Annual Reports (1960)

ANNUAL REPORTS FOR THE YEARS 1960 AND 1961 ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER, 1960 Council presents its One Hundred and Second Report, and the Statement of Accounts for 1960. THE PRESIDENT At the June meeting of Council Ca.non Standen expressed to our President the wann congratulations of the Society on the knighthood conferred upon him by Her Majesty, an honour which has given great pleasure to many people in the County, and especially to members of the Society. 0BI'l.'UARY It is with deep regret that Council reports the death, in November, 1960, of Sir Edward Harrison. Sir Edward Harrison succeeded the late G. C. Druce as Hon. General Secretary in 1935 and held that office for fifteen years. From 1950 until the time of his death he was a VicePresident of the Society. He will be remembered for his businesslike handling of the Society's affairs, for his masterly re-drafting of the Rules, for the tenacity with which he maintained the Society's interests during the difficult years of the war a.nd, above all, for his unfailing courtesy and helpfulness to everyone. Amro.AL GENERAL MEETING The Annual Genera.I Meeting was held at The Museum, Maidstone, on 14th May, 1960, the President in the Chair. Council's Annual Report, and the Statement of Accounts for 1959, were received and adopted. There was considerable discussion about the Society's financial position, which Council was asked to consider with a view to bringing forward at the 1961 Annual General Meeting a recom• mendation for increasing the subscription. Two amendments to the Rules were made, as follows:- (i) Rule 28(b) amended to read as follows : (b) Subject to the provisions of paragraph (c) of this Rule, the Council shall have power to determine where its meetings shall be held. (ii) Rule 37 amended to read as follows : All cheques shall be signed by the Honorary Treasurer, or if he is absent or unable to act by the President and the Honorary General Secretary. After the luncheon adjournment Mr. G. C. Dunning, F.S.A., read a. learned and interesting pa.per, illustrated with lantern slides, on Archreo• logical Aspecl8 of the South Ooaat Trade in the late Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Periods; afterwards our member, Mr. F. Jenkins, F.S.A., gave an illustrated lecture on The, Jutish Cemetery at Belcesbourne. The hundred members and their friends who were present much appreciated the afternoon's programme, and the two lecturers were heartily t,hanked by the President. xlii REPORT, 1960 MEMl3ERSHIP During the year 86 new members were elected. The present number of members is larger than it has ever been at any time in the Society's history and, thanks to the efforts of our members, is steadily increasing. Council appeals to all members of the Society to continue their efforts to recruit new members. COUNOII, At the Annual General Meeting Mr. H. R. Pratt Boorman, Mr. J. W. Bridge, Mr. C. S. Chettoe, Mr. N. C. Cook, Mr. R. Gunnis and Mr. F. Jenkins, who retired in rotation, were re-elected to Council. LIBRARY AND CoLLEOTIONS The following additions by gift were made to the library and collections during the year : Experiences at Darenth, by George Payne : gift of Mrs. N. M. Hyde. An album of 25 photographs of George Payne's Darenth excavation: also from Mrs. N. M. Hyde. An unglazed pottery flask, probably sixteenth century, found in 1959 buried beneath the old kitchen floor at Wheelsgate Farm, Old Romney (map reference, OS. 6 in. LXXXIV N.W.) ; gift of Mr. R. Finn-Kelcey. Manuscript notes (12 sheets) made in 1870 on churches in the Maidstone district by the late Prebendary F. T. Havergal of Hereford : gift of the Cathedral Library, Hereford. Kenti8h Family, by Sir Hughe Knatchbull-Hugessen (Methuen, 1960) : gift of the Author (this book contains portraits and a history of the Knatchbull family from the time of the first baronet, Sir Norton Knatchbull (1601-85) until that of the ninth, Sir Edward Knatohbull (1781-1849)). RlilOORDS PUBLIOATION It was announced last year that, on the advice of the Records Publication Committee, the publication was being undertaken of a Seventeenth-Century Kentish Miscellany. The volume is now with the binders and will be published early in 1961. The number of pre-publication subscribers was 150 ; the post publication price will be 25s . .AIUJH.JEOL0GIA O.ANTIANA Volume LXXIII was published in April, 1960, and, as usual, the contents were varied and interesting. Professor W. K. Jordan, of Harvard University, the author of Phil.anthropy in England, 1480-1660, generously offered the Society the opportunity of publishing his book on philanthropy in Kent during that period. Council was extremely glad to accept this offer and Professor Jordan's book will be published as an additional volume of Arohaologia Oantiana during 1961. It will in due course be circulated to members. PLAOE-NAMES COMMITTEE The Place-Names Committee has met twice in 1960. A scheme has been organized, with the help 9f the County Education Officer, for the collection by schools of those names in current use, especially those of fields, which are not found on the 6-inch map. A one-day school has been held for teachers in West Kent interested in taking part in the scheme, and it is hoped that a similar one-day school for East Kent will follow in the spring. xliii REPORT, 1960 To date forty-five schools are working on fift.y-eight parishes and parts of twolvo oth01·1:1. Tho inclusion of o. lecture on place-names by Dr. Reaney at the Kingsgate wook-ond 1:1t,im11lo.ted interest among many membera attending the mooting. Ono new local history society and four individual helpers have bogun working on o. variety of sources. Work has continued on the county gtw.otoor. In addition, Dr. Gordon Ward ho.s extracted material from several sources o.nd compiled some thousands of slips. EXCURSIONS The Society was singularly fortunate that none of the excursions was marred by the weather in this year of rains and floods. All. were well attended and places visited included many which have remained unnoticed during t.he 103 years of it.a history. The excursions programme we.a arranged o.s follows : Saturday, Lynsted Lodge, Lynsted ; Church of SS. Peter and 7t,h May Paul, Lynsted ; Milstead Manor ; the Old Post Office, Milstead; Bexon Manor, Bredgar; Downsell's, Bredgar ; the Court Hall, l\lilton Regis. Saturday, 25th June Saturday, 23rd July Saturday, 3rd September Nettlestead Place and Great Barn, Nettlestead; Church of St. Mary, Nettlestead; Boxley Abbey, Boxley ; the Town Hall, Maidstone. Excursion into Suasex : St. Mary's, Bramber ; Church of St,. Andrew, Steyning; Petworth House, Petworth. Church of St. John the Baptist, Margate ; Salmestone Grange ; The Salut.a.tion, Sandwich ; the Roman Fort, Richborough. The,re wo.s a residential meet,ing at Kingsgate College, Broadstairs, during the week-end 20th to 22nd 1\Iay on the subject of " The Face of Kent,". The programme included a visit. to Wye College and the College's Museum at Brook and lootures on the Kentish Landscape, by l\Ir. H. C. l'l'inl'o; Early Agrarian History, by Mr. F. R. H. Du Boulay; Later Agrm·inn History, by Dr. Joan Thirsk; Place-Names and Early Settlement, hy Dr. P.H. Reaney; C'omnmnirations. by l\Iiss Elizabeth l\Ielling; and Adm'inistro.tive Units, by Dr. Felix Hull. The Chairman of the meeting was l\Ir. Fronk Jessup. The Sodet.y is deeply indebted to those ladies and gentlemen who so kindly opened their homes to its members and to l\Iajor and l\lrs. D. B. Hagen who entertained them during the visit to Lynsted Lodge, to Mrs. R. (', Bmtc>her who, at considerable inconvenience to herself, conducted the part􀋔· through her home o.t 'Milstead :;.\fa.nor and to lir. and 􀋕Irs. Eric Boucher who did not, spare themsekes to make the visit to Bexon l\lanor a great suel>t>SS, The same interest was shown by l\lr. and Mrs. Ronald Vinson at Nettlestead Plare and it WM to his great- 􀋖gret tha.t Commander Sir John Blc'st-Shaw was unable to be present when the Society visited Boxley Abbt>y, The visit to the ('hll.l'('h of St. John the Baptist, :\Iargate, we.a a great, su􀋗ss, to'l'l'1lrds which the exhibition of plans and models, plate, N'gistel:$ aml other interesting documents arranged by Mr. David S. Scurrell was a Yaluable <:ontribution. REPORT, 1060 Mombers who attended the first excursion wero very grateful to Dr. o.nd Mrs. R. G. Birch for so kindly providing them with too. on the olll\rming lawn of their home at Downsell's, Bredgu.r, on tho most bonutiful nftornoon of the year. On the occtl.Rion of tho visit to the Town Hall, l\fllidHtono, members wore honoured with the proaonce of His Worahip t.110 l\foyor and the Lady Mayoress who also very kindly ontort.ained thorn to tea. EXCAVATION8 COMMITTEE :Mr. P .•J . Tester directed an excavation on behalf of the Society in Cobham Park during April and August, 1060. Work was concontrated on uncovering Building I, indications of which had been found during the previow􀋸 Se83on's investigation. The building proved to be 0, smoll Roman corridor. house with rubble footings and remains of tessellated fioora. A summu.ry of the season's work appears in the Researches and Discoverie􀋹 1wction of the current Archreologia Gantiana (LXXIV). During 1961 and 1962 it is intended to undertake the excavation of an Iron Age hilltop camp at Squerryes Park, Westerham. :Mra. E. V. Piercy Fox will act as Hon. Director of the excavation. l\fajor ,J. O'B. Warde, the Ministry of Works and the Forestry Commission have kindly given permission for the work to b e carried out. The first part of the excavation will t-ake place in April, 1961. Council is glad to report that two very successful meetings of field arch:eologists have been held at Canterbury during the year. The meetings were much appreciated and thanks are due to Mr. F. Jenkins for organizing them, and to Miss .J. M Cook for her help also. A report of the second meeting is given in Appendix 2. LooAL SECRETARIES AND LOCAL ACTIVITIES l\Ir. J. C. Irwin has been appointed Local Secretary of a new area consisting of the parishes of Edenbridge and Westerham. At Tunbridge Wells, l\lrs. Desborough reports: 1\1r. Egerton-Banks, of Canterbury, most kindly gave 0, talk to our local members, entitled "From Andalusian Cave-Dwellings to Liverpool Cathedral ", accompanied by magnificent coloured slides. A silver co11ection in aid of Mr. Money's Fund for the High Rocks excavations resulted in the sum of £13. The Annual Outing took place in .June, when our members vfaiwd that rare specimen of a wea\rer's house, Old 'Wilsey House, Cranbrook (by kind permission of Mr. and Mrs. John Rambling) and SctJtney Ca,rtle (by kind permission of l\Ir. and Mrs. Christopher Hu.YSey). FINA...>;CE A statement of income and expenditure for 1960, and a copy nf thf'l balance sheet as at 31st 􀋺ember, 1960, are circulated with thifl Report .• As C-0uncil reminded members Jaat year, the subsc:ription rJriginally fixed at 10s. in 1857 has been increased only once since then, riamely, in I fJ4!J, when it became £1. Since that date coots have continued t-0 ri,;e, l<'!pec:ially of paper and printing. 􀋻foreover, the Society is undertaking-with, ag C-0uncil trusts, the entire approval of the membera-mr;re activitim􀋼 than it formerly did, and thi3 also results in increased expenditure. The Socfoty baa been very fortunate in grants and legacies which it has received hut, a.'! was agreed in principle at last year's Annual General :Meeting, the time ha'! now come when its finances must be put on a sounder basis by in<.:realling xlv REPORT, 1960 the subscription. Council has given the matter much thought in the light of the discussion at the last Annual General Meeting and will submit the following recommendations to the Annual General Meeting in 1961 : (i) the ordinary annual subscription to be increased to 30s. from the 1st January, 1962 ; (ii) where a husband and wife are both members of the Society and receive only one copy of Archceologia Cantiana the joint subscription to be 40s.; (iii) the subscription to be £1 a. year for members under 21 up to and .including the year in which they attain the age of 21 ; (iv) no further subscription to be payable by a member who has paid fifty annual subscriptions. 16th December, 1960. By Order of the Council, APPENDIX 1 FRANK W. JESSUP, Honorary General Secretary. Report8 from Local SecretarieB and Local Societies Bexley Mr. P. J. Tester reports as follows : Commercial gravel-digging beside the River Cray, in the area between Rochester Way (A2) and Crayford Bridge, has lately brought to light some interesting archreological material. At TQ 50997441 a continuous stratum of Roman debris was observed in the face of the workings about a foot from the present surface. On investigation this was found to contain numerous roof-tiles and pieces of painted wall plaster, intermingled with pottery and coins of the third and fourth centuries. A small area-excavation failed to trace any footings, but the former existence of a Roman building at this point, close to the river, is indisputable. Elsewhere in the pit, flint blades are being recovered by the workmen, apparently from the base of the alluvium which covers the gravel. From the gravel itself, a number of mammoth teeth have been obtained. An exhibition of finds from these workings was on view in Bexley Reference Library during February, 1961. In Danson Park, a. small eighteenth-century " Roman temple ", standing at the east end of the lake, is to be demolished by order of Bexley Borough Council. The temple was built in 1773 as a landscape ornament, the designer being Sir William Chambers, who also built the pagoda in Kew Gardens and Somerset House. Vigorous protests have been made by a section of the public against the· Council's decision, particularly as the temple was scheduled some years ago as a building of historical and architectural interest. The Council considered, however, that expenditure of public money to make good the considerable dilapidations was not juatified. Others pointed out that since the building had been public property for nearly forty years, during which time it had received no attention to arrest its decay, the moral responsibility for its ruinous condition rested with the Council, which should accordingly undertake its restoration. There is talk of building a public refreshment room on the site of the temple. Mount Mascal, a mansion pleasantly situated on rising ground bordering the road between Bexley and North Cray, has been pulled down. If the owner's stated intentions are carried out, a block of neo-Georgian flats will shortly replace the old house. xlvi REPORT, 1960 In Joyden's Wood, new houses and roads now cover the obliterated medieval square earthwork (Arch. Cant., LIV and LXXII). Dartford Borough Council has followed a suggestion made from a certa.in quarter by naming one of these roads Spurrel A venue to commemorate F. C. J. Spurrell, a well-known local antiquary, and member of our Society between 1872 and 1898. It was he who, in collaboration with W. M. Flinders Petrie, first described and published a plan of these earthworks eighty years ago in Arch. Joum., XXXVIII. Bromley Mrs. E. V. Piercy Fox reports as follows: Holwood Camp, Keaton. Phase I : the work on the defences, which has been in progress since 1956, was concluded in 1960 with the mechanical filling-in and restoration of all the sites. Phase II will be concerned with occupation and cemeteries, for which there are clues, and trial work is planned for 1961. It is very disappointing that there are contra-indications for the use of the proton magnetometer in its present form at Holwood. Mesolithic Sites at Keston. In Arch. Gant., LXVI, 1953, I published a brief note on the earthworks and hut circles on Hayes Common and unpublished flint flakes from " Millfield " Keston, and suggested a Bronze Age date for some at least of the hut circles and earthworks. Trial trenches on a valley crest inside Holwood Camp cut through a very heavy scatter of Mesolithic material. The other side of the valley which lies on Keaton Common was searched and in a corresponding position a floor exposed in section was found. From this floor a Thames pick and other Mesolithic material has been recovered. Mr. Michael Snow is watching the site which will be examined shortly. The problems of the complex on Hayes, Keaton a,nd West Wickham Commons representing Mesolithic cultures can best be solved by Carbon 14 dating. Carbonized wood has been found quite frequently in the past and George Clinch recorded " fire pits " and further excavation is planned with this particular objective in mind. Bone or potsherds have not been recorded. The Mesolithic sites at Keaton are sited a.hove the spring known as Caesar's Well. A group headed by Ml·. Brian Philp exca.va.ted two depressions on Hayes Common at Easter, 1960, a.nd it is hoped the work will continue. On this Mr. Phwp reports: The West Kent Border Excavation Group has completed its first season's work on the extensive group of earthworks and hut-circles situated on Hayes Common. This interesting and undated complex calls for a protracted period of selective and careful excavation. The Group has so far confined its activities to the examination of four huts (of the 150 known), and with familiarizing itself with the soil and the nature of the problem. Much has been learnt about the huts, but clearly more work needs to be done. Over 1,000 sq. ft. of the Common have so far been examined in detail without a single potsherd or bone-fragment being found. A hammer-stone, scraper, 70 flint flakes, a fragment of a quern-stone and a.bout 30 ''pot-boilers" are the only finds to date. A date not later than the Bronl"..e Age seems likely for the huts. Material from the site is submitted to Mr. G. de G. Sieveking at the British Mnsflum. for examination and comment. Canterbury Major H. M. Rand, the Hon. Secretary of the Canterbury Archreologica Society, reports: The Society now has a membership of 321 paid-up and four honorary members. The memorial to the late Mrs. Dorothy Gardiner, xlvii REPORT, 1960 F.S.A., for so long Chairman and Vice-President, has taken the form of a Chairman's Badge. It is a handsome silver medallion, bearing besides the Society's badge the arms of the Dean and Chapter and of the City. The Society remains actively concerned with the present developments within the city. A notable and wholly satisfying restoration is that of 41-42 Burgate, where Messrs. Lenlys, in rebuilding have revealed some fine exterior bullnosed beams of the fourteenth century and established that the building was widoubtedly known in the Middle Ages as the " White Bole " (Bull?) Inn, and one of the finest examples of fourteenth- and fifteenthcentury domestic architecture. It is almost a blue-print of the great Inn known to Chaucer as the "Chequers", in Mercery Lane, and Dr. Urry considers that the building was undoubtedly one of a series built by the monks of Canterbury to supplement the very considerable sums of money they were realizing from the influx of visitors following the murder and canonization of Becket. Per contra, the Society has been much exercised over the plans for the Ring Road around the Riding Gate, whereby the roadway will be doubled. This will involve the sacrifice of much of the gardens in the Moat and a part of the wall, in order to bring through Rhodaus Town the main traffic from Harbledown to the Dover Road. The following is a report on excavation work in the city : Excavations along the front of the city wall between the White Cross bastion and the angle bastion which stands in front of the Dane John Mound have yielded some useful information concerning the Roman defences. The true angle of the Roman wall is a few feet to the west of the medieval angle bastion and some 3 feet in advance of the modern facing. Here the remains of a Roman angle turret were found to be contemporary with the city wall and were antedated by a coin ofVictorinus in good condition. The turret seems to have been horse-shoe shaped in plan, but the front had been destroyed by ploughing and landscaping of the city ditch in more recent times. The foundations had been extensively robbed and only the mortar rubble filled foundation trench had survived. The Roman city wall, now masked by a modern facing of !mapped flints, stands on flint footings on a basal plinth consisting of two off-sets of about 6 in. each, the lower being two courses and the upper one course of large flints laid in mortar. At one point the Roma.n foundations cut through the top of a large rubbish pit which contained pottery of late second-century type. The excavations were carried out by Mr. F. Jenkins and members of the Canterbury Archreological Society. Granbrook Mrs. M. Oec,ily Lebon sends the following report : A large pot. believed to have served as bellows in the first or second century A,D,, was somewhat casually discovered during a visit to inspect the condition of the scheduled site at Little Famingham Farm in March, 1960. Pieces of it had long been visible in the sides of a trench, and had been mistaken for portions of imbrex tiling. Enough of it had now weathered out to show something of the unusual form : the thick, flat-cut rim, tall neck with faint groove at its base, and the bulbous body, pierced by three significant holes, of l inch diameter, spaced equidistantly round the widest zone of the pot. It was immediately recognized that such a vessel would answer for bellows, which we had long hoped to find in association with the numerous tuyeres, those two-holed clay blocks which were the relics of a bloomery. The pot, 11 inches in height, has now been skilfully reconstructed at the Institute of Archreology, London. xlviii REPORT, 1960 Nothing of the kind is known from other Wealden ironworks, and the type is probably African in origin, since pottery bellows were used for ironsmelting in ancient Egypt and are still used in Uganda and Sudan. By means of a stick attached to a skin sealing the mouth of the pot, the blower in Uganda pumps air into the bloomery via wooden, clay-spouted pipes; but I have no information about the number and arrangement of holes in his pot. (Ref. Hugh B. Cott, Uganda in Bkrelc and White, Macmillan, 1959.) The specimen found at Granbrook seems adapted for transmitting air compression to the tuyeres, whether or not that compression was applied from the top of the pot. One of the body holes has a prominent lip which could be fitted closely into the outer, trumpet-shaped end of a double tuyere. With the mouth of the pot sealed, air may have been pumped into the pot by means of skin windbags attached to the other two holes and operated alternately, so as to keep up a continuous supply of air through the pot and into the twin tuyeres, which diverge on passing into the furnace and would therefore spread the draught within. More evidence is needed before these technological assumptions can be confirmed or modified. The bellows pot and some of the tuyeres may be seen in Maidstone Museum. In close proximity to the bellows pot, a small gem of red jasper was found which bears in intaglio a clear-cut representation of Pan. The nearest parallel to this is an intaglio in the Lewis Collection at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, of unknown date and provenance. Mr. Martin Price and Mr. Michael Lewis kindly sent details and a. sketch of the Cambridge intaglio for comparison with the Cranbrook one, which will be presented to Maidstone Musewn. Late Wealden pottery, very much resembling that found at Cranbrook, has recently appeared in the excavation near Bodiam Bridge, where CL.BR stamped tiles also indicate a strong connection between these two sites which were directly linked by the road passing over Benenden Roman Ford, and presumably other fords or bridges over the Kent Ditch and the Rother. Thus gradually there are emerging along this Roman road the relics of industrial activity which probably came under the control of the 01,assis Britannica, using the Rother channels for commerce. (A report on the Bodiam Bridge site, by Lieut-Col. J. Darrell Hill, has been published in Sussex Notes and Queries, XV, 6, 1960.) Dartford Mr. Philp sends the following report on Eastwood Farm, Fa.wkham: Work, which commenced in October, 1957, was concluded at the end of 1960. The initial discovery of pre-Flavian ·pottery was followed up and two associated delimiting ditches traced. The evidence suggested the presence of a nearby farmstead built and occupied during the first century .A..D. Realizing the importance of recovering the plan of a purely firstcentury structure work was continued throughout 1958, 1959 and 1960. Despite extensive trenching over a wide area, however, the building was not located. An occupation scatter within the area defined by the ditches suggested that the site of the structure probably lay under adjacent farm buildings. Faversham Mr. S. Wilson reports as follows : The outstanding matter is the active steps taken for the rehabilitation of Abbey Street. xJi:X: 4A REPORT, 1960 Following the restoration of Arden's House by its present owner-occupier, Mr. J. Hallwell, the Town Council embarked on a scheme for the preservation of all worthwhile houses in the street. In this they have had the co-operation of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, the Council for the Preservation of Ruxal Kent, Mr. Nye, the S.P.A.B.'s architect, and the Principal of the Canterbury School of Architecture. A survey was made and a rough idea of the cost of restoring each house formed. The Town Council then approached the various owners, inviting them to undertake the necessary work and informing them of their willingness to pay Improvement Grants and if necessary to make loans nnder the Housing Acts. If any owner could not undertake the work the Council offered to puxchase. Several houses have been restored by the owners and the Conncil have acquired others. These latter are in course of restoration and will be sold to persons desiring to acquire them or let to suitable tenants. Sufficient has already been done to assure the preservation of this architecturally interesting street for at least a generation. Franks Hall near Farningham (Arch. Gant., LXI., p. 181) Lt.-Ool. G. W. Meat,es communicates the following report: Excavation has been commenced here, by kind permission of Mr. Morris Wheeler and Mr. Alexander, by the Darent Valley Archreological Research Group and is under the direction of our member, Mr. J. Ritson. The major portion of a Romano-British villa has been found, the house consisting of two parallel ranges of rooms with small apartments projecting on either side of the main entrance, which faces south-east, protected by an open verandah. The flint and mortar footings are everywhere strong and wide, and while the framework of the building was probably of wood, the roof was tiled throughout. One room, some 30 feet square, has a thick opus signinum floor, and another, at the south-west corner, was provided with a channel-hypocaust; whose partitions of chalk blocks supported a tiled floor. The house had been reconstructed, probably in the early fourth century, 1and the earlier building, which may provisionally be assigned to the second century, has beneath it strong evidence of Belgic occupation. The large quantity of stratified pottery, much of fine quality, ranges from imported Belgic vessels right through to colour-coated wares of the late fourth century ; the coins, from Hadrian to Arcadiua, suggest continuous occupation ; and the number of small finds is already unusual in a Romano-British country building of medium size. This important excavation, which will greatly help to elucidate the Romano-British occupation of the Darent Valley, will be continued, by kind permission of Mr. Morris Wheeler and Mr. Alexander, in 1961. A special team of helpers has been formed for the work on this site, and the excellent results to date reflect the care devoted to the project. LuUingstone Lt.-Ool. G. W. Meates sends the following report : Excavation during the 1960 season strongly reinforces the pagan religious aepect of the Villa before the conversion of its owners to Christianity late in the fourth century• Investigations in previous years have revealed beneath the roofs of the house itself a room devoted to the cult-worship of the Water Nymphs, with another directly associated room, the latter with surrounding ambulatory in Romano-Celtic temple design. And on a terrace behind has also been 1 REPORT, 1960 discovered a Mausoleum of the same plan but having a Tomb Chamber deep beneath its cult room. The latest discovery is a fourth pagan temple, also on a terrace behind the house, but at a lower level than the neighbouring Temple-Mausolewn. This temple is circular in form, 15 feet internal diameter, with a. remarkably thin flint and mortar wall a foot thick. The entrance originally faced east, but it had fallen away in antiquity, and originally it had been approached by a flight of wooden steps, the postholes of which remained at the lower level. The wall of this temple probably rose to a height of some 8 feet, braced across the top by cross-rafters bearing a light conical roof of either thatch or wooden shingles. The absence of window glass suggests that the interior received light only through the doorway, whose frame was of wood like the steps that led up to it. There was no sign of stucco or plaster rendering either inside or outside ; but the interior was of some elaboration. The floor had been tessellated in red with a slight admixture of yellow brick tesserae, and towards the west, opposite the doorway, a small rectangular area had been left free of tes.serae. This area was covered by a mass of fallen wall plaster, coloured red and white, with much clay adhering to it, and it seems that this small rectangular space had been protected by a thin partition of clay, reinforced with wattles and decorated on the outside with coloured plaster. This partition, judging from the fallen material, had stood waist-high, forming a partition that is reminiscent of the railings that enclose the sanctuary of a church. No cult object or votive deposits were found, but a restricted area on the :floor between the part,ition and the doorway, reddened by heat, may have been the site of ritual fires. This temple was constructed not la.ter than the second century, and it may be contemporary with those within the house. It had already existed for over a hundred years when the neighbouring Temple Mausolewn was constructed c . .A.,D, 300. It was dismantled about this time, and from the silt overlying its remains were recovered pottery fragments which help to assign its place in the chronology of the site as a whole. Orpington Mr. B. D. Stoyel reports : Reference was made in the last report to the restoration and enlargement of the pre-Reformation rectory in Orpington, now known as " The Priory ". This work is nearing completion and it is expected that before the end of the year the Public Library will have moved into the new building. An important feature will be a room set aside for the study of local history which will house a special library and local collection, the nucleus of which has been provided by a bequest from our member, the late Mr. A. C. Harlow. It is also the intention of the Orpington Urban District Council to devote pa.rt of the building to a museum, and it is to be hoped that this long-awaited amenity will not be much further delayed. The site of the former mansion, Halstead Place, which was demolished in 1962, is now occupied by the new buildings of Halstead Place School but a few of the former outbuildings have been incorporated, including the fine early Georgian stable building. Perhaps more noteworthy than this, however, is a brick pig-ring and an octagonal timber wheel-house, built over a former well where, according to local tradition, water was raised by animal power. Unfortunately both these structures are now in poor condition and as restoration would be expensive their continued survival is in doubt. Mr. A. J. J. Parsons sends the following on behalf of the Orpington H i.etorical Records and Natural History Society : Since the last Society li 4B REPORT, 1960 report in April, 1959, we have continued to record and report the archmology of the Orpington area. In addition, we have searched places such as the proposed Council car park and other localities being levelled by bulldozing. Although the archmological evidence found has been rather limited, it is important that the work of watching such sites should be continued, as valuable archreological discoveries have been made in this manner. It is of prime importance, also, that any trench dug in this district should be looked into and appropriate action taken should anything of historical interest be found. "Otpfngton Villa" (N.G.R. 4540/6583) : One of the results of last season's excavation of the Roman well-pit (Site A) was the discovery of large fragments of fourth-century A,D. pottery near the bottom of the shaft. These fourth-century sherds had been covered by a later layer containing earlier pieces of Patchgrove pottery, etc., of first-century date. An important point must be made here that a deposit containing one or two datable " survival " sherds need not necessarily be contemporary in date with these wares. We must beware mistakes being made chronologically with such stratified " evidence " based upon " survival " sherds. This does emphasize the fact that such features as wells, pits, etc., must be totally excavated wherever possible. Further restoration work on the Roman Villa has been temporarily suspended, due to circumstances beyond our control. However, it is interesting to report that the effect of the second winter's frost upon our restored walls and tessellated floors has been negligible, and our preservation work does appear to have been a complete success. Application is being made to have the whole site scheduled as an Ancient Monument by the Ministry of Works. The Priory : Amongst the objects of interest that have come to light during the re-building operations are "stabbed" medieval ewer handles (thirteenth-fourteenth century), a German Siegburn funnel goblet of the fifteenth century, Bellarmine fragments of the seventeenth century, and several complete wine-bottles of the eighteenth century. Most of the medieval ware came from a rubbish pit of contemporary date discovered during the digging of a deep basement room for the new library on the site. The contractors also unearthed evidence of a (medieval?) well-shaa in the same area. A fine collection of some sixty photographs of the Priory, taken in 1934-35 by Mr. P. E. W. Street, is deposited with the National Buildings Record Offices, Regents Park, N.W.l, where they may be seen on request. Reculver Mr. B. J. Phil,p reports as follows: The Reoulver Excavation Group completed its fourth research excavation inside the Roman fort (3rd-18th September), continuing work which commenced in 1952. Again 80 members of the Group took part in the work and the site was visited by some 1,500 members of the public. The 16 days' intensive exeavation resulted in the removal of about 250 tons of soil, the site being restored to its former state by mechanical means on Monday, 19th September, 1960. A trench 190 feet in length waa dug a.cross the surviving southern half of the fort and an area to its east opened up. Ploughing and erosion had greatly affected the site and it is now known that a very large part of the centre of the fort has been reduced to below pre-Roman levels. Roman levels survive only for 100 feet inside the fort walls. Little evidence relating to the Iron Age settlement was found. Iii REPORT, 1960 The most important feature to be uncovered was a room measuring (internally), 24 by 20 feet. This had been dug some three or more feet; below the Roman land-surface, a fact which had ea.used it to survive the effects of ploughing and erosion. Three walls of this " deep-room " had been robbed in medieval times, but the fourth, 41 inches in thickness, survived indicating it to have been part of a very substantial building. Its position, form and dimensions are highly suggestive of the strong-room and Sacellum of the Headquarters building. Indeed, it closely resembles the underground strong-room of the Headquarters at South Shields. The concrete floor of the room had been robbed in Roman times and coins, wall-plaster, pottery and rubbish had then collected. Many tons of rubble and tile had then been tipped into the room to level it off. This probably occurred early in the fourth century A,D, Below the rubble filling were found scattered several fragments of two very important inscriptions. One, nearly half complete, appears to be a commemorative tablet recording building work inside the fort and might even provide the date of the fort's construction. The inscriptions and many other interesting finds are being studied. Trace of a metalled surface behind the building in line with the road uncovered in 1959 is probably the Via Quintana. Another slight area of metalling just north of the south gate conforms with the intervallum road on the south side. Permission for the work was again granted by the Ministry of Works and Herne Bay Urban District Council. The Group gratefully acknowledges the continued interest of Mr. Norman Cook, and a financial grant from the Kent Archreological Society towards the cost of excavation. Earlier in the year two complete bonding-tiles or bricks were recovered, each stamped C IB. This is the stamp of the garrison of the fort the First Cohort of Baetasians (COHORS I BAETASIORVM), mentioned in the Noflitia Dignitatwm as stationed at Regulbium, long thought to have been Reculver and now proved. Further excavations are planned for 1961. Sandwich Major F. W. Tomlinson reports : Dr. J. D. Ogilvie, with his enthusiastic assistants, has continued work on the Roman site near Great Wenderton, not far from the banks of the Lesser Stour. A flint floor was revealed, covered with occupation debris containing pottery and glass fragments and coins dated to second half of the fourth century. Below this a road running in a different direction to the one for which search is being made! Excavations are proceeding and it is hoped to publish details later, as well as for the neolithic and Iron Age discoveries which follow : Stournwuth. Water-main laying revealed neolithic hearth with flint flakes, pottery fragments and part of polished axB, Preston. Hardacre and Shotfield farms : water-main works revealed series of rubbish pits containing early Iron Age pottery, flints and spindlewhorl; and trenches containing Roman pottery. Same trench revealed further evidence of early Iron Age occupation throughout the ridge from Preston to Wingham. Grove Oorner, Sturry (T.R. 240622). Ploughing on marsh land uncovered medieval rubbish pits containing oyster shells and pottery fragments. Subsidence on Bramling Farm, Wingham (T.R. 228567) revealed Dene Hole, 30 feet deep of double trefoil shape, similar to that behind Bramling Cottages, uncovered earlier in the year. Drainage trench on lili REPORT, 1960 Grove Farm, Woodnesborough, revealed rubbish pits containing Roman pottery fragments. The Ministry of Works sponsored further excavations under the supervision of Mrs. Christopher Hawkes in the Jutish cemetery at Finglesham, on Lord N orthbourne's land. Nearly 60 new graves were found-all, apparently, seventh century in date. A little girl's grave produced gold beads, silver pendants, a Merovingian gold solidus and an Anglo-Saxon scea.tta--dated by these latter to the very end of the seventh century. This is quoted as an example of an interesting series of graves, which could scarcely be called rich. As there is no sign of the graves petering out, Mrs. Hawkes hopes to return in two years time. The more interesting and beautiful pieces are at present being taken to Northbourne Court. Twnhridge Wells The following is Mr. J. H, Money's report on the excavations at High Rocks : This year, from 13th August until 10th September, and on odd days when weather permitted, work was carried out on the extensive east entrance of the Iron Age bill fort at High Rocks. The work was directed by the author and supervised in detail by Mr. Michael Bridge, Mr. Franklyn Dulley, and Mrs. Burn. This is the last season at High Rocks, and in due course a final report will be published in Sussex Archr.eological, Oollectiona on the work which has been carried out every summer since 1957. A brief report on the first expedition in 1940 is in Sussex Archr.eological Oollectiona, 82, 104-05. In 1960 progress was greatly impeded by the appalling weather. There were fewer volunteers than had been hoped for, and a great deal of the work had to be carried out by paid labour, on which far more of the Excavation Fund than we wished had had to be spent. Nevertheless, about half an acre of ground was completely stripped, and thanks to the efforts of all concerned, who worked under difficult and uncomfortable conditions, interesting structural features were uncovered and recorded. In particular we discovered substantial quantities of stone revetting and a system of timber palisades on both ramparts. In former seasons pottery evidence and sections through the ramparts showed that the fort was occupied at two different periods-Period I being probably between 150 and 100 B.o., and Period II early in the first century A,D. In each case the defenders were Wealden people classified, according to the terminology of Professor Hawkes, as " Southern Second B ", who, on both occasions fortified High Rocks to resist Belgic pressure from other parts of the country. The excavations of this year showed that in Period I there was a simple entrance through a single bank and ditch, the rampart made of dumped clay partly dug from the ditch and partly scooped from an area just outside the defences. The post holes, which may have held gateposts of this period, came to light on the south side of the entrance, partly covered by the roadway of Period II. A careful examination of the surface of this outer bank on both sides of the entrance has shown the remains of a substantial palisade. The examination is not yet complete, and it is not yet possible to sort out these palisade holes as between one period and the other. It seems likely that some of them on the south side at least belong to Period II. In Period II a new bank and ditch were built behind the Period I defences. On the north side of the entrance the earlier (outer) bank appears to have been incorporated on an outerwork of the Period II liv REPORT, 1960 defences. In Period II the outer bank on the south side, which is not only an integral part of the main entrance, but also :flanks the aJJproa.ch to the fort from the south-east, was given a masonry revetment on its forward face and a fine masonry retaining wall at its end. There are numerous palisade holes on its crest, but as yet these cannot be distinguished from each other by period. In addition in Period II a small guard house or turret, with masonry and further timber work, was constructed at the end of the rampart just above the level of the retaining wall already referred to. From this structure the whole area, including the approach track from the south-east, can be viewed ; it was obviously a key point in the defence of the hill-fort. An interesting feature of some of the palisade holes on this bank is that they contained very little filling and could be easily detected from the surface without digging. This is understandable when one considers that they are situated on the crest of a rampart constructed of stiff clay and in an area of woodland which appears to have been completely undisturbed in modern times. When the original posts had rotted, therefore, the resulting holes were only filled by leaves and vegetable matter, minute amounts of humus and small portions of the surrounding packing. The inner rampart, which is the main defence of Period II, is extensively revetted on its forward face and at both ends on either side of the inner gateway. One palisade post has been found on the crest of the north bank and others are suspected on both sides but have not yet been explored. On the south side there is a gatepost packed round with clay and small stones within an outer ring of larger stones. No corresponding gatepost has yet been found on the north side. The end of the inner ditch (Period II) is blocked by an artificial " stop " of clay and stones, which were obviously put there to keep water and silt from flooding over the entrance roadway, which is at a slighly lower leve-1, and possibly also to aot as a small reservoir. The speed with which this part of the ditch can be filled up with water was amply demonstrated during the summer of 1960. A made roadway, which probably belongs to Period II and is still largely intact, runs right through the entrances. It consists of fragments of ironstone and sandstone, mixed with clay and rammed together into a compact mass in a. shallow trough in the nature.I clay. In order to explore a.nd plan the palisade in detail and finish off certain other parts of the work it is intended to excavate for a further fortnight from 8th to 23rd April, 1961. APPENDIX 2 Report on the {second) Conference of FieU Archreologists heLd in the Royal Museum, Oanterbwry, on Saturday, 22nd October, 1960. By the desire of the Council of the Kent Axchreological Society, the conference was convened by the Stour Valley Axchreological Research Group, with the co-operation of the Canterbury Branch of the Workers' Educational Association. There was an attendance of about 90 persons from all parts of Kent. Mr. Frank Jenkins, F.S.A., organizer of the conference, took the Chair. (1) Mr. Sheppard Frere, M.A., F.S.A., Reader in the Axchreology of the Roman Provinces in the University of London, formally opened the conference. He spoke, as he said, perhaps as an elder statesman, and made Iv REPORT, 1960 two points. Of organization he pointed out that a seeming dichotomy existed between such as he, and the younger field archreologists present. Little groups were, of themselves, rather a pity. For them also, came the difficulty of publishing their results. He urged them to join, as individuals, the ancient societies. These societies need new blood, and they could be reinforcements. The non-specialists must not be looked down upon. After all, their financial support enables the societies to publish. One gets, too, the opportunity to take a wider view of other fields. On policy, he stressed the value of discipline in field work. Reports and drawings should be readable in the accepted sense. Effort should not be dispersed in many or poorly published works. One thorough excavation is better than many small ones. He gave an example of recent valuable work in Sussex which revealed a whole village settlement. Concluding with two humorous and well-pointed stories, he expressed his great pleasure at being present at the Conference. (2) Mr. B. J. Philp spoke on the Excavations at Reculver in 1960, in which he was assisted by Mr. Harold Gough and others. A tile, supposed to be of the Olassis Britannica was confirmed as marked C.I.B., and evidently represented the First Cohort Baetasiorum. The N otitia mentions this unit as stationed at Regulbium, and so an ancient belief seems to be confirmed. The main feature found on the site was a building which had been extensively robbed for the sake of building materials in antiquity. This consisted of a subterranean room which probably formed part of the headquarters building, the sa.cellum. Fragments of an inscription had been recovered and these have been examined by Mr. R. P. Wright, whose first impression was that it came from a shrine. The lettering, which was in the best classical style, included BASILICA; and the names RVFINVS and FORTVNATVS (who was most likely the erector). After five years' work at Reculver the ground plan within the fort is being revealed and it is to be hoped that soon its date will be confirmed. (3) Mr. J. G. Coy described work on the Early Iron Age village at Durrvpton Ga,p. The site first came to notice in the yea1· 1909, during development work carried out by the local council. In 1960 trenching revealed an inhumation of early Iron Age date. Pottery from this site indicated an intensive Belgic occupation preceded by a much earlier settlement of about 250 B.c.; the latter occupation was represented by a quantity of pottery which displayed strong Marnian affinities, such as was found at Worth, near Sandwich. A few sherds bearing incised step or chevron decoration in haematite colouring are of particular importance as they are at present unique in this country, and belong to the same Marnian culture. (4) Mr. G. C. Dunning, B.Sc., F.S.A., spoke on some Recent Disc-0veries at St. Augw,tine's Abbey, Oanterbury. Excavation trenches north of the Cloister produced debris and mortar from the Dissolution, and included thirteenth-century bronzes, strap ends, etc. He produced one, of a priest in champleve enamel, probably from a reliquary, and Limoges work. Another in copper-gilt bore an engraving of a Sagittarius. This was most likely from the base plate of a bowl or ciborium. (5) Mrs. M. C. Lebon, M.A., described the discoveries on the Roman Site at Little F'arningham, nwr Oranbrook. More than fifty tiles of the Olassis Britannica were found. A building was sited not later than the second century. The site was evidently of an industrial character. An extensively burnt area may have been the site of a tile kiln operated on the clamp principle of firing. Iron working was apparent here, in the remains of a lvi REPORT, 1960 bloomery furnace, and tuyeres from the walls (as circulators of air). These were produced, as also an interesting pottery vessel with holes pierced horizontally, which seems to have been part of the bellows system for giving draught to the tuyeres. Fragments of Bethersden marble were in quantity on the site and were used as a flux in the iron smelting process. Below the site was a pre-Roman level. (6) Mr. A. J. J. Parsons described his work on a Bronze Age Site at Broomwood, St. Paul's Cray. It is now destroyed, but measured about 180 feet by 66 feet, in the form of a rectangular earthwork with hut sites in opposite corners. The plans of the huts were circular. The speaker said it was one of the first of such sites known in Kent, and compared it with a site in Sussex, particulars of which are with the Sussex Archreological Society Museum, Lewes. (7) Major W. C. Harrison spoke on work at West Langdon Abbey, near Dover. The Duke of York School Archooological Society in 1960 carried out a survey under his supervision, of the hinterland of Dover, and on the report of St. John Hope's work at West Langdon in 1882 it was decided to work there, having gained the consent of the owner and the Ministry of Works. The limited excavations to date have revealed a tile-built fireplace and quantities of roofing tiles. Variations from St. John Hope's plan have been found. Masses of oyster shell were probably used for packing the walls. It is planned to out an exploratory trench to look for the inside walls, the cloister and garth. An accurate survey is being made with help from the Royal Engineers. Research into the documentary evidence will be carried on as a winter project. Tea was then taken. (8) Mrs. Sonia Hawkes gave some a-0count of her work on the AngloSaxon Cemetery at Finglesham, near Deal. The original excavation was in 1928, when Mr. W. P. D. Stebbing opened thirty graves, including an important one of the sixth century. In 1959 the Ministry of Works Ancient Monuments Department started a rescue dig in view of the threat by digging out of chalk. In two years, 47 graves had been opened. Many produced very little, and judging by the distribution those of the sixth century became rarer. Possibly two had been robbed in Anglo-Saxon times. The rest were intact, but two only produced weapons. Those of women bore typical jewellery of the second half of the seventh century, viz., open-work buckles, and two of men, seventh-century buckles. None of this was very important but it was interesting, for the graves continued on from the sixth to seventh century a.a apparently was not the case at Bifrons and Bekesbourne but was at Sarre and Faversham. There were two coins at the end of the seventh century ; a solidus of Sigeberht, post 650, and used as a pendant, and an electron sceatta of the P ADA series, of post 670. There was therefore definite evidence of late seventh century burials. (9) Mr. P. J. Tester, F.S.A., spoke on the Excavations at Cobham Park, 1960. The work was undertaken on behalf of the Kent Archreological Society. In 1959 the defences formerly thought to belong to a "British opp idu m " had been proved to be of more recent origin and probably not of a defensive nature. This year work has been directed towards the identification of the source of Roman tiles noted in the preceding season's investigation. These proved to have come from a small corridor house, 127 feet long and 32 feet wide, probably built about A.D. 100 and overlying remains of an earlier native-type settlement. The house may reasonably be classed lvii REPORT, 1960 as a villa and is obviously related to the other building and the well found close by in 1959. Further details of the evidence are being published in Arch. Gant., LXXIV (1960). (10) Mr. J. G. Caiger described the Medieval Discoveries at Oray House, Bexley. Here an oven and a hearth were found when digging amongst trees in an area which was very limited. Blackened roofing tiles were used as protection for the walls of two wooden buildings. The pottery was dated about 1280-1300. The oven construction was interosting, the tiles forming the sole being placed edgeways to enable them to retain the heat over a much longer period. Neither the hearth nor the oven had required the usual hoods as they had been connected with flues against the flank walls. Fragments of two chimney pots were found, pierced with roughly triangular holes to assist the draught. (11) Mr. Anthony Clark (like Mr. Dunning, an additional speaker) of the Surrey Axchreological Society, spoke on the latest Detection Technique by Electrical ReB'isti'IYity Methods. He exhibited and described the instrument he and his colleagues had evolved to utilize the methods developed by geologists in the twentieth century, to make use of earth currents as expressed by the resistance measured to indicate what sort of material lies between the probes inserted in the ground. Four probes were used, and he explained how the measurements of resistance and current were read off. The site was traversed at 4 feet intervals and from a graph compiled of the resistance, underground archreological features could be located. The results of a typical aurvey by this method were displayed by means of graphs, plans and photographs relating to work done at the Roman town of Cunetio (Mildenhall), examples being those of finding the city wall, a bastion and the west gate. The obvious advantage of this instrument in comparison with the Megger, is its compactness and portability, made possible by the use of transistors in its construction. (12) Mr. Frank Jenkins, F.S.A., concluded by giving an account of New Diswveries Relating to the Defences of Canterbury. Since last March further trenches along the base of the city wall on the outside have revealed that the Roman wall stands on a projecting plinth built of courses of flints laid in mortar to form two offsets. It was a,Jso found that at one point the foundation trench was antedated by a large rubbish pit containing late second-century pottery. In another place two superimposed ditches of Belgic date, certainly pre-Roman, yielded a quantity of pottery. The most important discovery, news of which was released at the conference, was that of the site of a Roman bastion contemporary with the city wall and its associated plinth and antedated by a coin of a Roman " radiate " type. The evidence of this coin is valuable in that it proves that the Roman city wall was not built until the end of the third century at the earliest. The discovery of the bastion, which had been extensively robbed, only the rubble filled trench surviving, has shed light on a similar feature found beneath the angle bastion in the old cattle market previously excavated by the speaker. It would now seem that this was also a Roman bastion originally. Ooncliusion Mr. Jenkins, having thanked all the speakers, referred to the great help he had received from Miss Jean Cook, Curator of the Royal Museum, and her staff, in associating herself with the Conference wholeheartedly. He then put forward the need for the continuing of the conference system. He lvili REPORT, 1960 wanted to go to Maidstone next time. Speakers from Surrey and Sussex could he invited. In this way they would resuscitate Group II of the Regional arrangements of the Council for British Archreology, which comprised these three counties. Nothing appears of work in Kent in the Annual Report of the C.B.A. Arising from what was said at the Conference held in March, he had now concerted methods with Mr. Norman Cook, Curator of Guildhall Museum, to see that full reports were rendered. The C.B.A. sponsors the Regional Group. We must avoid the danger of becoming parochial. In discussion, the desirability of making Maidstone the next meeting place was questioned, because of difficulties of transport for people in East Kent. It was also feared in some places that, owing to the great deal of information forthcoming under a wider representation, small work might be neglected in reporting. The Chairman assured the Conference that these remarks would be borne in mind. On a show of hands, it was agreed, by a large majority, that the venue should be Maidstone and the next meeting be in March. There was a considerable exhibition of dl·awings and material presented by all the speakers, which helped greatly to make the various subjects realistic. Major H. M. Rand, M.A., T.D., Secretary of the Canterbury Archreological Society, again took notes of the proceedings. To him we owe a special word of thanks. Finally, the organizer wishes to place on record his grateful thanks to all the speakers and all members of the Conference, for without their enthusiastic support it would not have been so successful. lix