Notes from the Archive: Mr Leland L. Duncan F.S.A. and The Rev. Frederic John Hammond

Mr Leland L. Duncan F.S.A. and The Rev. Frederic John Hammond

The Kent Archaeological Society has a Library Archive where the papers of former members have been deposited over the years for safe-keeping. The Honorary Librarian, Professor Panton, has instigated a survey of the archive in order to gain a more detailed understanding of the holdings.
The first box to be surveyed contains, among other things, the research notes of Leland Lewis Duncan, M.V.O., C.B.E., F.S.A. a well-known Lewisham based antiquarian and author. He was born on the 24th of August 1862 and died on the 26th of December 1923. He combined a career in the War Office with a passion for history and archaeology, especially the study of Kent, and he produced a large number of well received publications.
One group of papers relates to a book Leland L. Duncan never completed. Its topic would have been the history of the Parish of AllHallows, Hoo near Rochester. The papers include a sketch for the content of a book on the Parish of AllHallows and a draft for a first chapter. A quantity of notes and transcripts for the proposed work are also preserved. Among the papers are a number of letters from a friend of Leland L. Duncan, which open a window on his social life and on a friendship that provided a background for these antiquarian activities.
The letters are from The Rev. Frederic John Hammond, the vicar of AllHallows between 1900 and 1927. The correspondence dates from 1905 to around 1915 and relates to researches into the history of AllHallows, Hoo. The Rev. Hammond was born in Aylesford and educated at Merchant Taylors' School and Kings College London. He was an author in his own right and published several books, among them “A Country Parson” and “The Starvelings”.
The letters show him seeking out and copying registers for Leland Duncan as well as giving a glimpse of his life. In April 1905 he is busily at work:

“My Dear Duncan
I am sending you the remainder of the Baptisms. Unfortunately I ran right out of Foolscap and so had to crowd the last two pages and write on the back of one – I am going to Rochester on Monday and will get in some more and then start on the marriages…
The Rev. Hammond found the Churchwarden’s accounts and the Overseers’ accounts for the Church, which contain entries dating back to 1555. He made sure these were well cared for and communicated his activities to Leland L. Duncan. The letters contain references to the restorations of AllHallows church in 1897 and the early 1900s. The restoration project was a source of worry and pride for the Rev. Hammond. He frequently consulted Leland L. Duncan during these works.
A number of photographs of the Church from 1898 are included in a letter showing both outside and inside views of the church as it was then. He also sent sketches of masonry, rubbings of inscriptions and reports on the activities surrounding the restoration. Evidence of his enthusiasm is also to be found in the Medway Archives and Local Studies Centre where they have a fragile photo album compiled by him recording the fabric of the church.
Leland L. Duncan died in 1923, without completing the planned book on AllHallows Parish. The Rev. Hammond subsequently went on to write “The Church of an Outpost Parish: AllHallows, Hoo, Kent” (London, 1928). It was a more modest work than the one they had intended. He dedicated it to “the Memory of Leland L. Duncan and wrote in the preface how they had worked together for 21 years on the project. The review in Archaeologia Cantiana (Vol. XLII, 1930) was not overflowing with enthusiasm although the Rev. Hammond was praised for rescuing the Church Accounts. However, it was the product of a long-standing friendship and communicates his enthusiasm and love for his Parish. The Rev. Hammond’s letters are now a source for the antiquarian activities of that period, especially those of Leland L. Duncan, and records the distinct voice of a dedicated amateur who did his best to look after the heritage of his Parish.

Top: All Hallows about 1898.
Bottom: Interior before restoration.