Hilda Ellis Davidson was an antiquarian.
Hilda Roderick Ellis Davidson ( born Hilda Roderick Ellis , 1 October 1914 -- January 2006 ) was an English antiquarian and academic , writing in particular on Germanic paganism and Celtic paganism . Davidson was a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries , and was president of the Council of the Folklore Society from 1974 to 1976 , and served on the council from 1956 to 1986 . The Society of Antiquaries of London ( SAL ) is a learned society `` charged by its Royal Charter of 1751 with ` the encouragement , advancement and furtherance of the study and knowledge of the antiquities and history of this and other countries ' . ''