Annual Report of the Council For 2011

391 KENT ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY ANNUAL REPORT OF THE COUNCIL FOR 2011 The Council of the Society presents its report and statement of accounts for the year ending 31 December 2011. 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 normally 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: * Retired at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 14 May 2011. ** Elected President at the AGM on 14 May 2011 (previously an elected member of Council). *** Re-elected at the AGM on 14 May 2011. **** Elected as member of the Council at the AGM on 14 May 2011. 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: Larkings (S.E.) LLP, 31 St George’s Place, Canterbury, CT1 1XD 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 C.R. Pout* President M. Berg I.A. Coulson** President M. Clinch P.W. Stutchbury Hon. General Secretary E.C. Edwards**** B.F. Beeching Hon. Treasurer K.J. Fryer*** S. Broomfield Hon. Membership Secretary J.M. Gibson F.H. Panton Hon. Librarian and Vice President D.J. Goacher*** T.G. Lawson Hon. Editor P.A. Harlow A. Richardson Hon. Curator K.H. Kersey E.P. Connell Vice President R.F. LeGear*** P.E. Oldham Vice President P.M. Reid R.G. Thomas Vice President J. Saynor**** S.M. Sweetinburgh C.P. Ward*** S.H. Willis ANNUAL REPORT 392 STruct 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 and copies of which can be obtained from the Hon. General Secretary. It is also registered as a charity with HM Revenue & Customs 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. 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 (see below). 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 archaeology 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 Rochester on Saturday 14 May 2011 when the Council’s annual report and accounts for 2010 were accepted and Larkings (S.E.) LLP were appointed as auditors. The officers and members of the Council were elected; details are set out above. After the formal meeting members enjoyed presentations by Dr Andrew Richardson on the ‘Town Unearthed’ project, Prof. David Killingray on ‘Publishing Kent’s Past’ and Rod LeGear on ‘Chislehurst Caves: Fact and Fiction’. A tour of historic Rochester was enjoyed by 17 members. ANNUAL REPORT 393 Fieldwork: 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’. Publications: the Committee continued to seek and approve primary sources to be placed on the Society’s website, having currently agreed to include the 1523 Lay Subsidy for Kent. Archaeologia Cantiana 131 (2011) appeared in June and was distributed to members and subscribers. A major purpose of the biennial Hasted Prize continues to be realised: Celia Cordle’s book Out of the Hay and Into the Hops (2007 Prize) was published by the University of Hertfordshire Press in hardback and paperback; Toby Huitson’s (2009 Prize) study of church architecture is in press; and the 2011 Prize was awarded to Dr Alison Klevnäs for her Cambridge ph.d on grave robbery in east Kent. 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: Lullingstone and Eynsford; High Halden and Bethersden; and Luddesdowne and Cobham. The highlight of the year was a Study Day called ‘Living through the Reformation’ held at St Dunstan’s Church in Canterbury in April. A full house of 94 attended, including a number of non-members. A Churches Committee webpage was established and can be accessed from the main KAS website. Historic Buildings: in addition to the established annual conference, and regular committee meetings (two of which were held at National Trust properties) the Committee held a second public event during the year, a Study Day at the Agricultural Museum at Brook. The Conference, which attracted an excellent attendance of about 80, had as its theme the internal arrangements of mediaeval and ‘early modern’ houses, while the Brook workshop was a new venture, offering practical instruction in measuring and assessing historic buildings, using the museum’s own buildings and the adjoining church. Organised in conjunction with Dr Sheila Sweetinburgh (a Trustee of the museum), this was fully subscribed, bringing in some members of the public from outside the KAS membership. Industrial Archaeology: a new committee of the Society that has been set up to meet a need to co-ordinate the activities of the various Industrial Archaeology Groups within the Historic County of Kent. An inaugural afternoon conference covered such diverse topics as the Wealden iron foundries, excavation of a gunpowder mill and the extractive industries of Kent. The Committee always welcomes new members in what is a very wide field of interests. ANNUAL REPORT 394 Library and collections: the Library continues to enlarge, through donation and by purchase, its unique collection of books, pamphlets, ephemera, and visual records of Kentish archaeology and history, and, mainly through mutual exchange with other local, national and international Historical and Archaeological Societies, to increase our valuable collection of their publications. The Visual Records group has commenced a digital recording project of the Society’s images and work continues on the identification and cataloguing of images. A valuable addition to the collection has been scenes from Hop Picking in Kent. Work continues on the recoding and indexing of cartons of working papers bequeathed to the Society by past members and some of this material has been utilised by non-member visitors to the Library. The Library continues to provide the Society’s place for its members’ committee meetings or for its meetings or courses 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 has this year published the transcription of the Wotton papers. This website also provides indications of unpublished archaeological reports to assist researchers. www.kentarchaeology.org.uk provides information on the structure, activities and meetings of the Society, together with a members’ research section of over 18,800 web pages. A new section, the Christopher St John Breen Roman and Medieval Pottery Archive, has been added to the website, devoted to helping amateur archaeologists identify and date any pottery that they find in the course of their excavations. The websites have been updated this year to a fresher more modern look and now include a Committee section. Education: the Committee supported and worked closely with four groups. It assisted the Canterbury Archaeological Trust’s Archaeology in Education Service (AES). The AES recognises the important assistance from KAS that enables the education officer to offer a museum box loan service, classroom support and web publication to schools across the county. Several members of the committee have been involved in work on the Folkestone-based ‘A Town Unearthed Project’. Archaeological kits were prepared and volunteers trained by the KAS committee members to help in schools in Folkestone and the surrounding area. The Trust for Thanet Archaeology was awarded a grant and has developed an education ANNUAL REPORT 395 website and worked with a wide range of schools. The North Downs and Canterbury branch of the national Young Archaeologist Club (YAC) have received support. The activities of YAC are run by members of the KAS within the national CBA framework. Place Names: the Committee continued to monitor work on research and publications on place names and, in particular, supported Dr Paul Cullen’s work on volume I of Place-Names of Kent. Membership: total membership at 31 December 2011 stood at 1,292 (including individuals and joint members but excluding institutional subscribers and corresponding societies), a small decrease on the previous year, reflecting the loss of 87 members and addition of 51 new members. The committee receives interesting reports from the leaders of the Young Archaeologists Club and from the editor of the KAS Newsletter. Other activities for members: 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: in 2011 the KAS press officer issued media releases to publicise the Allen Grove Local History Fund; the Historic Buildings Conference; the Later Medieval Kent Conference; and the Living through the Reformation Conference; also one on the latest additions to the Monumental Inscriptions pages of the KAS website – all with a view to encouraging non-members of the KAS to attend events and use the website resources. 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 that had a successful AGM and conference in November on ‘Policing the Past’, and CBA London that continues to liaise with organisations and museums in London to safeguard the historical and archaeological heritage of Greater 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 the 31 December 2011 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 ANNUAL REPORT 396 oversees the management of the Society’s investments. The portfolio, managed by UBS AG (London Branch), decreased by 7.0% and now stands at £1,170,396. They currently yield 3.9%. The C.O.I.F. investments, which currently yield 2.9%, decreased in value from £76,981 to £72,556. 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 dated 18 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 nine grants were made with a total value of £1,850. 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, and other occasional publications. Publication of papers and information on historical and archaeological research on its websites. M aking information available in its library and by conferences, study days and lectures to members and non-members. M aking grants to assist others to undertake research or publish the results of research, provide educational programmes, and to promote interest in local history and archaeology. ANNUAL REPORT 397 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 25th February 2012 ANNUAL REPORT 398 Kent Archaeological Society Statement of Financial Activities for the year ending 31 December 2011 ANNUAL REPORT 399 Kent Archaeological Society Balance Sheet at 31 December 2011