KAS Newsletter, Issue 59, Winter 2003/4

Issue number 59 Winter 2003/4 www.kentarchaeology.org.uk n Wednesday 5th November 2003, Peter and Christine Johnson obtained permission from a farmer to do some metal detecting on arable land at Thurnham. Walking onto the field that the farmer had indicated, they began to find a number of coins spread across an area of about 10 square metres. Initially Peter and Christine were not sure of the date of the coins. They informed the farmer of their find, and then returned home to see if they could discover more. Research on the Internet soon identified the coins as Iron Age Potins; cast coins of high tin bronze. Many of the coins still retained traces of the sprue from which they had been snapped. Returning on subsequent days the Johnsons recovered more coins from the same area. Further coins were also recovered by John Darvill and Nigel Betts of the Mid- Kent Search and Recovery Club, who also had permission to detect on the land. In total 145 more or less complete coins, and a further 80 fragments were recovered by 21st November. In the meantime, the finders notified the coroner of the find, since the coins clearly represented a dispersed hoard, and were therefore potential Treasure. They also contacted the Finds Liaison Officer (FLO) for Kent, Andrew Richardson. All the Potins were of Flat Linear I type, depicting a highly stylised human bust on the obverse, and butting bull on the reverse. One of the coins however was of an unusual style, with no Winter 2003/4 1 obvious parallel (pictured overleaf). The hoard was also examined by David Holman, Kent’s leading Iron Age coins expert, who had also not seen such a coin before. Given the rarity of Potin hoards (only about 14 have been recorded, of which very few have been archaeologically investigated) it was decided to carry out an excavation at the find spot, with a view to recovering as many further coins as possible, and also to try to locate the point of deposition of the hoard, and see if any of it remained in situ. This excavation took place on a sunny but cold Sunday in early December. The team Inside 2-3 Axes at Crundale Valley Park School Internet Publishing Higham Priory Allen Grove Fund 4-5 Library Notes & Rectors of Aldington New Books 6-7 Lectures, Courses, Conferences & Events 8-9 Notice Board 10-11 ‘Ideas & Ideals’ Wesley & Whitefield and the Evangelical Revival 12-13 Lenham Big Dig Bayford Castle 14-15 Letters to the Editor YAC Report Summer Excursion 16 John Williams news l e t e r K E N T A RC H A E O LO G I C A L S O C I E T Y T H U R N H A M P O T I N H O A R D Above: Complete and fragmented potins. continued on page 2 upils at Valley Pa r k Community School in Maidstone have a new a m e n i t y, a purpose-built archaeology centre and museum in the school grounds. The KAS Education Committee has provided a laptop computer for use within the centre. Pam Johnson, Head of History at the school, instigated and co-ordinated the design, construction and furnishing of the centre and is delighted that pupils will be able to further explore their interest in their after-school club. The centre was officially opened by the Mayor of Maidstone, Morel de Souza, and Phil Harding of ‘Time Team’, as part of a day of activities designed around the Vinters Estate and the Whatman family. In the morning pupils investigated the landscape and remains within Vinters Park, led by Ian Coulson; workshops in Winter 2003/4 2 ARCHAEOLOGY CENTRE AT VALLEY PARK SCHOOL ARCHAEOLOGY CENTRE AT VALLEY PARK SCHOOL ARCHAEOLOGY CENTRE AT VALLEY PARK SCHOOL ARCHAEOLOGY CENTRE AT VALLEY PARK SCHOOL ARCHAEOLOGY CENTRE AT VALLEY PARK SCHOOL ARCHAEOLOGY CENTRE AT VALLEY PARK SCHOOL ARCHAEOLOGY CENTRE AT VALLEY PARK SCHOOL ARCHAEOLOGY CENTRE AT VALLEY PARK SCHOOL logical features were observed, and no archaeological materials, other than Potins, were discovered. Of the latter, a further 59 more or less complete coins, and 78 fragments were recovered. An area of approximately 1 square metre with a concentration of largely complete coins was identified, and this probably represented the original point of deposition. Ploughing had dispersed coins across a roughly oval area about 20m by 10m, with the area of concentrated finds lying roughly at the centre of this area. The number of damaged and fragmentary coins appeared to increase the further they were from the central zone. The apparent lack of any pit cut into the clay subsoil, or of any finds other than Potins, suggests that this find represents an isolated hoard, probably contained within an organic pouch or bag and deposited in a shallow pit. Flat Linear I Potins date to between circa 100-50 BC. We are likely to be able to learn much from further study of this hoard, but unfortunately the reason why someone buried these coins sometime during the 1st century BC and never returned for them is probably lost forever. Andrew Richardson Kent Finds Liaison Officer consisted of the Johnsons along with Keith Stafford, Nigel Betts and John Darvill of the Mid-Kent Search and Recovery Club, Caspar Johnson of Kent County Council’s Heritage Conservation Te a m , David Holman, and three members of the Kent Archaeological Society. The Portable Antiquities Scheme was represented by Andrew Richardson (Kent FLO) and Liz Wilson (Sussex FLO). The excavation was an excellent example of co-operation, at both an individual and organisational level, between professional and amateur archaeologists, and metal detectorists. A hand-dug trench removed the ploughsoil across the central area where the coins had been found, revealing stiff orange claywith- flints at a depth of about 25cm. The trench and spoil were thoroughly metal detected during excavation, as was the immediate area around the dig. No archaeocontinued from page 1 T O PMARKS FOR S C H O O L’ S A R C H A E O L O G Y C E N T R E S T O P P R E S S Valley Park pupils listen intently to an explanation of knapping techniques As we go to print, another huge hoard has come to light, this time at Crundale and dating to the Bronze Age, consisting of axeheads, spearheads, sword blades and cast copper cake fragments (these last alone weighing 9kg!). Further details in the April edition. the afternoon included Victorian washday, paper making and also flint knapping by Phil Harding. Obverse of the unusual potin. THE HIGHAM PRIORY PROJECT Winter 2003/4 3 PROJECTS’ FUNDS, COMPETITION ANDTHE INTERNET PROJECTS’ FUNDS, COMPETITION ANDTHE INTERNET PROJECTS’ FUNDS, COMPETITION ANDTHE INTERNET PROJECTS’ FUNDS, COMPETITION ANDTHE INTERNET PROJECTS’ FUNDS, COMPETITION ANDTHE INTERNET PROJECTS’ FUNDS, COMPETITION AND THE INTERNET PROJECTS’ FUNDS, COMPETITION AND THE INTERNET Half of all households in the UK now have a connection to the internet – Oftel ….. The Times, Business 27.10.03 he great advantage of internet publishing is that it is freely available to the world community at negligible cost to the Society. The Society is capable of fulfilling its educational and publishing role both locally and internationally. Half the homes in the UK are now able to access and he Churches Committee of the KAS is promoting a competition for the best essay on an unusual, puzzling or bizarre feature of some church within the ancient county of Kent. Such an article should be between 500 and 1000 words in length and would attract a prize of £100. The article will download our on-line publications. Internet and electronic publishing can accommodate items of any length, profusely illustrated and in colour without additional cost. If the files are very large they are more suitable for publication on a CD. In addition to indexing, notation and bibliography in traditional publication, electronic publication includes the ability to word search the publication and provide page thumbnails and bookmarks. With internet and electronic publishing the end user has full control. They may decide to read the publication on their computer screen or they may choose to print out all or part of it. As far as the Society is concerned, the decision as to the size of a print run and the prospect of storing unsold publications is eliminated. The Society’s internet publishing facility can be found at h t t p : / / w w w. ke n t a r c h a e o l o g y.ac and select ‘articles’. Full details on how to submit articles can be found on the site or in previous editions of this newsletter. T H E S O C I E T Y A N DT H E I N T E R N E T C H U R C H E S C O M M I T T E E C O M P E T I T I O N rchaeological & Historic Building Research The KAS Fieldwork Committee are looking into the possibility of carrying out a programme of archaeological and historic building research work across the general area covered by Higham Priory and its surrounding environs. The purpose of this work is to continue the archaeologi- THE ALLEN GROVE LOCAL HISTORY FUND 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 K.A.S. They are usually around £200 to £400 each but the trustees would consider a larger grant for a particularly imaginative or innovative project which might not be able to proceed without the grant. Awards may not be announced until the summer or autumn of 2004. Applications should be submitted, on the official application form, by the 31 March 2004. Application forms and further information may be obtained from the Hon. Secretary: Mr A I Moffat, Three Elms, Woodlands Lane, Shorne, Gravesend DA12 3HH, or by email to secretary@ kentarchaeology.org.uk. Other grants The Society has other grant programmes. Fieldwork grants may be obtained from the Fieldwork Committee and applications should be sent to its Hon. Secretary: David Bacchus at Telford Lodge, Roebuck Road, Rochester ME1 1UD. 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 post graduate students are not eligible to apply. Application forms can be obtained from Dr James Gibson, 27 Pine Grove, Maidstone ME14 2AJ. cal work carried out by Peter Tester, and broaden the research to include a detailed understanding with regard to the prehistoric, Roman, medieval and post-medieval development of this area. The Fieldwork Committee are looking for people or archaeological/ historical groups who would be interested in helping with the planning- development of the project, carrying out archaeological/historical research, site survey, archaeological fieldwork – excavation, historic building recording and post-excavation work, at Higham Priory. If you are interested in this project, please contact: Anthony Thomas BA (Hons), MIFA 32 Herbert Road, Bexleyheath, Kent DA7 4QF Tel: 020 8306 7043 or 07931 660120 be marked giving credit both to the nature of the feature involved and also to the clarity and liveliness of the description. We are anxious to attract entries from the widest possible range of contributors and consequently are not looking particularly for entrants with academic qualifications. The competition was featured on Radio Kent in November and is open to non- KAS members. The final date for submissions will be 15 May 2004 and entries should be sent to: Mrs S Petrie Sunninglye Farmhouse Bells Yew Green Tunbridge Wells TN3 9AG LIBRARY AND BOOKS LIBRARY AND BOOKS LIBRARY AND BOOKS LIBRARY AND BOOKS LIBRARY AND BOOKS LIBRARY AND BOOKS LIBRARY AND BOOKS LIBRARY AND BOOKS LIBRARY AND BOOKS LIBRARY AND BOOKS LIBRARY AND BOOKS LIBRARY AND BOOKS LIBRARY AND BOOKS LIBRARY AND BOOKS LIBRARY AND BOOKS LIBRARY AND BOOKS LIBRARY AND BOOKS A carefully researched and well written account of an area of Kent’s history that is not otherwise well supported by published material. 725. Johnson, Matthew Behind the Castle Gate London, Routledge 2002 0415 261000 7 illus., diagrs., bibliog. A lively but scholarly reappraisal of castle design and building. Life in castles was not so grim as we might expect, and careful examination of sites and plans can show how castle builders were careful to site and build these structures with regard not only to defence, but to the quality of life that they could sustain. An intriguing book, with much relevance and reference to Kent. 942K. Lyle, Marjorie Canterbury: 2000 years of History Stroud, Tempus Publishing 2002 0 7524 1948 X illus., plates (col), diagrs., bibliog. A useful, modern account of Canterbury’s history, with some good illustrations and an intelligent text. 913. Grainge, Gerald The Ro m a n Channel Crossing of AD43: the constraints of Claudius’s naval strategy. Oxford, Archaeopress 2002 1 84171 2973 maps, diagrs., bibliog. BAR British Series 2973 352.2K. Ingleton, Roy Policing Kent: Guarding the garden of England, 1800-2000 Chichester, Phillimore & Co Ltd 2002 1 86077 2331 front., illus., bibliog. A well written account of policing in Kent. It contains good illustrations and could be a useful source of information for anyone commencing a deeper study in this, or related fields. Library to assist users. The Book Guide will help to locate books in the library rooms or stores, and the Safety Guide gives guidance on health and safety aspects of use of the Library. 913. Pearson, Andrew The Roman Shore Forts: coastal defences of Southern Britain Stroud, Tempus Publishing Ltd 2002 0 7524 1948 8 illus., plates, maps, bibliog. A brisk but adequate survey of the Roman forts, including those in Ke n t . Good illustrations, informative text and a useful bibliography. 301.4K. O’Hara, Diana Courtship and Constraint: rethinking the making of marriage in Tudor England Manchester, Manchester University Press 2000 0 7190 5074 X diagrs., bibliog. A scholarly account of Tudor marriage customs, of particular use to KAS members, since it draws heavily upon church, and other, court records in Kent. 942K. Black, Shirley Burgoyne Local Government, Law and Order in a Pre-reform English Parish, 1790-1834 Lampeter, Mellen Research University Press 1992 0 7734 9239 9 map, bibliog. Detailed research into the parish of Farningham. A valuable addition to the Library. 301.424K. Joyce, Brian The Chatham Scandal: a history of Medway’s prostitution in the late 19th century Rochester, Baggins Book Bazaar 1999 1 901625 04 4 bibliog. Our appeal for volunteers to work in the Library has not fallen on deaf ears. We have enlisted a sufficient number of willing members to make a start on the work that needs to be done to improve the service which the Library offers to members. Among the areas on which work has started or is continuing are: * cataloguing the Hussey collection of files of Kentish genealogy and family history interest * cataloguing of visual records and assessing the quantity and diversity of different types of visual records in order to draw up plans and costs for their conservation * assisting in editorial preparation of articles for posting on the website kentarchaeology.ac * cleaning and organisation of books on shelves, and identifying items needing refurbishment My thanks are due to those members doing this work. However, there is room for more volunteers on these and other tasks. A pressing need is for someone with knowledge of Brass Rubbings. The library has a collection of rubbings in need of cataloguing and assessing for conservation and storage. Potential volunteers for this and other work please contact the Hon. Librarian: Dr F Panton, Grove End, Tunstall, Sittingbourne ME9 8DY Two Guide Folders are now in the L I B R A RY NOTES NEW ADDITIONS TO LIBRARY VOLUNTEERS FOR LIBRARY ASSISTANCE R E C T O R SO FA L D I N G T O N ndexing the Hussey collection has begun, and revealed some colourful Rectors of Aldington. John Noble, one of the Library Volunteers writes, “After reading this, you may conclude that subsequent Rectors of Aldington determined to live a quiet and sober life!” John Allen, rector 1510-1511, became Cardinal Wolsey’s henchman in the early suppression of smaller monasteries, which rendered him odious to the people. Rewarded by elevation to the Archbishopric of Dublin, he was barbarously murdered at Clontarf on 28 July 1534, his brains being beaten out with a club. Desiderious Erasmus of Ro t t e rdam, rector 1511-1512. Archbishop Warham offered him the living, but Erasmus initially declined since “he was not sufficiently versed in English but a barbarian speaking a foreign tongue”, but was persuaded to accept. He resigned in 1512 upon appointment to a Professorship at Oxford. Before leaving, he astutely arranged a pension of £20 per annum should be paid to him out of the living. Robert Masters, rector 1514-1558. He had as a parishioner Elizabeth Bolton, a young girl subject to fits and trances during which she saw visions and uttered prophecies. In 1525, she entered a nunnery and became known as the holy Maid of Kent. In 1533 she began to denounce King Henry VIII and his conduct towards his Queen about the proposed divorce. Thomas Cromwell ordered that everyone who had at any time been privy to her prophecies should be arrested and condemned to death, including Masters. The charges were knowing her to be an imposter and aiding and abetting her to their own advantage. Masters, and the others implicated, were placed upon a high platform at St Paul’s Cross, London, and put to public humiliation before a vast concourse of spectators, Bolton reading a confession of guilt. Bolton, two monks and a priest, were hanged at Tyburn. Masters, although condemned, was imprisoned for a further four months, then by Royal Grant (1534/35) received pardon and remission of his attainder with restoration of his goods and possessions. Meanwhile, Erasmus complained that his £20 was not being paid!! John Noble LIBRARY AND BOOKS LIBRARY AND BOOKS LIBRARY AND BOOKS LIBRARY AND BOOKS LIBRARY AND BOOKS LIBRARY AND BOOKS LIBRARY AND BOOKS LIBRARY AND BOOKS LIBRARY AND BOOKS LIBRARY AND BOOKS LIBRARY AND BOOKS LIBRARY AND BOOKS LIBRARY AND BOOKS LIBRARY AND BOOKS LIBRARY AND BOOKS LIBRARY AND BOOKS LIBRARY AND BOOKS Kent 1800 – 1899 A Chronicle of the Nineteenth Century by Bob Ogley. Published by Froglets Pu b l i c a t i o n s . Hardback 1-872337-51-1 £18.99, Paperback 1-872337-56-2 £13.99. In 1801 people were spread evenly around the Kent countryside; by 1891 more than two thirds had moved to the towns. This book tells the story of the changing face of the county, the understanding of childhood, the desire to seek recreation in the sea-bathing resorts and the appreciation of art and literature with Dicke n s , Morris, Tennyson and Turner preeminent among the county’s novelists, designers, poets and artists. Extensive quotes from newspapers of the day recreate the atmosphere and tell the story of Kent, year by year, throughout the 19th century. A feast of facts and over 200 illustrations (many in full colour) provide a panorama of the 19th century and an invitation to spend hours browsing. Available from Kent bookshops or direct from Froglets at Brasted Chart, Westerham TN16 1LY – please ring 01959 562972 for information about postage. A School at Bearsted b y Kathryn Ke r s e y. 0-9545831-0-8 £15.00. For over 160 years, there has been a school at Bearsted. This book is a celebration of the staff, the original modest red-brick building and its later counterpart, which have all meant so much to local residents. Drawing on the written and visual records of the school and village, incorporating original research and interviews with local people, memories of Old Scholars and school staff, the fullyindexed chapters cover many different topics. These include the original application in 1839 for financial assistance, the Centenary celebrations, the school during the two World Wars, the effects of the railway line on the school - and some good reasons not to attend! More recent times are examined together with a discussion of the struggle to relocate to the current site at Roseacre. Available from Mrs K Kersey, 5 Greensand Road, Bearsted, Maidstone ME15 8NY. Cheque payable to Kathryn Kersey. Please add £3.85 for first class postage. All profits from sales of the book will go to the school fund. The Discovery and E xcavation of Anglo-Sax o n Dover by Brian Philp. Published by the Kent Archaeological Rescue Unit, £18.00. This is the third in a series on Dover’s archaeology, and deals with the excavation of major A n g l o - S a xon structures from 1970-1990. The report covers The Saxon Domestic Buildings and The Saxon Monastic Church. Sunken floored buildings were discovered, including a large weaving hut destroyed by fire, containing spectacular strings of fallen loom weights. Nearby, a stone-floored hall, posted buildings and a boulder road were also found. The sequence of the monastic church of St Martin’s dating from the 7th century was uncovered, from its beginnings as a small wooden cell through several enlargements culminating in a major church over 22m long. In the 11th century the wooden church was replaced by the Norman stone church of St Martin-le-Grand. Available from K.A.R.U. (to whom cheque payable) Ro m a n Painted House, New Street, Dover CT17 9AJ. Please add £3.60 postage. The Fylfot-Crosses in the church of St.Mary the Virgin, Great Canfield by the Reverend Stephen Ta y l o r. Published by Cambridge Universal Publications 0-9545455-0-8 £5.99 While on ordination retreat at Pleshey in the early 1960’s, Stephen Taylor explored the Essex countryside and chanced across this lovely little church. He was greatly mystified by the presence of what appeared to be five swastikas cut into the stonework of the porch. The little guidebook in the church spoke of their link with the catacomb of San Callisto in Rome, but could say no more; forty years on, Stephen Taylor is offering the fruits of his research into the meaning and significance of these Flyfot-Crosses. Available post free from CU Publications (to whom cheque payable), PO Box 878, Whittlesford, Cambridge CB2 4XZ Tel: 01223 830461 email: cupastay@ fish.co.uk N E WB O O K S LECTURES EVENTS CONFERENCES & COURSES LECTURES EVENTS CONFERENCES & COURSES LECTURES EVENTS CONFERENCES & COURSES LECTURES EVENTS CONFERENCES & COURSES LECTURES EVENTS CONFERENCES & COURSES LECTURES EVENTS CONFERENCES & COURSES LECTURES EVENTS CONFERENCES & COURSES LECTURES EVENTS CONFERENCES & COURSES LECTURES EVENTS CONFERENCES & COURSES KAS AGM Saturday 15 May at Canterbury Christchurch University College. With guest speaker Jill Eddison on ‘R o m n e y Marsh: Survival on a Frontier’ Fuller details can be found on page 8 KAS Churches Committee Outing Saturday 24 April You are invited to visit the two east Kent churches of Crundale and Godmersham. We meet at Crundale at 1.45 for 2pm. Tea and biscuits will be provided at Godmersham. Tour £2 (students £1) with £1 for tea. Please return enclosed booking form by 17 April. Replies to Philip Lawrence, Barnfield, Church Lane, East Peckham, Tonbridge TN12 5JJ tel: 01622 871945 KAS Place-Names Field Day ‘Place-Names in the Weald’ Saturday 17 July 10am-4pm at the Free Church, Staplehurst. Dr Paul Cullen of Nottingham University will give a lecture followed by a power point presentation. Further details and booking forms will appear in the April newsletter. KAS ‘Lectures in the Library’ series. Saturdays at 11am in the KAS Library in Maidstone Museum. Tickets £2 each; reservations can be made to pay on arrival by telephoning Denis Anstey on 01634 240015 or email d@degian.demon.co.uk. Members are reminded that they should sign in and out with their membership card at the museum reception. 24 January History and Archaeology Research on the Internet by Dr Jacqueline Bower 14 February Writing up Your Research by Dr Jacqueline Bower. How to approach writing up, whether for an academic essay, a published article or just for pleasure. 13 March Tonbridge People in the Seventeenth Century by Dr C W Chalklin The Great House, from the Roman Villa to the Stately Home: Perspectives & Prospects on Monday 26 to Wednesday 28 January, the Institute of Historical Research. The great house has been an abiding feature of Britain’s political, social, economic, cultural and architectural history. Although forms were necessarily varied and divergent across two millennia, there are common themes concerning the functioning and the perception of these great houses. Wide participation is encouraged from individuals, groups, organisations and constituencies with an interest and concern in the great house. Speakers are too numerous to mention here, but include Barry Cunliffe and David Rudkin on Villas, the Duke & Duchess of Devonshire on Chatsworth, Simon Jenkins from The Times, Simon Thurley of English Heritage and Ian Coulson of KCC. Representatives of the VCH, Country Life, National Trust, Historic Houses Assoc., Hamlyn Foundation, British Museum and the Institute of Historical Research will also speak. Cost: £65 Member/Friend of IHR, £95 non-Member, £30 Postgrad or Unwaged. All sessions take place at the IHR in the Beveridge Hall, Senate House, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HU. Further details from the Conference Secretary at this address or tel: 020 7862 8740 email: ihrsec@sas.ac.uk Cobham Hall Study Weekend 16-18 April One of the greatest of English country houses, this conference will address issues of history and interpretation and will provide an opportunity to look at the history, architecture and setting of this multi-phase house, its park and garden buildings. Non residential £160, residential £195 per person. All meals are included in the price plus a concert in the Gilt Hall on Saturday. L e c t u res, Conferences, Courses and Events KAS EVENTS OTHER EVENTS FROM AROUND THE COUNTY CONFERENCES The KAS History & Archaeology Show Saturday 5 June at Maidstone Museum Keep this date free in your diary! Further details will appear in the April newsletter. Winter 2003/4 6 Shoreham & District Historical Society 12 March (AGM) The Ground Beneath Us by David Horsley Tel 01959 522835 to check time. The Science and Conservation of Treasure, Thursday 11 March from 9.30-17.00 at the British Museum. A Study Day to be held in conjunction with the Treasure exhibition and National Science week, exploring many aspects of the archaeology, science and conservation of gold treasures from Britain, from the Bronze Age to the Civil War. Tickets £24, concessions £18, to include entry to the exhibition on the day. Further details and booking forms from P T Craddock, The British Museum, London WC1B 3DG. Tel: 020 7323 8797 Email: pcraddock@british-museum.ac.uk University College London, Field Archaeology Unit. Five/two/one day practical archaeology training courses at Barcombe Roman Villa, East Sussex as part of the fourth season of research and rescue excavations. * Excavation techniques * Surveying for archaeologists * Archaeological planning & section drawing * Geophysical prospecting * On-site conservation Brochure & application form available from website: www.archaeologyse.co.uk or send SAE (A5 size) to Mrs J Brooks, UCL Field Archaeology Unit, 1 West Street, Ditchling, Hassocks, West Sussex BN6 8TS. Tel: 01273 845497, email: fau@ucl.ac.uk, fax: 01273 844187. Regional Dayschools from the University of Kent 28 February An Introduction to Greek Art - Christine Spillane at Bridge Wardens’ College, Historic Dockyard, Chatham 13 March Greek and Roman Art & Architecture – Dr Chris Wilson & Rachel Ollerearnshaw at the University Centre, Avebury Avenue, Tonbridge 27 March The Architecture of the Georgian Age – Hubert Pragnell at the University of Kent, Canterbury 27 March Local History in Practice – Elizabeth Edwards & Sandra Dunster at Bridge Wardens’ College, Historic Dockyard, Chatham 24 April The Whitefriar’s Dig Uncovered - Mark Houliston (Co-Director of Whitefriars Excavations) at University of Kent, Canterbury. Cost £25.00, concessions £12.50. Further details on freephone 0800 975 3777 or email: information@kent.ac.uk LECTURES EVENTS CONFERENCES & COURSES LECTURES EVENTS CONFERENCES & COURSES LECTURES EVENTS CONFERENCES & COURSES LECTURES EVENTS CONFERENCES & COURSES LECTURES EVENTS CONFERENCES & COURSES LECTURES EVENTS CONFERENCES & COURSES LECTURES EVENTS CONFERENCES & COURSES LECTURES EVENTS CONFERENCES & COURSES LECTURES EVENTS CONFERENCES & COURSES Further details of speakers, themes & times from Tracy White tel: 01795 535430, email: tracy@virtuallyorganised.com or from PO Box 177, Faversham, Kent ME13 8WB. Images of the Ice Age: Recent work on the earliest art by Dr Paul Bahn on Friday 13 February at 6pm. The annual Darwin Lecture will be given by this leading international authority on Palaeolithic art, in the Lord Brabourne Lecture Theatre, Keynes College, University of Kent at Canterbury. Paul Bahn has recently discovered the first examples of cave art to be recorded in Britain, at Creswell Crags in Derbyshire. Admission to the lecture is free. Further information from the Communications and Development Office, University of Kent tel: 01227 827829. Transport through the Ages; by Land, Sea & Air - Council for Kentish Archaeology on Saturday 3 April from 2-5.30pm at the Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School, Faversham. Speakers: Land: Giles Guthrie. 300 years of horse drawn transport at the Tyrwhitt-Drake Museum of Carriages, Maidstone. Sea: Valerie Fenwick. Projects include the Graveney Boat, the Dover Boat and the Goodwin Sands. Air: John E King, aviation historian. Flying Through Kent. Tickets £4.00 (friends of CKA free), available from CKA (to whom cheque payable), 7 Sandy Ridge, Borough Green TN15 8HP. Please enclose SAE. Horton Kirby & South Darenth Local History Society 8 March The History of Silk by Janet Hearn-Gillham 10 May St Mary’s Church by Malcolm Green 12 July Inland Waterways of Kent 1740-1850 by John Elderton 13 September The Life of Edward Hasted by Shirley Black 8 November A Roman Re-enactor by Leslie Allman All on Monday in the Village Hall, South Darenth at 8pm. Farningham & Eynsford Local History Society Friday 20 February Lullingstone Roman Villa by C P Ward (Eynsford Hall) 17 September The Anglo-Saxon Jutes in Kent by Andrew Richardson (Eynsford Hall) 12 November A Journey along the River Cray by Denise Baldwin (Farningham Hall) All on Friday at 8pm. EVENTS COURSES LECTURES Winter 2003/4 7 A.G.M. 2004 ABBEY FARM EXCAVATION NOTICE BOARD NOTICE BOARD NOTICE BOARD NOTICE BOARD NOTICE BOARD NOTICE BOARD NOTICE BOARD NOTICE BOARD NOTICE BOARD NOTICE BOARD NOTICE BOARD NOTICE BOARD NOTICE BOARD NOTICE BOARD NOTICE BOARD NOTICE BOARD NOTICE BOARD NOTICE BOARD NOTICE BOARD NOTICE BOARD MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY You and Your Society Canterbury will be the location of the Society’s annual general meeting on the 15 May this year. The business meeting will be in the morning at Canterbury Christ Church University College and we hope to be supported by the attendance of plenty of members. After the business there will be a presentation by the Library Committee about its work which includes the Society’s archives and website. Jill Eddison will be giving the afternoon lecture Romney Marsh: Survival on a Frontier. She is well known for her work on the history of the Marsh and recently appeared on a television programme about the area. The results of the elections will be announced at the A.G.M. Nominations can be submitted for any office; it is a sign of an active society if there is competition for office. Any five members can propose a candidate for election as a member of the Council or as an officer. Nominations have to be received by the Hon. General Secretary by the 1 March at the latest and must be accompanied by the written consent of the candidate. Further information and guidance can be obtained from the Hon. General Secretary, Mr A I Moffat, Three Elms, Woodlands Lane, Shorne, Gravesend DA 1 2 3HH; email: secretary@ke n t a rc h a e o l o g y.org.uk. Although an application form does not have to be used, he can supply a suitable form. The KAS, in conjunction with the Trust for Thanet Archaeology, will be holding an eighth season of excavation at Abbey Farm, near Ramsgate. Settlement here spans from prehistoric times through to the Anglo Saxon period. As most members know, the site is dominated by a large Roman Villa complex. Work will commence on Sunday August 15 2004 and continue for two weeks. The excavation is open to people aged 16 years and above. Participants can attend for the two week period or for one of either weeks. Registration fee for members of the KAS or the Thanet Archaeological Society is £35 for one week (non members £50) or £50 for two weeks (non members £70). For enrolment or further details please contact: Chris Pout, Sunnydene, Boyden Gate Corner, Marshside, Nr. Canterbury CT3 4EE. Tel: 01227 860207 Thank you to all of you who have sent your subscription renewals to me recently. Would those who pay by banker’s order please check your January statements as banks are not as reliable as they used to be – some even pay annual subscriptions monthly! At the December Council meeting it was agreed that a list of new members should appear in the newsletter as well as in Archaeologia Cantiana. I am pleased to welcome the following: HONORARY MEMBER Mr D H Clifton, Abbey Farm, Minster, Ramsgate, Kent, CT10 4HQ JOINT MEMBERS Mr L Cunningham & Miss L Horner, 46 Cross Lane West, Gravesend, Kent, DA11 7PY JUNIOR MEMBERS Mr J Davis, 19 Chestnut Place, Cowden, Edenbridge, Kent, TN8 7HZ Miss C L Ingham, Walnut Tree Cottage, High Street, Hadlow, Tonbridge, Kent, TN11 0DG ORDINARY MEMBERS Miss J A Batchelor, Oastlands, Hermitage Road, Higham, Rochester, Kent, ME3 7NF Mr N. Bates, 42 Beaumont Avenue, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL1 4TJ Mr C P Butler, Rosedale, Berwick, Polegate, Sussex, BN26 6TB Mr A G Crampton, Pix’s Cottage, Mount Lane, Rolvenden, Cranbrook, Kent, TN17 4NX Mrs H A Ingram, Springfield, Old London Road, Knockholt, Sevenoaks, Kent, TN14 7JR Mr K C Isted, 14 Common Road, Bluebell Hill, Chatham, Kent, ME5 9RG Mrs C King, 4 Boughton Place Cottages, Sandway, Maidstone, Kent, ME17 2BD Miss L E Lyddon, Bowden Court, 24 Ladbroke Road, London, W11 3NN Mr J E Maxted, Providence House, The Street, Smarden, Ashford, Kent Ms L Millgate, 33 Chantlers Mead, Cowden, Edenbridge, Kent, TN8 7HU Sir Roger Moate, Calico House, The Street, Newnham, Sittingbourne, Kent, ME9 0LN Mr P Nash, 4 Reeves Close, Staplehurst, Tonbridge, Kent, TN12 0NN Ms E Smith, 140 Ploughmans Way, Rainham, Gillingham, Kent, ME8 8LP Mr E L Stuckey, 32 Albermarle Road, Willesborough, Ashford, Kent, TN24 0HL Mrs M-A Young, Park View, Ninn Lane, Great Chart, Ashford, Kent, TN23 3DB Shiela Broomfield The address for all correspondence relating to membership is: Mrs Shiela Broomfield, KAS Membership, 8 Woodview Crescent, Hildenborough, Tonbridge, Kent TN11 9HD. Tel: 01732 838698. Email: membership@kentarchaeology.org.uk or s.broomfield@dial.pipex.com. Winter 2003/4 8 The visit to two parish churches on the 1st November was preceded by the opportunity to investigate the remains of a Roman building within the ruined medieval church of Stone by Faversham, with the assistance of Clive Foreman. Oare and Davington churches are both sited on raised ground overlooking creeks of the Swale Estuary. The relevance of the topography to the buildings and the history of the localities was brought out by each of the speakers, each as churchwarden having insight into details of the fabric, and enthusiasm for elucidating the past and existing structures. Donald Goodsell told of recent work at Oare uncovering earlier remedies for subsidence, and the insubstantial foundations of the rectangular ragstone and flint church; Domesday Book referred to half a church at Oare. At Davington, following a viewing of the western exterior, Lawrence Young outlined the history of the priory buildings and varied ownership since its founding in AD1153. In 1931 the Church of England purchased Davington Priory, formally establishing Davington Parish Church the following year. The priory house and grounds subsequently passed once more into private ownership. The church is virtually as ‘restored’ by Thomas Willement, owner in the 19th century, and represents the modified western half of the original priory church. Deborah Goacher The following three members were appointed to the committee; Michael Howard, Michael Eddy and Anthony Thomas. A GPS meter (Geographical Positioning System) has been purchased for use on fieldwork projects. This meter locates items and features by calculating their grid reference. The committee also has a resistivity meter. To obtain information about the geophysical equipment please contact: The Committee last met on Saturday 6 December 2003 and will next meet on Saturday 28 February. The Committee has a new Secretary, Dr J M Gibson, and I am deeply grateful to Miss E Melling, the retiring Secretary, for all her hard work over many years. Full membership has been reduced to thirteen, four former members having opted for observer status, each being sent an Agenda with an open invitation to attend if there are any matters which interest them. The bid for funds to re-establish the Victoria County History has been successful. The total project costs for Kent amount to £197,619, comprising Heritage Lottery Funding of £145,857 (74%) and matching funding of £51,762 (26%). Nationally 17 VCH studies will be produced in print and on-line with volunteer support. The HLF insists on the engagement of volunteers. For Kent a two year module, People and Work in the Lower Medway Va lley, c.1750-1900 should commence during 2004. Volunteers will use maps and records to explore agricultural and industrial change within a group of parishes in the Lower Medway Valley close to Rochester, within the hinterland of an ancient and important ecclesiastical centre, market town and river port. The volunteers will receive training, acquiring new skills, working with and under the supervision of a professional historian as County Editor, £70,651 being allocated for staff costs. John Whyman (Chair) NOTICE BOARD NOTICE BOARD NOTICE BOARD NOTICE BOARD NOTICE BOARD NOTICE BOARD NOTICE BOARD NOTICE BOARD NOTICE BOARD NOTICE BOARD NOTICE BOARD NOTICE BOARD NOTICE BOARD NOTICE BOARD NOTICE BOARD NOTICE BOARD NOTICE BOARD NOTICE BOARD NOTICE BOARD NOTICE BOARD KAS COMMITTEE ROUND-UP You and Your Society Brian McNaughton Eltons, Warehorne Road Hamstreet, Ashford, Kent TN26 2JL Tel: 01233 732721 Writing up Past Excavations Over the past four decades there has been a steady rise in the number of excavations that have not been written up. To help with the costs of bringing out a report on some of these sites, the Committee is to make available small grants. It is envisaged that they will be in the range of £100 to £1000. For those who have an outstanding report to complete and wish to apply for a grant the following criteria apply to their application: * Applicants must define the site they are writing up and the sum of money required. * The write-up must be offered for publication in Archaeologia Cantiana. * The closing date for applications is Saturday February 21 2004. * In all grant decisions the Committee’s view is final. Applications to: David Bacchus, Hon Sec. Fieldwork Committee Telford Lodge, Roebuck Road, Rochester, Kent ME1 1UD Tel: 01634 843495 At the meeting held on Saturday 11 October Dr Paul Cullen agreed to run a Study Day on place-names at Staplehurst in July. He ran a powerpoint presentation on the Anglo- S a xon bounds of Godmersham parish to show the Committee how he could marry maps and documents, and we were all mesmerised. He could sell place-names to Eskimos. For those who like to travel, he is arranging a conference at Nottingham University on rivernames, called ‘Adventure in Hydrology’. Material for the Kent placenames volumes is accumulating at Nottingham, and the on-line Key to Kentish Place-Names will appear when the maps have been drawn. Our next meeting will take place on Saturday 20 March. Anita Thompson CHURCHES COMMITTEE FIELDWORK COMMITTEE PLACE NAMES COMMITTEE PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE CONTACT ADDRESSES Hon. Gen. Secretary Andrew Moffat Three Elms, Woodlands Lane, Shorne Gravesend DA12 3HH Email: secretary@kentarchaeology.org.uk Hon.Treasurer Robin Thomas 1 Abchurch Yard, Abchurch Lane London EC4N 7BA Email: treasurer@kentarchaeology.org.uk Winter 2003/4 9 he three founders of Methodism were born within eleven years of each other. John Wesley in 1703, Charles in 1708 and George Whitefield in 1714. This latter date is significant in the lives of all three, as the colony of Georgia in British North America was also founded then, and was to figure largely in their work of evangelism. John fully appreciated the task to be undertake n there. “Here are adults from the furthest parts of Europe and Asia and the inmost kingdoms of Africa ...who shall come over and help us, where the harvest is so great and the labourers so few?” George Whitefield was to return seven times. The gentler upbringing of the two Wesleys forced them to return from a colony where many of the settlers were convicts. The three had met during their studies at Oxford; John was already a Fellow of Lincoln College and had gathered around him the nucleus of ‘Our Company’ or the ‘Holy Club’, when Whitefield, in the summer of 1733, was invited to breakfast. The ‘Holy Club’ was accustomed to take the Eucharist every Sunday, to fast on Wednesdays and Fridays, and they firmly believed in the Apostolic succession of the Church of England priesthood. Each of the three was eventually to be ordained within that Church. George was soon to experience conversion. Recovering from ill health at home in Gloucester, ‘God was pleased to remove the heavy load...when the weight of sin went off and an abiding sense of the pardoning love of God and a full assurance of faith broke in’. The central beliefs of the two Wesleys rather followed the gentler Lutheran evangelicalism characterised by belief in ‘justification by faith’ and ‘the priesthood of all believers’. Their father the Rector of Epworth had initially been educated for the dissenting ministry ‘Predestination to life’ as the everlasting purpose of God. L a t e r, Wesley’s Lutheranism and Whitefield’s Calvinism led to a separation between the two leaders. John Wesley could not accept ‘the horrible blasphemies contained in this horrible doctrine (predestination) which represents our Blessed Lord... as a hypocrite or deceiver of the people, a man devoid of common sincerity ...it represents the most Holy God as worse than the Devil’. He set out what was to be the chief characteristic of his movement - that of Christian Perfection or Holiness which was ‘An attainable condition in which the sinful nature is eradicated and the soul entirely sanctified’. To George Whitefield this was ‘Papistical ignorance and refined Deism’ and ‘if this doctrine is true ...how few ...will be saved?’ (Deism, a form of religious rationalism, regarded God as simply the force which was present in creation and which could be termed ‘Natural Religion’). From 1739 the title of Methodism rather than the original ‘Our Company’ had been universally adopted and Charles Wesleys’ fine Hymn Book, in its new edition, made clear to all their supporters the brothers’ teachings. As well as members of the Church of England, Independents, Baptists and Presbyterians were to be made welcome. From 1750 there was some measure of reconciliation between Wesley and Whitefield, although the latter wrote ‘Have before joining the Established Church and their maternal grandfather had even been ejected from St.Giles Cripplegate. Furthermore, they were initially strongly influenced by the Lutheranism which Moravian refugees brought with them from the continent. John even thought of himself as a Moravian minister for a time. It was a little later that the strict and methodical way of life of them and their followers earned them the title of ‘Methodists’. The Moravian influence took the Wesleys into the ethos of Central Europe. Moravians from Bohemia had inherited the mantle of John Huss, had been forced to flee to Saxony and had then absorbed that state’s Lutheranism which they subsequently brought with them to England. In spite of attracting a following estimated to number some 100,000, their weakness lay in their failure to secure naturalisation; their societies remained dependent upon German preachers and administrators. George Whitefield, following the tenets of Calvinism, believed in the doctrine of predestination, that the death of Christ referred particularly to the elect, ensuring their salvation, and in the evangelical doctrine that the essence of the Gospel consists in the teaching that salvation depends upon faith rather than works. The foundation of his ministry was his emphasis on the ‘new birth’ and WESLEYAND WHITEFIELDAND THEEVANGELICAL REVIVAL WESLEYAND WHITEFIELDAND THEEVANGELICAL REVIVAL WESLEYAND WHITEFIELDAND THEEVANGELICAL REVIVAL WESLEYAND WHITEFIELDAND THEEVANGELICAL REVIVAL WESLEYAND WHITEFIELDAND THEEVANGELICAL REVIVAL WESLEYAND WHITEFIELDAND THEEVANGELICAL REVIVAL WESLEYAND WHITEFIELDAND THEEVANGELICAL REVIVAL WESLEYAND WHITEFIELDAND THEEVANGELICAL REVIVAL WESLEYAND WHITEFIELDAND THEEVANGELICAL REVIVAL ‘IDEAS and IDEALS’ This is the ninth of a series of articles describing formative movements and ideas in the history of the church. These were the crises of thought and conviction which brought us to where we are. WESLEY AND WHITEFIELD AND THE EVANGELICAL REVIVAL John Wesley (left) and his brother Charles. George Whitefield preaching in 1749. Winter 2003/4 10 Dean, the Vicar of Shoreham, Vincent Perronet, who was later to be regarded as ‘the Archbishop of the Methodists’, in the words of Charles We s l e y, written almost forty years later in 1782. Year after year the brothers came to stay in the sixteenth century vicarage teaching a devout group gathered in the kitchen. From the vocal opposition of the first visit in 1744 when, ‘The wild beasts began roaring, stamping, blaspheming, ringing the bells and turning the church into a bear garden’ to ‘The most lively society in the circuit’. (Vincent Pe r r o n e t by Margaret Batty). In their later visits Vincent Perronet and his family remained strongly supportive of his friends’ teachings. Some years later two Methodist chapels were to be built in the village; the larger surviving one, until its closure, was always known as the Wesleyan Chapel. The Wealden area of Kent, so responsive to earlier Protestant teaching brought across the Channel, had remained a centre of dissent. William Cobbett, riding down to Dover, ‘All across Kent from the Weald of Sussex’, although opposed to Methodism could not help but note the enthusiasm for ‘these roving fanatics’ as he passed by their many chapels. And in Canterbury, many of the soldiers temporarily stationed in the barracks were converted by the local congregations. Not only was Kent part of John Wesleys’ ‘Home circuit’, but Archbishop Potter, who, as Bishop of Oxford had ordained John as priest, was not unsympathetic. By 1844, the centenary of the Methodist movement, there were eleven circuits in Kent. The zeal of these three men kindled a fervour within and without the established church which resulted in evangelism and social reform. Joy Saynor Suggestions for further reading. A Dallimore, George Whitefield - Life and Times. Banner of Truth Trust 1980 N Currock, Journal of the Rev. John Wesley Epworth Press 1938 R Southey, Life of Wesley and the Rise of Methodism. 1890 E P Thompson, Making of the English Working Class Pe n g u i n Books 1991. M White and J Saynor, Shoreham, A Village in Kent Shoreham Society 1989 I Murray, Whitefield’s Journals, new edition. Banner of Truth Trust 1960 made more converts in those areas newly affected by the changes brought about by the Industrial Revolution, while the softer Lutheranism of the Wesleys had a greater appeal for the largely agricultural areas of the country. But the ports and riverside industries of north Kent were frequently visited by Whitefield as he slowly made his way down the river to begin his many voyages to Georgia. Becalmed at Deal he records lengthy visits ashore. The Wesleys ventured abroad less frequently but occasionally there was rivalry with Whitefield’s supporters. Whitefield’s opinion was ‘Let the Lord send by whom He will send so that Christ is preached’. At Chatham Wesley preached to ‘nearly twelve thousand people’. He frequently visited the then rural settlements in north west Kent of Blackheath, Lewisham, and Bexley. His visits were to centre on Blendon House in Bexley, the home of the wealthy sugar i m p o r t e r, whose son Charles Delamotte had been a member of the Oxford Holy Club, and who had accompanied the Wesleys on their early visit to Georgia. George Whitefield unsuccessfully courted Charles sister, Elizabeth, but his great open air gatherings on Blackheath and Bexleyheath attracted, ‘above twenty thousand people’ and perhaps comforted him. On one Sunday alone three thousand came into Blendon garden to listen to Whitefield preach to them from the top of the garden wall. The spiritual guide of the Delamotte family was their parish priest, the Vicar of Bexley, the Rev. Henry Piers, ‘An awakened clergyman’ and ‘A strenuous ally’ of the Wesleys. It was he who was credited with introducing them to his you thought about a union?...I believe we are on two different planes’. But he was soon to renounce his leadership of his supporters. One of the strengths of the evangelical movement was its appeal, not only to the poor and dispossessed - this goes without saying - but also to the aristocracy and leading politicians. The contact was made when George Whitefield was appointed as one of Selina Hastings’, Countess of Huntingdon’s, chaplains. She has been described as, ‘A combination of Puritan Churchman, Dissenter and Re f o r m e r,’ and her wealth enabled her to build chapels in Bristol, Brighton and Bath as well as in Tunbridge Wells. Among her supporters were the elder Pitt, Lords North and Bolingbroke, the Earl of Chesterfield and Frederick, Prince of Wales. But the poor were not forgotten. John Wesley was a social reformer, opening dispensaries and distributing medicines, while George Whitefield dedicated his life to his Orphanage House in Georgia. Although Wesley was no revolutionary he ‘affirmed unfeigned loyalty to the king and sincere attachment to the constitution’. Some of his lay preachers were rather more anti-establishment. It was noted ‘their doctrines are more repulsive and strongly tinctured with disrespect towards their superiors...it is monstrous to be told you have a heart as sinful as the common wretches that crawl upon the earth’. John Wesley, before he died, drew up a deed of declaration; 100 ministers were named as the governing body of the Methodist Church and vacancies were to be filled by election by the ministers. The chapels were grouped into circuits and the circuits into districts. The itinerant ministers were appointed for three years. Neither John and Charles Wesley nor George Whitefield wished to leave the Church of England, but in 1795 after their deaths, the English Methodist congregations broke with the established church. However, on 2nd November 2003, at a ceremony attended by Her Majesty the Queen, the Methodist and Anglican churches signed a covenant which is intended to heal the 200 year rift and move towards re-unification. When the spread of Methodism in Kent is considered, it might be assumed that the Wesleyan rather than the Calvinistic Whitefieldian form would be preferred. Whitefield WESLEYAND WHITEFIELDAND THEEVANGELICAL REVIVAL WESLEYAND WHITEFIELDAND THEEVANGELICAL REVIVAL WESLEYAND WHITEFIELDAND THEEVANGELICAL REVIVAL WESLEYAND WHITEFIELDAND THEEVANGELICAL REVIVAL WESLEYAND WHITEFIELDAND THEEVANGELICAL REVIVAL WESLEYAND WHITEFIELDAND THE EVANGELICAL REVIVAL WESLEYAND WHITEFIELDAND THE EVANGELICAL REVIVAL WESLEYAND WHITEFIELDAND THEEVANGELICAL REVIVAL WESLEYAND WHITEFIELDAND THEEVANGELICAL REVIVAL John Wesley preaching at the Market Cross. Images from the website of the Methodist Archives and Research Centre, www.rylibweb.man.ac.uk Winter 2003/4 11 BIG DIG IN LENHAM BIG DIG IN LENHAM BIG DIG IN LENHAM BIG DIG IN LENHAM BIGDIG IN LENHAM BIG DIG IN LENHAM BIG DIG IN LENHAM BIG DIG IN LENHAM BIG DIG IN LENHAM BIGDIG IN LENHAM BIG DIG IN LENHAM BIG DIG IN LENHAM BIG DIG IN LENHAM BIG DIG IN LENHAM BIGDIG IN LENHAM BIG DIG IN LENHAM BIG DIG IN LENHAM BIG DIG IN LENHAM meter subsequently refused to function at all the following week, so it may be that it had already started to malfunction on Stack Platt. We were prepared to dig three trial pits on Stack Platt to see what we could find, but ‘Time Team’ were very behind with their Registration procedure and we had not received their pack of instructions! It was not till June 19th (just 10 days to go) that I received a phone call to say that they were very interested in our proposed sites and they would send us a roving cameraman on Sunday June 29th. Imagine my confusion and shock when on the following Tuesday an e-mail arrived from a ‘Sheridan Nott’ of ‘Time Team’ to say that our sites were “too sensitive” and that we could not be registered in their scheme. (One of our members suggested that this email was a hoax…. but somehow, I do not think it was). As the mix-up seemed too silly for words and everything was planned, we decided to go ahead regardless! And it was just as well that we did, because a full registration pack finally arrived mid week at East Lenham Farm. (I would appreciate hearing from any other people who had the same standard letter from refusing registration of their sites). On the Sunday morning, Duncan, the cameraman, arrived as planned and he took shots of our dig at East Lenham and the film was sent back to London by c o u r i e r. We made it into the Sunday programme in a short slot, but it was well reported. the SMR although it is mentioned in the Domesday book - a modern mystery! In June of this year we did a resistivity survey of Stack Platt using the KAS meter and with Ted Connell’s assistance. (fig 1). Is the paler inverted ‘L’ shape in the top right quarter the manor house and the darker, denser areas the fallen walls and rubble? Perhaps the rectangle (position of trial pit 3) was a stone floor…of a missing chapel? We were eager to find out. But the amount of stone in the present farm buildings and walls suggests that a huge amount had been robbed out, so was everything else just rubble? A resistivity survey was also done of the area closer to the lake, as there one substantial wall still stands, but not normally visible as submerged by the waters of the moat. Constructed of well-shaped Kentish rag, four blocks high, it extends around a marshy area in a distinct right angle. Was this just a ‘garden wall’ or was it the footings of the original m a n o r, standing, rather like Ightham Mote, with its feet in the water? (fig 2). Fo r t u n a t e l y, when re-dredging the moat in 1980, Andrew Barr had taken this picture. The building behind is a C19 cowshed that was marked on the 1831 tithe map. But the area abutting this wall showed simply nothing on the resist i v i t y. However, the n Summer 2003, Time Team’s ‘BIG DIG’ invited the public to excavate, causing much controversy amongst archaeological commentators. Here, one participating group recount their experience of the venture. East Lenham discovering a lost moated manor on ‘Time Team’s’ BIG DIG weekend. Lenham Archaeological Society officially came into being earlier this year. When ‘Time Team’ announced their BIG DIG proposal we thought it would be an excellent opportunity to join in something that had ‘official’ backing and get ourselves some publicity. Various field walks, observations, geophys surveys and research had already been started by our members and we had found several interesting areas that would warrant trial pit investigations. Rather than each individual entering separately we deduced it would be easier to enter the different sites together as a Group. Unfortunately this seemed to confuse the ‘Ti m e Team’ organisers - as you will see shortly. One of the most interesting sites we wished to investigate was East Lenham moated manor. The owner of the present house/farm at East Lenham, Andrew Barr, had found a 1660 map with a picture of the old manor house standing on Stack Platt, the piece of land encircled by the present moat. The old manor had no reference in B I GD I G I NL E N H A M fig 2 fig 1 Winter 2003/4 12 ollowing my article on the suggested origins of Bayford Castle, Sittingbourne, published in the Summer 2003 edition of this magazine, I was pleased to read Alan Ward’s extensive comments and criticisms of my theory. Little has been recorded of this castle’s past and following extensive industrial activity in the 19th century, any tangible remains have been obliterated. The best we can now do is to put forward our own individual hypotheses based upon what knowledge we might have. I’m grateful to Mr Ward for his thoughts on this subject. Bayford Castle is without any shadow of doubt an ancient structure. It is mentioned on most OS maps and I was able to purchase a copy of Christopher Saxton’s map of Bayford and Goodmanstone manors dated 1590, from the British Library. On it he mentions ‘Castle Ruffe’, a name by which Bayford Castle was also known at that time. Re my hypothesis of the origins of Watling Street, the A2, Mr Ward said that there is no evidence for its original line once having been adjacent to Bayford Castle, some THE CONTINUING SAGA OF BAYFORD CASTLE THE CONTINUING SAGA OF BAYFORD CASTLE THE CONTINUING SAGA OF BAYFORD CASTLE THE CONTINUING SAGA OF BAYFORD CASTLE THE CONTINUING SAGA OF BAYFORD CASTLE THE CONTINUING SAGA OF BAYFORD CASTLE THE CONTINUING SAGA OF BAYFORD CASTLE and proof of its age. But the C16 brick poses more questions… Wa s there a Tudor manor house, as the picture on the 1660 map suggests? Was there an older medieval manor closer to the lake? Were they both demolished in progression till the present house and farm buildings were built? Were there intervening C18 buildings on the Platt? It is all very intriguing. There could even be Roman features present on the Platt. One surface find of a Romano-British sandy ware sherd might suggest that. But Roman and older finds have been surfacing in all fields around Lenham. BUT, it is certainly worth a larger dig and a bigger trench without the ‘Time Team’s’ restriction in size. A trench across the slight mound that did not show any resistivity abnormality might well reveal the building indicated on the 1831 map. An intriguingly named field, ‘Stumbles’, lies on the western borders of the moat, an uneven pasture that would warrant further resisitivity work. Certainly Lenham Archaeological Society could make good use of the KAS resistivity meter again! Lesley Feakes Chairperson LAS Here is a sketch map adapted from the 1831 tithe map to show the position of present and past farm buildings, the moat wall, and the position of our resistivity plots. (fig 3). Each of the trial pits dug had a hard layer or ‘floor’ just 15cm beneath the surface. These floors were of well packe d flints, hard packed chalk and/or crushed tile and brick and each area was some 15cm in depth. Beneath the ‘floors’ was another 15cm of mixed top soil/heavy clay. As we were not allowed (by ‘Time Team’ rules) to dig much deeper than 60cm we left investigation at that depth. Few finds of datable material were obtained. However, in trench 2 (half way along the northern edge of the resistivity print-out) an old brick with whitish mortar was found at a depth of 50cm, now identified as early C16. In trench 1 a C19 button was found. Conclusions are difficult to arrive at from so little excavation! There were a variety of hard surfaces deliberately constructed, possibly for stockyards, possibly using the material of the earlier manor house, possibly from the destruction of a later C18 building. We would have been extremely lucky if we had found definitive evidence for the C12 manor’s existence THE CONTINUING SAGA OF BAYFORD CASTLE 300m to the north. He does agree with me however, when I suggested the Romans initially used the Lower Road when marching between London and Dover/Richborough. It is only since embarking upon a course of studies in archaeology with Exeter University that I started to question how the Romans actually got from Richborough to London and Colchester. I assumed they built Watling Street section by section as they progressed across Kent, but I now know this was not so. In the early days of the invasion they would have used existing trackways. It was only later, once the southern tribes had been subjugated, that there was the need for a fast access road back to the Channel ports to be built. Watling Street conveniently links London, Canterbury and Dover by a more or less straight road. Our Iron Age ancestors would not necessarily have needed to link such large distances. They were not great travellers in comparison to the Romans. If they sought to link one community to the next, the Lower Road would m a ke more sense. Locally, the original settlements of Faversham, Teynham, Sittingbourne and Milton Regis were all on this line, being small fishing ports. There is nothing of Iron Age date along Watling Street. I agree with Mr Ward when he offers the theory of Ospringe also being a possible overnight resting place for travellers. This is borne out by the recent discovery of Roman remains here, possibly the long lost town of Durovernum. It must be accepted however, that resting places would be needed for east-west journeys as well as those from west-east. Moving on to the mysterious earthworks shown in ‘VCH’ that once lay by St Michael’s church, I concede they could indeed be flood defence measures, especially in view of the closeness of the stream that once crossed Watling Street nearby. This is what makes the study of Bayford Castle such a fascinating and thought-provoking study. I’m truly grateful to Mr Ward for his views on the matter. fig 3 John Clancy Key approx resistivity areas Winter 2003/4 13 Dear Editor BARFRESTON CHURCH I have sometimes been asked, and indeed often wondered myself, how it was that the Romanesque carving on the south portal at Barfreston survived the iconoclasm of the Cromwellian period when so much else in the area was desecrated. There are a number of pre-restoration engravings showing the chancel or the east end, but I have not yet seen any showing the portal. Hussey’s account of his restoration in Archaeologia Cantiana 16 reports relatively minor restoration of the south portal. It had been suggested to me that, since the carving on the portal is low relief, it may have been covered in plaster to hide the sculpture from the Puritans. In 1778 Hasted mentions ‘a modern porch’ and does not describe the sculpture. However, I recently came across the Kent volume of ‘Picturesque Beauties of Great Britain’ with drawings by Shepherd and others. Although not dated, the work seems to have been completed in the first quarter of the 19th century. It includes Shepherd’s drawing of the Dear Editor KENT CHURCHES I do not wish to prolong the debate on church surveys but I must again comment on a statement by Alan Ward, in his letter in the last issue. He talks of white-washing over a wall painting as ‘destruction’. I think he now concedes that his claim was based solely on hearsay evidence of an event of about twenty years ago; but even if correct, the act of covering, far from destroying the painting, actually safeguards it for the future. This has to be done when paintings are uncovered and if money is not available, either to investigate further, or to embark on a possibly large-scale and expensive programme of conservation. The Canterbury Diocesan Advisory Committee on the Care of Churches (DAC) has recently recommended just such a procedure. There is an obvious parallel in ‘dirt’ archaeology; sites that cannot be fully excavated are recorded and protected, to await further study. Leslie A Smith Vice-Chairman Canterbury DAC LETTERS TO THE EDITOR WINTER 2003/4 Barfreston chancel from the south dated 1823. The Shepherd drawings are familiar in Kent but I had not seen the text before. A sentence on page 82 reads, ‘The south, or principal entrance opening into the nave, is most richly ornamented with figures: but a great portion of it is now obscured from view by a brick porch, so injudiciously constructed as to abut immediately against the sculptures.’ The porch was not mentioned by Glynne, who visited the church before 1840 and most likely about 1830. My tentative conclusion is, therefore, that a porch might have been built to obscure the sculpture on the south portal in order to prevent its destruction. The porch was either removed between 1823 and 1840 (when Hussey visited the church), or may have fallen victim to the subsidence that necessitated Hussey’s thorough restoration. In any event, the sculpture is in unusually good condition and this may be due to the presence of a porch. Can any reader shed light on the mystery of why the sculpture on the Barfreston door is in such good condition? Mary Berg Canterbury LETTERS TO THE EDITOR LETTERS TO THE EDITOR LETTERS TO THE EDITOR LETTERS TO THE EDITOR LETTERS TO THE EDITOR LETTERS TO THE EDITOR LETTERS TO THE EDITOR LETTERS TO THE EDITOR TO THE EDITOR LETTERS TO THE EDITOR TO THE EDITOR LETTERS TO THE EDITOR TO THE EDITOR LETTERS TO THE EDITOR DO YOU RECOGNISE THIS MYSTERY OBJECT? Can any KAS member identify this mystery object? Discovered in the bottom of a box of bric-a brac from a charity shop, it has already been sent to Maidstone Museum and the British Museum, but to no avail. The object is metal, bronze or brass, weighs 4oz/112gm and is 9.45inches/ 240mm long. Which language do the 12 oriental characters which surround the compass belong to? Is the compass a later addition to the object? The burnt mass within the bowl is slightly sticky. Although the stem is hollow, there is no ‘exit’ hole at the end furthest from the bowl. The puzzled owner would love to know its origins and use. Please contact the Editor at the usual address, email or telephone number. Winter 2003/4 14 greatly appreciative of the glorious sunshine! During the autumn we learnt about the Portable Antiquities Scheme from Kent’s Finds Liaison Officer, Andrew Richardson and the children enjoyed using metal detectors to search for their own ‘treasure’. We investigated the beginnings of writing, creating hieroglyphs on papyrus and cuneiform on clay tablets. We then focussed on watermills, with expert Mick Fuller giving a talk, followed by an examination of ancient querns and a taste test of different breads. Our Roman 2003 has been a great year for the North Downs Young Archaeologists’ Club. We have been involved with many exciting projects, some of which you will already be aware from previous articles in the Newsletter. This summer our contribution to National Archaeology Day was an event entitled ‘A Century of Change’ held within the Museum of Kent Life. The Cantiaci Living History group were there, as was the Roman Primus Abuteus, both demonstrating aspects of life in the first century AD. North Downs YAC ran a number of activities where people could try their hand at spinning and mosaic making, amongst others. Our young members and the public enjoyed eating the edible torcs they had fashioned and tasting food of the period. As we were dressed in costume we were Winter 2003/4 15 A YEARTO REMEMBER A YEAR TO REMEMBER A YEARTO REMEMBER A YEARTO REMEMBER A YEAR TO REMEMBER A YEARTO REMEMBER A YEAR TO REMEMBER A YEARTO REMEMBER A YEAR TO REMEMBER A YEAR TO REMEMBER A YEARTO REMEMBER A YEAR TO REMEMBER A YEARTO REMEMBER A YEAR TO REMEMBER A YEAR TO REMEMBER A YEARTO REMEMBER A YEAR TO REMEMBER A YEARTO REMEMBER AY E A RT O REMEMBER FOR YA C (Thomas Hardy). We will take in sights such as Maiden Castle, stronghold of the Iron Age Durotriges and the Cerne Abbas Giant. Our base will be a hotel in Bournemouth. For further details and enquiries please contact: Joy Saynor, Hon. Excursions Secretary Friars, 28 High Street Shoreham Sevenoaks TN14 7TD Tel: 01959 522713 email: saynor.shoreham@amserve.com his year the Society will again follow the five-day pattern which has proved so successful for the last two Summer Excursions, leaving valuable summer weekends free. As usual, our coach will have four pick-up points throughout Kent and will provide our transport during the holiday. Our excursion will explore the classic and historic landscape of Dorset; rolling chalk downland and hidden valleys, “of a shape approaching the indestructible as nearly as any to be found on earth” THE KAS 2004 SUMMER EXCURSION ~14-18 JUNE Carenza Lewis surrounded by enthusiastic YAC members. Maiden Castle in Dorset. YACmembers proudly display their hieroglyphic calligraphy skills. Christmas Party was also to be remembered. We ate our fill of food (reclining of course!) and were exhausted by the games, so it was great to sit and listen to a fascinating talk by Carenza Lewis from Time Team who joined us for the event. Our YAC group is very appreciative of all the time and effort many people put into making our club a success. KAS and Maidstone Museum deserve our thanks, as do the guest speakers who give up a Saturday morning to make our meetings interesting, informative and enjoyable. The results speak for themselves as our members are a keen and dedicated bunch, happy to turn up regularly despite having been made to fieldwalk in the pouring rain! We have an exciting programme ahead, and will keep you up to date with our adventures in future Newsletters. Happy New Year from North Downs Young Archaeologists’ Club. Susie Lee appropriate standard and subsequent publication of the results is a key role of John’s team. Two members of this team are responsible for the Sites & Monuments Record. Others include a Finds Liaison Officer (see front page), and a Conservation Architect, dealing with issues of built heritage and KCC’s historic windmills. Beyond the core work of developmentled archaeology, the emphasis is on ‘partnerships’. John embraces the wider picture, emphatic that Kent’s archaeology must be set within a European context. “Working with continental neighbours develops a better vision and takes forward best practice.” PlanArch (planning and archaeology) led by Kent, is uniting Essex, Nord–Pas-de- Calais, Flanders, Wallonia, the Netherlands and the Rhineland in a C2.5 million programme of work. The Historic Fortifications Network, embracing Kent, West Flanders and Nord–Pas-de-Calais, in its present phase is bringing C700,000 of European funding into Kent. John has to be something of an entrepreneur in terms of putting funding together; bidding for money is now standard practice, a completely different scenario from 20 years ago. Does John ever miss trench and trowel? “The spirit is willing but the knees are weak!”, a problem exacerbated by years down cold, damp holes, allied to sporting activities - he played cricket for Manchester U n i v e r s i t y, where he remembers being D RJ O H NW I L L I A M S Head of Heritage Conservation, Kent County Council Winter 2003/4 16 BACK PAGE PEOPLE BACK PAGE PEOPLE BACK PAGE PEOPLE BACK PAGE PEOPLE BACK PAGE PEOPLE BACK PAGE PEOPLE BACK PAGE PEOPLE BACK PAGE PEOPLE BACK PAGE PEOPLE BACK PAGE PEOPLE BACK PAGE PEOPLE BACK PAGE PEOPLE BACK PAGE PEOPLE BACK PAGE PEOPLE BACK PAGE PEOPLE n his own admission, John Williams is perhaps shy when the subject in question is himself. But passion for his role in the management and promotion of the archaeology of Kent sees no such reticence. He heads a team of 10 archaeologists and a conservation architect and takes obvious pride in their work, “one of the best teams in the country, and possibly the best”. Born in North Wales, he was discouraged in the 60’s from following archaeology as a career due to the perceived lack of prospects (a consistent theme within these Back Page interviews). A letter to Mortimer Wheeler drew the response “But the really important thing is to work hard ….” ‘A’ Levels in Latin, Greek and Greek and Roman History preceded reading Latin at Manchester University, where he took Roman Britain as a special subject. In his second year he was a supervisor after one week on a training excavation - “very unlike the long apprenticeships of today” - and passed the summer as no 2 on the excavation of Chester’s Roman amphitheatre. The next year, either side of graduation, 15 weeks were spent directing major excavations at Warrington, a Roman industrial complex, for the Ministry of Public Building & Works. John’s sense of the absurd is apparent when recounting an observation from the audience at a lecture on the site – “what an eye the Romans had for a tactical defensive position, locating the settlement between the River Mersey and the Manchester Ship Canal”. Staying on at Manchester he did an MA with Barri Jones on Stone Building Materials in Roman Britain, but then three years “away from the ivory tower of unversity archaeology” in the textile industry provided a good business grounding – “some of my best archaeological training”. He joined Northampton Development Corporation, a New Town authority, in 1971, at the beginning of the explosive growth of rescue archaeology, and headed its archaeology unit for 13 years. His most challenging and rewarding excavation was of a large middle Saxon Yeavering-style timber hall, subsequently replaced in stone. Publication of Middle Saxon “Palaces” at Northampton followed. He also got deeply involved in the Medieval documentary sources for the town. He then became Director of Lancaster University’s archaeology unit for 5 years, doing some undergraduate teaching along the way, and during this period obtained his Doctorate for a portfolio of published work on Medieval Northampton. In 1989 he became Kent’s County Archaeologist, to face the very real challenge of curating wonderfully rich archaeology under quite considerable development pressure. Of some 22,000 planning applications annually around 1500 have to be looked at in some detail and, in addition to full publications, over 300 pieces of “grey literature” (unpublished site reports) are generated each year. Ensuring an adequately funded archaeological response to an EDITOR : LYN PALMER 55 Stone Street, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN1 2QU Telephone: 01892 533661 Mobile: 07810 340831 Email evelyn.palmer@virgin.net or newsletter@kentarchaeology.org.uk bowled by Brian Statham in a game against Lancashire Club and Ground – so much for the 4 the ball before - and has a coaching qualification. However, one of the great pleasures of his current job is not having to do another archaeological sequence diagram. Aside from sport, gentler pursuits are followed. A good thriller appeals, although current reading is The Archaeology of Ancient G r e e c e, and the Independent crossword focuses his mind. A music lover, he enjoys both classical and jazz and plays the piano. He also cooks a “mean curry”, a skill learnt at university following liquid cricket celebrations – or commiserations! John is married to Egyptologist Frances Williams (a relationship initiated down a medieval cess pit in Colchester) and obviously revels in having his own personal guide when accompanying her to that country. Their daughter, once asked by a schoolteacher about her parent’s employment, replied that both “used to be” archaeologists. The concerned teacher enquired ‘Have they got real jobs now…?’ John asserts that it is only through public support that heritage will prosper, but questions the distortion of some television programmes with a ‘mystery’ or ‘disaster’ ingredient. Stirring the public’s imagination raises awareness, but it is important that best practice and rigorous interpretation are encouraged. What is John’s vision for the future? For Kent, one long-held desire is the creation of an archaeological resource centre, to assemble the archives and finds from excavation and fieldwork and make them available for both academic study and general access to the public and schools. At a personal level, he hopes to pick up again research on Medieval Northampton. John feels archaeology has ‘come of age’ during the last 30 years and that he is privileged to have been employed throughout that period in varying roles in three different parts of the country, each with exciting archaeology. For those starting out in the profession today there are perhaps more initial opportunities but developing a longer-term career is not easy. Having had the chance to participate in shaping the management of archaeology at one of its most exciting periods and more recently be involved with major work in Kent, including that associated with Channel Tunnel Rail Link, he counts himself a lucky man. (For an update on Roman Kent see John’s New Light on Roman Kent, just published in the Journal of Roman Archaeology) Copy deadline for the next issue in April is Monday 1st March. 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. Published by the Kent Archaeological Society, The Museum, St Faith’s Street, Maidstone, Kent. ME14 1LH www.kentarchaeology.org.uk