Annual Report

ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR 1959 ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER, 1959 Council presents its One Hundred and First Report, and the Statement of Accounts for 1959 (the statement will be circulated with the notice convening the Annual General Meeting). PRESIDENCY OF THE SOCIETY At the Annual General Meeting in 1958, Major Teichman Derville intimated that whilst he was willing to remain in office as President for one more year he felt that during the year the Society should seek a new President. At the 1959 Annual General Meeting Major Teichman Derville said that the time had now come for him to lay down the office which he had held continuously since 1939. He expressed gratitude for the support which he had received throughout the whole of the twenty years, a period which had seen, during the earlier years, an inevitable decline in the Society's fortunes, but more recently a growth from strength to strength so that the Society had become, as we might with some justice claim, the foremost county archreological society. Many Officers and members spoke in appreciation of Major Teichman Derville's invaluable services to the Society, and the following resolution was passed unanimously and with acclamation :- " The members of the Kent Archreological Society express their profound gratitude to Major Teichman Derville for his distinguished services as President of the Society for twenty years, a longer period of office than that of any other President in the history of the Society. His devotion to the well-being of the Society and to the furtherance of archreology in Kent, his learning and scholarship, his generosity and hospitality, and his courteous friendliness and constant helpfulness in all the affairs of the Society have inspired the esteem, admiration and affection of the members, who now place their appreciation on permanent record in this Resolution passed at the Annual General Meeting on the 9th May, 1959." Subsequently a beautifully illuminated copy of the resolution, inscribed by Mr. F. C. Elliston Erwood, was presented to Major Teichman Derville. At the Annual General Meeting Lt.Col. G. W. Meates, Chairman of Council, on behalf of Council, submitted the name of Mr. Thomas Neame, M.A., F.S.A., for election as President, adducing cogent reasons why Mr. Neame would be a fitting successor to Major Teichman Derville. Several members spoke in favour of the nomination, and on being put to the meeting the resolution was carried unanimously. Major Teichman Derville then installed Mr. Neame in the President's chair. Council has resolved that Major Teichman Darville, as Past President, shall enjoy all the privileges of a Vice-President and of an Honorary Member. OBITUARY It is with deep regret that Council reports the death, in November, of Major Eric Clarke, of Cranbrook. A member of the Society for nearly forty years, he had been a valued member of Council, and also acted for many years as Local Secretary. xlii REPORT, 1959 A.NNuAL GENERAL MEETING The Annual General Meeting was held at The Museum, Maidstone, on 9th May, 1959. Council's Annual Report, and the Statement of Accounts for 1968, were received and adopted. After the luncheon adjournment nearly 100 members and their friends met to hear lectures by Mr. R. F. Jessup, F.S.A., on Roman Walled Cemeteries, and by Lt.-Col. G. W. Meates, F.S.A., on The LuUingswne Roman Mausoleum. Both of the lectures were excellently illustrated, and were much enjoyed by the audience. MEMBERSHIP During the year the gratifyingly large number of 73 new members were elected. The Society derives its strength mainly from the size of its membership, and Council appeals to all members of the Society to continue their efforts to recruit new members. Mr. R. H. D'Elboux, F.S.A., sometime Honorary General Secretary, has been elected an Honorary Member in appreciation of his services to the Society. COUNCIL At the .Annual General Meeting the retiring members of Council, namely Mr. F. C. Elliston Erwood, Mr. L. R. A. Grove, Dr. F. Hull, Mr. R. F. Jessup, Lt.-Col. G. W. Meates, and Mr. W. P. D. Stabbing, were re-elected. Mr. R.H. Goodsall was elected to fill the vacancy ea.used by the death of Mr. B. W. Swithinbank. Lt.-Col. Meates was re-elected Chairman of Council for the year. Lm&ARY AND COLLECTIONS Council reports with pleasure that Mr. H. E. Bailey, M.A., who has been a member of the Society since 1946, has taken on the office of Honorary Librarian. Some twenty-four objects of the Anglo-Saxon period from the Society's collections were lent, subject to suitable safeguards, to the Hague Museum for three months, for inclusion in an important exhibition entitled "Van Friezen, Franken en Sasksen ", which dealt with the Migration Period in Holland. The following additions by gift were made to the library and collections during the year: Kippington in Kent, its History and its Churches, by Hugh Wyatt Standen, 1958: gift of the Author. The Place Names of Derbyshire, by K. Cameron (English Place-Name Society, volumes XXVIIXXIX.), 1969: gift of the late B. W. Swithinbank, C.B.E. Transactions of the Gravesend Historical Society for 1957 and 1958 : gift of the Society. Two pamphlets on the Margate Grotto by Conan and Nellie I. Shaw: gift of the Authors. Maison Dieu, Ospringe, by S. E. Rigold and G. C. Dunning, H.M.S.O., 1958 : gift of the Ministry of Works. Report on Discoveries at the Parish Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, Shoreham, Kent, 1956-58, by A. D. Stoyel : gift of the Author. A small collection of Kent prints ; gift of the Surrey Arohreological Society. The amenities of the Society's Rooms have been much improved by our Honorary Editor's gift of three 18th century chairs, a bookcase and a Dimplex thermostatically-controlled electric radiator. xlili REPORT, 1959 RECORDS PUBLICATION On the advice of the Records Publication Committee it is proposed to publish a seventeenth-century miscellany, the contents of which will include: The Oourt Rolls of the Manor of Ohilhann, 1654-6, ed. F. W. Jessup ; A Boole of Ohurch Notes by John Philipot, ed. C. R. Councer ; The Tufton Sequestration Papers, 1643-7, ed. F. Hull; A Oounty Oomnnittee Book, 1646-7, ed. A. M. Everitt ; The Oompum, Oensus, 1676 : The· Dioceses of Oanterbury and, Rochester, ed. C. W. Chalklin. It is with much pleasure that Council reports the promise of a. generous grant of £250 from the Marc Fitch Fund towards the cost of publication. PLACE-NAMES CoMMITTEE The Plooe-Names Committee has met three times, and progress has been made. Briefly there are three aspects of the work which the Committee is undertaking: (1) the completion of the county gazett.eer of names appearing on the 6 in. O.S. map ; (2) the collection of all names, including those of fields, existing in present-day tradition: (3) the collection of earlier forms of names, either from published material (e.g. the Calendars of State Papers, and Patent and Close Rolls) or from manuscript sources and old maps. Some of this work calls for specialist knowledge, but some requires no more than care, accuracy, and time. The Hon, Secretary of the Place-Names Committee (Mr. J.M. Farrar, 57 St. Luke's Road, Maidstone), will be glad to hear from volunteer workers. It :is hoped that the publication in Volume LXXIII of Archwologia Cantiana of the paper by Dr. P.H. Reaney, the Chairman of the Committee, will stimulate interest in the serious study of Kent place-names. In addition to the work already recorded a card-index of Kent placenames is being prepared by Dr. Gordon Ward, who intends that eventually it shall be handed over to the Society. AROH..'EOLOGIA CANTIANA Volume LXXII was published in April 1959. In variety and interest of content it was well up to the high standard which the Honorary Editor consistently achieves. ExOURSIONS Unfortunately the proposed excursion meetings in July and September had to be cancelled because there were not enough applications to justify the hire of coaches. 'rheM ay and June excursion meetings, to Goudhurst, Cranbrook, Hawkhurst and Northiam, and to the Sevenoaks district, on the other hand, were well supported, as was also the residential meeting held at Kingsgate College during the week-end 29th-3lst May. On this occasion the subject of the meeting was Insurrections in Kent, and tbe following papers were read : The King versus the Barons in the 13th Century, by 1\iir. Stuart Rigold; Wat Tyler's Rebellion, by Miss E. Melling; The Rebellion of Jack Oade, by Mrs. H. M. Lyle ; Sir Thomas Wyatt's Rebellion, by Dr. Felix Hull; The Oivil War in Kent, by Mr. F. W. Jessup; and The Extraord1:nary Courtenay Rising of 1838, by Mr.D. T.A.Ponton. There was also an excursion to a Roman site being excavated by Mr. J. Coy at Drapers Mills,M argate. MajorH .M . Rand,M .A., acted as Chairman of the meeting, xliv REPORT, 1959 EXOA VATION AT COBJIAM PARK Council reported last year that if the necessary permissions could be obtained, and if sufficient voluntary labour were forthcoming, it was proposed to undertake the partial excavation of the earthworks in Cobham Park. The Rt. Hon. the Earl of Darnley, the Rochester and Cobham Park Golf Club, and the Ministry of Works were all good enough to give their consent. Mr. P. J. Tester, who was appointed Hon. Director of the excavation, and Mrs. E. V. Piercy Fox, who looked after the financial and administrative arrangements, were able to recruit an effective group of helpers, and work was carried out at Easter and again during August. It proved sufficiently rewarding to justify further work being carried out, under Mr. Tester's direction, between the 19th and 26th April, and the 29th July and 12th August, 1960 (dates inclusive). He will be glad if volunteer diggers will get in touch with him, at 2 Willow Close, Bexley, as soon as possible. EXOAVATIONS, DISOOVERmS AND LooAL NOTES Oanterbury Major H. M. Rand reports as follows: The Canterbury Arohreological Society, which attains its fortieth year of existence in 1960, consists of 304 paid-up members, under the Chairmanship of Mr. C. F. Bradshaw. During the past year it has carried on its normal activities, which comprised nine outings, one to Chiswick House, and ten lectures. It is much concerned with safeguarding as far as may be possible the historic features of medieval Canterbury and district. Although unable to save the Fleur de Lys, action has been taken in a number of cases, for example, to rescue with a view to future rehabilitation, the interesting murals which unexpectedly came to light on the north wall (the Old Town Wall) of St. Mary Northgate and in gaining a reconsideration of the plan for the new Long Market. The eighteenth-century tower of St. Andrew in the Parade was demolished in reconstructing the Westminster Bank, and with their kind co-operation a handsome case has been placed in the hall containing materials from the site and that of the older church, and an account of the history, by Dr. William Urry. The second Occasional Paper, also by Dr. Urry, The Normans in Oanterbur-y, will appear in the autumn. Mr. Frank Jenkins reports that he and members of the Stour Valley Excavation Group of the Canterbury Archreological Society have carried out various projects during the past year, as follows : Excavations were carried out in the basement of the premises formerly occupied by Messrs. Montague Burton Ltd., which has been demolished for the re-development of the Longmarket area. The site is on the southeast corner of Butchery Lane and adjoins the site of the Roman building uncovered in 1945-6 (Arch. Oant., LXI, p. 1 ff.). During the recent work, the south wall of the hypocaust was found, as also the fire-tunnel, corbelbuilt of flat tiles. To the south of the hypocaust a small room was found, evidently another hypocaust or the stokehole for it had been built below the contemporary ground level. Further south was the foundation of a wall which bounded the south side of the courtyard and belonged to the southern wing of the building which is known to extend well under the modern Parade. The basement areas ofNos. 45-46 Bnrgate Street showed ample evidence of two building phases. This building does not belong to the one just xlv REPORT, 1959 described but fronted on to the north side of the Roman Street which lies between the two buildings. The first period consisted of a length of walling built of clay, faced on one side with white plaster, and was associated with clay floors. A coin of Nero was found resting on the surface of the earliest . floor associated with this wall. In the second period the clay wall was pulled down and the lowest part served as the base for a cill-beam, presumably of timber. Associated with this was a floor of mortar about 6-9 ins. thick, bearing patches of opus signinum on its surface. A rim of a mortariwn found beneath this floor in a thick layer of clean yellow loam containing a great quantity of painted wall-plaster suggests that the earlier building was demolished not before the second half of the second century A.D. Limited excavations in the vaults (18th century) beneath the former north entrance to the Longmarket yielded evidence of two distinct preRoman Belgic occupation deposits, the earlier containing exclusively native pottery, and the later deposit an admixture of imported terra nigra and terra rubra ware. Traces of timber-built structures were also noted. In Roman times the site ha.d been used for rubbish disposal, judging by the number of pits encountered. A Roman pottery kiln of the normal circular updraught type was found on a building site in Whitehall Gardens, Canterbury. Through the kind co-operation of the builders, Messrs. Child Bros., the Group excavated the kiln. Pottery found in the filling consisted almost entirely of sherds derived from " wasters " rejected by the potters. Pottery types represented in this group included jugs, large two-handled wide-mouthed amphorae and mortaria, all datable to the mid-2nd century A.D. Not far from the kiln the builders cut through a very large rubbish pit containing masses of " waster " sherds, evidently the debris from another kiln in the area where a tile-kiln and another pottery kiln ha.d already been examined by the Group. At the time of writing, the Group is excavating the massively built battering base of a medieval bastion in the Old Cattlemarket at Canterbury. This newly discovered bastion lies midway between the Ridingate and that excavated by the Group in 1956-7. The latter bastion has now been rebuilt by the City Council, up to rampart height, and eventually the newly found bastion will be re-built in the same manner, as part of the restoration of the City wall between the Ridingate and Newingate (St. George's Gate). Oranbrook M-r.O.G. R. Pile communicates the following report by Mrs. M.O. Lebon about the Roman site at Little Farningham: Quite early in the season a proposal was made for this site to be scheduled as an Ancient Monument, in order to ensure that any future excavation upon it would not be undertaken without careful planning and direction, combined with an adequate labour force. We accepted the official exhortation to desist from breaking new ground, and took up the far more difficult task of going over the area which had been dug insufficiently in earlier seasons. One of the major problems was to determine, among the zones of rough stones, which had belonged to pitched stone floors and which represented disintegrated footings of walls. In most places the foundation and robber trenches of the walls had already been disturbed, if not completely removed. However, the general disposition indicates small rooms and narrow passages, with a possibility that some of the " passages " may turn out to be spaces between walls of disparate dates which we were unable to determine. xlvi REPORT, 1959 Deeper digging added a quantity of window glass-all made by prelllrd century technique-to the few fragments recovered earlier. As glass-ma.king was a Wealden industry in medieval and later times (vide S. E. Winbolt's treatise on the subject), it may have been made locally also in the Roman period. One curious hearth structure remains to be identified. It consists of an oblong and slightly concave floor, measuring six feet by two feet and rounded at one end, composed of a bed of tiny stones, perhaps shale fragments, which have fused together under heat, and surrounded by a raised border of burnt clay. On the floor were pieces of burnt wood, a few nails and some bits of iron slag. It did not yield any tuyeres, although these were concentrated abundantly in another part of the site. Deepening a trench elsewhere, we came upon fragments of wall plaster bearing traces of painting on its surface. In the drought of August and September the clay soil became hard as rock and nothing could be done. The site was scheduled in the autumn, and work was then brought to a conclusion. A full report is in preparation. The Cranbrook and Sissinghurst Local History Society acknowledges gratefully assistance received this year from the Kent Archreological Society; and from visiting experts including Mr. N. C. Cook, Mr. S. S. Frere and :Mr. S. E. Rigold ; besides a fruitful week-end's work by a team under Mr. Brian Philp ; and much invaluable practical collaboration from Miss E. Pirie. Dartford and Crayford Mr. H.J. Balls reports the following discoveries : 1. Human skeleton remains, found in front of old people's dwellings (fiats and bungalows) which face south, the dwellings being situated just north of Temple Hill Square, Dartford. The significant thing about the discovery was that the skeletons were all lying horizontally, in close proximity to each other in considerable numbers indicating a place of burial but without a.rchreological objects in undoubted association, which suggests a Christian interment. The only archreological fragments found were unstratified pot sherds and fragments of tile and these did not appear to be of earlier date than the 17th century. No use of the land for burial purposes within historic times has been noted and it is possible that the site is that of a series of plague burials, possibly of the l 7th century. 2. A clay pipe (incomplete) marked "T.P. Dartford" found on the Thames bank near Temple Hill, Dartford. This pipe is probably one of those made in the pipe factory at Overy Liberty by Thomas Pascalle who lived in a three-storeyed house (now demolished) near the bottom of East Hill, Dartford, in the mid-l 9th century. Mr. L. 0. Dale 􀀖as continued his watch on building development in Dartford High Street, with int.eresting result.a. Builders' trenches on the sire of Penney, Son & Parker's shop bordering the south side of the High Street, 65 yards west of Holy Trinity Church (TQ 543740), showed a section containing a 2½ foot thick layer of black soil, extending from 3½ to 6 feet below the present street-level and resting directly on clean river gravel. The black layer contained throughout its entire thickness a great deal of Romano-British material. Most of the pottery belongs to the first century and there is a, marked scarcity of later forms. Samian ware is represented and one base bears the stamp of the potter MOMMO xlvii REPORT, 1959 o f La Graufesenque. Above the black stratum there occurred typical green-glazed medieval s􀃸erds, and from still hig􀃹er came stoneware, delft, clay pipes and other evidence of recent occupation. In the lower levels a few pieces of Roman tile have been noted though no footings of a building of that age have so far come to light in the recent digging. From a medieval rubbish pit on this site has come part of a rare type of pottery ewer. It has a tubular spout and around the neck a.re remains of applied figures of horsemen ca.rrying long shields. The resemblance to a vessel from Cambridge figured in Rackham's Medieval English Pottery (p. 25) is very striking. Mr. Tester has suggested that the Cambridge specimen, another from Nottingham and the latest example found by l\ilr. Dale at Dartford are all by the hand of the same potter, and that a date early in the fourteenth century is likely. Gravesend Mr. A. F. Allen reports the following, all of which will be more fully recorded elsewhere in Arclu:eowgia Oantiana: (1) the demolition of the remains of Higham Priory ; (2) the discovery of probably a Roman villa or bath-house at Chalk; (3) additional walls and traces of other buildings around St. Katherines, Shorne. The excavation of the Roman site at Springhead continued during the year, and will be reported in due course. Keston Mrs. E. V. Piercy Fox reports that the excavation of the west gateway at Holwood Camp, which commenced in 1958, was continued in 1959, the grid being extended inwards to cover the whole of the northern inturn, and the area behind the much shorter southern inturn. Sections were cut into the inner rampart on both sides of the gateway to study the structure of the gateway and the rampart as a whole. It was hoped to complete the work on the gateway and to carry out preliminary exploration of other pa.rts of the site, seeking areas of occupation and burials, but the prolonged drought and hot sunny weather made it necessary to curtail the season. Work will be resumed in February 1960 using both mechanical stripping and a proton-magnetometer survey by Dr. Aitken. Dr. Hodson took samples of burnt material from the gateway last season but the paleomagnetic results are not yet available. The sherds recovered were all Iron Age " B" sherds as in previous years, and the writer now feels that sufficient evidence has been obtained to show that Holwood Camp was a centre of power throughout Second B (150 B,O. until the arrival of the Belgae hereabouts) and possibly earlier. The extent of the territoriwn of this camp raises many points of great interest, e.g. did it include the later site of London and are the famous shields and other finds dredged from the Thames in the London area within this territorium ? Lulling stone Lt.-Ool. G. W. Meates sends the following report; on the Roman villa: The 1959 season was devoted to investigation of those areas to be covered by the foundations of the protective building planned by the Ministry of Works. This building was to be erected in the late summer or early autumn, and to hasten matters mechanical excavation was adopted. The whole area along the west and south exterior of the Roman residence was stripped xlviii REPORT, 1959 to within a foot of the top Roman deposits, which thereafter were trowelled down to the underlying clay and :flint. The whole work was controlled by an extensive grid system. On the west, the second-century Kitchen (Arch. Oant., LXXII, p. :xlix) was found to extend a further ten feet towards the house, showing that it was a rectangular building, 30 feet by 20 feet, with clay walls and a thatched roof supported upon ten massive timber uprights. An important find ea.me to light in a shallow depression in its chalk, flint and mortar floor, a find consisting of three BesterUi of Trajan and Hadrian and a magnificent carnelian intaglio, all four objects originally contained in a small receptacle, possibly of cloth. The gem, oval and nearly an inch in length, is engraved with a Winged Victory writing upon a shield and standing before a military trophy placed upon a tree-trunk. This is a not uncommon motif upon gems and coins of the second century, to which period the object belongs. It had been forced out of a gold setting, probably a finger ring, in antiquity, some specks of gold remaining in the fracture at the back of the gem. A further discovery was made in this area. The drainage gully leading from the Tannery (Arch. Oant., LXXII, p. xlix) was found to end in a deep pit cut down into the natural challt. This pit had been lined with thick clay, and packed in this clay were the extended and complete skeletons of two geese, together with those of a pair of ducks. This appears to have been a votive deposit, and skeletons of these birds are very rare in Roman Britain. The pit was finally used as an exterior rubbish dump for the fourth-century Kitchen at the end of the west corridor of the house, pottery and coins attesting its date. Beneath the floor level of the second-century Kitchen at its east enda portion that had to be removed for the foundations of the protective building-were found over a score of large post-holes, all circular in section and cut deeply into the natural chalk. They were found to lie mainly in a rough semi-circle, but their purpose remains at present unknown ; they ante-date the Kitchen, but by how long is also unlmown. A further season of excavation is necessary to elucidate the problem posed by them. On the south exterior of the house was found a large outbuilding, its west wall of clay upon a flint and mortar footing, its floor of flint cobbles and clay containing pottery sherds and fragments of glass vessels of the second century. This building was not used after the end of the century, and a thick deposit of rubbish lay over its site containing much pottery and many coins of the third and fourth centuries, a deposit which has come to light in other places outside the walls of the residence. Only the north end of this outbuilding could be excavated, the remainder lying to the south outside the present area where excavation can take place. Its presence here suggests that such farm buildings may well exist in this southern direction, and is the first indication, with the exception of the Granary already excavated (Arch. Oant., LXVI, p. xlii), of such a complex of buildings at Lullingstone. Excavation of any such buildings is necessary to establish the economy of the Villa. At Lullingstone Castle itself, by the kindness of Sir Oliver Hart Dyke, Bt., and the co-operation of the Ministry of Works, the eighteenth-century stable wing has been adapted as an extensive workroom, and investigation is now being made there into the immense a.mount of Roman material that has been recovered from the past eleven years of excavation. The work on the site has been excellently oarried out by many helpers, and once more boys from Dulwich College and Eltham College have taken an xlix 4 REPORT, 1959 active and useful part. Over 20,000 visitors, including Societies and Schools, viewed the site during the season, being ably guided by Mr. R. J. Rook, the Custodian ; and the Kent Archreological Society paid it a visit in the summer. It is a disappointment, however, that the protective building did not materialize and it is strqngly to be hoped that the Ministry of Works will in the very near future implement their plans. The Roman buildings require proper and adequate protection with increasing urgency. Orpington Mr. B. D. Stoyel reports as follows: The enlargement of Orpington Parish Church has been completed. This ha.s involved the demolition of the south wall of the original nave and the addition of an entirely new nave and chancel at right-angles to the old building and facing south. A fine Anglo-Saxon sundial and a corbel carved with a human head, both of which came to light during the demolition of the south wall, have been incorporated in the arcade between the old and new naves. The door which originally gave access to the rood-loft staircase has been set in the west wall of the new sanctuary. The removal of the organ from the chapel to the north of the old chancel has brought clearly into view several features previously ol;>scured, including some late Tudor carvings. The pre-Reformation rectory in Orpington, which for a, considerable period wa.s used as a private dwelling-house and is now known as " The Priory", was acquired some years ago by the Orpington Urban District Council and very extensive alterations a.re taking place in order to adapt it as a public library and museum. It is a scheduled building and is believed to date from the late fourteenth century. The alterations involve the demolition of the kitchen block at the rear of the building and the erection of an extension to the south and east. The design for the extension a.roused a certain amount of controversy and was referred to the Royal Fine Arts Commission before it was finally approved in a modified form. The demolition of the kitchen block, part of which was ancient but which was mainly of late seventeenth-century and modern work, has already been completed and restoration of the remainder of the old building is being undertaken before the extension is commenced. In pursuance of plans for the widening of Orpington High Street, the familiar old weather-boarded building opposite the Post Office was demolished in April 1959. Mr C. L. Platt has drawn attention to certain crop markings in a wheatfield at Hawkwood, Chislehurst, first reported by Mr. F. L. Lee. So far as can be traced there is no record of any building having occupied the site. Mr. T. G. F. Holliday has reported the existence of possible earthworks and cultivation strips on Hogtrough Hill near the Cudham-Brasted parish boundary. Mr. A. J. J. Parsons sends the following report on the activities of the Orpington Historical Records and Natural HistOr1.J Sociel!I.J during 1958/9 : During the past year the Society has continued to increase its membership, also its activities in various fields ranging from archmological excavations to excursions to sites of historical interest. (a.) "Orpington Villa" (N.G.R. 4540 : 6583) : Despite adverse weather conditions on occasions, work has proceeded every week-end at the Orpington Roman Villa site. A fresh feature discovered this season has been another " well-pit " (but whether well or pit cannot be ascertained I. REPORT, 1959 at this stage in the excavation). However, from the upper and therefore final filling of this were found pieces of pseudo-Samian and a small coin of ARCADIUS (383-408 A.D.). Such coins are relatively rare in Roman Britain and certainly this coin gives the latest date for the Roman occupation of this area of N.W. Kent. (The coin was submitted to Dr. J. P. C. Kent, of the British Museum, who kindly identified it and to whom grateful aclmowledgement is hereby made.) During the autumn of 1958 preservation of the Roman walling and floors, already exposed, was put into operation and involved much labour, especially in the production of powdered tile for the restoration of the opus signinum flooring. One of the Roman doorways discovered was renewed with a doorstep of cement, coloured with creosote, in lieu of the original wooden one which had long since disappeared although its impression still remained on the Roman mortar of the doorway. A plan of the site, inlaid in tesserae upon the Roman walling nearest to the main road, now serves as a most convenient public seat. (b) The Priory, Orpington (N.G.R.4657 : 6654) : In the course of the work referred to above, a quantity of pottery was recovered from the site, including fragments of flagons, bag-based cooking-pots, and other vessels of the period. When conversion is completed it is hoped, in due course, to display in the Priory Museum the first Lord Avebury's collection of archreological and anthropological objects, which is in the society's possession. (c) Darrick Wood (N.G.R.443 : 651) : Remains of earthworks were reported in Darrick Wood by our member, Mr. M. McCarthy. However, although interesting they are not thought to be prehistoric in origin. They included a circular bank and ditchwork, similar in type to the " Cockpit " on Chislehurst Common (see Arch. Oant., LIV, p. 33). During the summer the society's main excursions were to the Cinque Ports, Lullingstone Roman Villa, St. Albans (V erulamium) and Maidstone Museums. At Lullingstone Lt.-Col. G. W. Meates, F.S.A., made our visit an overwhehning success by taking us on a personal tour of Lullingstone Castle and Church, in addition to showing us around his latest excavations at the Roman Villa. Our coach party to St. Albans was fortunate in seeing the superb mosaic recently uncovered at Verulamium by Mr. Sheppard Frere, M.A., F.S.A., who kindly conducted us over his present excavation. In a lighter vein, our annual "Dig Dinner" took place in December, and additional entertainment was provided by our President, Mr. E. C. H. Jones, C.B.E., B.Sc., F.R.A.I., Mr. J. Bird, M.A., F.L.A., and Mr. Graeme Horner appearing as contestants in an adaptation of the well-known panel game" A.V.M.". In spite of being blindfolded our Orpington" experts" managed to identify successfully most of the archreological objects submitted to them. Reculver The following report has been received from Mr. B. J. Philip: In September 1959, the Reculver Excavation Group completed its third and largest research excavation on the Roman Fort. In all 80 members of the Group, drawn from a wide area, took an active part in the work and over 750 of the general public visited the site. The 16 days of intensive · excavation resulted in the removal of approximately 165 tons of soil. The site was levelled by mechanical means on Monday, 21st September. Ii REPORT, 1959 A single tr ench, 150 feet in length, 4 feet wide and with a maximum depth of 10 feet 6 inches, was dug at right-angles to the east wall of the fort, exactly 100 feet from, and parallel to, the inside face of the south wall. The wall was found to survive to a height of 8 feet (15 courses) with a well-preserved inner face. The two lmown internal reducing offsets were again encountered. The massive ra mpart-bank behind the wall (here of compact clay and sand) was again found to be nearly 50 feet in length and only 5 feet of its original height had survived. The highest point of the bank was struck at 13 inches below the present ground surface. A small quantity of pottery and other rubbish was found in and under the bank. A large medieval pit and a 2nd World War slit trench had destroyed part of the bank. The Phase I (construction period) occupation layer was encountered and contained building rubble, pottery and other rubbish. Sealing and partly destroying this was a minor road (Phase II) of compact beach pebbles and shingle, 80 feet in length, 10 feet wide and between 3-12 inches in depth. The road went out of use and two pits were dug into it. In the rubbish :filling of these pits was found a badly crushed bronze object, probably a bowl, and a fragment of tile bearing the letter C. This is almost certainly part of the well-lmown CL BR (Classie Britannica) British fleet stamp and is the first to be recorded from Reculver. One of the pits was found to have had a wood lining and was probably intended for storage. Two thick and very extensive bands of rubbish and debris had then collected over the area, suggesting disuse of the fort at this point in the later phases. The rubbish contained large quantities of pottery, 30 coins, glass, objects of bronze, iron, bone, amber, jet, shale and quantities of oyster shells and tile. The bones of a disturbed child-burial and a small part of an inscribed stone were also recovered. The excavation also recovered material of prehistoric and medieval date. In addition to the main project a newly discovered well near the Coaatguard Station was excavated to a depth of 1 7 feet 6 inches. The bottom was not reached and no vital dating evidence was recovered. A casual examination of the material recovered from the main trench strongly suggests that the conclusions drawn from the 1957 excavations will be confirmed in all respects. In addition much more has been learnt about the later phases of the fort. Permission for the work was readily granted by the land-owners, the Herne Bay Urban District Council, and the Ministry of Works as guardians of the fort, which is an Ancient Monument. The Group is grateful to Mr. Norman Cook for his continued interest and support and to Lt.-Col. G. W. Meates, 1\1'.r. Frank Jenkins and several others for helpful suggestions. The work continues to be directed by Mr. B. J. Philp, assisted by Mr. H. E. Gough and Mr. M. L. Kellaway. Further excavation will be undertaken during August or September, 1960, and volunteer diggers will be welcome. They should get into touch with Mr. B. J. Philp, at 24c2 Langley Way, West Wickham. S()IYl,dwwh Major F. W. TomUnson reports : Dr. J. D. Ogilvie, with his enthusiastic assistants, has continued work on the Roman site near Great Wenderton, not far from the banks of the Lesser Stour. The fragment.a found are Iii REPORT, 1959 arranged every Thuxsday evening under the supervision of Dr. Ogilvie; a detailed report will be issued in due course. Some excitement was caused by the discovery in Staple church of a. Saxon window, until it was realized that it had been discovered over 60 years a.go and was described in Archreologia Oantiana in 1895 (XXI, p. 303). It is not visible from either inside or outside the church-only from the tower which is difficult of access. In June the owner of St. Mary-le-Bone Hill, Great Poulders Farro, near Sandwich, notified the Inspectorate of Ancient Monuments that he was about to level the mounds in this field. It had been thought that these might be a ploughed-out motte and bailey, covering perhaps the southern approaches to Richborough Castle. Medieval roof tiles are scattered about. In the event, however, nothing Roman was found. Foundations were found of chalk and pebble, about 30 feet long, and walls (?) 3 foot thick, possibly of a very early church. It is worth mentioning that the 1st Edition Ordnance Survey 6 inch map calls this hill " Marrowbone Hill ". Sidcwp Mr. P. J. Te8ter reports: In the autumn and early winter of 1968, I carried out some exploratory digging with the help of our members Mr. J.E. L. Caiger and Mr. L. C. Dale, at Manor Farm, Ruxley (TQ 485702), in the hope of discovering the foundations of the old house noted by Thorpe in OU8twmale Rofjense as visible in the farmyard at the end of the eighteenth century. Trial holes on the south side of the thirteenth-century churchnow used as a barn-revealed no evidence of medieval occupation however. In the field immediately S.W. of the present farmhouse some footings were uncovered, but they seemed to indicate nothing more than eighteenthcentury outbuildings. Part of the area which was no doubt in.eluded in the farmyard in Thorpe's time is now covered by a tennis court, swimming pool and ornamental garden. We concluded that what we were seeking possibly lay beneath these features where excavation was, of course, out of the question. Sittingbourne Mr. D. T. A. Ponton reports that following the making of a Building Preservation Order in respect of the 15th-century hall-house, known as 100-102 High Street, Milton, a Purchase Notice was served by the owner. At a local hearing held at the Town Hall, Sittin.gbourne, on 6th August, 1959, the Society was represented by Mr. D. T. A. Ponton. He stressed the great importance attached to the property on account of the key position which it has in a little-altered part of the Miltot;1 High Street and its close proximity to the recently restored court hall. He pointed out that were this property demolished and replaced by a modern shop, as was the wish of the owner, not only would the character of the street be destroyed, but the process of destruction would be continued by the probable disappearance of other neighbouring buildings. That this property is the only hall-house surviving in the Sittingbourne uxban district was also enlarged upon. Tunbridge Well8 Mr. J. H. Money sends the following report: Excavations in the Iron Age fort at High Rocks, which took place during the week-ends of August and September and from 10th to 19th September, were devoted to a search liii REPORT, 1959 for occupation material within the fort. The work was again directed by Mr. James Money, with Mr. Michael Bridge, Mr. James Freeman, Miss Ann Hamilton, Mr. John Rogerson and Miss Helen Waugh as site supervisors. Digging began in the north-east corner. of the fort on what in the past was thought to be a spring. It was hoped that it had also been a source of water for the defenders of the fort and that it and its surroundings would, therefore, yield occupation material. In the extremely dry weather of this summer it was possible to put a trench right across the featUie, which as a rule is waterlogged after even the smallest amount of rain. It was found to be not a spring, but simply a hollow into which water drained from the surrounding land. No occupation material came to light. Sites were then opened in two areas immediately inside the inner rampart, one about 100 yards south-east of the "spring", the other in continuation of the main rampart section of 1958 just north of the East Entrance. Both yielded satisfactory amounts of pottery-mostly of typical Wealden A B C type with a few sherds of Belgic, but including some Iron Age A. Although no stratification was detectable in this occupation the different styles of the pottery confirm previous evidence of distinct periods in the fort's history. The expedition was fortunate in obtaining the services of Dr. Martin Aitken, of the Research Laboratory for Archreology and the History of Art at Oxford, who with his proton-magnetometer surveyed a portion of the interior of the fort. This survey revealed a number of " disturbances ", most of which after digging turned out to be of geological rather than arohreological interest. Dr. Aitken, however, detected two important hearth sites. In one hearth, which was four feet in diameter and lay in a hollow cut out of the clay, there was a zone of concentrated charcoal 6 inches thick. Dr. Aitken also took samples of the underlying burnt clay, with a view to determining its date by palreo-magnetio tests. There was no occupation material associated with this hearth. The other hearth, which was more or less in the centre of the fort, was about 7 feet in diameter and lay in a hollow out out of the natural rook, which here comes very near the present land surface. The hearth was surrounded by a horseshoe of post-holes which must originally have supported the framework of a small hut or shelter. Immediately to the north-west of this hearth and at one point actually cut into by its lip, was a rock-cut trench 45 feet long, with an average width of 6 inches and depth of one foot. In one stretch of the trench were the remains of stake• holes, which suggest the existence of a palisade preceding the hearth and horseshoe-shaped enclosure. It was not possible in the time available to explore the site further. It yielded no pottery or other dating evidence; samples of the hearth, however, were taken for paheo-magnetic tests. If this site is in fact prehistoric, it is important a-s the first indication of structure at High Rooks. Deal and District Mr. W. P. D. Stebbing reports as follows : At Woodnesborough on low ground the exposure of an old occupied area revealed a small quantity of late medieval pottery. Dr. J. P. Ogilvie of Ash has the material that was found. At Wingham a deep drainage trench for a new housing estate was carried almost up to the brick bounding-wall of the churchyard. At the liv REPORT, 1959 end of the trench a jwnbled mass of bones with several skulls waa dug into. I came to the conclusion that the bones had been the late medieval contents of graves turned out by the Sexton when the churchyard wa..q full and there was no ossuary. Dr. Ogilvie was to report on the skulls. With the early character of Whitfield Church, and with the traces of early foundations at and about the S.E. chancel arch of St. Leonard's, Deal, it should not be surprising to find early traces of structure in such a church as Sholden. Work by the architects concerning the organ led to an examination of the upper stages of the tower to which there had been no access for many years. This has now revealed that the characteristic of this plain early 13th-century tower has retained in its upper stages a section of cemented surface to resist weather. It is so unusual that I am driven to speculation. Following Whitfield, a late pre-Norman high-walled church, we have at Sholden possibly the remains of the west waU of a high-walled early church. There is also, as a.n added feature, inserted in this wall a small opening with slightly splayed jambs, flat re-used•impost blocks and lancet head of two stones. The wall is thin and backed on the east side by brickwork. LooAL ACTIVITIES Mrs. V. F. Desborough reports on the following activities arranged for the benefit of members living in the Tunbridge Wells area The Annual Outing for our local members proved very successful. The visit to West Malling Abbey (by kind permission of the Lady Abbess) was rendered particularly valuable by the guideship of Colonel Euan-Smith. Later in the afternoon, the members visited Nettlestead Church and Nettlestead Place, where Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Vinson gave us a warm welcome. Mr. V. R. Desborough, F.S.A., acted as guide. The weather was perfect and about 50 members turned up. Two talks were arranged during October in aid of Mr. Money's appeal for funds for the excavation work (reported on above) which he is undertaking at High Rocks. Miss Joan Harding and Mr. V. R. Desborough kindly gave their services as lecturers, and nearly £17 was raised for the appeal. F'INANOE A statement of income and expenditure for 1959, and a copy of the balance sheet as at 31st December, 1959, will be circulated with the notice convening the Annual General Meeting. It is satisfactory to be able to report that the Board of Inland Revenue have finally accepted the decision of the Special Commissioners of Income Tax that the Society is entitled to recover the income tax on subscriptions paid under seven-year covenants. This means that the value to the Society of a £1 subscription paid under such a covenant (at the current rate of income t-ax) is £1 12s, 9d., and Oouncil earnestly hopes that every member who is in a position to do so will enter into a seven-year covenant, and thereby subst,a, nltially benefit the Soc-iety. Council takes this opportunity of drawing the attention of members to the financial position of the Society. The subscription was originally fixed at 10s. in 1857, when printing costs were low, paper was cheap, unskilled labour for archreological excavation cost little and postage was one penny. In 1949 the subscription was increased to £1. There has been no subsequent increase, in spite of the fact that ahnost everything that lv REPORT, 1969 affects the Society's work costs more now than it did ten years a.go. Moreover, the more active the Society becomes the more its expenses are bound to increase. So far the position has been met partly by drawing on reserves, partly by an annual grant made by the enlightened Local Education Authority, and partly .by generous donations and legacies. But although the difficulties of finance have so fa.r been surmounted, Council is conscious of the fact that sooner or later it may be necessary to ask the members to give serious consideration to the Society's financial situation. As in previo'!-18 years, Council appeals : (1) for generous support of the Archaeologia Cantiana Fund and the Records Publication Fund ; (2) for members who do not find it convenient to use Banker's Orders to pay their subscriptions promptly to the Collector, Mr. C. W. Hopper, 14 Nunnery Road, Canterbury. By Order of the Council, FRANK W. JESSUP, 19th January, 1960. Honorary General Secretary. Council is anxious to build up a permanent photographic record of past members of the Society who were particularly distinguished as antiquaries and who contributed to Arohat0logia Oantiana. If any members have suitable photographs which they would be willing . to donate for this purpose would they kindly send them to : RoBERT H. GoonsALL, Stede Hill, Harrietsbam, near Maidstone, Kent. lvi