Annual Report and Accounts for the Year 1943

ANNUAL REPORT A.ND ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR 1943. AXAVU ) REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER, 1943. THE Council present their eighty-fifth Report and the Accounts for 1943. The brevity of the report is again due to the paper shortage. The membership has fallen during the year from 765 to 751. Th􀃱 Council regret to record the loss by death of the !Most Noble the Marquess Camden, G.C.V.O., T.D., the Rt. Rev. Ernest M. Blackie, Dean of Rochester, Mr. W. H. Aymer Vallance, F.S.A., a former Editor of Archc.eol,ogia Oantiana, and Lieut.-Colonel Victor Caza.let, M.P ., VicePresidents of the Society; Dr. F. W. Cock, F.S.A., a. well-known and much respected member of the Council and a contributor to A rchc.eol,ogia Cantiana ; and l\fr. R. W. StrickJand, the Excursion Secretary for West Kent. The Council have gratefully accepted the offer of Mr. F. C. Elliston-Erwood, F.S.A., to act as Excursion Secretary in place of Mr. Strickland, when it again becomes practicable to hold excursions. The General Meeting was held at Maidstone on 13th May, with the President in the Chair. The attendance of about 30 at the morning meeting rose to 84 for the afternoon lectures. Canon S. W. Wheatley, F.S.A., gave an interesting address on The historical interest of the High Street of Rochester, well illustrated by lantern slides, and Sir Edward Harrison followed with numerous ei,.i;racts from a diary of 1750 kept by the wife of the Lord of the Manor of lghtham. The acquisitions of the Reference Library and Collection include the following: The Churches of Kent (County Churches), 1913, 2 Vols., by Francis Grayling (presented by l\iir. Charles Thomas) ; The Place-N arnes of Cambridge and, the Isle of Ely (presented by Mr. B. W. Swithinbank); Leica Negatives of Mote P􀃲k, Maidstone, and of Ma.rams Court Hill, a View of Tunbridge Wells from the Common, o. 1820 (print only), a Tracing of Marams Court Hill, and a List of Drawings in the British Museum by William Twopenny (5 items, presented by Mr. J. Ceoi); Maps of Kent, by J. Cary, 1805, by R. Morden (no date), and by E. Bowen, 1736, Prints of Rochester Castle and Cathedral (6), and Broadsheet, Turnpili:e Gates, Rochester, 1792 (5 items, presented by Miss Lilian Sprules); Author's MS. of O.R.S. and Hie Frienrls, and The Life and Death of Llewellyn Jewitt, by S. C. Hall, 1889 (presented by Mr. Henry Smetham); The Church of St. Margaret, Lower Halstow, by the Rev. A. K. W. Wright (presented by the' author); xxxviii REPORT, 1943. a. series of photographs of Trottiscliffe Chmch together with elaborate measmements made at the request of Canon G. M. Livett, by the donor, Canon F. F. Key; Archmologia Oantiana (8 Vols.) (presented by Mr. G. C. Bennett}, and 16 Vols. (presented by Mr. Henry S. Gunnis}. The Accounts show a satisfactory result, due mainly to the wartime reduction in content of the 1942 volume of Arch<13ologia Cantiana. A new volume, similarly limite4 in content, is on the point of issue to members. It had been confidently hoped that 1943 would see the publication by the Records Branch of Volume XVI of Kent Records, The Register of Daniel Rough, but the difficult conditions under which the General Editor, the Special Editor, and the printers a.like have been working me.de publication dming the year impossible. It is, however, expected that the volume will be issued dming the late Summer of 1944, and the Records Committee hope that subscribers will find the interest and scope of the volume some compensation for the delay in its publication. The records preservation work continues unabated, and still remains, in present circumstances, one of the most important sides of the work of the Records Branch. The Chief Engineer of the Southern Railway reported in May, 1943, that " recently a small cavity showed itself in the 4 ft. of the Up Hastings· branch near the East Yard signal box at Tonbridge Station. On examination it was found that under the line was an old brick chamber, approximately 12 ft. by 8 ft., which it is thought formed part of the old St. Mary Magdalene Priory. Unfortunately in the interests of safety, it became necessary for me to have the cavity filled in." A plan of the site and chamber has been received by the Society. Pa.rt of the brick walling of a Roman building has been uncovered on the site of the gas works at Snodland. FW'ther p􀅖rticula.rs will, it is hoped, be available at a later date. CORRECTION. In the Report for 1942, page 2, paragraph numbered (5), line 3, insert " to " before "just." The site of a medimval habitation ha.a been disclosed at Monkton Marshes, Thanet, on an alluvial mound shown on the 1 n Ordnance Survey map, 19 ft. O.D. and ¼ mile N.N.W. of Plucks Gutter on the Stour. Mr. P. Bra.chi of Walton on Thames, who had noticed that digging was taking place on the site, visited it and found pottery sherds, many oyster and mussel and whelk shells; with chalk a.nd patches of burnt clay. The sherds are undoubtedly medioova.l and similar in character to much of the 13th-14th century material from the site of that date at Stonar. I have visited the site. A fuller report will be submitted later (Mr. W. P. D. Stebbing). The Council have been asked to commend to the generosity of mempers a.n appeal that has recently been made for funds to preserve and make suitable for its intended use as an almshouse the timber framed house called High House, Lanham, stated to have been built in 1621 by Anthony Honywood as a residence for the governor of the Honywood charity. The appeal was printed in the B:entish Flxpresa of 2nd July, 1943, together with REPORT, 1043. xx:x:ix an illustration of High House. Donations may be sent to Viscount Cbilston, of Chilston Park, Lenham, or to Mr. John Kitchin, Seafield, Ham Lane, Lenbam. The Council once more invite all members to pay their subscriptions promptly and to be active in obtaining new members. April, 1944. By Order of the Council, EDWARD HARRISON, Hon. General Secret,ary. IMPORTANT. The Hon. General Secretary asks for the present addresses of G. Basil Barham, Miss K. E. Barrett, L. H. Browning, Maurice Fry, Captain J. E. Lewin, E. H. McGrath, and W. P. Haskett Smith.