Ivan Donald Margary,FSA (1896–1976) was a British historian who, during his lifetime, became the leading authority onRoman roads in Great Britain.[1] He wrote numerous works on Roman roads[2] of which his most influential and complete wasRoman Roads In Britain.
Ivan 'Donald' Margary's birth was registered atSt. George's, Hanover Square, the parish church ofMayfair, on 23 November 1896. In his youth he lived with his family inBruton Street, just offBerkeley Square.
He was educated privately and then matriculated intoExeter College, Oxford in 1913 to study chemistry.[3] From 1914 to 1919, he served in the 3rd BatallionRoyal Sussex Regiment of theBritish Army during theFirst World War.[3] Having been a member of theOfficers Training Corps, he was commissioned as asecond lieutenant on 8 April 1915.[4] He was injured multiple times, including a broken ankle and being shot in the back and neck.[3] He returned to Oxford after the war and graduated with aBachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1921.[3]
Mr Margary inherited £100,000 and property in the will of James Walker Larnach ofSydney, New South Wales, Australia published on 04 July 1924, which further enabled his philanthropy.
In 1932 'Donald' married Dorothy Marie Jolly (birth registered inCambridgeshire on 04 May 1893) atGodstone, Surrey.
Margary's primary gift to the study of Roman roads was the development of a catalogue system known asMargary numbers,[1] numbering Roman roads so that they could be referred to by catalogue number to avoid confusion, and to allow cross-referencing of the same road between different studies and authors.
In later life, he financed the excavation ofFishbourne Roman Palace, nearChichester in West Sussex, and the building ofMargaryQuad at Exeter, his old college. He contributed to theNational Trust's excavation atAvebury Stone Circle and to the archaeology department of theBritish School at Rome. His other interests included meteorology and agriculture.[5][6]
Ivan Donald Margary's death was registered atFelcourt, Sussex, on 18 February 1976 and his last will and testament included many generous bequests to charitable organisations, including theSociety of Antiquaries.
In 1932, Margary was elected Fellow of theSociety of Antiquaries of London. He declined all other nominations for recognition.[5]
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