General Pitt-Rivers held the almost thankless office of Inspector of Ancient Monuments, under the Ancient Monuments Act, which we owe to Lord Avebury (Sir John Lubbock). He tried to make landowners see their duty in this respect as he saw his; but, alas ! here he failed for the most part. [Obituary of Pitt-Rivers, Folklore, 11 no. 2, p. 185-7]

Pitt-Rivers was Inspector of Ancient Monuments from 1883 until his death in 1900. It was a post he was proud to hold, on his memorial in St Peter ad Vinicula at Tollard Royal it says:

Augustus Lane Fox Pitt-Rivers FRS FSA DCL of Rushmore Gren Gds [Grenadier Guards] was on the staff of ASDAQMG at the Battle of Alma AAGAT Cork Comm. DG Depot at Guildford First Instr. [Instructor] of Musketry at Hythe and Malta. Devoted the last twenty years of his life to anthropological research. Inspector of Ancient Monuments. Born 12 April 1827 passed away 4 May 1900. Erected in loving memory by his eldest son Alexander Edward Lane Fox Pitt-Rivers. Also of his wife the Hon. Alice Margaret born 30 July 1828 and died 19 May 1910.

As his first biographer, Michael Thompson, explains:

Pitt-Rivers first became directly concerned in questions of preservation in 1868 when he was a member of a Committee set up by the International Congress of Prehistoric Archaeology held at Norwich to consider the protection of megaliths. The matter exercised his mind for the rest of his life. When in the late 1870s it looked as if Lubbock's private Bill might become law Pitt-Rivers made two practice runs, as it were, in Brittany in 1878 and 1879 (he spent that winter in France). The Government Bill that became law in October, 1882, created the post of Inspector of Ancient Monuments which Pitt-Rivers was invited to fill. he took up his duties on 1st January, 1883 and although he voluntarily relinquished the salary of £250 p.a. in 1890 he remained honorary inspector until his death in 1900. [See here for source]

See here for a detailed timetable for Pitt-Rivers work as Inspector of Ancient Monuments

Other useful links:

Information about the Salisbury and South Wiltshire Pitt-Rivers papers (including those relating to Ancient Monuments)

Manuscripts given to the Pitt Rivers Museum by Anthony Pitt-Rivers in 2012

'Our Ancient Monuments' [Excavating Pitt-Rivers, DCF project]

National Archives, Kew: workbooks Ancient Monuments Inspectorate:

Short descriptions of Inspectorate workbooks taken from National Archives site, above, in May 2013:

Work 39/1: Unnumbered sketchbook entitled `France, 1878', containing notes, plans and sketches made by Pitt Rivers (Lane Fox) in Brittany 1878 Oct-1879 Mar

Work 39/2: Unnumbered sketchbook without covers (with geometrical calculations on front page), entitled '1879', containing notes, plans and sketches made by Pitt Rivers (Lane Fox) in Brittany. 1879 Mar 01 - 1879 Apr 30

Work 39/3: Sketchbook no 1, entitled `Ancient Monuments', illustrating a journey to Scotland, and also Avebury and Bradford-on-Avon churches. Mainly the work of Pitt Rivers' assistant C W Gray. To accompany parts of notebooks 6 and 11. 1889

Work 39/4: Sketchbook no 2, entitled `Celtic Crosses ... Cromlechs ... Museum Sketches', containing mainly preparatory tracings of crosses made before and drawings made on a Welsh journey in 1888, and including drawings of objects at Cirencester, Bath and Devizes museums. Also megaliths drawn in 1890. [The work of assistants Reader and C W Gray.] To accompany parts of notebooks 8 and 11. 1888-1890

Work 39/5: Sketchbook no 3, entitled `Ancient Monuments, Wigtonshire (Wigtownshire), Welsh Crosses, etc', illustrating a journey to Scotland and preparatory tracings made before and drawings made on a visit to Penmachno church. [The work of an assistant, probably Reader.] To accompany part of notebook 6. 1887

Work 39/6: Sketchbook no 4, entitled `Ancient Monuments', followed by a list of sites, illustrating a journey to Scotland. The work of assistant Tomkin. To accompany parts of notebooks, 13, 7 and 14. 1885

Work 39/7: Sketchbook no 5, entitled `Ancient Monuments', followed by a list of sites, illustrating a journey to Scotland in 1886, and journeys in 1887. The work of assistant Tomkin. To accompany parts of notebooks 6 and 7. 1886-1887

Work 39/8: Notebook no 6, entitled `Ancient Monuments'; Commenced October 1887. Notes on ...', followed by a list of sites, containing notes made by Pitt Rivers on various journeys. 1887-1889

Work 39/9: Notebook no 7, entitled `Ancient Monuments, Scotland, No 3, 1885-1886', containing notes made by Pitt Rivers on journeys in England in 1887, Scotland in 1885 (crofting and shielings etc, with three letters of introduction for Pitt Rivers as Inspector of Ancient Monuments in Scotland dated 1885, in pocket of notebook. 1885-1887

Work 39/10: Notebook no 8, entitled `Ancient Monuments, Tour made by W S Tomkin, 1888', notes made by Tomkin on journeys to Wales and Wansdyke. 1888 Sept 0 -1889 Apr 30

Work 39/11: Sketchbook no 9, entitled `Ancient Monuments', followed by a list of sites, illustrating a journey to Scotland in 1889 and drawings made by Tomkin at Chedworth Roman Villa, 1890, etc. To accompany parts of notebooks 6 and 11 1889-1890

Work 39/12: Sketchbook no 10, entitled `Ancient Monuments', followed by a list of sites, illustrating journeys in 1884. Almost entirely the work of Tomkin, with the exception of a section of Wayland Smithy by Pitt Rivers. To accompany parts of notebooks 12 and 13. 1884

Work 39/13: Notebook no 11, entitled `Ancient Monuments Journey, Messrs Tomkin and Gray, 1890', followed by a list of sites; concerning a journey to Scotland in 1889 and short journeys in 1890. 1889-1890

Work 39/14: Notebook no 12, entitled `Ancient Monuments 1883, No 1', concerning Pitt Rivers' journeys in England and Scotland in 1883 and journeys in England and Wales in 1884. 1883-1884

Work 39/15: Notebook no 13, entitled `Ancient Monuments, Scotland, July 1884', concerning Pitt Rivers' journeys in England and Scotland in 1884 and journey to Scotland in 1885. 1884.1885

Work 39/16: Notebook no 14, entitled `Ancient Monuments, W S T', containing Tomkin's diary, sections plans and sketches from Scottish journey of 1885, and miscellaneous notes on work on the collections of Pitt Rivers in November 1886, and other times. To accompany parts of notebooks 13 and 7, and sketchbook 4. 1885-1886

Pitt-Rivers' models, including those made of monuments he visited as Inspector

Pitt-Rivers and Lubbock

Pitt-Rivers' tour of Brittany 1878-9

The dispute over Pen Pits 1878

Tour of Scotland as part of his Inspector's duties 1885

Pottery-making in Barvas [National Archives 39/9 pp. 81-2] (Notes taken during his work as Inspector in 1885)

Part of a talk about his collection of Celtic cross models, seen during his Inspector tours

Pitt-Rivers and the camera lucida

Pitt-Rivers and the photography of objects (also discusses the photographic work as Inspector)

Pitt-Rivers and Cerne Abbas

Pitt-Rivers, A.H.L.F. 1888. [c]. 'Address as President of the Anthropological Section of the British Association, Bath, September 6, 1888', Report of the British Association for the Advancement of Science (1888), pp. 825-835. Pitt-Rivers discusses the role of Inspector of Ancient Monuments pp.825-828.

AP May 2013.