Rules

3^ent arrijaeolosteal B>oiitty RULES (in force on the 1st January, 1965) Name. 1. The Society shall be called the "Kent Archseological Society". Object. 2. The object of the Society shall be to promote the study of archseology in all its branches, especially within the county of Kent. Membership. 3 (a). The Society shall consist of ordinary, life and honorary members. (6). Ordinary and honorary members may be individuals, societies or institutions. Life members must be individuals. Election of Members. 4. Candidates for ordinary or life membership shall be proposed and seconded by members of the Society and balloted for, if required, at any meetmg of the Council of the Society, or at a General Meeting, one black ball in five to exclude. Entrance Fee and Subscription. 5 (a). -An ordinary or hfe member shall pay an entrance fee of ten shillings, due on election, but no entrance fee shall be payable by a member who, for at least two years immediately preceding the date of his election, has been a member of an affiliated society. (b). Subject to the provisions of paragraphs (/) and (g) of this Rule, an ordinary member shall also pay an annual subscription of one pound ten shillings, due on election, and afterwards due in advance on 1st January in each calendar year. (c). A husband and wife both of whom are or become members and who receive jointly one copy of Archceologia Cantiana may pay a joint annual subscription of two pounds. (d). In lieu of annual subscription a hfe member elected on or after the 1st January, 1952, or an ordinary member becoming a life member under paragraph (e) of this Rule, shall pay by reference to his or her age a composition equal to the cost of an Immediate Life -Arinuity of one pound ten shillings, calculated in accordance with the Table of Immediate Annuities in force for the time being under the Government Annuities Act, 1929. (e). An ordinary member, being an individual and not being in arrear with his annual subscription, may become a life member at any time on payment of a composition determined in the manner set out in paragraph (d) of this Rule. (/). The annual subscription payable by a member under the age Ixiii KENT ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY of 21 years shall be one pound up to and including the year in which he attains that age. (fir). No further subscription shall be payable by a member who has paid fifty annual subscriptions. Honorary Members. 6 (a). The Council may elect as an honorary member any person who has signally promoted the interests of the Society or is likely to do so. (b). An honorary member shall not be required to pay an entrance fee or any subscription, and shall not exercise the privilege of a member of voting at meetings, but shall enjoy all other privileges of membership. Notification of Election of Member. 7. The General Secretary shall notify every new member of his election and shall send him a copy of the Rules on request. Cancellation of Election of Member. 8. A new member shall pay his entrance fee and first subscription within three months from the date of the notification to him of his election. Failing such payment his election shall be null and void unless the Council for good cause shown shall in their discretion otherwise decide. Unpaid Subscriptions. 9 (a). The Hon. Treasurer shall cause application to be made to members for annual subscriptions not paid by 31st March in each calendar year. (b). The privileges of membership may be withheld from any member whose annual subscription is more than three months in arrear. Removal of Names of Members in Arrear. 10 (a). The Council may remove from the list of members the name of any member whose subscription is one year in arrear and shall so remove the name of a member whose subscription is two years in arrear. (6) Names so removed may be reinstated by the Council on good cause being shown and on payment of all arrears. Members in Arrear and "Archosologia Cantiana". 11. No member shall be entitled to receive Archasologia Cantiana or any other publication of the Society for any year until his subscription for that year has been paid. Payments. 12. The entrance fee and first subscription shall be paid to the General Secretary for transmission to the Hon. Treasurer, as shall all other subscriptions, donations and payments except those made direct to the Society's Bankers. Affiliation of Local Societies. 13. AAny local association, society, club or institution (hereinafter called a local society) having not less than twenty members and carrying on in the county of Kent work the main objects of which are similar to the object of this Society shall be affiliated to this Society if and as soon lxiv RULES as the Council of this Society and the governing body of the local society shall have passed resolutions in favour of such affiliation. Subscriptions, Duties, and Privileges of Affiliated Society. 14 (a). .An affiliated local society shaU pay to this Society an annual subscription of one pound ten shillings due on 1st January, and shall furnish to this Society one copy of each of its current publications, and shall receive in return one copy of the current issue of Archceologia Cantiana, or other publication of the Society, but not including publications of the Records Branch or other separate branch of the Society. (b). -An affiliated local society, but not the individual members thereof, shall by virtue of affiliation become a member of this Society, and may vote at meetings through one of its members duly nominated for that purpose. Proceedings and Papers of Affiliated Society. 15. The Hon. Editor of this Society may at his discretion include in Archmologia Cantiana a brief summary of such proceedings of any affiliated local society as appear to be of general interest, and also papers written by its members dealing with archaeological research or discoveries made by such local society, which society in such case shall be entitled to buy for its members at cost price as many off-prints of such papers as shall be specified to the Hon. Editor before publication. Privileges of Members of Affiliated Societies. 16. The Council may allow members of any affiliated local society to attend meetings (other than .Annual or Special General Meetings) of this Society, but not to vote thereat, and to share other privileges of membership of this Society on such terms and to such extent as it may from time to time determine. Withdrawal from Affiliation. 17. A local society may withdraw from affiliation and this Society may determine the affiliation of a local society by notice given to that effect in any year, to expire on 31st December in that year. Annual General Meeting. 18 (a). The Annual General Meeting of the Society shall be held at Maidstone in the month of April, or at such other place or date as the Council may determine. (6). At this Meeting the Council shall present its Annual Report and the Accounts for the past year, ended 31st December; and the Auditors for the current year, and six members of the Council, or more if occasion requires, shall be elected. (c) An agenda paper, which shall specify the names of the retiring members of the Council, distinguishing between members eligible and offering themselves for re-election and members not so eligible or not so offering themselves, shall be sent with the Report and Accounts to all members not less than fourteen days before the Annual General Meeting. Excursion and other General Meetings. 19 (a). Other General Meetings of the Society, including Excursion Meetings for the purpose of visiting places of archseological interest, shall be held from time to time as t he Council may determine. lxv KENT ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY (6). Excursion meetings shall normally be so arranged that places in East Kent are visited at one such meeting and places in West Kent at another such meeting in the same year. Special General Meetings. 20 (a). A Special General Meeting shall be siimmoned by the General Secretary at such place within the county as the Council or the President may determine, on the requisition in writing of the President, or of seven members. (b). Such requisition shall specify the business to be brought before such meeting and only the business so specified shall be there dealt with. Special Meetings. 21. Special meetings for the reading of papers, the exhibition of antiquities and other purposes may be held at such times and places within the county of Kent as the Council may determine. Voting at Meetings. 22 (a). Except as provided in Rules 4 and 39, the resolutions of the majority present and voting at meetings of the Society or of the Council shall be binding. (6). The Chairman of any meeting shall have a casting vote independently of his vote as a member. Council. 23. All the affairs of the Society not reserved for a General Meeting shall be conducted and managed by the Council. Composition of Council. 24. The Council shall consist of the President, the General Secretary, the Honorary Treasurer, the Honorary Editor, the Honorary Librarian, and the Honorary Excursions Secretary, all of whom shall be nominated by the Council and annually elected at the Annual General Meeting, also of twenty-four members elected from among the members of the Society, together with the Vice-Presidents of the Society. Retirement of Members of Council. 25 (a). One-fourth of the twenty-four elected members of the Council shall retire annually in. rotation at the date of the .Annual General Meeting, but, subject to Rule 25 (6), shall be eligible for re-election without nomination. (6). A retiring member of the Council who has attended less than onefourth of the meetings of the Council held during his last period of office shall not be eligible for re-election unless the Council or the AAnnual General Meeting shall resolve in any individual case that there was a reasonable cause for non-attendance. Elections to Council. 26. Elections to the Council shall normally take place at the -Annual General Meeting, but any intermediate vacancy on death or retirement among the elected members shall be filled either at a General Meeting (other than an Excursion Meeting) or a Council Meetmg, whichever shall lxvi RULES first happen, and any member so filling an intermediate vacancy shall hold office for the remainder of the term of his predecessor. Nominations for Council. 27 (a). Any member of the Society may nominate a new member of the Council by giving notice in writing to the General Secretary at least one calendar month before the date of the Annual General Meeting, and the name proposed shall be placed on the agenda of such meeting. (&). If on any occasion the number of vacancies on the Council exceeds the number of effective nominations so received by the General Secretary, together with the number of retiring members of the Council who are eligible and offer themselves for re-election, the chairman of the Annual General Meeting may accept further nominations received at or at any time before such meetmg. Council Meetings. 28 (a). The Council shall meet quarterly during the year, normally in March, June, September and December, and more often if deemed expedient. (6). The March meeting shall ordinarily be held at Canterbury, the June meeting a t such place as may be fixed by the President, the September meeting at Rochester, and the December meeting at Maidstone. (c). If deemed advisable by the General Secretary in consultation with the President, the quarterly meetings may be held at other times or places, or a quarterly meeting may be omitted. (d). Subject to the provisions of paragraph (c) above, the Council shall have power to determine where its meetings shall be held. (e). Five members present shall form a quorum. General Secretary. 29. The General Secretary shall keep a record of the proceedings of the Society, to be communicated to members at the General Meetings. Treasurer. 30 (a) The Hon. Treasurer shall keep an account of all receipts and payments of the Society and after 31st December in each year he shall prepare the Accounts, including a Balance Sheet for the past year. (6). After the said Accounts have been approved by the Auditors, the Hon. Treasurer shall lay them before the next meeting of the Council, accompanied by a Statement of all subscriptions and other sums due to the Society and in arrear, and of all moneys due from the Society. (c). The Council may at any time if it thinks it desirable, employ and pay a professional accountant to assist the Hon. Treasurer in maldng up such Accounts. Local Secretaries. 31. The Council may appoint any member of the Society to be Honorary Local Secretary for any particular town or district in Kent, and may at any time cancel such appointment. Curator. 32. The Council may appoint a Curator of the Society, and may determine the remuneration to be paid to him. lxvii KENT .ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY Branches. 33. The Council may authorize the formation of separate branches of the Society for particular purposes within the scope of the object of the Society. Vice - Presidents. 34. The Society in General Meeting or the Council may elect as a Vice-President of the Society any person of distinction associated with the county of Kent, on his becoming a member of the Society, or afterwards, and any person who has rendered distinguished service to the Society, on his becoming a member or afterwards. Trustees. 35. The funds, securities and property of the Society shall be held by National Provincial Banlc, Ltd., as Custodian Trustee, and the said Bank shall act in accordance with the resolutions of the Council whereof copies certified by the Chairman and Secretary shall be furnished to the said Bank as soon as possible thereafter. The remuneration of the Custodian Trustee shall be determined by the Council in agreement with the said Bank. Investment of Life Compositions. 36 (a). All Life Compositions shall be invested in Trustee Securities in the names of the Trustees of the Society. (b). Only the interest of such investments shall be used for the ordinary purposes of the Society. Cheques. 37. All cheques shall be signed by the Honorary Treasurer or, if he is absent or unable to act, by the President and the General Secretary. Controversial Topics. 38. The Society shall avoid all topics of religious or political controversy. Alteration of Rules. 39 (a). No alteration in these Rules shall be made except at the Annual General Meeting and then only by a majority of two-thirds of the members present and voting. (&). No proposed alteration, other than one initiated by the Council, shall be considered unless notice thereof shall have been given in writing to the Hon. General Secretary on or before' the 31st December preceding the .Annual General Meeting. (c). Any proposed alteration shall be set out in the notice convening the Annual General Meeting or in a notice sent therewith. Jxviii