17-07-2025
Lanark historian collects MBE from King Charles
Ed Archer was named in the 2025 new year honours list and was invited to a royal presentation at Holyrood
Lanark heritage expert Ed Archer enjoyed his very own historic occasion as he had a royal appointment to collect his MBE from the King.
He was a special guest at Holyrood Palace to collect the honour he was awarded at new year, recognising his 'services to heritage and to the community in Clydesdale', where he is chair of Lanark and district archaeological society and is a former teacher, councillor and volunteer development officer.
Ed discussed Clydesdale heritage with King Charles and said it had been a 'magnificent' day, to which he was accompanied by wife Sandra and his adult children Tom and Jennifer.
He told Lanarkshire Live of his audience with the monarch: 'The King congratulated me on my wonderful achievements in the world of heritage.
'We talked about how Lanark was the birth place of aviation in August 1910, about Clydesdale horses and Clydesdale's heritage. He was very interested in everything that I said and wished me every success.
'It was a magnificent day and the people at the palace were so nice and helpful. All in all, it was the most memorable day of my life apart from my wedding and the birth of my two wonderful children.'
Ed has been chair of the historic town's archaeological society for more than four decades, with his research ranging from practical digs and metal detecting to library work and lecturing making him a prominent expert in the history of the town.
He has created a website and Facebook page with more than 6000 followers where he brings Lanark's centuries of history to life with photos and stories highlighting a wide range of the town's history – such as tales of William Wallace, the local discovery of fourth-century Roman coins, and the town's 1910 air show attended by 330,000 people which was only the third in world history.
Ed also noted how 'there's a interesting royal connection as the King's last action as Prince of Wales, before ascending the throne, was here in Lanark' – as he visited New Lanark world heritage site and the town's agricultural centre on September 7 2022, the day before the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.
Ed grew up in Yorkshire and moved to Scotland to begin his teaching career after graduating from Liverpool University with a history degree – and met languages teacher Sandra through his first placement at Airdrie Academy.
He taught history, classics and computing at Biggar High for nearly 30 years until retiring in 2001, and and later served on South Lanarkshire Council for five years as an independent member for Clydesdale North.
The Lanark resident was awarded the town's Burgess award for services to heritage in 2013, and has also been involved with Community Service Volunteers, the community council and Lanark tenants' and residents' association.
He told Lanarkshire Live in January how he is 'very proud' to be recognised with the MBE appointment, saying: 'It's the result of working with lots of folk over the years and is for all the people round about me too.
'Archaeology has been part of my life and I love doing all the research and finding out about local history. What I enjoy most is meeting and talking to people, and I'm very proud of this award as it's for all the people round about me and the community.'
