Basil John Wait Brown (22 January 1888 – 12 March 1977) was a self-taught archaeologist and astronomer who in 1939 discovered and excavated a 7th-century Anglo-Saxon ship burial at Sutton Hoo in "one of the most important archaeological discoveries of all time".Although described as an amateur archaeologist, Brown's career as a paid excavation employee for a provincial museum spanned more than thirty years.Basil Brown was born in 1888 in Bucklesham, east of Ipswich, to George Brown (1863-1932) and Charlotte Wait (ca. 1854-1931), daughter of John Wait of Great Barrington, Gloucestershire. His father was a farmer, wheelwright and agent for the Royal Insurance Company. Wikipedia