Annual Report and Account for the Year 1935

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR 1935. ^he mi ^n1xmb$hnl ^scuty. REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDING 31ST DECEMBER, 1935. THE Council presents herewith its Seventy-seventh Report and Statement of Accounts for 1935. MEMBEESHIP. There has not been much change during the year. On December 31st, 1935, the list comprised six Affiliated Societies, four Honorary, seventy-seven Life, and 831 ordinary members, a total of 918, compared with 923. It will be seen that this decline is wholly due to the Life members, who number seventy-seven against eighty-four. There is a fair number of new members and candidates to be added for 1936. Societies in union remain at thirty-four. The Society has to record with regret the loss by death of two Vice-Presidents, viz. Lord Cornwallis and the Marquess of Reading. Mr. Alfred C. Bossom, E.R.I.B.A., M.P., for the Maidstone Division, accepted an invitation by the Council to become a Vice-President; and Mr. G. C. Druce received the honour of a like invitation on his retirement from the office of Hon. General Secretary, which he vacated on December 14th, after ten years' service. Sir Edward Harrison was elected to succeed Mr. Druce. This created a vacancy on the Council which has been filled by the election of Dr. T. Armstrong Bowes, M.A., M.D., E.S.A. Mr. A. E. Boulter, Local Secretary for Ramsgate, died during the year; and Lieut.-Col. S. H. Page,. C.M.G., of Ramsgate, has agreed to act in his place. xxxviii REPORT, 1935. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING. The Annual General Meeting was held in the Maidstone Museum, by land permission of the Museum Committee, on April 11th. In the absence of the President the chair was occupied by Major M. Teichman Derville, M.A., F.S.A., a member of the Council. The attendance was below the average, being about thirty-five. The Minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting were read by the Secretary and signed. The Chairman then moved the adoption of the Report and. Accounts for 1935. He regarded the moderate increase in the membership as satisfactory, but hoped for further improvement during 1935. The Records Branch continued to do excellent work. With regard to Volume XLVI of Archazologia Gantiana, which had just been issued, it was in his view quite as good as, if not better than, previous volumes, and did the new Editor, Mr. Stebbing, great credit. He extended a welcome to Mr. Strickland, who was talcing over the organization of West Kent Excursions. The Excursions mentioned in the Report had been well attended. There were also interesting features connected with excavations. The Treasurer, Mr. Stokes, then spoke on the Accounts, and said they were of a normal character, but it was very necessary that the membership should be raised to at least one thousand if the size of Archceologia Gantiana was to be maintained. The motion was seconded by Dr. Hardman and carried unanimously. The six retiring members of Council were re-elected as follows : Dr. A. G. Little, Sir Edward Harrison, Mrs. Gardiner, Dr. Irene Churchill, Dr. Cock, Mr. E. P. B. Richardson. Mr. E. C. Allwork, P.O.A. and Mr. A. G. B. Chittenden were re-elected as Hon. Auditors, and were thanked for their services. Ten new members were elected to the Society. Both Major Usborne and Mr. Strickland, Excursion Organizers, were present, and gave such particulars as they were able of the next summer and autumn excursions. On the motion of Mr. Owen Eleming, seconded by Mr. Boyd Wallis, a resolution was passed expressing the opinion of Kent Archaeological Society that the whole of the foundations of Otford Palace should be preserved. Mr. Eleming explained that expert REPORT, 1935. XXXIX advice had been taken which was favourable, and that the funds which had been collected were sufficient for preliminary operations. Canon Livett reported that the Dean and Chapter of Canterbury had given permission for excavations to be made within the precincts for the purpose of getting certain evidence about the north wall of the Roman City, and desired that the Kent Archaeological Society should express its thanks to them. The following resolution was passed : " That this Annual General Meeting expresses the gratitude of the Kent Archaeological Society to the Dean and Chapter of Canterbury for granting permission for an excavation to be made through the earthen rampart in the garden of the house lately occupied by Canon Jenkins to the foot of the City wall, with a view to the discovery of any indications of Roman construction that may exist on the line of the wall." The meeting then terminated with a vote of thanks to the Corporation for lending the rooms. At 2.15 p.m. members to the number of eighty or more gathered to hear the two lectures which had been arranged. The first was delivered by Mr. Geoffrey Lucas, E.S.A., P.R.I.B.A., on " The Plan-Design of the Earliest Kentish and Some Other English Churches", illustrated by views thrown on the screen by epidiascope. Canon Livett, in expressing the thanks of those present, said he regarded the subject as a difficult one, even to those who had paid special attention to the matter. The second lecture, which was illustrated with numerous slides, was contributed by Surg.-Capt. K. H. Jones, E.S.A., on " Medieval Natural History and Animal Lore as Portrayed in Painting and Carving in Kent and elsewhere ". He dealt with the practice of the medieval carvers of copying pictures in the so-called " Books of Beasts ", which were so popular. The Chairman proposed a vote of thanks to Captain Jones, which was seconded by the Hon. Secretary and passed unanimously. Tea was provided by the kindness of a member of the Council. COUNCIL MEETINGS. The usual quarterly Council Meetings were held in March, June, September and December. The June Council was held at AUington Castle, by the kind invitation of Mr. Alfred C. Bossom, M.P., who also invited the Council to lunch. xl REPORT, 1935. The Hon. Secretary attended the Annual Congress of Archaeological Societies at Burlington House, on November 19th, as representative of Kent Archaeological Society. ACCOUNTS. The Accounts do not call for special remark, beyond that a loss was incurred on the Excursions and a payment for two years was made for Reports of the Congress of Archaeological Societies. The sum of £5 was granted to the fund for excavations in the precincts at Canterbury. LIBRARY. Mr. Walter Ruck has completed his work of sorting and arranging the loose photographs of Churches and other buildings in the Society's possession, and suitable albums have been provided. The duplicate copy of Parson's Painted Glass in East Eent has been sold, and a copy of Cozens' Tour in Thanet and of Kilburne's Survey, have been purchased, besides other books. Dr. Gordon Ward has presented Miss K. M. E. Murray's book, The Constitutional History of the Cinque Ports, and Mr. S. K. Keyes' Historical Notes on Dartford. Among other books acquired are a set of Transactions (1852-1933) by the Woolhope Naturalists' Field Club. The Society has acquired a group of maps of the Estates of the Carter Family, mostly situate in or near Romney Marsh. These are of mid-eighteenth century date. Dr. Thos. Streatfeild of Folkestone has presented the Society with a set of fine and valuable plates from the blocks prepared by his father for illustrating Kent books over fifty years ago. Since then arrangements have been made by Dr. Streatfeild that the blocks should be handed over to the Kent Archaeological Society as well, and they are now stored at the Museum. The Council is very grateful to Dr. Streatfeild for this valuable gift and hopes to be able to make use of the blocks. "AROH^OLOGIA CANTIANA." Volume XLVII of Archceologia Cantiana is about to be issued to members. It has been edited by Mr. W. P. D. Stebbing, F.S.A., and is rather larger than the previous volume. It contains many interesting and informative articles. Certain corrections have been made to the new Index and are still in progress ; and when finished it should be ready to go to the printers. The legacy of REPORT, 1935. xii £100, left by the late Mr. Charrington, will be applied towards the cost. Subscriptions to the Illustrations Fund amounted to £13 2s. 9d. RECORDS BRANCH AND PLACE NAMES. An epitome of the work of the Records Branch for the years 1932 to 1934 has been included in Volume XLVLI. In August last a circular letter was issued, signed by Lord Conway, President, and Mr. F. W. Tyler, F.S.A., Secretary of the Records Branch, urging solicitors who have in their possession Kent deeds which are no longer required, and which possess a value as records of local history, to deposit the same at the Records Storage room in the old prison at Canterbury. There the material is sorted out and calendared, arranged under parishes and made available for inspection and research. Solicitors are perhaps tenacious of legal documents which have outlived their day, but it is hoped that they will fall in with the tenor of the President's letter and transfer unwanted documents to the depository in charge of the Kent Archaeological Society Records Branch. Mr. Tyler reports the receipt of a considerable number of documents. Mr. F. W. Jessup reports that Place-name work in the county during 1935 has proceeded on much the same lines as in recent years, and there are no important developments. The number of enquiries received indicates a widespread interest in place-names. The English Place-Name Society has now issued nine county volumes, and work is proceeding on others, but unfortunately Kent is not one of them. Dr. Mawer, the Director, is unable at present to say when the Kent volume will be published, but in the meantime the possibility of making a survey of the field-names is being investigated. It is very desirable that such a survey should be made now, in view of the rapid urbanisation of large areas of the county, with the consequent loss of field-names. EXCURSIONS. The Summer Excursion was held in Thanet and neighbourhood on July 9th and 10th ; the arrangements being in the hands of Major Usborne. On the first day members met at Canterbury West Station and drove to St. Nicholas-at-Wade. Two addresses were given, the first by Mr. G. C. Solley of Sandwich, on " The xlii REPORT, 1935. Antiquity of Our Marshes ", a well-worn theme but about which there seems to be still much to say. Mr. V. J. B. Torr then described the church, one of the largest and finest of Kent village churches. After lunch at the Beresford Hotel, Birchington, the church was visited and its history and architecture described by Surg.- Capt. K. H. Jones, F.S.A. The party then moved on to Quex Park, where Mrs. Powell-Cotton (in the absence of Major Powell- Cotton, who was abroad) gave an account of the Quex and Crispe families who occupied Quex Park, and the visits of William III on his way to the Continent. Much time was spent in the inspection of the Museum of Natural History and the trophies acquired by Major Powell-Cotton in his numerous shooting expeditions in Africa. After tea the party returned to Canterbury. On the second day, starting from Canterbury, the road was taken to Whitstable, where at the Oyster Fishery Company's office Mr. R. H. Goodsall, F.R.I.B.A. and Mr. J. T. Reeves addressed the members on the history of the oyster fisheries, including the price of oysters at various periods. Whitstable church was then visited and described by Mr. Torr. Lunch was taken at the Connaught Hotel, Heme Bay. At the fine church of Heme a full account of its history and architecture was given by Mr. C. R. Councer. At Reculver the ruins of the old church of St. Mary were described by Mr. Torr, and a short stop was made at the modern church of Hillborough, in which a considerable amount of old material from the Saxon church is preserved. Tea was taken at the Roman Galley Hotel, and then the party passed on to Chislet church with its truncated spire, which was described by Mr. Torr. Return was then made to Canterbury. The Autumn Excursion took place on Saturday, September 21st, under the guidance of Mr. Strickland. Coaches left Tonbridge Station and drove direct to Ash Church on the uplands above Wrotham. The many good points of the church were pointed out by Mr. Torr. After lunch had been taken at the Old Malt House, Stansted, the party made for Luddesdown Court, where they were very kindly received by Mr. Cobbett Barker, the owner. The Court is an important example of an early Norman house, and its features were explained by Mr. Torr. A somewhat long walk from Great Buckland farm brought the members to Dode Chapel, a very small Norman building, which after being in a REPORT, 1935. xliii ruinous condition has happily been restored by the late G. M. Arnold. It was described by Mr. Torr. After tea at Wrotham a move was made to Oldbury Camp, Ightham, the site of a wellknown pre-historic hill fort of large size. Sir Edward Harrison was there to conduct the party, which after a full inspection, returned to Tonbridge. LOCAL SECRETARIES. Mr. Elliston Erwood (Blackheath) reports that the Well Hall Eltham Pleasaunce was opened to the public by the Woolwich Borough Council in the summer of 1933, but work is still in hand on the back parts of the land. All erections on the farmyard site, except the Tudor building, have been demolished. The Council has now acquired full rights over the north-west corner of the site. The whole farmyard north of the moat is now available for Library and Museum purposes, and the choice of site for a new building is now not restricted. It is the intention of the Borough Council to use the upper floor of the Tudor barn as a picture gallery and the lower floor as a refreshment room. Mr. A. Cumberland (Dartford) records the fact that the old moated Manor House of Howbury, Crayford, has been condemned as unsuitable for human habitation. The house is now empty, but will continue to be used as a store-house. The external walls of the Manor House are late seventeenth century and have been plastered. The plaster is now peeling off and shows the brickwork to be of a much poorer quality than that of the fine old barn and granary still standing in the farmyard. The retaining walls from the level of the garden to the bottom of the moat are mediaeval work and show details connected with early construction. The house is probably not worth preserving, but the site and moat and possibly the moat-wall are worthy of consideration in any future development, on account of their historical associations. Notices of excavations and finds have been sent in, some of which appear in the volume under " Miscellaneous Notes". In addition Mr. Stebbing reports a second cremation burial in the field at Great Mongeham near that mentioned in the Notes. Two pots excavated are a small buff ware globular jug with handle six inches high, and. a Samian dish form 18/31 with potter's stamp BALBINUS F. Roman potsherds with red deer antlers have also been found in a trench at the Deal waterworks. xliv REPORT, 1935. A discovery of urns has been made by Mr. Wells at Overland House, Ash, while digging trenches for tomato cultivation. Two small urns, a beaker, and a dish were contained within a large pot. In the smallest urn were some bones. Mr. Stebbing has inspected them and regards them as certainly remains of a Roman cremation burial of about A.D. 175 to 200. He says there are indications of other burials in the neighbourhood and from the nature of the ground thinks there must have been a house somewhere near. An account of this find appears in the East Eent Mercury of January 18th. Other finds of human remains at Nonington and Dartford have been reported. The former was possibly the burial of a suicide at four cross ways. The local name is Bloody Bones Hill. Mr. Stebbing notes with regret that Deal is losing its late seventeenth century houses with their Flemish gables. AFFILIATED SOCIETIES. There is no change in the number of Affiliated Societies. A report of the proceedings of the Canterbury Archaeological Society appears in the body of the volume. The Dartford Society has been active, and is celebrating the twenty-fifth year of its existence by the issue of a special volume of Transactions. Meetings have been held and lectures given, besides excursions to places in the neighbourhood, Howbury Grange already noticed being one of them. Individual members have also worked on special subjects ; and lectures have been given on Deneholes, church architecture, Low side windows, and the Lords of Fawkham. Relations between the Kent Archaeological Society and the Kent Council of Social Service are of a friendly nature, and enquiries by the latter body have been dealt with. Mr. J. H. Mowll, Local Secretary for Dover, draws attention to the successful Local History Exhibition organized by the Kent Council of Social Service, and held at Dover in May. This was opened by the late Marquess of Reading, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, who lent a large number of pictures and objects from Walmer Castle. Mr. Mowll adds that members of the Kent Archaeological Society gave great assistance and help to the Exhibition. Mr. Amos, of Dover, says that two Celtic vases from Ripple and Dover Castle, lent by Captain Newington, were of special interest. Apart from small objects which have come into his possession, nothing much has REPORT, 1935. xlv been found in Dover ; but he has great hope that the slum clearances in prospect will prove fruitful. The Hon. Treasurer will be grateful if members will pay their subscriptions promptly, as it saves correspondence and expense of collection. Forms for payment by Bankers' Order can be obtained from the Hon. General Secretary, Sir Edward Harrison, Old Stones, Ightham, Sevenoaks. By order of the Council, G. C. DRUCE. March 19th, 1936. u