Tributes have been paid to a man whose pioneering work in North Yorkshire revolutionised medieval archaeology.

John Hurst, who has died, aged 75, spent more than 40 years excavating a medieval peasant house, parish church and the first recovery of a medieval population from a cemetery at Wharram Percy, near Malton. Mr Hurst, who arrived at Wharram Percy in 1952, helped to recover remains that are considered so important they are still the subject of study. He revealed that peasants lived in far more comfortable and luxurious conditions than had been previously assumed.

Today colleagues said his work at Wharram Percy, and elsewhere, helped to found the study of medieval archaeology.

Dr Mike Heyworth, of the Council for British Archaeology, based in Walmgate, York, said Mr Hurst was a true pioneer.

"He was a founding father of medieval archaeology," he said. "He is really the person that started that genre. His work at Wharram Percy is still regarded as one of the most critical archaeological projects. The whole approach that he took at Wharram Percy really set the tone for how we study communities and landscapes from the medieval period."

Dr Peter Addyman, of York, former director of the York Archaeological Trust, said: "He created the discipline of medieval archaeology more than anyone else. I think thousands of young archaeologists, from all over Europe, have passed through his hands."

Mr Hurst died on April 29 after he was attacked near his home in Leicestershire.

He married Gillian Duckett in 1955, whom he had met at Wharram Percy. She died in 1971 and Mr Hurst is survived by their two daughters.

Updated: 10:04 Monday, May 26, 2003