The Late Jerry Sampson, Former Cathedral Archaeologist RIP

The Cathedral has learned of the recent death of Jerry Sampson.

Jerry was a buildings archaeology consultant, specialising in the analysis of medieval church buildings and furnishings. He was the author of many publications and papers on conservation architecture. He lectured extensively and was President of Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society.

Jerry was the great authority on Wells Cathedral’s West Front, having worked on the conservation programme of 1974 to 1986. At the time this was the most significant conservation project in Europe, with international significance. Many luminaries made their way up the scaffolding including King Charles III, then Prince of Wales, who wrote the foreword for Jerry’s 1998 book Wells Cathedral West Front, Construction, Sculpture and Conservation.

The conservation programme not only pioneered innovative techniques for the preservation of nearly 300 thirteenth-century sculptures, but also provided an unparalleled opportunity to examine them.

Jerry undertook extensive research before working alongside conservators and masons, meticulously recording, photographing, and writing about the discoveries made. Out of his work emerged the first clear picture how the façade was originally constructed and repaired over its 700-year history, and a complete catalogue that describes each figure, its construction and its meaning in the context of the overall design.

Jerry worked on many other aspects of caring for the Cathedral after he was appointed Wells Cathedral Archaeologist in 2014. He leaves a rich legacy of his work in the cathedral archives which is already informing the next planned phase of West Front conservation and which will be an enduring and unique resource for future researchers.

RIP

Veronica Howe, Cathedral Archivist

Jerry Sampson authored Wells Cathedral West Front: Construction, Sculpture and Conservation (Sutton Publishing Ltd, 1998), ISBN 10: 0750914505 / ISBN 13: 9780750914505