Background
Cramp was born on 6 May 1929. She grew up on her father"s farm in Leicestershire.
Cramp was born on 6 May 1929. She grew up on her father"s farm in Leicestershire.
She was educated at Market Harborough Grammar, a grammar school in Market Harborough, Leicestershire. She graduated Bachelor of Arts (Bachelor), which was later promoted to Master of Arts (Master of Arts). She remained at Street Anne"s to complete a postgraduate Bachelor of Letters (BLitt) degree in 1950.
Her thesis concerned the relevance of archaeological evidence in relation to Old English poetry.
She was the first female professor appointed at Durham University and was Professor of Archaeology from 1971 to 1990. She served as President of the Society of Antiquaries of London from 2001 to 2004. She went on to study English language and literature at Street Anne"s College, University of Oxford.
Cramp began her academic career at her alma mater, the University of Oxford.
She was a fellow and tutor of English at Street Anne"s College, Oxford, from 1950 to 1955. In 1955, she moved to Durham University as a lecturer in archaeology.
The Department of Archaeology was officially created the following year, in 1956, and specialised in Roman and Anglo-Saxon archaeology. She was promoted to senior lecturer in 1966.
She became the first female professor of Durham university when she was appointed Professor of Archaeology in 1971.
She retired in 1990 and was appointed Professor Emerita. Outside of her university work, she has held a number of positions within academic organisations. She was President of the Society for Church Archaeology from 1996 to 2000 and of the Society of Antiquaries of London from 2001 to 2004.
She is also a former President of the Council for British Archaeology and is currently an Honorary Vice-President.