Annual Report for the Year 1954

ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR 1954 ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER, 1954 Council presents its 96th Report, and Statement of Accounts for 1954. (The Statement of Accounts will be circulated with the notice convening the Annual General Meeting.) ANNU.AL GENERAL MEETING The Annual General Meeting was held at the Museum, Maidstone, on the 28th April, 1964. The President presented the Report and Accounts for 1953, which were adopted. He referred to losses which the Society had sustained through the death of a number of its members, including Mr. F. H. Day, a Trustee, and Dr. Armstrong Bowes, for many years a member of Council. A large number of new members had joined the Society during the year, but more would always be welcome. Field work and excavations were in progress in several parts of the County and the important Roman barrow <􀃸xcavation at Holborough would be fully reported in A.rclu:.eologia Oantiana. The President spoke appreciatively of Mr. B. W. Swithinbank's generosity in preparing a-n index to volumes 46 to 64 of A.rclueologia Oantiana, which it was hoped would be published during the course of the year. After the luncheon adjournment a.bout 100 members and their friends heard an address by the Rt. Hon. the Earl of Euston on the Preservation of Ancient Buildings. Lord Euston, whose address was admirably and fully illustrated, spoke of the work of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, the Georgian Group and the National Trust, and referred to a large number of buildings which, thanks to the activities of these bodies, had escaped destruction, as well as to others, several in Kent, which, unfortunately had suffered that fate. Lord Euston was warmly thanked for his address. THE LATE MR. B. H. ST. J. O'NEn.. It is with deep regret that Council must record the sudden death, in October, 1954, ofM:r. B. H. St. J. O'Neil, one of the Vice-Presidents of the Society. Himself a Kentish man, Mr. O'Neil found time, in spite of the responsibilities of his office of Chief Inspector of Ancient Monuments, to take an active interest in the affairs of the Society, and he was a regular attender of Council meetings, where his experience and wise judgment will be greatly missed. MEMDERSHIP 55 new members were elected during the year, but there were a considerable number of resignations so that at the end of the year membership stood at approximately 1,032. Mr. I. D. Margary, F.S.A., Major F. W. Tomlinson, F.S.A., and Dr. Gordon Ward, F.S.A., were elected Honorary members in recognition of the value of their services to the Society. xl REPORT, 1954 CoUNOIL Four retiring members, namely: Mrs. E. V. Piercy Fox, Mr. J. Burgon Bickersteth, Major Eric Clarke and Mr. W. Urry, were re-elected to serve on Council for a further terro of four years. The other two retiring members, Sir Hughe Knatchbull-Hugessen and Mr. F. W. Tyler, felt unable to stand for re-election and Wing Commander VI. V. Dumbreck and Mr. E.T. Mortimore were elected in their place. LIBRAltY AND COLLECTIONS Council records with gratitude the acquisition of the Saxon objects which were found on the Conyngham estate a.t Bifrons by the gamekeeper who continued to dig after the Society's excavations (under the direction of John Brent) had finished in 1864. They represent an earlier and simpler period of the Bifrons people and may help to elucidate the origin of the unusual settlement. This material was kept at Bifrons and there remained until the contents of the house were sold ; in 1947 the Earl of Mount Charles (who had inherited the property from his uncle, the 5th Marquess Conyngham) gave it to Major F. W. Tomlinson, F.S.A., who has now generously presented it to the Society. It has been placed on exhibition at Maidstone Museum with the rest of the Bifrons collection. Council gratefully records also the gift by Dr. Gordon Ward, F.S.A., of his remarkable collection of manuscript and printed material relating to the archaeology and history of the County. By arrangement with the County Archivist the material in Dr. Ward's collection which is of an archive nature will be housed with the County archives and will, of course, be available for inspection by members of the Society. The other material will be kept in the Society's room at Maidstone Museum. Present and future generations of scholars will have reason to be grateful for the munificence of these two gifts. The following other additions by gift or purchase were maing used towarch, the costs of publishing the Index Volume. A statement of Income and Expenditurt- for 1954 and a copy of tht' Balance Sheet at the 31st December, 1954, will be circulatt'd with the notice t•onvening the Annual General Meeting for 1955. Council again urges members to send their subscriptions promptly to the Collector, Mr. C. W. Hopper, 14 Nunnery Road, Canterbury. Council would also bring to the notice of members the advantage::<. accrning to the Society from the contributions of members who have signed undertakings to continue payment of their subscriptions for a period of seven years, such undertakings automatically lapsing in the event of death. The effect of this method of payment is that it enables the Society to reclaim Income Tax paid on a gross sum equivalent to the net amount of the subscription, without adding anything to the amount paid by each member concerned. New undertakings may be entered into by members at any time on forms obtainable from the Honorary General Secretary, and Council trusts that many more members will decide t.o pay t,heir subRcriptions in this way. ,J a111uu·y, I 956. xlvi By < )rdcr of the C'ourwil. FitANIC "'• JESSUP, Honora.ry General Secreta,·y.