Donald Henson

Henson was born Gwyn Jones. His mother was Welsh and his father American. He was subsequently adopted by Syndey and Blanch Smith, renamed, and moved to Preston. After his adopted father's death and Blanche's remarriage, Don took his stepfather's surname.[2] Henson attributed an early love for archaeology to the tv show Animal, Vegetable, Mineral?.[2]

Henson went to school at Cefn Hengoed, Swansea. Henson studied for a BA in archaeology at University of Sheffield, specialising in prehistory. He described starting there in 1975 as the place where he learned that “being an archaeologist isn’t a profession; it’s a way of being, thinking and behaving”.[2] He studied for a MPhil, researching the sources of flint and chert in Britain. Henson worked as an outreach officer for Wakefield Museum from 1988 to 1994 and then as Head of Education at the Council for British Archaeology from 1994 to 2011.[3] Whilst at the CBA Henson was responsible for the Young Archaeologist's Club.[2] In 2016 he completed his PhD in Archaeology at York on "The public perceptions of the Mesolithic"; it had been supported by research grants from the European Research Council and the Arts and Humanities Research Council.[4]

He was subsequently appointed lecturer at the University of York.[2] Henson was also an Honorary Lecturer at University College London.[5] Henson served as the Chair of the World Archaeological Congress Public Education Committee.[6]

He was elected as a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London on 5 May 2004.[7] He was also a fellow of the Higher Education Academy. He was a trustee of the Yorkshire Dales Landscape Research Trust.[8]