In 1874, Sir Edmund Antrobus, a member of the British aristocracy, purchased the land on which Stonehenge stands. Although Stonehenge had long been in private hands, the Antrobus family's acquisition of the site corresponded with growing national interest in Britain’s ancient monuments and laid the groundwork for future preservation efforts and archeological discoveries.

Throughout the 19th century, Stonehenge unfortunately suffered significant degradation. Because there was no legal protection, visitors frequently removed pieces of stone as souvenirs, carved names into the megaliths, or simply disrupted the site. Archaeological interest in prehistoric Britain was increasing during this period, but there remained little consensus or infrastructure to support systematic conservation. The Antrobus family, though not archaeologists nor scholars, recognized Stonehenge’s historical importance and took steps to protect the site within the limitations of Victorian-era understanding and practice.

Under Sir Edmund Antrobus’s ownership, modest preservation efforts were initiated. These included hiring local caretakers to monitor the monument and restricting unfettered public access to reduce vandalism. The family also allowed limited archaeological investigations, though the methods used would not meet modern scientific standards today (Greaney).

The Antrobus ownership of Stonehenge marked a transitional period for the site.  Although their preservation efforts were not comprehensive, the family’s actions helped stabilize Stonehenge during a time when few legal or governmental mechanisms existed to protect such sites. In this way, their ownership served as a bridge between centuries of neglect and the more formalized conservation practices that would come.

During this time period, life was relatively hard for rural communities in Wiltshire. The Industrial Revolution hadn’t brought much prosperity to agricultural laborers, education was minimal, and most villagers had little interaction with Stonehenge except for shepherding nearby. However, this was also the age of Romanticism and Victorian curiosity, meaning increasing numbers of upper-class visitors came to the site, often on the new railways. The contrast between wealthy landowners and impoverished locals was stark. Locals might serve as guides or caretakers but had little agency in the monument’s fate (“Agriculture…”).

Sources

“Agriculture 1793-1870.” A History of the County of Wiltshire. Ed. Elizabeth Crittall (London, 1959), British History Online, https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/wilts/vol4/pp65-91.

Greaney, Susan. “Stonehenge: A Monumental Auction.” English Heritage, 20, Sept. 2015, https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/inspire-me/blog/blog-posts/stonehenge-monumental-auction/.