Annual Report

ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR 1955 ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER, 1955 Council presents its Ninety-seventh Report, and the Statement of Accounts for 1956. (The Statement of A®ounts will be circulated with the notice convening the Annual General Meeting.) ANNuAL GENERAL MEETING The Annual General Meeting was held at The Museum, Maidstone, on the 20th April, 1955. The Report and Accounts for 1954, which were presented by the President, were adopted. On the recommendation of Council, Rule 5(a) was amended by the addition of the following words: "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 a.n Affiliated Local Society." After the luncheon. adjournment, Mr. Stuart Ebora.11 Rigold gave a lecture, illustrated with lantern slides, on Ancient Monuments in Kent. The lecture was much appreciated by the 80 members and their friends who were present. It gave added point to the appeal made to members by Council, in the spring of 1955, to report at once any actual or threatened disturbance to scheduled monuments. OBITUARY It is with deep regret that Council records the death of the Earl of Darnley, a Vice-President of the Society; and of Mr. Frank W. Tyler, F.S.A., who was a member of Council for more than fifteen years, and Secretary of the Records Branch throughout the greater part of the period between the wars. MEMBERSIDP Although the number of new members elected during the year was unusually high (59) so also was the number of deaths and resignations. In consequence the membership at the end of the year fell to approximately 990, the smallest total for many years past. Council hopes that members will be unremitting in their efforts to bring the Society and its activities to the notice of any of their friends who they think might be interested. COUNOII, The retiring members of Council, namely Mrs. D. Gardiner, F.S.A., Mr. F. C. Elliston Erwood, F.S.A., Dr. Felix Hull, Lt. Col. G. W, Meates, F.S.A., Mr. E. T. Mortimore, and Mr. W. P. D. Stabbing, F.S.A., F.G.S., were re-elected for a further term of four years. LIBRARY AND CoLr.EOTlONS The following additions by gift were ma.de to the library and collections during the year: A Collection of 51 Kent brass rubbings made by the late Mr. F. W. Walton of Cla.ygate: gift of the Surrey Archi:eological Society. A :x:I. REPORT, -1955 Hun