KAS Newsletter, Issue 51, Winter 2001/2002

Kent Archaeological Society Newsletter, No. 51. Winter 2001/2002 The world’s oldest iron-framed building in danger image The docks looking from the mouth of the Medway in an easterly direction. In the foreground to the right can be seen the Grade 1 Boat Store (in front of the Dockyard House The yellow-roofed warehouses). To the left is the Napoleonic Garrison fort. The world’s oldest iron-framed building, hidden from public view for decades, is in danger of collapsing through neglect, according to a local authority conservation officer. The 150-year-old boat store in Sheerness Docks is the only surviving forerunner of the modern skyscraper and is so important it was made a scheduled ancient monument many years ago. Despite this, its condition has continued to deteriorate along with up to 50 other listed buildings in the docks. Now legal action is being taken to force Medway Ports to stop the rot before it is too late. Conservation officer for Swale Council Peter Bell said: “They are going for profit and ignoring the duty of care they have towards these national treasures. That is morally reprehensible. “Many of the buildings are in a poor condition and in a deplorable state of deterioration. It depends on which experts you consult, but it has been said that the boat store is in imminent danger of collapse. I am not an engineer so I don’t know. We need a survey to reveal how serious the problem is before it is too late.” But, more importantly, Mr. Bell says it is now crucial that action be taken to stabilise the buildings by carrying out urgent repairs without further delay. “My fear is that any long-term solution will be expensive and take at least five years to implement. If the rot continues for that long, there won’t be any buildings left to save,” he said. Talks between Medway Ports, Swale Council and English Heritage have been going on for years in an attempt to resolve the problems surrounding the former Royal Navy buildings. Until now, the council has always shied away from taking legal action, but matters were brought to a head after councillors saw for themselves the effect time and weather is having on the fabric of these unique historic buildings. It is understood that, despite nearly 50 buildings giving cause for concern, Medway Ports is currently facing just three writs, all relating to a terrace of 15 houses in Regency Close. The first is an urgent repair notice; the second is a listed building repair notice and the third, a listed building enforcement notice. The decision was taken in a closed session of the planning committee and was supported unanimously by members. The move is unprecedented and has been described by one councillor as a “David and Goliath” battle. Mr Bell, said: “There is a massive outbreak of dry rot in these houses and this is extremely worrying. We cannot let this continue. Every window, every door and pretty much every piece of wood is affected.” The roof is also in a poor state of repair and water is leaking in causing damage throughout the structure. Work began in mid-November on repairing the terrace to comply with the urgent repair notice, with scaffolding and tarpaulin being erected to protect the structure from further damage. Dry rot treatment is also being carried out. The listed building repair notice is the next step, compelling Medway Ports to restore the houses to their original glory. The bill for this is likely to be many millions of pounds because every room and the entire outside needs work. However, Mr Bell said he has decided not to serve this until the future of the terrace was determined. “The right buyer could solve these problems without us needing to use statutory powers,” he said. Finally, the Enforcement notice has been issued because Medway Ports has replaced some window frames with softwood instead of oak hardwood used in the originals. This notice is to force them to do the job again to the correct standards. To underline its determination Swale Council has given Medway Ports four months in which to take the necessary steps or face further action. Mr Bell said: “I shall be talking to the harbour company in the hope that they will co-operate. We would rather do this by negotiation but I now have the power to force Medway Ports if they refuse.” Part of the problem is that little public pressure is brought to bear because most people are unaware that such an important collection of architectural masterpieces exists within Sheerness docks, because access has always been restricted. “While it was run by the Royal Navy no plans existed, the Ordnance Survey map just showed it as a white space. It is only in the past 20 or 30 years that experts gained access and realised the significance of the buildings. By then many of them had already been lost forever,” said Mr Bell. “I can see a situation where the remaining buildings are also lost, creating an outcry across the world but hardly a murmur on Sheppey.” Sittingbourne Cllr Bob Baxter, a member of the Council for Kentish Archaeology, is so worried about the situation he wrote to his Sheppey colleagues urging them to stop “being gentle” with the owners. He said: “We have taken on one of the big boys. But we have to demonstrate that we mean business. We must face up to our responsibilities to safeguard listed properties in the borough. If owners won’t keep them in good condition voluntarily, we must make them. I am very satisfied by this decision.” He hopes that continued bad publicity will force Medway Ports to take action rather than face a public court battle. He was supported by Brian Sinclair, of the Sheerness Society, who said: “We have already lost a lot of buildings and the rest are inaccessible to the public. “We have been dependent on the good offices of English Heritage and image Regency Terrace (subject of the enforcement notices) is in the centre foreground. Dockyard House is to the left. Slightly above and parallel is Naval Terrace and to its left is the burnt-out shell of the Dockyard Church. Swale Council to ensure that these buildings are saved for the nation. If this cannot be achieved amicably I support the proposal to get tough with Medway Ports before it is too late.” Various schemes have been discussed in the past, including dismantling the Boat Store and moving it to a site outside the docks. None have so far succeeded because of cost or problems with access. Medway Ports has already sold some buildings, including the Dockyard Church, which was recently gutted by fire. It now has another collection, including Dockyard House, Dockyard Cottage, The Stables, No 1 and 2 Main Gate, and the 15 houses in Regency Close, up for sale. Spokesman for Medway Ports Maria Clarke said: “We realise that people feel strongly about this issue and we have been seeking a long-term solution with English Heritage. The package we put up for sale is clustered in a non-operational area, however, there are a number of problems associated with selling them. Services, for instance, are tied in with the docks and access is obviously an issue.” It is understood however, that a firm offer to buy the properties is now under consideration. Mr Bell has emphasised that he is attempting to persuade the harbour authority to put together a plan to protect the remaining historic buildings in their ownership. John Hammond Welcome to your new style newsletter As the new editor, I would like to extend a very big ‘thank you’ to Larry and Susan Ilott who have worked so hard over the past few years to produce this publication; I now appreciate how time-consuming the task can be! Many thanks to both of you. Hopefully you will have noticed and enjoyed the new format. Please let me know what you think. We are extremely keen to hear your views. What would you like to see included? Perhaps you are running an event that would benefit from publicity to a wider audience? Could other KAS members’ knowledge help with your research? Do you have an interesting story or item to share? We hope the newsletter will include all of these, in addition to the usual excellent articles. Your suggestions, queries or contributions are invited! Lyn Palmer ~ Newsletter Editor & Information Officer LOST & FOUND: A First World War Good Luck Token During renovation of an old house in Tonbridge, Mr Keith Bristow discovered a medal or token wrapped in a piece of cloth and wedged between two exposed beams. The medal is 2.5cm in diameter. On one side is the regimental crest and motto of the Royal Fusiliers with below it 'Sportsman's Division' and the number 1242. Beside it is the coat of arms of the Cunliffe-Owen family. On the reverse, in a facsimile of handwriting, is the message 'from (?) Cunliffe-Owen (Christian name undeciphered but it appears to be an abbreviation) Oct. 1914. God guard you'. Research by Mr Simon Grieve at the Tower of London found that this medal was a good luck token donated by Mrs Cunliffe-Owen, a wealthy philanthropist. Little is known about the family but it appears that stirred by patriotic fever, Mrs Cunliffe-Owen presented these medals to the brave men who signed up for The 23rd Battalion The Royal Fusiliers, The Sportsman's Battalion. The reference on the medal to the 'Sportsman's Division' is her mistake. The recruiting centre was The Cecil Hotel in London, and it is thought that the number '1242' refers to the numerical position of the recruit on joining and not to the army number. The medal would have been provided with a blue and red ribbon to hang round the neck. Though these medals are not intrinsically valuable there are few in circulation and The Royal Fusiliers' Museum reports that it has only 'one or two'. In this case the good luck charm seems to have been effective and the soldier, whoever he was, returned safely, bringing his medal back to Tonbridge. Woad, Tattooing and the Archaeology of Rebellion As part of a series of occasional seminars, Dr Gilly Carr of the University of Kent, (seen recently in the Channel Four Real Wizards: the Search for Harry's Ancestors and also in next spring's The Real Boudica) gave a fascinating talk on the above theme. Dr Carr proposed that the 1st century BC to 5th century AD canoe-shaped 'cosmetic grinders' with bovine, duck and phallic-shaped terminal designs, such as those found at Colchester, were not for Roman use but were instead used for the preparation of woad for body painting by native Britons. She suggested that these tools were in fact symbols of resistance, with their existence in this country pre-dating the occupation, and their continuing use a stance against Romanisation. image The terminal designs perhaps relate to the binding agents used to apply woad; for example, the duck terminal indicating egg white or yolk, and the bovine terminal indicating a binding agent of beef dripping or milk. A call to the audience for volunteers to indulge in a little body painting after a practical demonstration of mixing woad was met with some reluctance after Dr Carr discussed the binding agents suggested by the phallic terminal designs! However, several 'guinea pigs' eventually offered themselves up. The range of colour produced by the different binding agents varied from a steely blue-grey (useful for creeping through the dawn or dusk unnoticed!) to a deep midnight blue. Other colours can be produced by woad; adding quicklime produces a green colour; rubbing the skin with the plant produces black. An infusion of the plant in hot water with the addition of an alkaline substance, such as ammonia or urine, produces a woad vat. The aim of a woad vat is to produce a reduction reaction, which would reduce the insoluble blue woad into a soluble white form, which would turn blue on exposure to air. If a person climbed into the vat, their immersed skin would turn blue in around three minutes after leaving the vat – surely perceived as a magical process? Dr Carr referred to some of the scenes on the famous Gundestrup cauldron as evidence for this; perhaps even the cauldron itself was a woad vat? A very entertaining seminar – perhaps the teenagers of today who tattoo themselves or paint themselves with henna should switch to woad in true rebellious British fashion! If any KAS members would like to receive information about future seminars run by the School of Classical & Archaeological Studies, please contact Dr Patty Baker, Cornwallis Building, UKC, Canterbury CT2 7NF, to be added to the mailing list. Below: possible woad colouring as depicted on the Gundestrup cauldron. LOCAL STUDIES PACK Local Studies Resources Pack The National Monuments Record (NMR), which is the public archive of English Heritage, has designed this offer especially for people interested in finding out more about their local area. Aerial photography provides a fascinating resource to anyone studying their local landscape. Of interest to historians and archaeologists alike, these photographs reveal a unique view of the history of your locality. Whether you are interested in medieval field systems, wartime defences or urban growth, aerial photography can play an important part in your research. Choose any site in England — it might be your street, your village or your town centre — and the NMR will provide three different aerial photographs for £15.00 including VAT. The photographs will be copied from the NMR's unrivalled collection of aerial photography, mostly black and white, vertical photographs taken between 1945 and 1975. In addition to the photographs they will supply information from heritage database on the archaeology and listed buildings in your area. The pack includes: 3 aerial photographs, laser copied onto A3 size paper An index of the listed buildings in your area Full listings for the archaeology in your area For further information contact: NMR Enquiry and Research Services Local Studies Resource Pack 2G Z Tel;01793 414600 Fax:01793 414606 Email:nm rinfo@english-heritage.org.uk ALLEN GROVE LOCAL HISTORY FUND £1,600 given in grants Last year the Fund made six grants totalling £1,600 to help work being done by groups and individuals. All but one of the grants were for research for books or for the costs of publication. The exception was one for a display on Faversham’s Hey Day 1530-1699 at the Faversham Society’s Fleur de Lis Heritage Centre. The authors who received grants were Mrs H. Allinson who is writing a history of Hollingbourne, and Mrs M. Lawrence who is writing one on St Michael’s Church, East Peckham. Gravesend Historical Society also received a grant for a book on the Roman Town at Springhead and Sevenoaks Historical Society was given one for a book on the history of religious belief in the Sevenoaks area which it is producing with assistance from other local groups. Mrs M .Scott’s grant was for recording and publishing the histories of houses in Leeds. Why not apply for one? Applications are invited for grants. The late Allen Grove left a legacy to the Kent Archaeological Society to establish this fund to be used for the purposes of research, preservation and enjoyment of local history. The trustees will consider applications for grants for any project with one or more of these purposes. Projects may be practical ones such as presentation, publication and education as well as research. Grants may be made to societies and groups as well as to individuals and are not restricted to members of the Kent Archaeological Society . They are usually around £200 to £400 each but the trustees would consider a larger grant for a particularly imaginative & innovative project which might not be able to proceed without the grant. Awards may not be announced until the summer or autumn of 2002. Applications must be submitted, on the official application form, by the 31st March 2002. Application forms and further information may be obtained from the Hon. Secretary: Mr A.I. Moffat or by email to secretary@kentarchaeology.org.uk. The Society has other grant programmes. Fieldwork grants may be obtained from the Fieldwork Committee and applications should be sent to its secretary David Bacchus. The Society’s Kent Local History Fund makes grants to assist with serious research leading to publication. They are only made to societies affiliated to the K.A.S. or the Kent History Federation and members of those societies or the K.A.S. Professional historians and postgraduate students are not eligible to apply. Application forms can be obtained from Miss E. Melling. TEBBUTT RESEARCH FUND This fund was established as a tribute to the life and work of the late CF. Tebbutt, OBE., ESA., and applications are invited, from individuals and groups, for grants towards research, including associated expenses, into any aspect of the Wealden Iron Industry. It is anticipated that approximately £100 plus will be available from the fund and any interested person should write a suitable letter of application giving details of themselves together with relevant information concerning the research envisaged. Applications should be sent to Sheila Broomfield not later than 31st March 2002 so that she can pass them to the Panel for consideration. DO YOU RECOGNISE THIS BUILDING? There is a huge collection of unprovenanced images held in the KAS collection. Please contact the editor BAA CONFERENCE British Archaeological Association Annual Conference 2002 Medieval Art, Architecture and Archaeology in Rochester Sat 27th July - Wed 31st July 2002 The BAA Conference for the year 2002 will be concerned with the art, architecture and archaeology of Rochester Cathedral and Priory and the surrounding buildings like the great castle keep. It is exactly one hundred years since Sir William St John Hope published his great study of the cathedral and priory, and it is now time to reassess his work. Rochester Cathedral, though very close to London, is one of the least visited cathedrals in England, but there is much to see for the Association. Visits are also planned to Cobham Hall, Maidstone, West Malling and Stone Church. Those wishing to offer papers for presentation at the conference should write, giving a short resume and an idea of length, to Tim Tatton-Brown, Conference Convener. The Conference welcomes professional and amateur enthusiasts equally. Members of the Association will receive a booking form with their copy of the journal early in 2002. Non-members who wish to attend should send a stamped, addressed envelope to Robert Gwynne, Conference Secretary, as soon as possible, in order to receive further details and a booking form. Any other queries should be referred to Anna Eavis, Conference Organiser. Important addresses: Conference Organiser: Anna Eavis, NMRC READING Robert Gwynne, 44 Montagu Mansions, London W1H 1LD COMMUNITY AND DISUNITY IN KENT; 4 lectures on Kent and the English Civil Wars 1640-1649 by Dr Jacqueline Eales. Dr Eales will be a contributor of one of the articles in the new series ‘Ideas and Ideals’, the first of which is featured on pages 8& 9. Published by Keith Dickson Books at £5.99 (inc p& p) Keith Dickson Books Unit 9, The Shipyard Upper Brents Faversham Kent ME13 7DZ BAA MEETINGS PROGRAMME OF MEETINGS 2001-2002 Meetings are held at 5.00 pm in the rooms of the Society of Antiquaries of London, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London WIV OHS. Non-members are welcome to attend occasional lectures but are asked to make themselves known to the Hon. Director on arrival and sign the visitors’ book. 6 February 2002 ‘English Castles as Pleasure Palaces in the 13th and 14th centuries’ by Jeremy Ashbee 6 March 2002 ‘Anglo-Scottish Border Churches 12901690: fortification, security and defence by Dr Christopher Brooke 3 April 2002 ‘The ground plan of the English Romanesque Church by Dr Richard Plant 1 May 2002 Millennium Review Lecture Series - 8 ‘Monumental Brasses from the 13th to the 20th century: new directions since Kent and Emmerson’ by Sally Badham The lecture will be followed by the President’s Reception LETTERS Dear Editor, For a considerable time, when on my frequent visits to churches in both dioceses, I have become worried about the neglected condition of most of the benefactions boards, usually moldering beneath towers. These boards are vital records of parochial history. One would hope that, before their details disappear, records are kept. Ideally, they should be considered as important as hatchments, and conserved. Grants are available for conservation and parishes should take advantage of these. Perhaps the Churches Committee of Kent Archaeological Society could inaugurate a Benefactions Boards Recording Group. For your interest I originally joined KAS in 1942. Yours sincerely John Physick NOTICE BOARD RECRUITMENT OF NEW MEMBERS The Society attracts about one hundred new members each year but this number could be increased. A new membership information leaflet has recently been produced, emphasizing the advantages of membership, to aid the recruitment of new members. A copy of the leaflet is enclosed with this Newsletter and I appeal to every member to use it to recruit a new member to the Society. Completed application forms should be sent to the Hon. Membership Secretary, Mrs Sheila Broomfield, 8 Woodview Crescent, Hildenborough, Tonbridge, Kent TN11 8HD. Additional leaflets may also be obtained from the Hon. Membership Secretary. Paul Oldham, President CHRISTMAS LUNCH 2001 The lunch was held, as in previous years, at the Hop Farm, Paddock Wood, where 60 members enjoyed a truly festive meal. They were entertained most professionally by a group from the Oast Theatre, Tonbridge. The afternoon was spent at Preston Hall, Aylesford, not normally open to the public, guided by our member Jim Sephton who has researched and published the history of the Hall. ROMAN VILLA ABBEY FARM In September, the K.A.S. in association with the Thanet Archaeology Society, held its season of excavation on this complex and important Roman site. Thirty one people attended the dig, plus members of the Dover Archaeology Group and the Thanet Society. During the two week project the following was accomplished: i) Foundations of the boundary wall at the the north-west corner of the villa enclosure were located and planned. ii) A final question regarding the villa structure had been posed, was there an apsidal extension at the southern end of the eastern wing? Answer, no. iii) How big was building 4? We now have the complete plan, but no idea what the building was. iv) A very full resistivity survey was carried out, this revealing the presence of building 5 and a possible 6. The survey will be most useful, as its results will give an insight into the scale of the remains in this large and important villa complex. The Canterbury Archaeological Trust has generously supported the project for all five seasons. This support has been most appreciated. For enquiries regarding the Abbey Farm site, please contact David Bacchus. FOR SALE A set of Archaeologia Cantiana (122 volumes) plus index is being offered for sale. The purchase price is £600. Please contact the Editor for further details. PADUA If any member is planning to visit Italy, including a visit to Padua, would they please contact Margaret Lawrence? Margaret has an historical enquiry which she would like investigated in this beautiful old town. Tel: 01622 871 945 MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY Since taking over as membership secretary I have been actively amalgamating the databases that were previously used to manage communicating with members and keeping the membership records. Can you please check that this newsletter was addressed correctly and, if not, please let me know. If you did not receive the previous newsletter — (Autumn 2001 No 50) please let me know as there has been a slight problem in producing the address labels for that issue and some members may have missed out — apologies for this. You will find enclosed a membership renewal form — please return this to me with your cheque if you do not pay by standing order. Anything concerning membership should be sent to me — Mrs Sheila Broomfield AUGUSTINE AND THE CONVERSION There was another compelling reason behind the English mission. Those parts of the British isles dominated by Celtic tribes - and they were still the majority - were already converted, but to a brand of Christianity not always welcome to Rome. The zeal of their missionaries had disseminated a fiercely independent and austere version of the faith. In intellectual terms the Celts were a still powerful force: Gregory himself had corresponded with the redoubtable Columbanus. Militarily, however, face to face with the Saxons, they increasingly faced defeat. The Anglo-Saxons kingdoms were militaristic societies, welded (and riven) by blood-feud and battle: ‘ferrocissimi Saxones’ Gildas had called them. Gregory’s missionaries were going to an island where competing pagan kingdoms had been honing their fighting skills for a hundred and fifty years. Among these kingdoms a supreme ruler, a brytenwealda, had come to be recognised; and at this juncture, in 597, the brytenwealda was Ethelbert of Kent. Ethelbert’s political marriage with Bertha had been an astute move, securing him control of the English Channel. The price for it was Bertha’s freedom to practise her Christian faith (in St Martin’s, Canterbury) under the guidance of her Frankish chaplain. Ethelbert, though remaining a pagan, must have become familiar with Christianity. But he still kept a safe distance from the missionaries when they arrived, wary of their magic. To someone like Ethelbert, who traced his descent from Woden, the god of war, Augustine’s teachings were in starkest contrast to all his previous beliefs. One Jesus, a Jewish teacher and healer, was believed to be God incarnate. He had died on a cross, had been raised from the dead, and he offered a heaven to those who would follow him. A universal society, the church, was the guardian of these truths which were to govern the conduct of men and nations. What, then, did this new religion have to offer Ethelbert (or any other pagan ruler)? Firstly, an all-powerful deity: no challenges from other gods. Secondly, the backing of a powerful spiritual centre, Rome, with its growing network of monasteries stretching across Europe. Thirdly, the immeasurable bonus of literacy and the written codes of laws that would legitimise and protect your rights. Of course none of this was obvious on that spring day in Thanet. But forty monks in their home-spun habits would still have made an awesome impression, likewise the classical language of their ritual, with its ancient resonances. (Bede was perhaps the first person who recommended that prayer should be translated into the vernacular so the whole congregation would learn how to be ’full of faith’). Lastly, it was that very faith, as opposed to the superstitions of paganism - love as opposed to fear - which was the revolutionary message of the new religion. And it won Ethelbert over. The next step for Augustine was the setting up of an episcopal framework. Gregory’s vision was of an English church in which monk-bishops would be the pillars that supported the over-arching structure with two archbishoprics, York and Canterbury, at its apex. After Augustine was installed in Canterbury and Justus in Rochester (and more missionaries, among them Paulinus, had arrived from Rome), the conversion pushed northwards, making the most of Ethelbert’s influence which at that point stretched up to the Humber. It seems that here the problem of the Celtic tribes arose: their areas bordered the western edges of the Kentish bryten - wealda. Gregory and Augustine had discussed the Celtic question. Augustine had sent Gregory lists of questions as unexpected contingencies arose, and Gregory replied with unfailing wisdom and humanity. Wherever possible, the mission was to accommodate existing practices. Pagan temples? - purify them and continue using them, he wrote: try not to alienate the local population. Except the Celtic bishops. ‘All the bishops of Britain,’ Gregory directed, ‘we commit to your charge.’ There was to be one ecclesiastical overlord in Britain - Augustine. And Augustine, in a (calculated?) snub, failed to stand when he met the Celtic bishops. Bede makes a vivid story out of this and again, whatever the embroidery over the 130-year gap, one senses its kernel of truth. Unlike Kentish idol-worshippers, Celtic Christians were not to be placated. It was a question, in modern parlance, of line management. Power in the Celtic church lay with its abbots to whom the bishops played a secondary role. Monasteries were independent units, and though each looked to the Pope as the ultimate authority no archbishop was considered necessary to interpret that authority. Differences of detail between the two churches’ style of tonsure, eucharistic ritual, the dating of Easter, the rival Gospel sources of their traditions figured largely at different times, but these were outward symbols of a struggle that was at root political. The progress of the conversion followed the shifting of kingly supremacy, first from Ethelbert of Kent to Raedwald of East Anglia, then north to the Northumbrians. Again we have another Bedean set piece, the marvellous scene where Edwin of Northumbria consults his witan. But Edwin had married the Kentish Ethelbert’s daughter: Paulinus’ mission was virtually a foregone conclusion. What probably none of the missionaries bargained for (and they were the second generation now) was that when their backs were turned the old gods would creep back. Raedwald put up a temple next to his altar, Mellitus was chased out of his new church of St Paul’s in London and in Kent Ethelbert’s son reverted to paganism (his grandson was to return to Christianity). To compound matters the frontiers of Christianity were being extended - but by Celtic missionaries. By the middle of the seventh century Aidan and Cedd’s mission from Iona, via Lindisfarne, had brought Celtic Christianity as far south as the Thames. It was a moment of crisis for the Roman church. The initial conversions had been of the top people - kings and their advisers and courtiers. The next generation of rulers, and possibly people lower down the social scale, had rebelled. Only Celtic Christianity, with its directly pastoral approach, was holding its own. The synod of Whitby, called in 664, was a response to this crisis. Ostensibly (according to Bede) it was summoned to iron out problems at the Northumbrian court where king Oswy and his wife wanted guidance over when to celebrate Easter - on his Celtic date (he had been brought up in Iona) or her Roman one. Oswy’s brother Oswald had married the daughter of the Wessex king, thereby bringing Celtic Christianity to the West Saxons: Oswy didn’t need a map to see how the balance of (Christian) power lay. Was he hoping, nonetheless, for a Roman victory, was it accident (as Bede has it) that put Wilfrid forward as the main defender of the Roman cause while the Scottish Colman, of Lindisfarne, defended the Celtic? Colman needed an interpreter, while Wilfrid combined the adversarial skills of a barrister with the style of the Northumbrian aristocracy he’d been born into, and in his convictions he was ‘continental’ to his fingertips. When Oswy came down on the side of St Peter (Rome), the future shape of the church in England was sealed. Fault-lines from the pre-Whitby era were, for the moment, buried - though they would surface repeatedly throughout English history. With the mission to the South Saxons twenty years later (again, Wilfrid’s work) the conversion of the English was complete. Fate now placed Theodore of Tarsus, St Paul’s own city, in Canterbury, in 669 (he was the third choice for the archbishopric). Theodore brought all the skills and wisdom he had acquired in Byzantium to strengthen the English Church. Eastern Christianity had many similarities with Celtic; some of the practices Theodore introduced (like private confession) were common to both. He was a man of enlightened, organising genius and, even at the age of sixty-six, huge energy. He toured the country, creating new dioceses and appointing new bishops (there were three when he began, fifteen when he died twenty years later) At the synod of Hertford, the first attended by all bishops, his canons set up a unified structure for the whole church which was later complemented when he prescribed detailed rules of conduct for religious houses in his Penitentials. (In one of the latter he recommended that judgment of those accused of capital offences against monks and clerics should fall to bishops, a legal point whose later variants would tear church and monarchy apart - but that was in the future; at this stage king and primate lived for the most part in happy symbiosis, each benefiting from the other’s strength.) Theodore’s achievement, mirrored by the mission of his northern contemporary, Cuthbert, who combined Roman allegiance with Celtic practices, was the catalyst for a unique cultural flowering which followed. It was not an accident that Kent was in its vanguard: lucrative trading links and exposure to continental cultural influences made it far and away the richest kingdom. The school Theodore founded at Christ Church Canterbury became the cultural pacesetter for the whole country. It had a uniquely broad curriculum which included classical studies, Roman law, maths and music. Other foundations followed. At Wearmouth and Jarrow Benedict Biscop built up the library which Bede later used. The outstanding relic of this time, the Lindisfarne Gospels, bears witness to the rich cross-cultural flowering of this golden age. But such relics are rare: the ‘golden age’ lasted barely a century. The background to it was the ever-shifting military balance of power - Northumbria to Mercia, Mercia to Wessex. The Church might have achieved a measure of unity, but at a political level the country was still a patchwork of warring kingdoms which was one of the reasons among many for the Viking raids that began at the end of the eighth century. It was no coincidence that the first major raid was on Lindisfarne. The monasteries were honeypots to the marauders. Kent, with its wealthy abbeys at Reculver, Minster and Canterbury and its accessibility (the sea-frontier was suddenly a hazard) was an obvious target; the Danish armies also found Thanet and Sheppey convenient wintering quarters. Canterbury was sacked twice during the ninth century (once by Mercia), and again at the beginning of the eleventh when the archbishop, Aeltheah (St Alphege) was captured and murdered and the raiding army had to be paid off with 48,000 pounds of silver. According to the Anglo Saxon Chronicle, all Canterbury’s churchmen and women were seized ‘and no one can say how great a part of the inhabitants that was.’ The effect on church life was devastating. The careful structures that had been so painstakingly built up completely cracked. Demoralisation in the monasteries showed in the gradual dispersal of monastic lands, while the destruction of buildings and libraries virtually eradicated the centres of learning. This is the sad end of the first phase of the christianising of England. Regeneration was to come, with the tenth century revival of monastic life. And we, with hindsight, know that the radical notions that erupted in Kent in 597 were to shape lives and institutions, and be continuing elements in our national consciousness, up to the present day. But contemporaries who prayed for delivery from the fury of the Norsemen had only their faith to sustain them. One example of such faith can be seen in the gift of an eighth-century gospel book, the illuminated Codex Aureus, donated to Christ Church Canterbury some hundred years later by certain ealdorman Alfred and his wife Werburg. They had bought the Codex back from one of the Viking armies (who had stolen it or been paid off with it) ‘because we were not willing that these holy books should remain any longer in heathen hands’, says their dedication in Old English; and they’d given it to Christ Church. How much did it cost, one wonders, how did they negotiate the deal? In these details, which we will never know, lie all the realities of life two centuries before the Conquest. The details we do know, however, tell us that it was thanks to the Alfreds and the Werburgs - as well as the Wilfrids and the Cuthberts and the Theodores - that Gregory I’s high enterprise, in spite of all vicissitudes, succeeded. Anglo-Saxon Chronicle transland edit. G.N. Garmonsway, Everyman 1953 Bede Ecclesiastical History of the English People Penguin Classics 1990 Peter Berresford Ellis Celt and Saxon, the Struggle for Britain Constable 1993 Simon Coates, The Role of Bishops in the early Anglo Saxon Church History, April 1996 Richard Eales & Richard Gameson Vikings, Monks and the Millennium Canterbury Archeological Society 2000 Richard Gem (editor) St Augustine’s Abbey Canterbury English Heritage 1997 R.H. Hodgkin A History of the Anglo-Saxons Oxford 1935 Eric John, Reassessing Anglo-Saxon England, Manchester University Press, 1996 C.H. Lawrence, Medieval Monasticism, Longman, 3rd edition, 2001 F.M. Stenton, Anglo-Saxon England, Oxford, 1943 Liz Nussbaum LIBRARY & BOOKS ADDITIONS TO KAS LIBRARY HATTATT, Richard Ancient and Romano-British Brooches, illus., diagrs. Dorset Publishing Company, 1982. 09021 29392. Well illustrated with numerous examples and a good descriptive text. A valuable guide to identification and preservation. One of several volumes and pamphlets presented to the Library by Albert Daniels. HARRINGTON, Duncan Kent Hearth Tax British Record Society with Kent Archaeological Society, 2000. 0901505 439 Vol. XXIX in the Kent Records Series. NEWMAN, Richard Historical Archaeology of Britain c.1540-1900. Illus., maps, diagrs. Sutton Publishing, 2001. 07509 13355. Clear overview of past medieval archaeology in England, Wales, and Scotland. Well illustrated with an extensive bibliography. COLLIS, John Digging up the past: an introduction to archaeological excavation Illus., diagrs., bibliog. Sutton Publishing, 2001. 07509 27372. Concise and well illustrated, this introduction to excavation techniques is aimed at professionals and amateurs alike. It contains detailed accounts of site preparation procedures and has a whole chapter on the treatment of burials and skeletal remains. BLACK, Shirley Burgoyne A scholar and a gentleman: Edward Hasted, the historian of Kent. Front. port, plates, bibliog. Otford: Darenth Valley Publications, 2001. 0950 7334 A substantial work by a noted Kent scholar. This lively and informative book is the first full biography of Kent’s major historian. Well illustrated, with a good index, it is essential background to what is arguably one of the best county histories ever written. DE LA BEDOYERE, Guy The Buildings of Roman Britain, Illus., plates, diagrs., bibliog. Stroud: Tempus Publishing, 2001. 07524 19064. First published in 1991, this useful work recreates the appearance of Roman Britain by careful reconstructions of the buildings as they appear from excavated ground plans. A wide range of building types are covered, as well as roads, drains, aqueducts, and lighthouses. There is much of Kent interest in the text. FLETCHER, Sir Bannister A history of architecture on the comparative method. Illus., maps, plates, diagrs., bibliog. London: Architectural Press, 20th edition, 2000. 07506 2267 This monumental work, added to the Library in the latest edition, has been in print since 1896. A tour de force, it uses a comparative method to trace the history of architecture, from the earliest times until the present day. The scope is worldwide, but every facet of the work is of use to the historian, archaeologist, and scholar. The chapters dealing with the development of architecture in Europe from Prehistoric times until the Renaissance period are likely to be of special value to members of the Society. The plates, diagrams, and text are superbly detailed, as is the bibliography for this very new edition. A valuable source of reference for any study involved with the way buildings have been designed and constructed. LEAVES FROM LIBRARY LOG Foreign Journals Some members may not be aware that the Library receives, by a simple process of free exchange with ourselves, a quantity of journals and yearbooks from several European learned bodies and societies which have similar interests to our own. Although some of these publications are in languages which might be a barrier to some members, e.g., Flemish, Danish, others are offered in more accessible languages, and some contain articles in English, either as a full text, or as an abstract. Often produced from generously funded bases, these journals are lavishly illustrated, and if language is a problem, the illustrative matter alone repays scrutiny. Also, archaeological research in Belgium, Holland, and in Scandinavia has much in common with our own activities. A good example is the proceedings of the National Service for Archaeological Heritage in the Netherlands. Printed in English, it contains several fascinating papers, profusely illustrated and with many maps and diagrams. An accompanying folder contains further maps and plans. Interested members will find it worthwhile to browse amongst these exchanged items. They do, however, present problems of accommodation, which is always at a premium in our Library, and the question is raised, should we maintain permanent files of foreign journals, or should we regard them as expendable, perhaps retaining only issues over the last two or three years? The Hon. Librarian would like to hear opinions from members and to know how useful they have found these journals to be in their own work and fields of interest. Gordon Ward Collections The Society is fortunate in having at its disposal the considerable collections of Kent ephemera collected in the early years of the last century by Dr. Gordon Ward. For many years this collection has been housed in a series of place-labelled folders, which in turn, were kept in office filing cabinets. Volunteers are now examining these folders, listing contents, putting repairs and conservation in hand, and generally making the whole collection more accessible to researchers. As with any paper-based archival material, the less physical handling material receives, the greater the opportunities for conservation. With this in mind, we intend to list the whole contents, by place name, on a database in the Library; so that intending users can know immediately if any place file is likely to contain the information that they need without physical perusal taking place. It may also be possible to print out the contents of the collection so that it can be used as a guide and a source by those who cannot use the library without traveling long distances. The final plan is to house all of the contents in acid-free boxes and folders, with a clear labeling and guiding system. A significant new acquisition The Library continually updates its stock, adding many items which are likely to be of use to current and future generations of members, and there are opportunities to acquire personal collections of significant value. The Hon. Librarian has recently been able to purchase, from a private individual, a number of books about Kent which were not hitherto part of our stock. The same individual was also willing to part with a collection of about 40 folders, each of which contained a quantity of guides to churches, castles, monuments, museums, and transportation systems throughout the county. The period covered ranges over about 50 years up to the current time. This fortunate acquisition reminds us that many such items are discarded once a visit, or a holiday is over, or personal papers are being weeded out, perhaps during probate or similar. The Hon. Librarian is always pleased to receive any items about Kent and, given the vast proliferation of guides and pamphlets, personal gifts are often the first time that we can be aware of their existence. When one considers the informative value of many pamphlets that the Society so acquired in the early years of its existence, then one may more easily understand how relevant it is to continue with this process in the present. JOURNEY TO MEDIEVAL CANTERBURY The Society’s President and members of the Education Committee were present recently at the well-attended launch of the above publication. It is the second in a series planned by the Canterbury Archaeological Trust through its Education Service. Members will recall the successful first booklet which dealt similarly with Roman Canterbury. Medieval Canterbury has been written by Andy Harmsworth with contributions from Marion Green and others within the Trust. It is designed primarily for young readers, but readers of all ages will find it of real interest. LEAFLETS The cover price is £4.95, but once again a discount of 10% (to £4.45) has been agreed for single copies ordered by KAS members. Orders, with payment, should be sent to Ruth Walder, Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 92a Broad Street, Canterbury CT1 2LU (email ruth-walder@canterburytrust.co.uk). You will find enclosed a set of three leaflets on The Story of Fortifications Through the Ages; these are produced by the Historic Fortifications Network, a collaboration between 17 towns in Kent, Nord-Pas de Calais, and West Flanders, linked by history, origin, and evolution. KCC have kindly given us copies to distribute to KAS members. Launching this month is a new book by KAS member Victor Smith, a known authority on fortifications. ‘Front-line Kent’ is a well-illustrated history and guide to Kent’s fortifications from 1400 to the Cold War. The book will be available from KCC at a price of around £7. Please contact Judith Roberts, Environmental Management Unit, 2nd Floor, Invicta House, Maidstone ME14 1XX email: Judith.Roberts@kcc.gov.uk THE KAS EXCURSION TO DERBYSHIRE: PEAKS, DALES AND STATELY HOMES - JUNE 17-21, 2002 For the first time, we are experimenting with a five-day, instead of a week-long excursion, thus leaving valuable summer weekends free. Members and friends who have not joined us on previous holidays will be warmly welcomed on this five-day tour, which will have pick-up points throughout Kent. Total cost is £255 per person, half board (including entrance fees to Chatsworth and to Lyme Park). Modest single room supplement. Our hotel is the Ringwood Hall in Brimington, near Chesterfield. The splendour of a fine Georgian Manor House is reflected in the sensitive refurbishment of this hotel. It is set in 29 acres of parkland and gardens, and has 31 individual and traditionally decorated bedrooms, all with en-suite bathrooms. image Each day we will travel through the scenic splendour of the Peak District National Park which, with its pastoral landscapes, sparkling rivers, and deep dales, forms the backdrop of this tour. Amongst other sites, we will visit: CHATSWORTH, “a mansion fit to satisfy a king”, built in the seventeenth century for the first Duke of Devonshire, with grounds landscaped by Capability Brown. HARDWICK HALL (NT), built by the notorious Bess of Hardwick during the reign of Elizabeth I, described as “more glass than wall” and “like a huge glass lantern”. LYME PARK, a magnificent mansion with grounds of over 1,400 acres and beautiful views towards the Pennines. En route we pass through Glossop, with its Victorian mills. MATLOCK BATH, another spa town and Victorian resort, set in a narrow valley near the grandiosely named Heights of Abraham, which can be ascended by cable car. KEDLESTON HALL, a fine Palladian mansion. CRICH, where we will have the option of visiting the open-air tramway museum to ride on vintage trams. image SOCIETY EXCURSION SOCIETY Hardwick Hall CHESTERFIELD, with its parish church famous for its crooked spire, and its busy market. BUXTON, the former spa and highest town in England, which has fine examples of Georgian architecture, and some lovely public gardens. For further information contact Joy Saynor, Excursions Secretary at Friars, Shoreham, Sevenoaks, Kent TN14 7TD or telephone 01959 Brown. Chatsworth Local History Week 522713 Conference Centre, Greycoat Street London SW1, organised by the Society of Genealogists, 0207 553 3290 Email: The Historical Association is bringing together a wide range of national and local organisations throughout Britain to celebrate a week of exciting local history events and activities on 4th -12th May 2002. Are you taking part or organising an event? Let us know what will be happening around Kent! 11th May - Local History Week Keynote Event – A Celebration of Local History, at Beveridge Hall, London to include speakers from a huge range of organisations discussing current issues in local history and behind-the-scenes views of fascinating local projects. For more information contact Debra Birch, Institute of Historical Research. Fax: 0207 862 8745 Email: d.birch@sas.ac.uk. The Association are also running some special events earlier in the year: 23rd February - Education conference at the Public Record Office, focusing on the use of historical sources 27th April - Education lecture by Michael Riley Full details of these available on their website www.history.org.uk or 0207 735 3901 Email: enquiry@history.org.uk Also of interest: 4th & 5th May ~ Family History Fair 10am -5pm at the RHS, New Hall & events@sog.org.uk LIVING IN KENT Another addition to our local history information sourcing has been made available on a CD called LIVING IN KENT. image Introduced by Tony Robinson, of Channel Four’s ‘Time Team’, it is packed with more than 600 interactive narratives and has a wealth of images, games, activities, ‘living history’ presentations, and rare archive film footage. It also has details of how to find museums, archives, historic sites, and other organisations. Available from your local library, museum, and selected schools or by contacting: LIVING IN KENT CD-ROM, Cultural Development, Arts & Libraries, Springfield, Maidstone, Kent ME14 2LH Tel: 01622 221379 Email: interactivehistory@kent.gov.uk YAC grows in 2001 A grisly history of the Tower of London before trying on some of the (smaller!) armour from there. We were privileged to be given a ‘behind the scenes’ tour at the Natural History Museum by Andy Currant; the image BACK PAGE PEOPLE If the good folk of Kent’s past had been blessed with foresight, I wonder how they would have viewed some of the events of AD 2001? Would it ever have occurred to them that some of their commonplace activities would provide our children with archaeological activities? In March 2000, the inaugural meeting of the North Downs Young Archaeologists' Club took place. The leaders, usually a configuration of Susie Lee, Lyn Palmer, Janet Donald, and Kate Kersey, were slightly uncertain just how many children would turn up. Worries vanished as children came in eagerly, keen to join (and even more keen to dispose of parents). We even had a couple of parents attend whose children were unable to come that day but who were desperate to register their interest! Attendance figures at subsequent activities have banished any lingering queries as to whether there really is a surge of interest in archaeology by youngsters. For some, the initial spark is generated by television programs such as Time Team and Meet the Ancestors. Others are inspired by work encountered through the National Curriculum. What is obvious though, is that the interest is genuine and, providing it is treated properly and respected, should be life-long. North Downs YAC is organised under the umbrella of the Council for British Archaeology but with as much local input as possible. We have around 25 children attend meetings, aged between 9 and 16. Meetings are usually held on Saturday mornings, roughly once a month, and our ‘base’ is at Maidstone Museum. All children have to be members of the national YAC before they join our local branch. We conform to the CBA’s regulations for YAC and to designated safety codes and have fully qualified First Aiders within the leadership team. Archaeology is a diverse term, and YAC acknowledges this by encompassing many activities. Although it is not always possible to provide excavation experience (top of the children's wish-list!), we do try to provide practical ‘hands-on’ activities. Copy deadlines for the next three issues are: April issue – Monday March 4th, July issue – Monday June 3rd, October issue – Monday September 2nd. Submission of inclusions by email would be much appreciated if possible. The editor wishes to draw attention to the fact that neither she nor the Council of the KAS are answerable for opinions which contributors may express in their signed articles; each author is alone responsible for the contents and substance of their work. EDITOR: LYN PALMER We have experienced the joys of field-walking and glorious mud at Thurnham as we have become friends with the KCC archaeologists involved in the development of the new White Horse Wood Country Park. We then washed our finds and discussed the lives of our Thurnham ancestors, whose relics spanned at least 5000 years; from a Neolithic polished axe to modern ploughshares, the children were fascinated by them all. On National Archaeology Day in July, we celebrated in costume in Medieval manner at Thurnham’s motte & bailey castle. One of our most outstanding and enjoyable events was the resistivity survey at Otford Palace, where the children were able to reveal the presence of a further range of buildings through ‘geophys’, electronic trickery, and computer imagery. They also learnt to use a theodolite and produce digital images of finds. A great mix of the practical and technological! Over the past 18 months, we have built pyramids in the grounds of the museum, visited the Medway Megaliths and Dover Boat, and been shown around the Time Team Live excavations in Canterbury by one of YAC’s Presidents, Mick Aston. Our Christmas party 2000 was enlivened by Phil Harding showing us how to knap flints for unique Christmas presents. We have also examined manuscripts in Canterbury Cathedral Library, visited the ‘Big Dig’, and have pretended to be Brother Cadfael whilst holding a ‘Whodunit?’ meeting with osteoarchaeologist Trevor Anderson and his bone collection. The evidence of some methods of despatch appealed to the boys. At an aerial photography event, we assembled the kit to grow our own crop marks, which should be busily sprouting evidence in many conservatories by now. The children have learnt about the SMR and looked up the data near their home addresses; have found out about the history and restoration of flintlock pistols and fired miniature cannons, and have listened to the gruesome and wonder on the children’s faces whilst examining bones from Darwin's own collection will stay with me for a long time. Our plans for 2002 include a visit to the Map Room at the British Library, an exploration of Oldbury hill fort, and our long-postponed visit to Avebury and Stonehenge, cancelled due to foot and mouth last year. In March, we hope to help in the clearance of castle walls at Thurnham. Naturally, all this achievement has taken much time and planning. Already we have an immense number of people to thank. We are very grateful to the Kent Archaeological Society and individual members for all their support and enthusiasm. We would also welcome the opportunity to hold joint YAC meetings with other Kent groups. We are always keen to hear from any KAS member or archaeological contact that has a special interest or enthusiasm that we might use for a meeting. Perhaps your interest in archaeology was developed because someone on an excavation, in a museum, or library took the time to talk to you? Unlike school activities, our YAC children attend because they really want to be there, are genuinely interested, and ask the sort of questions that occasionally stump our experts! Kate Kersey Assistant Leader North Downs YAC