Blair, Robert, 1845-1923

Apparently part of a collection of archaeological and antiquarian papers accumulated by Robert Blair (1845-1923), a solicitor of South Shields, Co. Durham, chiefly through his involvement with the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne.

Robert Blair's chief interests were in archaeology and local history, with especial reference to the Roman antiquities, numismatics, church buildings and churchyards of the North-East of England. Elected as a member of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne in 1874, he served as its secretary from 1883-1923 and editor from 1884-1923, reviving its meetings and editing 54 volumes of its regular publications (34 volumes of Archaeologia Aeliana and 20 volumes of its Proceedings ), as well as himself contributing many papers, notes and illustrations to these volumes, often anonymously. He also edited and revised the 4th to 8th editions [1895-1921] of J. Collingwood Bruce's The Hand-book to the Roman Wall .

In 1877 Blair was elected a member of the Surtees Society and in ca.1890 he was appointed to the committee set up to further work on a proposed new history of Northumberland. He was appointed a corresponding member of the German Archaeological Institute in 1879 and the Academie Royale D'Archeologie de Belgique in 1920. His achievements were further recognised by his election as a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London in 1884 and the conferment on him of an honorary degree of Master of Arts by the University of Durham in 1922.