Annual Report

ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR 1956 ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR Et.􀄴ED 31ST DECEMBER, 1956 Council presents its Ninety-eighth Report, and the Statement of Accounts for 1956. ANNuAL GENERAL MEETING The Annual General Meeting was held at '.rhe Museum, Maidstone, on the 25th April, 1956. In the unfortunate absence of the President, owing to illness, the chair was taken by Dr. Gordon Ward:. In presenting the Report and Accounts for 1956, Dr. Ward referred to the present scope of the Society's work, and to its financial position. During the past two or three years several substantial gifts and legacies had been received, which tended to obscure the fact that, largely because of the present cost of printing Archreologia Oantiana, current expenditure exceeded current income. Dr. Ward suggested that since the Society, in common with the County Local History Committee and the County Records Office, was performing an educational function, the possibility of working out with them some sort of archreological and local history scheme, and of approaching the Education Authority for assistance, might be worth exploring. The Report and Accounts were adopted. On the recommendation of Council, it was unanimously agreed that Rule 35 should be rescinded, and that the following new Rule should be made in its place: 35. Trustees. The funds, securities and property of the Society shall be held by National Provincial Bank Ltd. as Custodian Trustee and the said Bank shall act in accordance with the resolutions of the Council whereof copies certified .by the Chairman and Secretary shall be furnished to the said Bank as soon as possible thereafter. The remuneration of the Custodian Trustee shall be determined· by the Council in agreement with the said Bank. After the luncheon adjournment, our member Mr. N. C. Cook, F.S.A., Keeper of Guildhall Museum, gave a lecture, which was both informative and lively, on Recent Roman Finds in the City of London. The lecture, which was admirably illustrated, was much appreciated by the seventy members and their friends who were present. Tea was provided, and afterwards a film on Stonehenge was shown. Several members supplemented the film with interesting comments and speculations. 0Bl'l'U.AB.Y It is with regret that Council has to record· the death of the Lord Courthope, a Vice-President of the Society, and of Mr. S. R. Hobday, who for many years was an active member of the Society and also a member of the Records Committee. MEMBERSHIP The number of new members elected during the year was 7 5, the highest for several years. Unfortunately the losses through deaths and resignations were also high (68). At the end of the year membership stood at almost exactly 1,000. xiii REPORT, 1956 CoUNOIL Several changes took place during the year. Dr. Gordon Ward, whose term of office expired in 1956, expressed a wish not to stand for re-election; Mr. R. Oourthope decided that the time had come for him t9 withdraw from Council; and Mr. R. H. D'Elboux resigned on moving to Wales. To all three the Society is deeply indebted for their valiant efforts, over many years, to further the cause of archreology in Kent. Mr. C. S. Chettoe (Sevenoaks) and Mr. P. J. Tester (Bexley) were elected to Council in the place·of Dr. Ward and Mr. Courthope, the remaining vacancy being, as yet, unfilled. The other five retiring members of Council, namely Major H. R. Pratt Boorman, Mr. J. W. Bridge, Mr. N. C. Cook, Mr. R. Gunnis and Mr. F. Jenkins, were re-elected for a fw-ther term. Lm:aARY AND CoLLEOTIONS . The following additions by gift were made to the lib1·ary and collections during the year: LulUngstone Roman Villa, by Lt.-Col. G. W. Meates: gift of the Author. Report on Excavatw-ns at Becket's. WeU at Otjord, together with the material upon which the Report is based: deposited by the Otford Historical Society per Mr. F. R. J. Pateman. D™ertation on the Plaoena,me "Sa;rre," by Mr. A. 0. Sarre: gift of the Author. History of the Tooth Family: gift of Lady Durand per Mr. A. Stuart Beazley. English PlaceName Elements, by A. H. Smith, English Place-Name Society, Vols. XXV and XXVI: gift of Mr. B. W. Swithinbank, O.B.E. Oloveaho and Mildenhail (reprint from Proo. Suffolk Inst. Arch., Vol. XXVI), by Dr. P. H. Reaney: gill; of the Author. Studies on the Temporal Senses of the Prepoaitions "at," "on," "in," "by" and "Joi'" in Preaent-day Ji}nglish, by Harald &ndhagen: gift of the Author. Oranbrook, A Wea-lden Town, by "C. C.R. Pile: gift of the Author. Manuscript book, Material fm· a Histor-y of Addington, collected, with a Commentary, by James Gracie Maddan, 1956: gift of the Author. Kent Ohurohes 1954, by H. R. Pratt Boorman and V. J. Torr: gift of the Authors. Kent Inns-A Distillation, by H. R. Pratt Boorman and Anne Roper: gift of the Authors. TWYSDEN PO'.RTltAITS It was found necessary, towards the end of the year, to undertake ce1·tain work by way of cleaning and restoring some of the Twisden and Twysden portraits bequeathed to the Society by the late Sir John Ramskill Twisden, Bart. This interesting, and in many respects pleasing, collection of family portraits is, by the courtesy of the East Malling Research Station, kept at Bradbourne House, where members of the Society may see the portraits on the first Saturday in each month, or on other weekdays only between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. on special application. EXOUBSIONS There was a successful programme of excursion meetings during the year, visits being made to the following places: Saturday, Juliberrie's Grave, Gcidmersham Ohurch, Roman 28th April roads, Crundale Church, Iron-age cultivation sites, Wye College, Wye Down (Iron-age occupation sites), Hastingleigh Church, Elmstead Church. xlili Saturday, 30 June Saturday, 28 July Saturday, 8 September REPORT, 1956 St. Nicholas-at-Wade Church, St. Nicholas Court, Birchington Church, Salmstone Grange, Minster .Abbey, Minster Church. Sevenoaks Church, Knole, Yaldham Manor, Ightham Mote, Kemsing Church. Milton Regis Church, Milton Regis Court Hall, Sites of Inns on Sittingbourne High Street, Lower Halstow Church, Upchurch Church, Newington-next-Sittingbourne OhUl'ch . .An excellent 1·esidential meeting was held at Kingsgate College during the week-end 25th-27th May, when the subject studied was Records of Local History. The lecturers included the County .Archivists of Kent (Dr. F. Hull) and of Sussex (Mr. F. W. Steer), the Keeper of Guildhall Museum (Mr. N. C. Cook), the Keeper of the .Archives of the Chapter Library, Canterbury (Dr. W. G. Urry), Miss Roper, and Dr. P. H. Reaney. Lt.-Col. Meates found it impossible, with his other commitments, to undertake the arrangement of any further excursions, and Mr. D. T . .A. Ponton has now kindly agreed to accept responsibility for organizing all the excursion meetings. .A.nORJEOLOGIA CANTI.ANA Volume LXIX was published during the year. Amongst other important papers, it contained a full account of the excavation of the Jutish Cemetery at Lyminge in 1953 and 1954 . . Mr. R. F. Jessup has found it impossible to continue to undertake so active a part in the editorial work as in the past, and Mr. J. H. Evans has therefore become the sole Honorary Editor. Mr. Jessup's experience will still remain available to the Society, as he has agreed to act as Consultant Editor. The continually increasing cost of publication (reflected in the price of all books) is a. cause of much concern to Council. The cost of Archreologia Oantiana now exceeds the Society's total income from members' subscriptions, and the publication of a. volume of the present size and form has been made possible only by a. number of generous grants, and by drawing on reserves. There is no likelihood that the upward trend of publishing costs will be reversed, and Council has considered a number of suggestions for economies in Arcliwologia Oantiana. Colmoil has determined that, whilst it may eventually be compelled to adopt some of these suggestions (such as omitting the list of members, and binding in paper instead of in cloth boa1·ds), t-he volume to be issued in 1957, the Society's centenary year, should be of t,he same size and form as those published during recent years. REoows BRANox Volume XV of Kent Records, Feet of Finell to 1272, has been completed by the publicat-ion, during t,he year, of the Introduction and Index. The war, and the death of several of the Honorary Editor's coadjutors, seriously delayed the completion of the volume. The cost of the volume has completely exhausted the funds of the Records Branch, whose future will now have to be considered by the Records Committee, and by Council. Es'.OAVATlONS AND DISCOVERIES Bt."Cley 1ltr. P. J. Tuter 1-eport.s: Discoveries we1-e made in November in the garden behind Cray House, which stands just south-east of the intersect.ion xliv REPORT, 1966 of Bexley High Street and the rive1· Cray. The owner, while planting some trees on the east side of the garden and about 20-80 ft. from the house, encountered a mass of scattered tiles and building stone. I was invited to investigate and, in partnership with Mr. J, E. L. Caiger, undertook excavations at this and other points along the 4 ft. wide border, digging outside this restricted area not being possible without damage to the amenities of the garden. At a depth of 2 ft. the remains of two structures we1·e uncovered, each composed of thin, flat, broken roofing tiles laid in regular courses and bedded in sandy clay in place of mortar. Blocks of chalk, flint and Reigate Stone were also incorporated. They seem to have been domestic ovens or possibly small kilns of some sort, and much wood ash, animal bones, mussel shells and a few sherds of medieval pottery were found in association. Across the same border and slightly to the south the tops of two walls crune to light but their extent could not be gauged • . It is thought likely that a.11 these remains are related to a building which stood here before Cray House was built in the eighteenth century, and from the general direction of the walls it would seem to have inclined a.bout 45 degrees eastward in relation to the existing house. Pottery and other finds suggest occupation of the site up to a.t least the seventeenth century. Footscray Mr. G. D. 00J)'U.8 and Mr. A. J. J. Parsons report that the "emergency excavation" of a Roman building in Bedens Field near Footscray (Map Ref. 51/46, 4795/7118) was undertaken by the Cray Antiquarian Association supported by the Historical Societies of Bexley, Orpington and Sidoup. Remains of a large Roman bath house were uncovered, including the a.psidal bath complete with lead waste-pipe. Nearby was found evidence of a wooden shack used as a kitchen, which contained a mass of fragmentary cooking pots. Pottery from both the bath building and the kitchen dated construction to the first century A.D. and occupation until the end of the second century A..D. Keaton Jlfrs. E. V. Piercy Fox reports: Excavation of the Iron Age camp at Holwood Park commenced on 1st May and ended on 1st October. It has been a very successful first sea.son. A section was cut right through the three banks and two ditches which form the western defences of the camp. Sherds of Iron Age B pottery were found in the back of the inner rampart which date the rampart in its final form to Iron Age B. The sherds included curvilinear B pottery, which is most important as it is not like the Crayford B, being earlier and with no Belgic admixture. I know of no parallel in Kent either for the pottery or the earthworks. Lull-ingstone Lt.-Ool. G. W. Meatu reports: The road that had hitherto concealed the east frontage of the Roman villa was removed during the 1956 season, a new diversionary road having been made by the Kent County Council. The excavations were conducted under the aegis of the Ancient Monuments Department of the M.inistry of Works and the Society of Antiquaries of London, a. -very successful season resulting. The bath block was completed by the discovery of the expected cold plunge baths, the east end of the Romano-Christ.fan chapel with its underlying basement room was reached, and the square complex of clay walls xlv REPORT, 1956 at the north end was fully excavated. Interpretation of this northern extremity awaits completion, but a possibility exists of some pagan cult purpose in the planning and wall decoration, consisting as it does of palmtrees in yellow and green adorning the walls of a continuous corridor sU1Tounding a single square room. The large quantity of second century pottery associated with this construction securely dates it and its painted wall decorations to that time. The main purpose, however, of the season's work was to recover the late fourth century wall plaster that embellished the Christian chapel and to find traces, if possible, of an altar; as only by such a find can its description of "chapel" be securely sustained, though its use for and by Christians is undeniable. Mr. O. D. P. Nicholson, F.S.A., who directed this part of the excavation, found great quantities of painted plaster fragments, but work had to stop before complete excavation had been achieved. This most important work will be carried out in the 1957 season. The popularity of the site with the public generally and particularly with schools is mainly due to the lecturing and organizing ability of Mr. R. J. Rook, while the work of all who took part in the digging was exemplary. Orpvn{lton Mr. G. D. Oopue and Mr. A. J. J. Pareons report as follows: Members of the Orpington Historical Records and Natural History Society continued, for a second year, under the direction of Mr. Parsons, the excavation of a section through the Orpington Villa site (Map Ref. 51/46, 454658). The discovery of flint artifa.cts underlying the earliest Roman levels revealed that the site was occupied, possibly from Neolithic times onwards. It appears that the Roman settlers of the first century A.D. levelled part of the hill slope in order to build their dwelling on the site. This early house had a novel constructional feature of foot-deep foundation trenches filled with rammed chalk to aot as a "damp-course" to the flint wall above. Associated with this early construction were remains of the wall plaster painted in panels of red, green and yellow upon a white ba-0kground. During the first quarter of the second century A.D. the house underwent alteration, but occupation continued until late in that century. Then came the mist of the third century A.D., which descended upon the Orpington site as it did on so :ma.ny other villa sites. However, two coins of CA1uusxus (A.D. 287- 293) from the site suggest at least a renewal of occupation in the late third century. The fact that one wall collapsed uphill and not downhill, as might be expected, suggests that the earlier house was demolished deliberately. Incidentally, this fallen wall covered a pathway (bedded with broken tiles, bricks and a (ew mosaic tesserae) which ran round the outside of the building. When the villa was finally abandoned native "squatters" appear to have taken up residence, judging by aqua.lid occupational debris. In late Saxon times the Roman ruin on the hill was plundered to build the local Parish Church, which has much Roman material in its Saxon foundations (according to evidence). Other features of the site include a partially-dug "well shaft" sunk through the natural clay but discontinued when fine sand was encountered. The earliest filling contained part of a first century flagon, but the latest object found in the shaft was a coin of V.ALENTINIAN I (A.D. 364-375), showing that it was still open in the late fourth century. Further remains of the fourth century kitchen hut (isolated away from the main building) were recovered, including a coin of CoNSTANTIUS II (A.D. 355-360). xlvi REPORT, 1956 As excavation is still· in progress, it is not possible at this stage to present a final report on the whole site, but it is hoped that this will be made available in due course. Mi s8 M. Blumstein, Archreological Assistant at Maidstone Museum, has sent the following teport on the excavation of a site at Ramsden: The main school site (N.G.R. 474661) seems to have been part of a farmyard in the E.I.A. local A.O. tradition (of. Shepherd Frere, Orayjord, P.P.S., N.S., Vol. N, Part 1, pp. 151-169) o. 50 B.O.-A.D. 50. We have found remains of possible corn-drying kilns, post-holes, storage pits, and a series of drainage ditches. A habitation has so far not been found. There are traces of a. more Romanized occupation in the first half of the first century (Samian drag 27, "aucissa" type brooch, etc.), but that occupation was continuous I cannot yet say. The site has now been completely bulldozed away, with the exception of a well with a flint coping, cut in the solid chalk. This has so far been excavated to a. depth of 55 feet, but bottom has not yet been reached. It seems to have been filled in the first century. The excavation began on 22nd September when bulldozing disclosed the drainage ditches, and on 29th September it was ta.ken over as a rescue excavation by the Ancient Monuments Division, Ministry of Works, with me as supervisor, Mrs. B. de Seyssell as my deputy on the site. To the east of the site, on the line of the new road being made by the Orpington Urban District Council, a series of Acheulian Ovates has been - found (N.G.R. 475662). Pla:vtol Miss M. Blum,stein, of Maidstone Museum, repo1·ts that late first centU1•y to early second century pottery was found scattered over a spread of large sarsens, in a field to the rear of the paper-makers, Plaxtol. The site is being investigated by boys from Tonbridge School under the direction of the Headmaster. St. Mary Oray lYlr. A. J. J. Parrsons, Honorary Director of Excavations, Orpington Historical Records and Natural History Society, reports that further remains of the Roman settlement at Fordcroft (Map Ref. 51/46, 467 /675) have come to light during the trenching of the roadway. They include part of a Patchgrove storage ja1· of the late first century A.D. Sutton Valence M1-. R. O. Stone and Mr. J. B. Sirnpson report that boys of Sutton Valence School undertook an excavation of the Castle site according to plans worked out in conjunction with Mr. Grove · of Maidstone Museum. Digging took place along part of the inner side of the north wall of the keep. A number of pottery fragments we1·e found which appear to indicate about 300 years of continuous occupation dating from the late eleventh or eady twelfth century. Further digging took place in the north-east corner and along the outside of the north wall, from which it is hoped to clarify·some details of the structure. Work had to be suspended during the winter. Tunb,'idge Welk M1·s. V. F. Desborough reports that Mr. J. H. Money carried out a. further and successful season's excavation on the High Rocks site. xlvii REPORT, 1956 LooAL AOTIVITIEs Interesting report.a have been received from several Affiliated Societies of their activities. The foregoing paragraphs show how extensively the Orpington Society has undertaken archreological excavation during the year; the Society has had an equally active year in archives work. The Dartford Society report.a a partioulady successful year, and refers, with gratification, to the reopening of the Borough Museum, now reorganized w· ith a distinctly archreological emphasis. At Tunbridge Wells, the activities organized by our Local Secretary, Mrs. V. F. Desborough, includ􀃹d a. lecture by Mr. J. H. Money on the Archooology of the Tunbridge Wells region in prehistoric and Roman times. FINANOE A Statement of Income and Expenditure for 1956, and a copy of the Balance Sheet at the 31st December, 1956, are attached. It is with pleasure that Council is able to report the receipt during the year of a generous donation of £60, by Mrs. Piercy Fox, towards the cost of publishing Arohreologia Oantiana. Council makes three appeals: (1) for more members to enter into seven-year covenants; (2) for more members to support the Archaologia Cantiana Sustentation Fund; (3) for members who do not use Bankers' Orders to pay their subscriptions promptly to the Collector, Mr. C. w. Hopper, 14 Nunnery Road, Canterbury. The urgency of these a.ppeals is matched by the brevity with which, on this occasion, they are expressed. 6th March, 1957. By Order of the Council, xlviii FRANX W. JESSUP, Honorary General Secreuwy.