Reviews

REVIEWS An Archceology of'South-East England. By Gordon J. Copley. 10 X 7|. Pp. 324, 28 plates, 42 maps and diagrams. Phoenix House Ltd., London, 1958. 50s. I would like to be reviewing the second or third edition of this Study in Continuity because I am sure it could be a reaUy fine work of reference, worthy of any Kent archaeologist's shelves, although the author hints that he only addresses " the Amateur in Archseology " (the title of his first chapter). As the dust-cover says, it is " an astonishing effort from the hands of one man ". I have wondered whether this emphasis on a lone effort is to be commended. Mr. Copley, as far as I understand, has had nobody to " vet" his various sections and so occasionaUy parts of the text—luckUy very few—seem uncritical. For instance, Roach Smith's and George Payne's reverend shades must be aggrieved to see their happy terrestrial hunting ground between Upchurch and Sheppey under water in Roman times on a coastline map (Fig. 15). The main text (Part I) is in my opinion, the better part of the book for in it are shown the author's learning and reading, which are both wide and up to date. For Kent readers this placing of Kent's pre- , history and early history in a larger background is something which was \ much needed, for, although most of us stUl have the greatest affection for Ronald Jessup's The Archceology of Kent, there is no gainsaying the fact that much has been unearthed since that standard work was pubhshed in 1930. I especiaUy appreciated the chapters on the Early Iron Age, the Middle Ages, and the Study of a Locality. For a future edition I would hke to see a simplified geological map of S.E. England to go with the text of the chapter on the Natural Background. The second part of the book is devoted to an archseological gazetteer of the twelve counties of the South-East. I have' naturaUy concentrated on the Kent section, wliich runs from page 271 to 283, and has an outher in the London section. The author disarms me by mentioning on page 205 the archseological index (in two fat volumes) at the Maidstone headquarters of the Kent Archseological Society. Even so it must be pointed out (for future editions, perhaps) that the cemetery at Whiteheath, Hollingbourne was an Anglo-Saxon cremation site (this is rightly assumed on pages 170 and 174). The medieval kiln site in Week Street, Maidstone, needs no query marks as the pots from the domed kiln are in Maidstone Museum. S. J. Fockema Andreae (Tijd- 234 REVIEWS schrift van het Koninklijk Nederlandsch Aardrijkskundig Genootschap, LXXV, 1958, p. 230) has recently cast doubts on the ascription of the embankment of Romney Marsh proper (east of the Rhee WaU) to the Romans. The Castle Wood place name mentioned under Woolwich is attached to nothing more ancient than Severndroog Castle, buUt by Jupp in 1784 to commemorate Sir WUham James's capture of Malabar. Such smaU faults as these do not detract from the usefulness of the book. A more serious criticism is that the student who uses the gazetteer cannot proceed beyond a bald statement such as " Thurnham —Jutish cemetery, 807577 ". The bibhography preceding the gazetteer is useful but surely it could be linked to the gazetteer by some system of abbreviation and so save the anxious seeker many hours of hunting. L.R.A.G. Town and Country in Roman Britain. By A.L.F. Rivet, M.A., F.S.A. 1\ X 5. Pp. 195, 1 pi., 9 figs. Hutchinson University Library, London, 1958. 10s. 6cZ. This handy volume is a welcome addition to the smaU number of publications on Roman Britain addressed to others than the expert. Very readable, it provides a clear survey of the impact of Rome upon the tribes of Britain, describing the ascendency of Roman culture and custom upon them. The book opens with a chapter on the nature of the evidence, drawing together in a few pages aU sources and commenting upon them, a procedure that is particularly useful to the ordinary reader. The chapter on Pohtical Geography wUl be of much value to the student of Celtic Britain, usuahy a difficult subject to assimUate but here made clear and understandable, the picture drawn of the tribal background being especiaUy Uluminating. The extensive bibliographies attached to each chapter wUl prove most useful to those who wish to pursue the relevant subjects in greater detaU ; and the Index, broken down into Ancient Persons and Authorities, Modern Persons and Authorities, Geographical and Subject, completes a book of scholarship presented in an easy, readable style. No student of Roman Britain and its background should be without a copy. G.W.M. Feudal Britain. By G. W. Barrow. 452 pp. London: Edward Arnold, 1956. 25s. This text-book covers the period between the battles of Hastings and Bannockburn, and includes the histories of Scotland and Wales for this period. 235 REVIEWS Bronze Age Cultures in France. By Nancy K. Sanders. Cambridge University Press. £5 10s. A long awaited text-book on the French Bronze Age, weU written, authoritative,' and fuUy Ulustrated. A valuable contribution to the prehistory of Gaul. Theobald, Archbishop of Canterbury. By Avron Sattman. xvi -)- 594 pp. London : Athlone Press, 1956. 50s. Dr. Urry writes, " It is an excellent piece of work, and the first (in point of date) coUection of archiepiscopal Acta we have. It is essential for the study of the age of Becket, and of great interest for Canterbury and Kent. The churchmen are largely connected with Canterbury, and many of the laymen who come into the Acta are Kentish manorial lords of the third and fourth generation after the Domesday Book." A Dictionary of British Surnames. P. H. Reaney. 366 pp. Routledge and Kegan Paul. £3 10s. This important and comprehensive work by the Chairman of our Place-Names Committee, marks an impressive stage in this and cognate studies since Camden wrote his essay on the subject. Since a considerable group of surnames are related to personal names, while these latter have given rise to a wide range of place-names the relationship between the two branches of study is obvious. Dr. Reaney's tribute to the work of modern Scandinavian scholars is weU deserved, and we in Kent wUl particularly appreciate it. We are grateful to Dr. Reaney for this new Patronymica Britannica. J. H. E. 236