Tom Williamson
Biographic Data
| ID | 3750928 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Tom Williamson |
| GIVEN NAMES | Tom |
| FAMILY NAME | Williamson |
| SIGNATURE | WILLIAMSON T |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of East Anglia |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-9726-0209 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 48 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 52 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 46 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 2 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1986 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Statistical or Embodied? Comparing Colorseeing, Colorblind, Painters, and Large Language Models in Their Processing of Color Metaphors
Can metaphorical reasoning involving embodied experience—such as color perception—be learned from the statistics of language alone? Recent work finds that colorblind individuals robustly understand and reason abstractly about color, implying that color associations in everyday language might contribute to the metaphorical understanding of color. However, it is unclear how much colorblind individuals’ understanding of color is driven by language v…
Exploring the Location of ‘Ancient Woodland’: A Statistical Case Study in Eastern England (UK)
Statistical approaches and spatial modelling remain under-used in studies of the English rural landscape; patterns and associations in the historical environment have instead usually been treated in a subjective and impressionistic, rather than an objective and analytical, manner. In this paper we employ mathematical modelling to explore the relationship of ancient woodland to soil types and parish boundaries in eastern England. We argue that suc…
Histories of People and Landscape: Essays on the Sheffield Region in Memory of David Hey, ed. R.W. Hoyle
Journal Article Histories of People and Landscape: Essays on the Sheffield Region in Memory of David Hey, ed. R.W. Hoyle Get access Histories of People and Landscape: Essays on the Sheffield Region in Memory of David Hey, ed. R.W. Hoyle (Hatfield: University of Hertfordshire Press, 2021; pp. 218. £18.99). Tom Williamson Tom Williamson University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK [email protected] Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Ac…
Founders: Christopher Taylor
‘Founders’ is an intermittent series of short, critical appreciations of scholars, researchers and others whose work and ideas, mainly in Britain, have made particularly sweeping, influential and foundational contributions to the development of historically- and archaeologically-informed landscape studies. This latest addition to the series concerns Christopher Taylor, whose death on 28th May 2021 was noted in the Landscapes editorial in issue 21…
Rural History: The prospect before us, revisited
emphasised that rural history had often been seen as synonymous with a narrowly economistic agricultural history, and that exciting and innovative work deploying other methodological perspectives had been left 'scattered across a range of disciplines and subdisciplines'. Sixty-three issues later, and with only one of the original editors still in place, not only are we confident that Rural History has established itself as the home for such work,…
Hedges in Historical Archaeology
Agrarian Landscapes of the Historic Period
Naming Early Monasteries: The Significance of Burh in East Anglia
The association of medieval and earlier fortifications with place names incorporating the Old English word ‘burh’ is well known. This article examines another use of burh and suggests, on the basis of an analysis of East Anglian examples, that in many cases the term may refer to monasteries, perhaps expressing a sense of their enclosed character. This is consonant with recent reassessments of the use of burh in place names, which stress the sense…
How Natural Is Natural? Historical Perspectives on Wildlife and the Environment in Britain: Colin Matthew Memorial Lecture
This article explores some of the ways in which historians can, and should, engage with current debates about the environment. What we often think of as ‘natural’ habitats in Britain – heaths, ancient woodland, meadows and the like – are largely anthropogenic in character, and much of our most familiar wildlife, from rabbits to poppies, are alien introductions. The environments we cherish are neither natural nor timeless, but are enmeshed in huma…
Digging Sedgeford: A People’s Archaeology, by the SHARP team
Digging Sedgeford: A People’s Archaeology, by the SHARP team." Archaeological Journal, 173(2), pp. 400–401
The Ancient Origins of Medieval Fields: A Reassessment
This article questions the suggestions that have been made by a number of archaeologists and landscape historians concerning the Roman and prehistoric origins of large tracts of the medieval rural landscape in lowland England. It suggests that arguments for large-scale continuity of field systems, mainly based on the evidence of excavations and topographic analysis, are flawed because they fail to take fully into account the topographic contexts,…
Estate Landscapes in England: Interpretive Archaeologies
The earthworks at Benington Park, Hertfordshire: An exercise in dating an ‘archaeological garden’
At first sight, this paper is an attempt to describe, analyse and date the archaeological remains of an exceptionally fine garden and park in Hertfordshire. The garden is, apparently, well documented, there being two large-scale detailed estates maps of it. But although the complex arrangements of the site and the history of the owners, their friends and relatives were quickly ascertained it has proved impossible to date it with absolute certaint…
The Landscape Archaeology of Anglo-Saxon England
The Anglo-Saxon period was crucial to the development of the English landscape, but is rarely studied. The essays here provide radical new interpretations of its development. Traditional opinion has perceived the Anglo-Saxons as creating an entirely new landscape from scratch in the fifth and sixth centuries AD, cutting down woodland, and bringing with them the practice of open field agriculture, and establishing villages. Whilst recent scholarsh…
The Shapwick Project, Somerset: A Rural Landscape Explored . (Society for Medieval Archaeology, Monograph 25) . Christopher Gerrard , Mick Aston
Wheare most inclosures be' East Anglian fields: History, morphology and management - By Edward Martin and Max Satchell
Police, governance and the Private Finance Initiative
This paper, drawing on semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders, examines the impact of the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) on police in England and Wales with the specific aim of subjecting recent debates about the alleged ‘dispersed’ or ‘distanciated’ nature of state rule to critical analysis. In order to do this we draw on Shearing's (2005) distinction between ‘state anchored’ and ‘corporate-anchored’ pluralism to argue two points: th…
There by Design? Some Reflections on Medieval Elite Landscapes
This paper reviews the evidence for sophisticated designed landscapes in medieval England. It argues that the claims made for such landscapes have been exaggerated, and suggests that while medieval elites clearly altered the surroundings of their residences on a grand scale, such activity was generally concerned with the display of symbols of lordly status, usually involving the control of superior resources of production. There is little evidenc…
Too many chiefs and not enough chief executives: Barriers to the development of PFI in the police service in England and Wales
The Private Finance Initiative (PFI) has proved to be one of the most controversial policies of the Labour government. Indeed, despite opposition from core government support groups New Labour has still been keen to promote PFI. In some parts of the public sector this had led to substantial and radical projects being pursued. In the police service, however, there have been relatively few projects and most that have emerged have been relatively co…
Schools, Pupil Behaviour and Young Offenders
This article is concerned with the role and potential of school as a site for programmes designed to prevent and reduce anti-social and criminal behaviour from young people. It sets out to evaluate the relevance of ‘geodemographic’ analysis, based on the MOSAIC postcode classification system, for the targeting and development of appropriate behaviour support and youth crime prevention programmes in and around schools in different circumstances. W…
Investigative interviewing: Rights, research and regulation
Part I: Developments in Rights 1. Investigative interviewing and human rights in the war on terrorism, Tom Williamson 2. Al-Qaeda-related subjects: a law enforcement perspective, Michael G. Gelles, Robert McFadden, Randy Borum and Bryan Vossekuil 3. American interrogation methods in the war on terror, David Rose 4. The interrogation of terrorist suspects: the banality of torture, John J. Pearse Part II: Developments in Research 5. The psychology …
Chatsworth: A Landscape History
Classifying Neighbourhoods for Reassurance Policing
High rates of reported crime and levels of fear of crime have emerged as characteristics of late modern societies. Changes in society as a result of globalization and new technologies are said to have contributed to a “risk society” in which crime is one of a number of risks that the public expect will be managed effectively. The perception that the risk of victimization is growing undermines confidence in the effectiveness of the state. The reas…
Medieval East Anglia
A ‘relict landscape’ in south-east Hertfordshire: Archaeological and topographic investigations in the Wormley area
The evidence of field survey, excavation, documents and maps is combined to suggest an extensive ‘organised landscape’ of pre-medieval date in south-east Hertfordshire. This survives in part in the form modern roads and boundaries, but in part as earthworks buried within areas of ancient woodland. It is suggested that this, and other ‘co-axial’ landscapes in England, may have originated through the subdivision of an initially much sparser network…
Land, labour and livestock: Historical studies in European agricultural productivity
Early Co-axial Field Systems on the East Anglian Boulder Clays
In some areas of Britain landscape reorganization in the post-Roman period has not destroyed earlier systems of land division, which have instead been preserved in modern arrangements. Topographic analysis of landscapes on the heavier soils of East Anglia reveals sometimes very extensive co-axial field systems of probable later prehistoric origin. Other such systems, however, are probably of later date. Co-axial planning may be not a continuous t…
Classifying Neighbourhoods for Reassurance Policing
High rates of reported crime and levels of fear of crime have emerged as characteristics of late modern societies. Changes in society as a result of globalization and new technologies are said to have contributed to a “risk society” in which crime is one of a number of risks that the public expect will be managed effectively. The perception that the risk of victimization is growing undermines confidence in the effectiveness of the state. The reas…
Too many chiefs and not enough chief executives: Barriers to the development of PFI in the police service in England and Wales
The Private Finance Initiative (PFI) has proved to be one of the most controversial policies of the Labour government. Indeed, despite opposition from core government support groups New Labour has still been keen to promote PFI. In some parts of the public sector this had led to substantial and radical projects being pursued. In the police service, however, there have been relatively few projects and most that have emerged have been relatively co…
Police, governance and the Private Finance Initiative
This paper, drawing on semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders, examines the impact of the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) on police in England and Wales with the specific aim of subjecting recent debates about the alleged ‘dispersed’ or ‘distanciated’ nature of state rule to critical analysis. In order to do this we draw on Shearing's (2005) distinction between ‘state anchored’ and ‘corporate-anchored’ pluralism to argue two points: th…
There by Design? Some Reflections on Medieval Elite Landscapes
This paper reviews the evidence for sophisticated designed landscapes in medieval England. It argues that the claims made for such landscapes have been exaggerated, and suggests that while medieval elites clearly altered the surroundings of their residences on a grand scale, such activity was generally concerned with the display of symbols of lordly status, usually involving the control of superior resources of production. There is little evidenc…
Fodder Crops and the 'Agricultural Revolution' in England, 1700–1850
(1998). Fodder Crops and the 'Agricultural Revolution' in England, 1700–1850. Environmental Archaeology: Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 11-18
Rabbits or Ritual? Artificial Warrens and the Neolithic Long Mound Tradition
The principal characteristics of the earthworks known as pillow mounds—artificial rabbit warrens—are discussed, together with the evidence for their date and purpose. Several aspects of their location and construction have caused considerable confusion to archaeologists in the past, and examples are suggested of current misidentification of these earthworks as prehistoric features. The need for a discussion of pillow mounds has recently become es…
Parish boundaries and early fields: Continuity and discontinuity
The Ancient Origins of Medieval Fields: A Reassessment
This article questions the suggestions that have been made by a number of archaeologists and landscape historians concerning the Roman and prehistoric origins of large tracts of the medieval rural landscape in lowland England. It suggests that arguments for large-scale continuity of field systems, mainly based on the evidence of excavations and topographic analysis, are flawed because they fail to take fully into account the topographic contexts,…
Young offenders, schools and the neighbourhood: A new approach to data‐analysis for community policing
Youth offending often lies at the heart of community policing programmes. The primary objective of this study is to provide evidence of the extent to which the level and the pattern of youth offending varies between different types of neighbourhood and the schools they attend. We posit that the adoption of neighbourhood typology based analyses, frequently used in the commercial world, are appropriate to address this issue. We substantiate this ar…
Wheare most inclosures be' East Anglian fields: History, morphology and management - By Edward Martin and Max Satchell
Schools, Pupil Behaviour and Young Offenders
This article is concerned with the role and potential of school as a site for programmes designed to prevent and reduce anti-social and criminal behaviour from young people. It sets out to evaluate the relevance of ‘geodemographic’ analysis, based on the MOSAIC postcode classification system, for the targeting and development of appropriate behaviour support and youth crime prevention programmes in and around schools in different circumstances. W…
Rural History: The Prospect Before Us
Two questions will no doubt greet the arrival of this journal: why rural history? and why now? The current economic climate is hardly favourable for ventures of this kind. But recent developments in the numerous fields which touch on matters rural indicate a real academic need for a new forum for interdisciplinary exchange. Much exciting and innovative work has been carried out over the past decade – on the nature and structure of rural communiti…
Parish boundaries and early fields: Continuity and discontinuity
Early Co-axial Field Systems on the East Anglian Boulder Clays
In some areas of Britain landscape reorganization in the post-Roman period has not destroyed earlier systems of land division, which have instead been preserved in modern arrangements. Topographic analysis of landscapes on the heavier soils of East Anglia reveals sometimes very extensive co-axial field systems of probable later prehistoric origin. Other such systems, however, are probably of later date. Co-axial planning may be not a continuous t…
Explaining Regional Landscapes: Woodland and Champion in Southern and Eastern England
(1988). Explaining Regional Landscapes: Woodland and Champion in Southern and Eastern England. Landscape History: Vol. 10, No. 1, pp. 5-13
Rabbits or Ritual? Artificial Warrens and the Neolithic Long Mound Tradition
The principal characteristics of the earthworks known as pillow mounds—artificial rabbit warrens—are discussed, together with the evidence for their date and purpose. Several aspects of their location and construction have caused considerable confusion to archaeologists in the past, and examples are suggested of current misidentification of these earthworks as prehistoric features. The need for a discussion of pillow mounds has recently become es…
Rural History: The Prospect Before Us
Two questions will no doubt greet the arrival of this journal: why rural history? and why now? The current economic climate is hardly favourable for ventures of this kind. But recent developments in the numerous fields which touch on matters rural indicate a real academic need for a new forum for interdisciplinary exchange. Much exciting and innovative work has been carried out over the past decade – on the nature and structure of rural communiti…
Defining the rural
This paper was published as Rural History: Economy, Society, Culture, 1990, 1 (2), pp. 143-145. It is available from http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=2639544. Doi: 10.1017/S0956793300003289
Land, labour and livestock: Historical studies in European agricultural productivity
Rural History and Popular Culture
This issue of Rural History has greater thematic coherence than previous numbers, with all the papers having some relation to the study of ‘popular culture’, while coming from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. Each of the articles develops a key area of analysis, but their juxtaposition helps to raise further questions – about the kinds of sources that can be used to redress the bias towards the elite that has tended to dominate the study o…
Women and Rural History
This is a special issue on Women and Rural History — a subject which needs no editorial justification. It represents, especially for agricultural history, an enormous breadth of historical experience that has been sadly neglected over many decades. In commissioning and then reading the work produced for this issue, we became ever more convinced that there are huge areas of debate and research, into questions at the heart of rural history, that in…
Fodder Crops and the 'Agricultural Revolution' in England, 1700–1850
Short Reviews
Labour and improvement: Agricultural change in East Anglia, circa 1750-1870
Romney Marsh: The Debatable Ground. Edited by J ill E ddison
The Archaeology of the Landscape Park: Garden design in Norfolk, England, c. 1680-1840: Garden design in Norfolk, England, c. 1680-1840
The study of 18th century gardens in Norfolk from an archaeological point of view. Attention is focused on different kinds of designed landscape in time and space, on ways in which these landscapes were created and on the ways in which they related to the 'vernacular' landscape upon which they were imposed. The task was to supply information about distributions and chronology which is generally lacking in studies of eighteenth-century landscapes.
Human Rights and Policing: Standards for Good Behaviour and a Strategy for Change
This is a unique book in that it distils the knowledge, ideas and experience of three police professionals in the cause of a human rights-based approach to policing. The book is written for an audience of police officials, human rights workers with an interest in human rights and policing, and resource persons and teachers responsible for the education of police officials. It provides a concise account and analysis of international human rights s…
The “Scole-Dickleburgh field system” revisited
Over a decade ago I suggested that in parts of East Anglia the basic pattern of fields and lanes was of late prehistoric, rather than medieval, origin. One example of such a putative relict landscape, around Scole and Dickleburgh in the claylands of south Norfolk, has recently been critically reassessed by David Hinton. In the article that follows Hinton's arguments are, in turn, challenged: but the opportunity is also taken to reexamine the real…
Fodder Crops and the 'Agricultural Revolution' in England, 1700–1850
(1998). Fodder Crops and the 'Agricultural Revolution' in England, 1700–1850. Environmental Archaeology: Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 11-18
Water Management in the English Landscape: Field, Marsh and Meadow
Inappropriate technology? The history of 'floating , in the North and East of England
Gardens, Legitimation, and Resistance
Brian K. Roberts & Stuart Wrathmell. Region and place: A study of English rural settlement. x+203 pages, 82 figures, 9 tables. 2002. London: English Heritage; 1-85074-775-X paperback £45
Brian K. Roberts & Stuart Wrathmell. Region and place: a study of English rural settlement. x+203 pages, 82 figures, 9 tables. 2002. London: English Heritage; 1-85074-775-X paperback £45. - Volume 78 Issue 302
Medieval East Anglia
A ‘relict landscape’ in south-east Hertfordshire: Archaeological and topographic investigations in the Wormley area
The evidence of field survey, excavation, documents and maps is combined to suggest an extensive ‘organised landscape’ of pre-medieval date in south-east Hertfordshire. This survives in part in the form modern roads and boundaries, but in part as earthworks buried within areas of ancient woodland. It is suggested that this, and other ‘co-axial’ landscapes in England, may have originated through the subdivision of an initially much sparser network…
Community policing
Young offenders, schools and the neighbourhood: A new approach to data‐analysis for community policing
Youth offending often lies at the heart of community policing programmes. The primary objective of this study is to provide evidence of the extent to which the level and the pattern of youth offending varies between different types of neighbourhood and the schools they attend. We posit that the adoption of neighbourhood typology based analyses, frequently used in the commercial world, are appropriate to address this issue. We substantiate this ar…
History (28 works) · Archaeology (24 works) · Geography (23 works) · Political science (19 works) · History (17 works) · Sociology (15 works) · Law (14 works) · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies (11 works) · Law (11 works) · Historical and Cultural Archaeology Studies (10 works)