Annual Report of the Council for 2010

465 KENT ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY ANNUAL REPORT OF THE COUNCIL FOR 2010 The Council of the Society presents its report and statement of accounts for the year ending 31 December 2010. Administrati ve details of the charity , its tr ustees & advisers The Society is a charity registered with the Charity Commission under number 223382. The principal address of the Society is The Museum, St Faith’s Street, Maidstone, Kent ME14 1LH. However, correspondence should be addressed to the relevant officer. The members of the governing body of the Society (which is its Council whose members are its charity trustees) during the period covered by this report were: C.R. Pout President A.I. Moffat Hon. General Secretary* P.W. Stutchbury Hon. General Secretary** B.F. Beeching Hon Treasurer S. Broomfield Hon. Membership Secretary F.H. Panton Hon. Librarian and Vice President T.G. Lawson Hon. Editor J. Saynor Hon. Excursions Secretary A.F. Richardson Hon. Curator E.P. Connell V ice President P.E. Oldham V ice President R.G. Thomas V ice President M. Berg*** M. Clinch I.A. Coulson K.J. Fryer J.M. Gibson*** D.J. Goacher P.A. Harlow K.H. Kersey*** R.F. Le Gear P.M. Reid**** S.M. Sweetinburgh*** C.P. Ward S.H. Willis*** * Retired at the Annual General Meeting on 15 May 2010. ** Elected as an Officer at the AGM on 15 May 2010. ***Re-elected at the AGM on the 15 May 2010. **** Elected as member of the Council at the AGM on the 15 May 2010. The officers (other than the Vice Presidents) hold office for one year, the Vice Presidents hold office for seven years and the other members for four years. The Society’s main agents and advisers are: Bankers: National Westminster Bank plc, 3 High Street, Maidstone, Kent, ME14 1XU Auditors: Reeves & Co. LLP, 37 St Margaret’s Street, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 2TU Stockbrokers: UBS AG (London Branch), 1 Curzon Street, London, W1J 5UB Stockbrokers’nominee company holding the Society’s investments: Productive Nominees Ltd, 1 Curzon Street, London, W1J 5UB ANNUAL REPORT 466 Str uct ure , go vernance an d manage ment The Society is an unincorporated association governed by its rules which are published in Archaeologia Cantiana from time to time (most recently in volume 123, 2003); or copies can be obtained from the Hon. General Secretary. It is also registered as a charity with the Inland Revenue which has made a direction under section 201 of the Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988 which permits certain members (generally those whose employment is related to the Society’s activities) to obtain income tax relief on their subscriptions to the Society; further details can be obtained from the Hon. General Secretary. The governing body of the Society is the Council whose members are its charity trustees and are elected by the members of the Society at its annual general meeting in May each year. A list of them is set out above. The Society’s activities are carried out throughout the ancient county of Kent. It has no staff and its officers are only paid out-of-pocket expenses. It co-operates with its affiliated societies and the organizations to which it is affiliated or of which it is a member. In particular it co-operates with the Canterbury Archaeological Trust in the promotion of education. Its activities are carried out by the Council, committees and officers. Members of the Council are nominated by the members of the Society and elected at its annual general meeting. The Council does not consider it proper for it to be involved in this process beyond advising members of their right of nomination. Objecti ves an d acti vities The Society is established to promote the study and publication of arch-aeology and history in all their branches, especially within the ancient county of Kent. The Society’s area of benefit is mainly (but not exclusively) the ancient county of Kent which is considered to be the administrative County of Kent, Medway Council and the London Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich and part of Lewisham. Annual General Meeting: the Society’s annual general meeting was held at Canterbury on Saturday the 15 May 2010 when the Council’s annual report and accounts for 2009 were accepted and Reeves & Co. LLP were re-appointed auditors. The officers and members of the Council were elected; details are set out above. After the formal meeting members heard presentations on the new Kent History Centre; a community landscape archaeology project in mid-Kent, Peopling Past Landscapes; and The Weald Revealed: Lidar across three counties. Fieldwork: Peopling Past Landscapes continues under the leadership of Roger Cockett, with support from the committee as needed. Post-excavation work on Abbey Farm Roman villa continued, with financial support from the committee. Grants were awarded to a number of projects and groups, including ‘A Town Unearthed: Folkestone Before 1500’. ANNUAL REPORT 467 Publications: the Committee continued its agreed policy on publications to reduce cost and risk to the Society. Under this it continues to publish Archaeologia Cantiana, the volume 130 for 2010 being distributed to members in mid year, and the New Kent Record series. Others are now being made available to a wider readership on the Society’s websites. Books initiated or approved by the Committee are to be handled by commercial publishers, who bear the costs of production, marketing, and distribution. Grants from the Allen Grove and the Kent History Fund helped assist research and publication of a number of local history studies. Churches: the established series of church visits continued to attract considerable support. Six churches were visited, namely: Hever and Edenbridge; Higham (St Mary) and Shorne; and Brabourne and Aldington. Articles were contributed to the Newsletter in the mini-series ‘Pioneers, Brokers and Saints’ and one on Cluniac Kent, in addition to regular reports of church visits. Historic Buildings: the theme of the 2010 Conference at Harrietsham was a fascinating study of information on buildings and their occupants as shown by documentary evidence, followed by talks on Kentish farm buildings, lime-kiln construction, the PPL project and archeological research at Wychling. After the conference there was a visit to Wychling Church. Industrial Archaeology: a new committee was formed to promote the study of Industrial Archaeology within the Historic County of Kent, and liaise with other groups to record and publish details of sites. Library and collections: The Library continues to enlarge, by mutual exchange of publications, with other regional, national and continental societies, and through donation and purchase, its unique collection of books, pamphlets, ephemera and visual records of Kentish archaeology and history. Work continues on the recoding and indexing of working papers bequeathed to the Society by past members. The Library is also used as a meeting place for the Society’s committees and for instruction courses or work organised by the Society for its members or for the general public. Websites: the Society’s two websites continue to flourish and provide a valuable resource for researchers and all interested in the history and archaeology of Kent: www.kentarchaeology.ac contains details of a selection of the Society’s collections and many original research items and this year published the transcription of the Wotton Papers. This website also provides details of unpublished archaeological reports to assist researchers. www.kentarchaeology.org provides information on the structure, activities and meetings of the Society, together with a members’ research section. Education: the education committee assisted and worked with Canterbury Archaeological Trust, the Trust for Thanet Archaeology and supported the activities of the North Downs and Canterbury branches of the national Young Archaeologists Club. The Trust for Thanet Archaeology has been very active providing fieldwork opportunities for children in their locality. The project ANNUAL REPORT 468 work run with Canterbury Archaeological Trust and Kent schools has been very successful and has enjoyed national recognition. The committee continues to contribute and work in partnership with a wide variety of organizations. Many of these activities are not funded but rely on the teamwork of those on the committee promoting education in archaeology across the county and beyond. Place names: a highly successful Place Names Day was held in Rochester at the end of the year with three expert speakers on place names and surnames. The committee’s academic advisor, Dr Paul Cullen, spoke on the 1377 Rochester list of inhabitants, and place-names of the Rochester area; Dr Carroll’s talk was about mint names on Saxon silver pennies, listing 87 very early examples in spoken Anglo-Saxon form; Dr Baker looked for names which applied to lookouts and beacons in high places. Membership: total membership at 31 December 2010 stood at 1,340 (including individuals and joint members but excluding institutional subscribers and corresponding societies), a small increase over the previous year. Much care has been taken in cleansing the database. Most new members join after downloading forms from the website. To highlight the Society’s work membership leaflets and other publicity material were made available at the Kent County Show. The committee receives interesting reports from the leaders of the Young Archaeologists Club and from the editor of the newsletter. Other activities for members: a joint study day for members on the topic of ‘Aspects of Kent Archaeology’ was organized with the Society, the University of Kent and the Council for Kentish Archaeology and was well attended. Visits to Winchelsea and Saltwood Castle were well supported and successful. The popular and informative Newsletter continued to be produced four times a year. The lecture series continued to be well attended. The Society continued to receive favourable coverage in the media thanks to ongoing public relations activities. Relations with other bodies: the Society appoints members or representatives to a number of other organisations. Regular reports have also been received from the CBA SE and CBA London. The Society has regularly been represented at meetings of the Kent History Federation. Financial re view The accompanying financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2010 show the current state of the Society’s finances which its Council considers to be sound. They comply with the Council’s understanding of the current statutory requirements and the requirements of the Society’s rules. Investments: the trustees seek, in the management of their investments, a balance between income and capital growth. The Finance Committee oversees the management of the Society’s investments. The portfolio, managed by UBS AG (London Branch), increased by 7.61% and now stands at £1,258,785. They currently yield 3.0%. The C.O.I.F. investments, which currently yield 4.4% increased in value from £72,233 to £76,981. ANNUAL REPORT 469 Investment powers: the Society’s investment powers are those given by the general law; its rules do not give it any special investment powers. The Council has delegated some of its investment powers to UBS AG (London Branch) in accordance with a scheme made by the Charity Commissioners on the 18th April 1994. Allen Grove Local History Fund: the Society administers the Allen Grove Local History Fund which was given in the will of the late Allen Grove. Its objects are to promote research, preservation and enjoyment of local history. These objects are consistent with those of the Society. It is a restricted fund and is invested separately from the Society’s other investments. In accordance with the terms of the legacy, decisions on how the fund is to be spent are taken by the Society’s officers. During the year six grants were made with a total value of £1,560. Policy on reserves: the Council budgets each year to spend a sum considerably in excess of current income and tries to maintain reserves appropriate to allow this to continue. Risk Management: the Council considered risk management in accordance with the recommendations of the Charity Commission. It was satisfied that it had appropriate precautions and procedures in place to manage risks and will keep them under review. Public benefit: the Council has paid due regard to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit in deciding what activities the Society should undertake. The Council considers that some benefits can be more effectively and efficiently delivered through a membership structure which also provides personnel to carry out its work. The main activities undertaken by the Society in order to carry out its objects for the public benefit are: Publication of its annual journal Archaeologia Cantiana, the quarterly Newsletter, other occasional publications; and publication of papers and research data on its web sites. M aking information available in its library and by conferences, lectures and courses. Providing opportunities to take part in research e.g. by taking part in fieldwork. M aking grants to assist others to undertake research or publish the results of research and to promote interest in local history and archaeology. The Society relies on its officers and other members giving their time freely to organise its activities. Without those contributions it would have to spend a substantial sum on salaries. P.W. Stutchbury, Hon. General Secretary on behalf of the Council 26th February 2011 ANNUAL REPORT 470 Kent Archaeological Society Statement of Financial Activities for the year ending 31 December 2010 ANNUAL REPORT 471 Kent Archaeological Society Balance Sheet at 31 December 2010