Annual Report for the Year Ended 31st December 1985

ANNUAL REPORT !iii ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st DECEMBER 1985 Council presents its one hundred and twenty-seventh Report and Statement of Accounts for 1984 OBITUARY Council records with great regret the deaths of Lt.-Col. G.W. Meates, F.S.A., Vice-President, and of Mr N .H. MacMichael, F.S.A., F.R.Hist.S., F.S.G., member of Council 1973-78, of whom fuller obituary notices appear later in this volume. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING The Annual General meeting was held at Maidstone on Saturday, 18th May, when Council's Annual Report and Statement of Accounts for 1984 were accepted. Messrs. Hoby, Pollock and Bell were re-appointed as Auditors of the Society. The amendments to the Rules relating to the election of Vice-Presidents and extending their tenure of office to seven years were approved nem. con. The resolutions on the Agenda proposed by Mr P.E. Oldham and others, and by Mr B .J. Philp and others were ruled out of order, as was an emergency resolution proposed by Mr H.J. Burden and Mr B.J. Philp. OFFICERS The following were elected as Officers of the Society: President: Rev. Canon D. Ingram Hill, M.A., D.D., F.S.A. Vice-Presidents: Mr C.W. Chalklin, M.A., B.Litt., F.R.Hist.S.; Mr C.R. Councer, F.S.A.; Mr L.R.A.Grove, B.A., F.S.A., F.M.A.; Mr R.F. Jessup, F.S.A.; Lt.-Col. G.W. Meates, F.S.A.; Miss E. Melling, B.A.; Lord Northbourne, M.A.; Miss Anne Roper, M.B.E., M.A., J.P., F.S.A.; Dr J. Whyman, B.Sc.(Econ.), Ph.D.; Hon. Editor: Dr A.P. Detsicas, B.A., M.A., D.Litt., F.S.A., F.S.A.Scot. Hon. General Secretary: Mr A.C. Harrison, B.A., F.S.A. Hon. Treasurer: Mr L.D. Lyle, M.A. Hon. Membership Secretary: Mrs. M. Lawrence. Hon. Excursions Secretary: Mr M.A. Crane, B.A. Hon. Curator: Mr D.B. Kelly, B.A., F.S.A., AM.A. Hon. Librarian: Dr P.H.G. Draper, B.Sc., Ph.D. !iv COUNCIL The following were elected members of Council after a ballot: Mr E.P. Connell,* Mrs M. Lovering, Mr J.Owen, B.A.,* Mr R.J. Spain, C.Eng., M.I. Mech.E.,* Mr P.J. Tester, F.S.A., * and Mr W.N. Yates, M.A., F.R.Hist.S. * * Retiring members of Council NEWSLETTER Material for the Newsletter should reach Mr E.P. Connell by 1st February, 1st September and 1st December for each issue. PUBLICATIONS To celebrate the 100th volume of Arch. Cant, two volumes were published in 1985: volume C, a celebration volume, containing 27 articles, and volume Cl. Both volumes maintain the Society's high standards of publication, under the editorship of Dr A.P. Detsicas, B.A., M.A., D.Litt, F.S.A., F.S.A.Scot., and their contents cover a wide field of Archaeology and History. In 1986, Watermills, by M.J. Fuller and R.J. Spain, will be published in the Society's Monograph Series. It is also hoped to publish during the year volume VIII of The Archaeology of Canterbury series and volume II of The Lullingstone Roman Villa, dealing with the finds of the excavation. Other future volumes in the Monograph Series will include The Roman Pottery of Kent, by R.J. Pollard, and the excavations at Stonar, by N. G. Macpherson-Grant. It is also hoped to publish in the future the report of the excavations at Finglesham by Mrs. S.C. Hawkes. FINANCE Whilst income has only increased slightly in 1985 there have been several large items of exceptional expenditure, notably the special volume of Archaeologia Cantiana commemorating the 100th issue. Distribution costs of the two volumes were high. A substantial grant has been made to the Kent Record Collections, to the Kent Heritage Survey and to the Canterbury Archaeological Trust for running the Society's training excavation at Godmersham. Cash reserves are therefore low. The following amounts in excess of £2500 have been paid during the year: Kent Records Collection £4865 Iv Distribution of Arch. Cant. Publication of New Maidstone Gaol Order Book Godmersham £3439 £2980 £2596 Income from the Margary Bequest continues to subsidise the day-to-day running of the Society. To reduce but not eliminate this dependence Council have agreed to recommend the following subscription increases to members at the A.G.M. in May. If agreed, they will come into effe.ct on 1st January, 1987. Ordinary members Joint members Institutional members Affiliated Societies Juniors Reduced £10 £13 £17 £10 £5 £5 Members may help the Society at no cost to themselves by signing a Covenant form which may be obtained from the Hon. General Secretary. If a substantial number of members were prepared to take this simple step, a further increase in subscription rates might be postponed. It would help our hard-working Hon. Membership Secretary if all subscriptions were paid by Bankers' Order. EXCURSIONS 1985 has proved to be the most successful year of the decade and, from the point of view of the organiser, the most rewarding. The 'usual' sights of London still prove to be a great attraction. On Saturday, 15th June, a full party (35 members) and friends spent the day in the Woolwich area visiting many sites, including the Victorian town hall, the Royal Artillery's eighteenth-century buildings and the Rotunda Museum, ending up with tea at the Thames Barrage. On 15th July, guided by Mr K. W .E. Gravett, we toured some of the remaining barns of east Kent at Godmersham, Wye College Museum barn at Brook, Littlebourne and finally Adisham, where we finished with a strawberry tea on the lawns at Dane Court on one of those rare sunny afternoons last summer. On 15th September our annual (but different) tour of the city of London took in the remains of the medieval buildings highlighted by seeing the interior of Rahere's church at Smithfield. This was preceded in the morning by a lecture tour of the Art in the Ranger's House on Blackheath. My thanks to all who helped in any way to make this a most successful year either by assisting, publicising or coming on the excursions. lvi Next year to celebrate the publication of the 100th edition of Arch. Cant. a three-day tour of Arnhem and its Open Air Museums of Medieval Buildings has been planned, besides the autumn excursion to Saxon London. MEMBERSHIP The membership of the Society continues to grow and on 31st December, 1985, stood at 1,550. During the years there was a loss of membership through the decease of nine members and through the resignation of twenty-nine members, the latter mainly due to removal from the County or poor health. The losses were more than balanced through the election of eighty-one members. Since the last membership report, Mr R.C. Stone of Staplehurst (1932) and Sir Owen Alsher of South Godstone (1933) have completed 50 years' membership. FIELDWORK COMMITTEE Grants were made during 1985 to assist the following projects: Dover Archaeological Group - C14 date for Beaker occupation site in the Lydden Valley £350 Maidstone Area Archaeological Group - excavation of Romano-British site at Snodland £100 Mrs. J. Eddison - Romney Marsh research £100 Council approved the addition of Mr A.J. Daniels to the Committee and Mr C.P. Ward became Chairman in place of Mr R.J. Cruse. The very successful research training excavation at the site of the thirteenth-century Court Lodge at Godmersham, sponsored by the Society and directed by MrT.W.T. Tatton-Brown, will be the subject of a separate report. RECORDS COMMITTEE In the past year the two main concerns of the Records Committee have been the quest for works suitable for publication and assisting Kent Records Collections with their projected index of the testamentary records of the Archdeaconry and Consistory Courts of Canterbury, 1577-1639. Negotiations are now in hand for two works that can be recommended to the Publications Committee and, thanks to substantial grants by the Society, the indexing project has been enabled to carry on, so that slips have now been written for all the lvii registered wills, original wills and armorial seals, and work proceeds on the Act Books. An interesting revelation has been that the number of original wills exceeds substantially those registered. With a view to establishing this work on a more secure footing the society has applied to the Kent County Council for assistance. LIBRARY AND MUNIMENTS COMMITTEE Use of our Library continues to gradually develop whilst the pressure on space is now at virtual saturation. Council has therefore approved in principle expenditure on matching bookcases to fit as a spur in the alcove on the north-east side. However, this can only be a partial and temporary remedy. Some 46 volumes (in addition to journals) have been purchased, many filling gaps in our collection of standard works. Some 10 further volumes plus photographs have been gifted. Acknowledgements are made in this connection to Dr A.P. Detsicas, Dr P.H.G. Draper, Mr K.W.E. Gravett, Mrs. S. Palmer, Mr D.S. Cousins for Mr G.S. Ralph, Miss K.M. Roome and Maidstone Museum. Publications of members added include those of Miss D.H. McIntosh and Mr M.W. Gough, Hoath and Herne; Miss K.N. Roome, Stylemans Almshouses; Miss M . Green et al., Canterbury Ceramics I; Mr B.J. Philp et al., Medway Megaliths; Mr V.T.C. Smith, Defending London's River; (the late) MrT. Willement, Regal Heraldry; Dr J. Whyman, Early Kentish Seaside, and Mr W.N. Yates et al., Later Kentish Seaside. We continue to avail ourselves of the County Library Service storage facilities. Our thanks are due to them and to Mrs. W.F. Bergess, A.L.A., who has now moved to Somerset. For some five years her professional expertise, freely given, has been of great help in reviving the Library from the effects of the fire in 1977. She is also an editor of the Kent Bibliography and Supplement, Kent Directories Located and Kent Maps. In recognition of these contributions, Council unanimously elected her an Honorary Member of the Society. Mrs. J.R. Crisp, AL.A., also formerly of the County Library Service, has kindly agreed to assist in the future. MEMBERSHIP AND PUBLICITY COMMITTEE The objectives of this Committee have been furthered during 1985 by a number of activities, the principal one being the annual Archaeology at Work conference at Sevenoaks in September, where a varied programme was provided, including talks, static displays by local societies and conservation advice by the County Museums Service. lviii The bookstall, organised and run by Mr E.P. Connell for several years, has again proved a very popular and useful adjunct at various meetings throughout Kent. It provides an excellent and expanding selection of books, hardback and paperback, across the full spectrum of archaeology and in addition provides a valuable service to members wishing to fill gaps in their collection of Archaeologia Cantiana. A redesigned KAS tie with embroidered motif in gold has been introduced and is available to members in various colours including (by special request) Kentish Grey. A celebration dinner to mark the publication of volume C of Arch. Cant. was held at the Great Danes Hotel, Bearsted, in October. The occasion was much enjoyed and the Committee wishes to record its gratitude to Mr J. Owen for organising the function. The Society has launched a new project during the year, known as the Heritage Survey, and having as its aims a comprehensive updating of information about the historical sites and archaeological discoveries within the County, and intended as a resource for members. The initial work of collating presently available data and preparing overlays to the Society's latest set of large-scale O.S. maps of the historical county is well under way, and further volunteers, without need of special skills, will be welcome. The director of the project is Mr E.P. Connell, to whom application should be made for further information. KENT DEFENCE RESEARCH GROUP The Thames area has seen a further intensification of research and restoration activity during the year. At New Tavern Fort the force of volunteers and Youth Training Scheme workers engaged on restoration has been supplemented by additional manpower provided under the Community Programme. This has allowed the opening of the magazines to visitors on a daily basis during March to September. A 6-inch breech-loading gun has been mounted at the fort and a second weapon of this calibre has also been allocated. The possibility of replicating rifled muzzle-loading guns of the late Victorian period to re-arm several emplacements is being considered. Following clearance of undergrowth from Coalhouse Fort, the restoration programme there is well under way. Internal earthen sloops have been regraded and seeded, relaying of paths undertaken and many of the roof surfaces and structures consolidated. Two 12- pounder guns have been replicated and mounted in their roof emplacements. Numerous gun mountings and a gun barrel have been obtained lix for display. Several very well-attended open days have been held. Defending London's River by Mr V.T.C. Smith was published by North Kent Books in September, 1985. In the Medway area, the Group has been advising a prospective purchaser of Fort Luton on the restoration of this later nineteenthcentury defence work and is helping him in his negotiations with English Heritage. At Dover the Group has been involved in discussions with English Heritage about the restoration of parts of the Castle area and have submitted a paper of proposals for the restoration and development of the Fire Command Post and Port War Signal Station on the cliff edge. The Group have also been helping with negotiations which it is hoped will lead to the positioning of a 90 mm. anti-aircraft gun in the castle area as a memorial to an American anti-aircraft battery which was stationed at Dover during the Second World War. Discussions with the National Trust about the consolidation of the fire control cells on the cliffs at Great Farthingloe and the preparation of publicity material for them have led to little progress being made. The Group may bring out its own publicity leaflet. In general terms, the Group have been doing all they can to (a) get across to the authorities the need to preserve Dover's important defensive heritage, and (b) to communicate the potential of these defences as a tourist attraction. A book on the history of the Dover defences is in draft. The activities of the Group range well outside the Kent area. Research into the defences of the Firth of Forth defences in Scotland has been published in the journal of the International Fortress Study Group and several requests for technical advice on fort restoration have been received ·from abroad. The Group will in particular be assisting with the restoration and development of Fort St. Catherine in Bermuda. Technical advice has already been given to the supervisors of several U .K. fort restoration projects outside Kent. KENT UNDERGROUND RESEARCH GROUP Throughout the year members have pursued their own individual research projects which are adding to our knowledge of underground sites in the County. In addition, the Group has been asked to examine sites and has used the experience of members to assist other societies. Following a telephone call from Mrs. Suzanne Palmer of Orpington Museum, our secretary, Mr R.F. LeGear, examined a denehole subsidence at the rear of 7 Barnfield Road, St. Paul's Cray (N .G .R. TQ 47856843) in July 1985. Unfortunately, before a descent Ix could be arranged to survey the underground chambers, the shaft was filled by means of hydraulic stowage, by a contractor who was making safe a partiallY.-collapsed shaft in a garden at nearby Hearns Rise. In February 1985, the Group was asked by the Essex Bat Group to assist a small group of their members plus members of the Nature Conservancy Council to descend the deneholes at Hangman's Wood, Essex. There were fears that unsupervised recreational 'caving' trips could be disturbing the bats during their hibernation. Our members Mr R.F. LeGear and Mr H. Perman provided the equipment and expertise for the safe descent of the 25 m. deep shafts, and also acted as guides in the complex system of interconnecting galleries. It was found that the bats were being affected and steps are being taken to restrict visits to the summer months. Mr R.F. LeGear has also written to the local council to point out that a great deal of vandalism has occurred, probably from trips by unsupervised youths, and to recommend that only properly organised visits of a scientific nature should be permitted. As a Group, we liaise with several other bodies with similar aims and objectives, and in June 1985, we were elected a full member of the National Association of Mining History Organisations. One advantage of membership is that we can now insure our members for third party liability risks when engaged in Group activities or field work through the above association's insurance scheme. A field trip to the extensive Hearthstone/Firestone mines at Godstone, Surrey, was held in April 1985, when some 30 members and friends were taken on an underground visit lasting over three hours in one of the larger stone workings of the area. As a contrast, a small group of members was able to visit a working gypsum mine at Brightling, Sussex. It was of great interest to compare a modern mechanical 'Pillar and Stall' mine with the hand-cut galleries of the long abandoned mines with which our members are usually associated. BUILDING RECORDERS The twenty-second annual Conference of Building Recorders was held in the Church Hall, a re-erected barn, at Charing on Saturday, 2nd November, 1985. It took the now traditional form of a series of short talks of recent works. First, Mr A. Dell spoke on his recent discoveries in timber-framing in the Edenbridge area. He was followed by Dr D. Eaves, who as part of his work for the Diploma in Local History had decided to study Wingham, and had found a number of unsuspected medieval houses. lxi These conferences have always covered a wide range of buildings, but Mr B. Fass introduced the first greenhouse, a fine earlynineteenth- century example at Ramsgate, probably by J.C. London, and described how it had been restored and brought back into use. Finally, Mr. R.H. Hiscock spoke on building materials in Gravesend, including brick and stone, and the few remaining examples of tarred weatherboarding. All of these talks were illustrated with good slides. For many years Mr P. Lambert has kindly brought his projector and screen and has operated them most efficiently, thus greatly adding to the enjoyment of the thirty or so members present. The Chairman thanked the speakers, Mr. Lambert and also Mr. and Mrs. Winzar for their help with the arrangements for the hall. In our 1984 report, Mr. R. Thornes appeared as 'Thomas' and we apologise for this mistake. KENT HISTORIC BUILDINGS COMMITTEE At the March meeting of the committee the resignation of Dr R.E.A. Pool as secretary was reported and accepted. Mr C. Friend was appointed and took over from Mr G .J. W. Winzar who had been acting as secretary. During 1985 the committee was asked to comment upon an increasing number of applications involving listed buildings, the number in the last quarter alone amounting to 54 cases. On many of these reporting members were able to offer constructive advice on matters of detail the result of which was that the local authority was able to negotiate with the applicants and alter the proposals to make them acceptable. An example of this was Byebrook Tavern, Canterbury Road, Kennington. There were several cases where outright demolition was proposed and the committee lodged an objection as at Nos. 27-33 Sandgate Road, Sandgate and Abbey Farmhouse, Leeds. The local authority refused the application or the owner withdrew it. The committee has also been active in drawing the attention of the local authority where listed buildings are in danger through lack of protection from the weather and maintainance. Historic Building of Kent plaques have been awarded to a number of buildings during 1985, but there were many more applications refused where it was considered that the buildings were not of a high enough standard to fall within the scheme. The rate of awards runs at approximately one in six to applications. lxii Two surveys of farm buildings supported by photographs, were submitted and listed in the scheme, these were Lower Austin Farm, Eynsford and a barn at Manor Farm, Farningham. CHURCHES COMMITTEE The Committee is still concerned over the threat of redundancy to St. Mary's, Higham, and St. Mary Magdalene, Stockbury, where great efforts have been made locally to raise the money required for repairs in recognition of which the Committee has made a grant of £1000 to their fund. One brace of the medieval bell-frame at High Halstow had been repaired and reinstated, and a suitable location is being sought for the other. No objection was made to the proposed repair of the bell-frame at Biding. It was agreed to oppose the demolition of Christchurch, Tunbridge Wells, which had been spot-listed and would be the subject of a Public Enquiry. It is very much regretted that the demolition of the early Victorian church of St. Stephen's, Tovil, seems inevitable. The Committee has strongly opposed the sale of the flagons in aid of the Restoration Fund for St. Mary of Charity's church at Faversham, for which a faculty has been refused, at least temporarily. It strongly supported the appeal, however, and the Society has made a grant of £500 towards this. The proposal to convert the redundant church of St. Margaret's at Canterbury into a Pilgrim Centre similar to that at York, which is being sponsored by the Canterbury Archaeological Trust, was welcomed by the Committee. 1st January, 1986 By Order of the Council A.C. HARRISON Hon. General Secretary lxiii