Charles Dawson was a British amateur archaeologist who claimed to have made a number of archaeological and palaeontological discoveries that were later exposed as frauds.
20 Facts About Charles Dawson
2.
Many technological methods such as fluorine testing indicate that this discovery was a hoax and Charles Dawson, the only one with the skill and knowledge to generate this forgery, was a major suspect.
3.
The eldest of three sons, Charles Dawson moved with his family from Preston, Lancashire, to Hastings, Sussex, when he was still very young.
4.
Charles Dawson initially studied as a lawyer following his father and then pursued a hobby of collecting and studying fossils.
5.
Charles Dawson made a number of seemingly important fossil finds.
6.
Charles Dawson died prematurely from pernicious anaemia in 1916 at Lewes, Sussex.
7.
In 1889, Charles Dawson was a co-founder of the Hastings and St Leonards Museum Association, one of the first voluntary museum friends' groups organized in Britain.
8.
Charles Dawson worked on a voluntary basis as a member of the Museum Committee, in charge of the acquisition of artifacts and historical documents.
9.
In 1893, Charles Dawson investigated a curious flint mine full of prehistoric, Roman and medieval artifacts in the Lavant Caves, near Chichester, and probed two tunnels beneath Hastings Castle.
10.
Charles Dawson analyzed ancient quarries, re-examined the Bayeux Tapestry, and produced the first conclusive study of Hastings Castle.
11.
Charles Dawson later found fake evidence for the final phases of Roman occupation in Britain at Pevensey Castle in Sussex.
12.
Charles Dawson was then elected a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London in 1895.
13.
Since then, a number of Charles Dawson's other finds have been shown to be forged or planted.
14.
Charles Dawson claimed to have discovered a collection of fossils that have been dug up in Piltdown, Sussex, including an ape-like jawbone and a human-like skull.
15.
For years, the creator of these remains was unknown, though it was then determined, through a meticulous inspection of his finds and collections, that Charles Dawson was most likely responsible for this forgery.
16.
Charles Dawson was the suspected perpetrator in this hoax for many reasons.
17.
Charles Dawson initiated the story of the Piltdown finds and was the one who contacted Woodward about them.
18.
Charles Dawson was the sole person to have seen the Piltdown II site and never disclosed the facts about this site; the fact that the techniques used to create both Piltdown I and Piltdown II were so similar suggests a single forger.
19.
Between 1883 and 1909, Charles Dawson wrote 50 publications though none were important enough to elevate his career.
20.
Just six weeks later, Charles Dawson's wife wrote a letter to the Home Secretary, pleading on behalf of Charles Dawson's expertise.