grounds, public mortuary archaeology, protective folk hex marks and their use on graves, inscription erosion on gravestones, and winter body disposal and storage in Canada. My interests also extend to industrial archaeology, in particular lime kilns and quarries, paleoethnobotanical analysis of soil, archaeological illustration, and built heritage.

I am a cultural heritage specialist with Golder Associates Ltd., where I focus on properties and structures with cultural heritage value to ensure the are protected and/or documented during renovations and construction or development projects in and around the properties. This extends to landscapes with cultural significance as well, and includes viewscapes from prominent landmarks, visas around significant areas, and views to and from properties with cultural heritage value. Exploring and protecting historic structures helps to maintain the historic character of neighbourhoods and allows the maintenance of historic structures for future generations.

Recent Publications

Lacy, Robyn S. 2018. Public Engagement through Burial Landscapes: Cupids and Ferryland, Newfoundland. Forthcoming publication in: Online Journal of Public Archaeology.

Lacy, Robyn S., Gaulton, Barry C., and Stephen J. Piercey. 2018. Inscriptions, Outcrops, and XRF: Analysis of the Ferryland Gravestones. North Atlantic Archaeology Journal, Volume 5, 2018. Pg. 91 – 110.

Lacy, Brendan, & Robyn Lacy. 2018. Fragments of Industry. Acorn, Vol. 43, Issue 1. Architecture Conservancy of Ontario.

Grimes, Vaughan, Maria Lear, Jessica Munkittrick, & Robyn Lacy. 2018. Excavation and Preliminary Analysis of a Historical Burial Ground at Foxtrap-2 (CjAf-10). Foxtrap, Newfoundland. Provincial Archaeology Office Annual Review 2017. Department of Tourism, Culture, Industry, and Innovation, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. Available online at: http://www.tcii.gov.nl.ca/pao/arch_in_nl/index.html

Gaulton, Barry & Robyn Lacy. 2018. Archaeology at Ferryland 2017. Provincial Archaeology Office Annual Review 2017. Department of Tourism, Culture, Industry, and Innovation, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. Available online at: http://www.tcii.gov.nl.ca/pao/arch_in_nl/index.html

Lacy, Robyn S. 2017. ‘Nyne of Ten of them Dyed’: Searching for Calvert’s Colonists at Ferryland. Newfoundland Quarterly, Volume 110, Number 3, Winter 2017/2018. Aspects. Pg. 44 – 51. Memorial University, St. John’s.

Lacy, Robyn S. 2017. Archaeology, Death Positivity, and Public Engagement. Contribution to: ‘Death and the Maiden’. Available online at: https://deadmaidens.com/2017/11/24/archaeology-death-positivity-and-public-engagement/

Media Coverage
Living Heritage Radio Show & Podcast, June 8th 2017
Country Focus
Canada
Expertise by Geography
British Isles, North America
Expertise by Chronology
17th century, 18th century, 19th century, Early Modern, Modern, 20th century
Expertise by Topic
American Founding Era, Art & Architectural History, Environment, Local & Regional, Material Culture, Museums, Urban History