KAS Newsletter, Issue 61, Summer 2004

Issue number 61 Summer 2004 www.kentarchaeology.org.uk part of the plot. In 1920 this barrow was partially levelled to make way for a new tennis court in the garden of Sir Johnston Fo r b e s - Robertson, a famous actor of the day. During the construction of the tennis court, the workmen discovered six extended inhumation burials, fairly certainly of Anglo-Saxon date, together with an earlier crouched burial, most probably he Canterbury Archaeological Trust has just completed excavations, ahead of new building work, on land at Bay Hill, St Margaret’s-at- Cliffe. The site lies on the summit of a chalk ridge, overlooking the English Channel, near Dover. Very particular interest attached to the site from the outset because a substantial Bronze Age round barrow had once occupied Summer 2004 1 associated with the original barrow. Excavations in May and June 2004 showed that other remains still survived. No traces of the prehistoric barrow mound remained but almost the complete eastern half of the barrow’s enclosing ring-ditch was located. This is estimated to have been about 22 metres in diameter. Inside 2-3 St Margaret’s Bay Stone Road Library notes 4-5 Cod Brass, Allen Grove,Train Stops & Sittingbourne LHRG 6-7 Lectures, Courses, Conferences & Events 8-9 Notice Board 10-11 ‘Ideas & Ideals’ Articles on the Net ALSF 12-13 New Books St Barnabas’ 14-15 Letters to the Editor LHIGrants Maidstone Roman Villa 16 KASShow 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 ANCIENT BURIALS AT ST MARGARET’S continued on page 2 General view of the site looking towards the sea. summer 2004 2 KENT COASTAL EXCAVATIONS KENT COASTAL EXCAVATIONS KENT COASTAL EXCAVATIONS KENT COASTAL EXCAVATIONS KENT COASTAL EXCAVATIONS KENT COASTAL EXCAVATIONS KENT COASTAL EXCAVATIONS KENT COASTAL EXCAVATIONS KENT COASTAL EXCAVATIONS KENT COASTAL EXCAVATIONS KENT COASTAL EXCAVATIONS KENT COASTAL EXCAVATIONS KENT COASTAL EXCAVATIONS KENT COASTAL EXCAVATIONS KENT COASTAL EXCAVATIONS KENT COASTAL EXCAVATIONS KENT COASTAL EXCAVATIONS KENT COASTAL EXCAVATIONS KEEXCAVATIONS ring-ditch or lay just outside it. They had all been placed in a crouched or contracted position - three were lying on their right sides and two others were prone. None contained any datable grave goods. Trust members are now undertaking a close study of the evidence recorded and a detailed report will be produced in due course. Keith Parfitt Canterbury Archaeological Trust gullies, suggesting that they had once themselves been covered with small barrows. The skull of a probable female contained within Grave 6 showed evidence of an unusual medical condition. The discovery of no less than six contracted inhumations (Graves 9-14), apparently all of prehistoric date, represented an unexpected find and clearly implies that the barrow site had acted as a focus for Bronze Age (and perhaps Iron Age) activity. All these graves had either been cut into the filling of the barrow A view of the ring-ditch, clearly visible. The Roman building under excavation. industrial process that was carried out within the building. A fragment of a large millstone, possibly from a mechanical mill, and several fragments from hand querns were found and it appears that grain may have been processed at the site ready for milling. Detailed analysis of the building and finds are at an early stage and there is more to discover from the records and artefacts about the history of the building. Archaeological sites dating from the Bronze and Iron Ages have been excavated recently in the North Foreland area and the discovery of a Roman building nearby adds another layer to our understanding of this area and Thanet’s past. Although the building has now been reburied it will be preserved for future generations to investigate further. Ges Moody Deputy Director Trust for Thanet Archaeology he Trust for Thanet Archaeology has discovered and excavated a small cellared Roman building near Stone Road, North Foreland, Broadstairs. This is an area where finds of Roman material have been made in the past, but few sites of the period have been excavated by modern methods. The building lies on the northern slope of a valley and is constructed on a deep layer of hillwash containing Iron Age and Early Roman finds. A group of clay hearths found in the chalk floor of the building are evidence of an STONE ROAD, BROADSTAIRS continued from page 1 Trenches cut through the ring-ditch showed it to be between 1.05 and 1.70 metres wide and up to 1.15 metres deep. Although the lower levels of the ditch were almost totally devoid of finds, the brown loam filling in the top of the ditch produced a significant quantity of prehistoric struck flint, together with some prehistoric pottery, animal bone and marine shell. At total of eight A n g l o - S a xon graves (Graves 1-8) was revealed outside the barrow ditch. These all contained extended inhumations, aligned west-east. Characteristic Anglo-Saxon iron knives were recovered from four of them but there were few other grave goods. The distribution of the Anglo-Saxon graves appears fairly even and consists of three rows of widely spaced graves, generally set about 5 metres apart. None had been disturbed in the recent past and it seems clear that these are not to be counted amongst those graves identified in 1920. Graves 6 and 7 on the eastern side of the Bronze Age monument were enclosed by small ringWe are most grateful to Mrs. Mary Butcher for donating to the KAS library the following books and pamphlets from the library of her late husband, Mr. John Butcher, a valued member of KAS for many years and a volunteer in the KAS library, assisting in the indexing of Visual Records. Shell book of Cottages. (Richard Ford.) A Thousand years of the English Parish. (Anthea Jones). Maidstone Official Charter Brochure. Archbishops Palace Heritage Centre Maidstone. Village Records. (John West). The Parish Chest. (W.E.Tate). Tracing the History of Villages. (Trevor Yorke). The Voices of Morebath. (Eamon Duffy). Field Work in Local History. (W.G.Hoskins). Life in Kent at the turn of the Century. (Michael Winstanley). Geology of the Country Round Maidstone. (HMSO). The Wealden District. (HMSO Regional Geography). Rural Rides. (William Cobbett). The Making Of Charles Dickens. (Christopher Hibbert). Maidstone and Chatham Tramways. (R.J.Harley). The Churchyard Handbook. Iron Industry of the Weald. (Henry Cleare and David Crossland). Hops and Hop Picking. (Richard Filmer). The Encircling Hop. History of Hops and Brewing. (Margaret Lawrence). Yalding Manor Record 1334-6. Yalding. Marden. A Wealden Village. History of Chart Sutton. History of Bearsted and Thurnham. History of the Mote Cricket Club. Carshalton. From Medieval Manor to London Suburb. (T. Osborn). Mid Victorian Tonbridge. (C.W.Chalklin). Maidstone to Ashford Railway. 1870-1884. Richborough and Reculver. (E.H. 1987). Maidstone Guide. 5th Edition. Maidstone Grammar School. Boxley. Story of an English Parish. Library Volunteers have completed work on some 200 of the Hussey files of genealogical information on Kentish families, and each file now has a list of contents, to assist the researcher. A start is being made on the Hussey files on Kentish locations with particular reference to families associated with the location. We hope that work on these files will be completed before the end of the year, and appropriate reference to them will then be posted on kentarchaeology.ac website. Addition to the website of the index of the Gordon Ward files on Kentish locations proceeds and has reached letter L. The use of the website facility for the publication of articles on Kent history and archaeology is increasing, and in future the site is to be used by the KAS Publications Committee for the publication, where appropriate, of articles and books sponsored by the Committee. The website itself is about to undergo a make-over, partly in order to be able to manage and accommodate with greater ease its increasing use. For the History and Archaeology Show on June 5, the Library housed displays by KA S Committees on their work —— Pu b l i c a t i o n s , Education, Field Works, Place Names and Library Committees. The Library Committee, a selection of rare books on Kent, and journals from other regional and national history and archaeology societies were exhibited, together with a montage of visual images of Kentish buildings and locations from our extensive collection. The displays were well appreciated by the visitors, and the Publications stall in particular was well favoured in its sale of KAS publications. Baden Württemberg; Materiel Hefte fur Archaeologie No. 65 (2004). Bygone Kent. Vol.25 Nos. 4, 5, and 6. Orpington Field Club Annual Report 2003. Greater London Archaeology Quarterly Re v i e w March 2004. Bulletin Archaeologique Liegoise CXI 2000 (2002). Zuidoost Vlaanderen Bijdragen VIII (2002). Place Names of Shropshire P.4. Northamptonshire Archaeology Vol. 30 (2002). Whitstable; History at the Horsebridge. (Geoffrey Pike) Video; The Beauty of the East Kent Countryside and its Churches. (Brian Maxted ). Bonner Jahrbuch Band 200 (2003) Records of Buckinghamshire Vol. 24 (2004) Bede Clerks Roll Vol. 39 , 1 and 2. Derbyshire Archaeological Journal Vol. 124 (2004). Story of Wye Crown. Archaeometry Vol.46 P.2. History of the Church of St. Michael and All Saints, Throwley. (John Owen.). Summer 2004 3 L I B R A RY NOTES LIBRARY NOTES LIBRARY NOTES LIBRARY NOTES LIBRARY NOTES LIBRARY NOTES LIBRARY NOTES LIBRARY NOTES LIBRARY NOTES LIBRARY NOTES LIBRARY NOTES LIBRARY NOTES LIBRARY NOTES LIBRARY NOTES LIBRARY NOTES LIBRARY NOTES LIBRARY NOTES LIBRARY NOTES LIBRARY NOTES LIBRARY NOTES NEW ACQUISITIONS APRIL-JUNE 2004 FROM THE LIBRARY OF THE LATE JOHN BUTCHER Summer 2004 4 THE COD BRASS: 15TH CENTURY RECYCLING IN A ROCHESTER CHURCH THE COD BRASS: 15TH CENTURY RECYCLING IN A ROCHESTER CHURCH THE COD BRASS: 15TH CENTURY RECYCLING IN A ROCHESTER CHURCH THE COD BRASS: 15TH CENTURY RECYCLING IN A ROCHESTER CHURCH THE COD BRASS: 15TH CENTURY RECYCLING IN A ROCHESTER CHURCH THE COD BRASS: 15TH CENTURY RECYCLING IN A ROCHESTER CHURCH Congratulations to Mr Alan Moss from Rochester, the winner of the Churches Committee Competition. His winning entry appears below. he subject of this short essay is not puzzling, nor particularly bizarre (to use the words of the invitation) but it is, we like to think, somewhat unusual and its survival somewhat remarka b l e . For reasons which will emerge, it could be described as an example of 15th century recycling. In addition to its ancient Cathedral, this year celebrating its 14th centenary, the City and Liberty of Rochester once had four parish churches of ancient foundation: St Clement, St Nicholas (Rochester), St Nicholas (Strood) and St Margaret. Of these, St Clement has long gone, its last vestiges disappearing under 19th century railway works and St Nicholas (Rochester) now serves as the offices of the diocese. St Nicholas (Strood) and St Margaret are happily still fully functioning, both having been almost completely rebuilt in the early years of the 19th century. It is to St Margaret’s that we look for the object of the recycling to which I refer. It is in fact a small brass, measuring about 16 inches by 11 and commemorating the life and ministry of one Thomas Cod, Vicar of the said parish between 1448 and 1465. The inscription which accompanies it translates as follows :- Here lies a victim of death, he who was once called the Reverend Thomas Cod, the beloved and pious Vicar of this Church: for he rendered great service to this Church of Christ, and repaired the belfry when in a very bad state (or ‘in the worst times’). This T. C. dies in the year 1465 in the month of November, on the anniversary of the Martyrdom of Saturninus [November 29th]. O do Thou, Oh Jesus, have mercy on him, O holy Andrew Bring him trophies from the brass :- “ was to represent Thomas Cod in processional vestments, which consist - ed of (1) Cassock, (2) Surplice, (3) Almuce (a hood of fur, worn by digni - taries from which came the college hood), and (4) Cope. The engraver made a mistake and instead of the almuce or hood of fur, engraved the Amice, which is one of the Eucharistic vestments. So the engraver merely turned it over and engraved the dress correctly on the back.” One can only imagine the fuss which must have erupted when, having no doubt paid a princely sum for it, those who commissioned the brass then found it to contain a fundamental error in its representation of their beloved priest. One may also suppose that an argument probably ensued as to who was responsible and who should bear the cost of rectifying it: the engraver or he who instructed the engraver. There being no money for a wholly new brass, a compromise was reached, the original was turned over, a new engraving executed - correct this time, much to everyone’s relief. The brass was set in place, the error was covered up and forgotten, not to see the light of day again for 400 years. The Cod brass is happily still in the possession of what has since become the Parish of St Peter with St Margaret in Ro c h e s t e r. The hinged frame in which it was placed so that both sides could be seen, is still in place in St Margaret’s Church. But the brass is not there; it has become extremely fragile, its fragility exacerbated, no doubt, by its 19th century adventures. To prevent further deterioration it has been removed to a safer place. Let us hope that in due course further repair or stabilisation can be carried out and it may once again adorn our church. It is curious to think that, but for a careless mistake in the 15th century, the Cod brass may well have passed completely into oblivion by now. his (spiritual} enemy. May eternal life be the reward of all his holy works. The enigmatic reference to his having repaired the belfry when in a very bad state or ‘in the worst times’ leaves us uncertain as to what he really did. The reference to ‘the worst time’ may have referred to the state of the nation, rather than the condition of the belfry itself. Whatever is meant, evidence suggests that the tower was completely rebuilt. The tower is, in fact, the only part of the medieval church which survived the rebuilding, in the classical style, between 1823 and 1840. It was during the later stages of the rebuilding that the brass - which had lain in the middle aisle - was disturbed. It was first the object of a clumsy attempt to take a cast in lead. This resulted in the head being torn away from the body, which remained in situ. The detached head was taken into the care of the then incumbent, the Rev’d Mr Drage. On close inspection it was found to be engraved on the reverse side as well as the face. Careful cleaning revealed the head of a cleric in a r e m a r kably pristine condition some 400 years after its manufacture. Permission was given for the rest of the brass to be removed and the whole - by now in three pieces - was found to be a representation of a priest wearing the vestments of his day. The mystery remained as to why such an apparently perfect specimen should have lain concealed from view for so many centuries. The brass was restored by a Mr S J Carlos. He replaced certain parts which had been lost, blackened the lines of the brass and filled parts of the priest’s apparel with red wax, presumably having noted traces of red wax used by the maker. Writing about the Cod brass in 1907, the Rev’d Walter E Buckland, Vicar of East Malling, gave as his opinion that the intention of those who ordered THE COD BRASS: 15th CENTURY RECYCLING IN A ROCHESTER CHURCH per annum for a single member and £20 for a family. For this, members will receive a monthly newsletter (the first of which has just appeared), have access to e xclusive courses offered at reduced costs, four lectures and eight social evenings per year, family-orientated events, organised field trips and opportunities to assist in larger scale research projects. The Group will embrace all ittingbourne has a new local history society, ‘The Historical Research Group of Sittingbourne’. The Group was inaugurated following the interest generated by the decision to demolish the Plough public house in East Street. It was noticed from public reaction that a renewed interest was being taken in the town’s heritage. Membership fee will be £15 levels of research and its members will be encouraged to get actively involved in the Groups’ activities. The Group does not portray itself purely as a research organization but as a rescue organisation as well, to help preserve the town’s heritage. For further information and details please contact Alan Abbey on the Group’s dedicated phone line, 01795 553608. John Clancy Summer 2004 5 T H E H I S T O R I C A L R E S E A R C H G R O U P O F S I T T I N G B O U R N E T R A I NS T O P SF O RK A SM E M B E R S T H EA L L E NG R O V E L O C A LH I S T O RY FUND KAS member Susan Pittman recently came across this charming piece of information. She writes: “There was a whole large page Some of the members, and a large section of the party, including Lord Northbourne, and several members of the Council, were two hours late in arriving’. I can’t think that the train would stop for a group of KAS Members today!” Susan Pittman account of the KAS AGM held at Eynsford in the Chronicle and District Times of 3 August 1909 (I think this is the Dartford Chronicle, but this is not written at the top of the page). The article contained some lovely pen and ink drawings. Towards the end of the account my attention was caught by the following: ‘The 5.50 express was specially stopped at Eynsford for the conveyance of the party to M a i d s t o n e , where the annual dinner of the Society was held at the Star Hotel in the evening, under the presidency of Lord N o r t h b o u r n e . RESEARCH GROUP, HISTORY FUND & SPECIAL STOPS RESEARCH GROUP, HISTORY FUND & SPECIAL STOPS RESEARCH GROUP, HISTORY FUND & SPECIAL STOPS RESEARCH GROUP, HISTORY FUND & SPECIAL STOPS RESEARCH GROUP, HISTORY FUND & SPECIAL STOPS RESEARCH GROUP, HISTORY FUND & SPECIAL STOPS book which will be on a 1481 survey of the Manor of Hadlow. Goudhurst and Kilndown Local History Society’s grant was to buy materials for storage of documents in its archive and Shoreham and District Historical Society received its grant for oral history research into the village in the Second World War. The total awarded was £950. he Allen Grove Local History Fund has made four grants this year, three to local societies and one to an individual. The individual was Mrs Kate Kersey for research for a book on the communities of the villages of Bearsted and Thurnham. Hadlow Historical Society also received a grant for a The next grants will be made in about June next year. Application forms for grants can be obtained from the Hon. General Secretary and the applications must reach him by 31st March. The trustees are considering commissioning a book on the history of local history societies and details of this are in a separate note on page 8. LECTURES, CONFERENCES, COURSES AND EVENTS LECTURES, CONFERENCES, COURSESAND EVENTS LECTURES, CONFERENCES, COURSESAND EVENTS LECTURES, CONFERENCES, COURSES AND EVENTS LECTURES, CONFERENCES, COURSES AND EVENTS LECTURES, CONFERENCES, COURSES AND EVENTS LECTURES, CONFERENCES, COURSESAND EVENTS LECTURES, CONFERENCES, COURSESAND EVENTS LECTURES, CONFERENCES, COURSESAND EVENTS Summer 2004 6 Churches Committee Outing Saturday 18 September You are invited to visit the two churches of Barfreston and Womenswold. We meet at Barfreston at 1.45 for 2pm. Tour £2 (£1 for students), £1 for tea (at Womenswold). Please return the enclosed booking form by 11 September or phone 01622 871945. New Perspectives on Four Kent Towns Saturday 16 October at Charing Barn, beside Charing parish Church. 10.30am for 11am start. This event replaces the traditional KAS 3 short excursions. Four expert speakers will contribute: Keith Parfitt ~ Early Dover Sarah Pearson ~ Faversham and Sandwich Ken McGoverin ~ The History and Industrial Archaeology of Northfleet Liz Finn ~ An Outline History of Maidstone Cost £5.00 per person. Morning coffee and afternoon tea are included in the price; lunch can be obtained in Charing or a packed lunch eaten in the Barn. Further enquiries to the Hon.Excursions Secretary, Joy Saynor, tel: 01959 522713 or email: saynor.shoreham@amserve.com. To book please return the booking form within this Newsletter. KASChristmas Lunch Saturday 27 November at the Hall of Wye College. Details and booking form in the Autumn issue. Council for Kentish Archaeology Celebrating 40 years of Archaeological Discoveries in Kent on Saturday 6 November, 2-5.30pm Canterbury Christ Church University College Illustrated talks: The Discovery of the Roman Religious Town at Springhead Victor Smith Excavating the Roman Forts at Dover and Reculver Brian Philp Presentation workshops with finds and plans, led by: Orpington & District Archaeological Society, Springhead E xcavation Group, Lower Medway Archaeological Research Group, Upchurch Archaeological Re s e a r c h Group, Dover Archaeological Group, Bromley and West Kent Archaeological Group. Tickets £4, available from CKA, 7 Sandy Ridge, Borough Green TN15 8HP. Cheques payable to CKA. Further information available on www. t h e - c ka.fsnet.co.uk, or from Conference Organiser, Ruth Plummer tel: 0208 7777872 email: davru58-cka@yahoo.co.uk Study for a Certificate in Archaeology! If you are interested in archaeology deepen your knowledge and understanding of the subject through study on the University of Kent’s well-established Certificate in Archaeology. Courses include an introduction to archaeological method, prehistoric Britain, Roman Britain and Ancient Egypt. There are places available on the Certificate at both the Canterbury Campus and the University Centre at Tonbridge, starting at the end of September 2004. The programme is taught on a part-time basis, one evening a week over two years. No formal entry qualifications are necessary; you need demonstrate only interest, enthusiasm and aptitude. If you complete the Certificate you can then consider progressing to a Diploma and Degree in Archaeological Studies should you wish. Why not ask for more information? Contact the Information and Guidance Unit, the Registry, University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NZ tel: 0800 9753777 email: info@kent.ac.uk University of Kent/Sussex Past Training Excavations Bishopstone, East Sussex 9 August-18 Sept 2004 Following the appointment of Sussex Archaeological Society’s research officer, Dr Gabor Thomas, to a lectureship at the University of Kent, the University is collaborating with Sussex Past in order to allow the completion of a long-term project at Bishopstone, Sussex, investigating village origins, as part of its programme of developing the University’s involvement in field archaeology. The second and final season of the excavation element of the project this summer will target early medieval buildings and occupation identified in the shadow of an Anglo- Saxon church in the very heart of Bishopstone. 5-day training courses run through the period of the excavation and cost £180, covering all aspects of archaeological fieldwork including: geophysics, surveying using To t a l Station, excavation techniques, site planning and context recording, standing building recording, finds processing, and environmental sampling. Places limited to 10 per week. Camping facilities provided. Numerous B&Bs in the area. It is also possible to participate as a volunteer. For application forms write to: Alison Lawrence, Barbican House, 169 High Street, Lewes BN7 1YE tel: Mon-Thur: 01273 405730; email: castle@sussexpast.co.uk Email application forms and a 2003 Interim Report can be accessed at: http://www.sussexpast.co.uk The Sussex Archaeological Society is an IFA Registered Organisation. Horton Kirby & South Darenth Local History Society 13 September The Life of Edward Hasted Shirley Black 8 November A Roman re-enactor Leslie Allman Both on Monday at 8pm in the Village Hall, South Darenth. L e c t u res, Conferences, Courses and Events KAS EVENTS COURSES CONFERENCES LECTURES OTHER EVENTS FROM AROUND THE COUNTY by ticket only – please send a s.a.e. stating which day is required to ODAS, 27 Eynsford Close, Petts Wood BR5 1DP. Sussex Archaeological Society Conference in association with the Centre for Continuing Education, University of Sussex S a xon Sussex: Six Centuries, on Saturday 11 September Burial & settlement in the South Saxon kingdom: the 5th to 8th centuries Sarah Semple Grave assemblages in Anglo-Saxon cemeteries: a reconsideration Jane Brenan Darkness into light: construction of Saxon churches in Sussex Robert Hutchinson Pattern & process in Anglo-Saxon settlement Judie English New Light on Later Anglo-Saxon settlement in Sussex: Bishopstone excavations 2002-4 Gabor Thomas Landscape & Early Medieval settlement in the western Sussex Weald Diana Chatwin Fishing & trade in Sussex, AD900-1100 Mark Gardiner Fee £25 per person inclusive of conference booklet, morning & afternoon tea/coffee. Lunch not included. Booking information from Lorna Gartside, Barbican House, 169 High Street, Lewes BN7 1YE tel: 01273 405737 email: members@sussexpast.co.uk or book online at www.sussexpastshop.co.uk The Sutton Hoo Society Conference 2004 on Saturday 16 October, 9am-5.30pm Anglo-Saxon Landscapes: Real and Imaginary The Royal Hospital School, Holbrook near Ipswich Chaired by Professor Martin Carver (Uni of York) & Angela Care Evans (Brit Mus) Speakers: Dr Andrew Rogerson (Norfolk Museums Service) Prof. Peter Fowler (Prof Emeritus Newcastle Uni) Dr Helena Hamerow (Uni of Oxford) Prof David Dumville (Girton Coll, Cambridge) John Newman (Archaeological Services Suffolk County Council) Dr Tom Williamson (Uni of East Anglia) Price (lunch included), Soc members £17.50, non-members £20.00, students £10.00 Contact The Treasurer, Sutton Hoo Society, 2 Meadowside, Wickham Market, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP13 0UD Council for British Archaeology South-East in association with the Centre for Continuing Education, University of Sussex. The Cinque Ports: Archaeology and Heritage on Saturday 13 November. Speakers include: Keith Parfitt - Dover, Andrew Butcher - Hythe, Gill Draper & Frank Meddens - New Ro m n e y, Peter Marsden - Hastings, David Martin - Winchelsea, Helen Clarke – multidisciplinary projects at Sandwich & Rye. Gustav Milne will provide an Introduction & Summing Up. Conference chaired by David Rudling. Event also includes the CBA SE AGM. For further details or application form please send A5 s.a.e. to David Morriss, CCE, Arts E201, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton, E.Sussex BN1 9QQ. continued on page 10 Summer 2004 7 Farningham & Eynsford Local History Society 17 September (Eynsford Hall) The Anglo-Saxon Jutes in Kent Andrew Richardson 12 November (Farningham Hall) A Journey along the River Cray Denise Baldwin Both at 8pm. National Archaeology Days 2004 This annual event will be held over the weekend of 17 & 18 July. A full listing of events can be found on the Council for British Archaeology’s website at www.britarch.ac.uk. Saturday 17 July 10.30am-4pm. National Archaeology Days event at the ‘Boot Fair’ field, Haine Road, Ramsgate (adjacent to the Lord of the Manor roundabout). Thanet Archaeological Society invite you to see displays, to try ‘hands-on’ archaeology including the chance to dig, surveying, metal detecting, finds identification. Life & Death in Saxon Kent Sunday 18 July 11am-4.30pm. National Archaeology Days event in the Museum of Kent Life, Cobtree, Maidstone. North Downs Young Archaeologists’ invite you to a family fun day! All children under 16 go free. Julian Richards (Meet the Ancestors) talking about TV archaeology and facial reconstruction, Regia Anglorum Saxon re-enactment, ‘make&do’ activity stalls and games, artefacts of the period for handling and food for tasting, finds ID and an exhibition of local history and archaeology groups. A day out for everyone from 3 to 103. Finds Identification Andrew Richardson, Finds Liaison Officer for Kent, will be in attendance to identify and record finds: Thursday 5 August at Dartford Museum 1-4pm Wednesday 11 September at Cranbrook Museum (provisional, time to be finalised) Heritage Open Days at St.Barnabas Church, Tunbridge Wells Saturday 11 September from 9am-2pm Guided tours at 11am & 1pm Sunday 12 September from 2-6pm Guided tours at 3 & 5pm Monday 13 September from 10am-4pm Guided tour at 11am. Exhibition of maps, photos, drawings of church & parish, plus records of St Barnabas School and Parish records. A short article on the Church can be found on page 13. Orpington & District Archaeological Society Open Days at the Excavations at Scadbury Moated M a n o r, Chislehurst, Saturday 11 September & Sunday 12 September from 2-4.30pm A self-guided trail around the excavations at this medieval moated manor site, showing current work as well as the remains of the foundations of the buildings associated with the Walsingham family. The island is still completely surrounded by water. Members of ODAS will be on hand to answer any questions. Admission free. Park in St Pauls Wood Hill and take the public footpath between house numbers 12 & 14. Alternatively, limited car parking is available close to the site LECTURES, CONFERENCES, COURSES AND EVENTS LECTURES, CONFERENCES, COURSES AND EVENTS LECTURES, CONFERENCES, COURSES AND EVENTS LECTURES, CONFERENCES, COURSESAND EVENTS LECTURES, CONFERENCES, COURSESAND EVENTS LECTURES, CONFERENCES, COURSES AND EVENTS LECTURES, CONFERENCES, COURSES AND EVENTS LECTURES, CONFERENCES, COURSES AND EVENTS LECTURES, CONFERENCES, COURSESAND EVENTS EVENTS EVENTS ELSEWHERE With the approach of the Society’s 150th anniversary in 2007, the Trustees of the Allen Grove Local History Fund are considering commissioning a history of local archaeological, antiquarian and history Societies in Kent up to 1914. The Trustees will welcome any views on the merits of this proposal and how it should be approached. A person or organisation will be needed to carry out the research and write the text. The Trustees are looking for a volunteer or suggestions of someone suitable who may be able to undertake this. The Fund will pay the out of pocket expenses involved in the research and arrange publication. The detailed arrangements will be negotiated with the person chosen to undertake the work. Anyone interested in undertaking the work, or who wishes to make any suggestions, is invited to write to the Hon. Secretary, Mr A.I. Moffat at Three Elms, Woodlands Lane, Shorne, Gravesend, DA 1 2 3HH or email him at secret a r y @ ke n t a r c h a e o l o g y. o r g . u k by the 1st December 2004. Summer 2004 8 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 A HISTORY OF LOCAL HISTORY SOCIETIES ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING You and Your Society ABBEY FARM EXCAVATION 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 ANNUAL KAS SUMMER EXCURSION This year’s mid-June excursion to Dorset was attended by 23 members from all parts of Kent. They studied, in Wessex, a range of sites dating from the Iron Age (Maiden and Poundbury Castles) to the early 20th century (Thomas Hardy’s last home, Max Gate). Examples from the intervening centuries included the site of the brutal murder of an Anglo-Saxon King, one of the best presented Henrican coastal castles, as well as Corfe (considerably ‘knocked about’ by Cromwell) and a classic country house, Kingston Lacy. Next June we propose to visit Cumbria. Joy Saynor The AGM seems to attract around 60 members, a distinct improvement on the occasion a few years ago when it had to be postponed because not enough attended to form a quorum! Hopefully the policy of holding the meeting in a limited number of central locations, alternately in east and west Kent, having a lecture in the afternoon and, more recently, a presentation by one of the committees, is proving popular. The meeting took place at Christ Church University College, Canterbury on the 15th May. Before and after the meeting members could look at displays by local societies and others, such as KCC Heritage Conservation Group and stalls selling books. All the Officers were reelected and the elections to the Council saw Denis Anstey, Pat Harlow and Dr Bob Spain reelected. Prof. David Killingray and Anita Thompson retired from the Council. Dr Spain, Chairman of the Library & Muniments Committee, gave a presentation on the work of the Committee assisted by the Hon. Librarian, Dr Frank Panton. No doubt some members were surprised by the scope of its responsibilities which include not only the library but also the Society’s archives and paintings, its collection of artifacts in Maidstone Museum and the web sites. In the afternoon Jill Eddison gave members and guests a fascinating illustrated lecture on the history of Romney Marsh. She covered how it emerged from the waters of the English Channel and its communities developed, as well as other aspects of its his - tory and concluded with a description of some of the research undertaken there. Summer 2004 9 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 Visit to Crundale and Godmersham Churches on 24 April Almost seventy people assembled on a gloriously sunny spring afternoon outside St. Mary’s Church, Crundale and were greeted by Mr Les Cameron, a churchwarden, with a welcome that matched the warmth of the day. In a relaxed and open manner Mr Cameron soon revealed the geography of the parish and the antiquity of the site on which the church stands, close by a prehistoric trackway. Our initial reluctance to quit the warm sunlight and enter through the 16th century porch was rewarded by the glimpse of an extremely fine 15th century incised alabaster tomb that marked the resting place of Sir John Sprot. The simplicity of the 11th century interior, with its 13th century additions, had largely escaped the worst embellishments of the 19th century. In 1895 the Revd. Vickers had renewed the dilapidated interior structure and added a fireplace for himself. Outdoors again we admired the expertly dressed flints that marked the chancel extension built in 1298 by a local man, Roger de Crundale, who had once been stonemason to Edward I. A picturesque descent from the chalk ridge soon led members to the church of St. Lawrence in Godmersham Park, where the Revd. Ian Campbell and our speake r, Mr Hugh Schryver, were waiting. The large, light interior of the church belied its ancient origins since it had been rebuilt by the cathedral monks of Canterbury in the 12th century on the site of a much earlier church and Roman bricks were incorporated into its structure. An unusual apsidal chapel on the north side of the church dates from this rebuilding, together with two windows on the north wall and a bas-relief on the south side of the chancel which is thought to be either one end of Becket’s tomb, or that of his predecessor, Theobald. In the early 18th century Jane Austen joined her brother, Edward (who inherited Godmersham Park), in Sunday worship at St. Lawrence. At that time there were two raised pews and a gallery at the west end and a serious problem with damp. No such problems are apparent today and a quite fascinating afternoon was rounded off by a steaming cup of tea. Sue Petrie The winning entry in the Churches Committee Competition can be read on page 4. Over recent years the Society has purchased an array of tools and instruments for use on excavations and geophysical surveys. Members and Affiliated Groups may borrow this equipment for their projects, the proviso being that the Society’s usage will normally take precedence. For those who would like to use the equipment, or would like more information, please contact the custodians listed below. For some items of equipment (eg Resistivity Meter), the borrower will need to be supervised by the relevant custodians. For Tools (eg wheelbarrows, spades, shovels, mattocks etc) and the Theodolite Custodian: Chris Pout Sunnydene, Boyden Gate Corner, Marshside, Nr Canterbury CT3 4EE tel: 01227 860207 For Resistivity Meter Custodian: Brian McNaughton Eltons, Warehorne Road, Hamstreet, Ashford TN26 2JL tel: 01233 732721 For G.P.S. Meter (Geographical Positioning System) Custodian: Ted Connell 110 Manor Forstal, New Ash Green, Dartford DA3 8JQ tel: 01474 872763 email:ted.connell@btinternet.com For Auger Set Custodian: Ian Jackson 128 First Avenue, Gillingham ME7 2LQ tel: 01634 575000 NB. All borrowed equipment must be collected and returned by the recipient. Before collection, the recipient must agree the date of return. The Committee last met on Saturday 12 June and will next meet on Saturday 9 O c t o b e r. Consideration is still being given as to how best to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Society in 2007. At the Society’s June History & Archaeology Show £217 were realized from the sale of 31 past publications. The Committee has established a permanent Information Technology Subcommittee to continue advising, assisting and acting for the Publications Committee. In the future there will be four publishing formats: * on the kentarchaeology.ac website * on CD-ROM * in paperback * in hardback Archaeologia Cantiana, however, will continue to be printed in hardback. From the Kent History Fund three grants have been awarded: £150 to the Hadlow Historical Society, regarding its manorial survey; £250 to the Shoreham and District Historical Society, regarding oral history and the Second World War, and £300 to the Ulcombe History Society towards the publication of a history of Ulcombe. John Whyman (Chair) The Committee is currently reviewing items which could be used for the Society’s publicity material. Previously, items such as ties, greetings cards and tote bags have been sold, all carrying the Society’s logo. The Committee would like to hear what sort of items members would be interested in. If you have any ideas, comments or experience in dealing with these matters please contact Margaret Lawrence, email: margaret.society@virgin.net or write to Barnfield, Church Lane, East Peckham TN12 5JJ. CHURCHES COMMITTEE FIELDWORK COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP & PUBLICITY COMMITTEE PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE ith Dr Yates article in the last issue of the N e w s l e t t e r, our series, illustrating from Ke n t examples the nodal points in the evolution of the church, has come to an end. Four points of emphasis were suggested to each contributor. They were; o the central ideas inspiring the development o the relevance to our current situation o prominent persons involved in Kentish examples o Kentish examples Summer 2004 10 Still visible are the Gothic verticality, the screened-off chancel, the images in stone and glass, the high pulpit of non-conformity, the Baptist’s subterranean baptistery, the bare Quaker meeting room. They are the expressions in stone and wood of ideas once challenging and still powerful. Belief precedes building, perceptions become structures. Thus cathedral, church, chapel and mission hall still present us with ideas, invite us to make decisions – if only we can interpret what we see. P.A.L. Each successive wave of new visions has left its visual embodiment. What some saw as the dead hand of the over-developed institution has been continually challenged by recurrent streams of fresh insight. Exciting new movements have themselves ossified into structures, leaving their imprint in buildings and patterns of behaviour. All tend to claim inspiration from, and faithfulness to, the Founder. It is almost as if the truth embodied in the faith is so large that only a few of its facets are apparent to any one approach. EVENTS, IDEAS, IDEALS, & ARTICLES AVAILABLE ON THE WEB EVENTS, IDEAS, IDEALS, & ARTICLES AVAILABLE ON THE WEB EVENTS, IDEAS, IDEALS, & ARTICLES AVAILABLE ON THE WEB EVENTS, IDEAS, IDEALS, & ARTICLES AVAILABLE ON THE WEB EVENTS, IDEAS, IDEALS, & ARTICLES AVAILABLE ON THE WEB EVENTS, IDEAS, IDEALS, & ARTICLES AVAILABLE ON THE WEB EVENTS, IDEAS, IDEALS, & ARTICLES AVAILABLE ON THE WEB EVENTS, IDEAS, IDEALS, & ARTICLES AVAILABLE ON THE WEB ‘IDEAS and IDEALS’ This was a series of articles describing formative movements and ideas in the history of the church. A N I D E A L S E R I E S Great Tottington’s Sarsen Stones Paul Ashbee The Papermakers of Snodland Andrew Ashbee The Deal Boatmen; Heroes or Villains? Dr Jacqueline Bower A Traditional Community in Decline; The Deal Boatmen in the Nineteenth Century Dr Jacqueline Bower Cholera and Typhoid Fever in Kent Dr C H Collins Infancy, Polygamy and Parenting within Iron Age Kent Mike Lally The Royal Arsenal Co-operative Society’s Chalk Mine and the Building of the Bostall Estate R F LeGear Finances and Government of Canterbury 1700-1850; An Overview Dr Frank Panton A Possible Roman Tide Mill Dr Robert Spain Articles available for download on www.kentarchaeology.ac continued from page 7 Ouse Valley Project Symposium on Saturday 20 November 10am-5pm Centre for Continuing Education, University of Sussex The launch of a major new interdisciplinary landscape research project studying the Sussex Ouse from sources to sea. An outline of the Sussex Ouse Research Project Prof. Peter Drewett Changes in rural land management & farming practices in and around the Ouse Valley and their impact on the downland land - scape Dr Sue Berry Industrial archaeology of the Ouse Valley John Blackwell & Ron Martin Iron Making in the Ouse basin Jeremy Hodgkinson Sticky Challenge: cohesive sediment movement & accumulation in the Ouse estuary Richard Charman Sussex wetland-rich woodlands – rebuilding a lost habitat type Dr Tony Whitbread From bank to bank: crossing the River Ouse in (pre)history John Bleach Making the most of memory: the Ouse Valley Oral History Project Dr Alistair Thomson Fee (includes tea/coffee) £30, student rate £10, concession £5. Optional pre-booked lunch £7.50. To book tel: 01273 877888 or email: cce@sussex.ac.uk or download an enrolment form from www.sussex.ac.uk/cce/news/ouse. Heritage Open Days 10-13 September Hundreds of properties not normally open to the public will open their doors to visitors. Further information from Heritage Open Days Office at the Civic Trust, 259-269 Old Marylebone Road, London NW1 5RA Landmark Trust Open Days It is normally only possible to view Landmark Trust properties by paying for the associated holiday. However, properties open for visiting in the south-east in 2004 are: 14 September - Wilmington Priory, East Sussex (morning only) 31 October - Sackville House, East Grinstead, West Sussex (south side of the High Street) Further information on www.landmarktrust.co.uk/openday. html. For directions email: bookings@landmarktrust. co.uk or tel: 01628 825925. repairs to their concrete. Access to them will be controlled for health and safety reasons, to minimise vandalism and to avoid disturbance to resident birds (the site is also a national Nature Re s e r v e , Special Landscape Area and SSSI amongst other designations). This will be achieved by cutting the access causeways in two places, one of the cuts having a lockable swing bridge for use in future maintenance and repairs and to allow organised visits to continue. Phase 2 will see on-site interpretation, signage and footpath works, with EC Interreg funds secured towards this. Information taken from the ALSF Annual Report 2002-2003. For further details of the ALSF Scheme: www.english-heritage.org.uk or contact Archaeology Commissions, English Heritage, 23 Savile Row, London W1S 2ET. Summer 2004 11 where Wright Consulting Engineers Ltd received just over £90,000 to help save these three scheduled ancient monuments. Built for the acoustic detection of enemy aircraft, their reinforced concrete parabolic mirrors were redundant by the outbreak of the Second World War due to the introduction of radar. The first mirror was built in 1928 and was 20 foot tall, followed by a more advanced 30 foot mirror with listening room and finally a 200 foot acoustic wall by 1930. Gravel extraction progressively encroached upon the structures and left them all but isolated as an island within lakes formed by quarrying. The structural stability of two of the devices has been seriously affected and undercutting by wave action has undermined one end of the wall. The project has two phases, the ALSF having provided funding for the first phase which will stabilise the lake edge around the structures and carry out essential THE AGGREGATES LEVY SUSTAINABILITY FUND THE AGGREGATES LEVY SUSTAINABILITY FUND THE AGGREGATES LEVY SUSTAINABILITY FUND THE AGGREGATES LEVY SUSTAINABILITY FUND THE AGGREGATES LEVY SUSTAINABILITY FUND THE AGGREGATES LEVY SUSTAINABILITY FUND THE AGGREGATES LEVY SUSTAINABILITY FUND THE AGGREGATES LEVY SUSTAINABILITY FUND THE AGGREGATES LEVY SUSTAINABILITY FUND he Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund (ALSF) was introduced as a two year pilot scheme in 2002 to provide funds to help address the environmental costs of aggregate extraction. English Heritage, along with English Nature and the Countryside Agency, is a major distributor of the Fund on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). Amongst the projects funded in 2002 were three in the Romney Marsh area, where the complex interplay between natural processes and human endeavour that influences landscape evolution are being explored. A total of around £272,000 was allocated: Medieval Adaptation, Settlement and Economy of a Coastal Wetland: the evidence from around Ly d d b y University College, London, will synthesise the archaeological and palaeoenvironmental evidence for medieval settlement, land-use and modification of the landscape, using the considerable body of data produced by developer-funded archaeological work that has been conducted in the area. The Evolution of the Port of Rye, undertaken by the University of Durham, aims to develop a model for the evolution of Rye over the last 3000 years, showing the shifting balance between natural and human processes as agents of landscape change. The Evolution and Landscape History of Dungeness Foreland, also by the University of Durham, seeks to assess the age and depositional history of the gravel beaches. The project has assessed a transect of boreholes drilled through the gravel deposits and a dating programme using OSL (optical stimulated luminescence) has been undertaken to determine the minimum age for deposition of the most recent gravels. Deposits overlying the gravels are being examined for plant and animal microfossils and dating evidence obtained to provide details of how the environments that developed after gravel deposition changed through time. Also funded in Kent was the Listening Devices at Denge p r o j e c t , THE AGGREGATES LEVY SUSTAINABILITY FUND The ‘Listening Ears’ - the acoustic detection devices at Denge. Summer 2004 12 NEW BOOKS NEW BOOKS NEW BOOKS NEW BOOKS NEW BOOKS NEW BOOKS NEW BOOKS NEW BOOKS NEW BOOKS NEW BOOKS NEW BOOKS NEW BOOKS NEW BOOKS NEW BOOKS NEW BOOKS NEW BOOKS NEW BOOKS NEW BOOKS NEW BOOKS NEW BOOKS NEW BOOKS NEW BOOKS NEW BOOKS NEW BOOKS NEW BOOKS NEW BOOKS NEW BOOKS NEW BOOKS NEW BOOKS NEW BOOKS NEW BOOKS NEW BOOKS NEW BOOKS NEW BOOKS NEW BOOKS NEW BOOKS NEW BOOKS NEW BOOKS NEW BOOKS NEW BOOKS The Dover Bronze Age Boat Edited by Peter Clark. English Heritage, 1873592590, £75.00. 464 pages, 198 b/w illustrations, 65 tables. Dated to c.1550BC, the Dover Boat is one of the most spectacular and important prehistoric wooden objects ever found in Europe. This richly illustrated book tells the dramatic story of its discovery and excavation, in addition to the pioneering work in its conservation, re-assembly and display in Dover Museum. As well as a detailed description of the boat itself, the book explores the method of its construction, its original form, capabilities and performance; and its function and place in Bronze Age society. It presents new and innovative techniques for the study of ancient timbers and describes an experiment in building a copy of the boat using replicas of Bronze Age tools. The Dover Bronze Age Boat in C o n t ext: Society and Wa t e r Transport in Prehistoric Europe Edited by Peter Clark. Oxbow Books, 18421711399, £30.00. 152 pages, 134 b/w figs & plates. A conference held in Dover in 2002 brought together scholars from all over Europe to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the discovery of the Dover Boat – one of the most important British archaeological finds of the later 20th cent u r y. This volume presents 16 papers from the conference, exploring the implications of the discovery for Bronze Age society, water transport and cultural contact in a European context, from the shore of Britain, through northern and central Europe, to the eastern Mediterranean and beyond. Oxbow Books are offering a special pre-publication price of only £80.00 for both Dover boat books if pre-ordered now! The Archaeology of Sussex to AD 2000 Edited by David Rudling. Published by Heritage Marketing & Publication Ltd for The Centre for Continuing Education, Sussex Institute, University of Sussex, 0-9544456- 1-9, £21.00. A new CCE publication providing comprehensive and up-to-date reviews of the archaeology of Sussex both chronologically and thematically, covering all periods of the human occupation of Sussex from ‘Boxgrove Man’ c. 500,000 years ago to the post–1945 construction of nuclear shelters. Revising and developing some of the material published in the previous Sussex overview of 1978 – Archaeology in Sussex to AD 1500 – edited by Peter Drewett, it also increases the scope of this earlier volume by including new topics: The archaeological implications of coastal change Shinewater – important Late Bronze Age site on the Willingdon Levels Fishbourne Roman Palace Roman Sussex and its pottery supply Ecclesiastical sites in East and West Sussex Castles and port-medieval defences New Winchelsea – Edward I’s planned new town The archaeology of postmedieval Sussex The demographic information offered by churchyards Maritime archaeology and Sussex wrecks Of interest to a wide range of people including professional and amateur archaeologists, historians, students, landowners, planning and conservation officers and developers, the book will also interest the general public. Available from bookshops or direct from CCE at Essex House, The University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton, BN1 9QQ. Cheque payable to ‘University of Sussex’ for £24.25 (includes £3.25 postage). Becket’s Murderers Nicholas Vincent. Published by Friends of Canterbury Cathedral & the William Urry Memorial Tr u s t N E WB O O K S Summer 2004 13 ST BARNABAS TUNBRIDGE WELLS ST BARNABAS TUNBRIDGE WELLS ST BARNABAS TUNBRIDGE WELLS ST BARNABAS TUNBRIDGE WELLS ST BARNABAS TUNBRIDGE WELLS ST BARNABAS TUNBRIDGE WELLS ST BARNABAS TUNBRIDGE WELLS ST BARNABAS TUNBRIDGE WELLS ST BARNABAS TUNBRIDGE WELLS ST. BARNABAS’ TUNBRIDGE WELLS considerable numbers of visitors, and as a result some interesting discoveries have come to light. One such which will be on display this year will be photographs from a scrapbook of c1900 featuring a large local employer, the Baltic Sawmills. Geoffrey Copus or the past three years St. Barnabas’ church, Stanley Road, Tunbridge Wells, has been the venue for an increasingly ambitious historical exhibition, organised in connection with the Heritage Open Days in September - details are given elsewhere in the N e w s l e t t e r. The history of the church is a classic example of the rise of the Tractarian movement, described by Nigel Yates in the Spring edition. The parish has its origins in a small Mission Church built in 1870 in an area which was fast being developed with working class cottages, and the early years saw much controversy. The establishment of an avowedly Tractarian parish in a district dominated by the Evangelical wing of the Church of England was vigorously opposed, not least by Canon Edward Hoare, Vicar of Holy Trinity, ‘the Protestant Pontiff of Tunbridge Wells’. Despite this, the church flourished, and the present cathedralsized building, designed by the Cutts brothers, was erected in 1887-88 at the enormous cost of £17,000. The Exhibition covers not only the history of the building itself, its schools, clergy and people, but also the development of the area, in which the first Tunbridge Wells railway station had been built. Many industrial buildings were subsequently erected, most of which have now been demolished. The Exhibition has attracted Above: St Barnabas’ Church towers over the surrounding buildings. Left: The interior is equally impressive. 09513476 2 4, £2.50 40pp. Although probably the bestdocumented single event in medieval history, one area of enquiry has remained obscure. What was the background of the murderers, their motivation and their eventual fate? This book is the text of a lecture given by Nicholas Vincent, then Professor of Medieval History at Christ Church University College, Canterbury, which aimed to dispel the myths about the murderers and establish the facts. The account is embedded in the history of the period, with special reference to the anarchy of the previous reign, and includes a number of sidelights of interest – for instance, that the murder of bishops, even in the cathedral, was not uncommon in the Middle Ages. The conclusion looks afresh at the crucial question of how far Henry II was implicated, and shows how the King’s public stance changed as the reputation of the murdered archbishop rapidly grew in the early 1170’s. Available from booksellers or by post, price £3.00, from The Secretary, William Urry Memorial Lecture Fund, c/o The Chapter Library, The Precincts, Canterbury CT1 2EE T H E L O C A L H E R I TA G E I N I T I AT I V E Englishman named Richard Totesham. I think that his name might come from Tutsham in the county of Kent. I have found some information about him when he was in France, but I would like to know more about him when in England, before and after the war. I think he was a very important person in the west of France in this period and would like to know more about his family. If you can help I can be contacted at: 2 Place d’Aille 86130 Saint Georges les Baillargeaux France Tel: 05-49-62-78-09 email: placheteau@chasseneuil.actaris.com Thank you. Pascal Lacheteau Dear Editor I am looking for some information about an English lord during the Hundred Years War. Perhaps there is someone in your Society who can help me? I am researching the history of a French village based in the old province of Saintonge and I have found that during the Hundred Years War the lord was an Summer 2004 14 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR SUMMER 2004 LETTER & LHI LETTER & LHI LETTER & LHI LETTER & LHI LETTER & LHI LETTER & LHI LETTER & LHI LETTER & LHI LETTER & LHI LETTER & LHI LETTER & LHI LETTER & LHI LETTER & LHI LETTER & LHI LETTER & LHI LETTER & LHI LETTER & LHI LETTER & LHI & LHI he Local Heritage Initiative (LHI) has made several grants to community groups in Kent over the last few years. The LHI funds projects which enable local groups to care for the natural, built, industrial, archaeological heritage, and customs and traditions. Below are just three examples of projects: In Faversham, local group Artscape Ink created an 8 by 4 foot mosaic mural, portraying the less obvious, but still fascinating, construction features of the town. A large number of photographs of selected properties, all over 200 years old, were collected, of carvings, motifs, doorways and the buildings themselves. From these a rough template was made for the design. Materials used included mosaic tiles, drift wood, glass, and china, these last two reclaimed from the creek – rubbish brought from London by barge many years ago. Some 200 people worked on eight different sections, including children from four local schools and Age Concern members. The completed mosaic is mounted at the entrance to the railway station and an accompanying leaflet provides information and gives the location of the various sites represented in the mural. Students at Cheyne Middle School in Sheerness on the Isle of Sheppey worked with others from Minster College, Sheerness to compile a detailed history of the town’s Beachfields Park. The Park, which sits between Sheerness and the sea, dates back some 150- 200 years. Working with a local history group, they interviewed local residents and searched through library and archive material, uncovering details also of the history of the Park’s funfair, bandstands, Prisoner of War hut, boating lake and bowling green. Their results are published in a 50 page booklet, ‘Tales of Beachfield Park’. The work was undertaken with the support of Groundwork Medway Swale which works on regeneration projects in the region. The village of Newchurch, Romney Marsh, has a history dating back to the 13th century, a long association with smuggling, and more recently was the location of a World War II airfield. A programme of research, trawling through library and museum archives and recording the reminiscences of elderly residents, has meant this area is now well-documented. The highlights of the village’s past are captured in a special exhibition located permanently in the north chapel of the church and a booklet by the researchers, Paula and Derrick Chiverrell, charts the area’s past in a concise 50 page document. Groups wishing to undertake projects can now apply for 100% grants from £3,000 to £25,000, without any requirement to provide cash themselves. Funds are made available in advance to allow schemes to get under - way quickly without financial constraints. Groups need a Constitution and an open bank account, plus the commitment, time and enthusiasm to bring projects to life. The level of active community involvement is one of the key factors considered when reviewing applications. For an overview of the LHI, an explanation of how to apply for a grant, and information about projects currently underway, go to www.lhi.org.uk or tel: 0870 9000 401 for an application pack. Faversham’s past is now on permanent display. Information taken from LHI News South East, Issue 1. Newchurch residents pose by haystacks at Frostland Farm, circa 1920. Summer 2004 15 MAIDSTONE ROMAN VILLA MAIDSTONE ROMAN VILLA MAIDSTONE ROMAN VILLA MAIDSTONE ROMAN VILLA MAIDSTONE ROMAN VILLA MAIDSTONE ROMAN VILLA MAIDSTONE ROMAN VILLA MAIDSTONE ROMAN VILLA MAIDSTONE ROMAN VILLA MAIDSTONE ROMAN VILLA MAIDSTONE ROMAN VILLA MAIDSTONE ROMAN VILLA MAIDSTONE ROMAN VILLA MAIDSTONE ROMAN VILLA MAIDSTONE ROMAN VILLA MAIDSTONE ROMAN VILLA MAIDSTONE ROMAN VILLA MAIDSTONE ROMAN VILLA system which would have channelled water from one to the other. The projected plan for the building suggests that the villa complex extends beneath nearby St Michael’s CE Infant School and naturally there was a great deal of interest in the work from the local children and their teachers. Some of the children live in Florence Road and were thrilled at the prospect of living on top of a Roman villa! This was a history lesson on their doorstep and a great opportunity for CAT to show them what archaeologists do and the kind of evidence they find. Two days were spent giving infants and the entire junior school (from nearby Douglas Road) an insight into the processes of archaeology and more specifically the discoveries at the Florence Road site. All of the classes had knowledge of the Roman period and the Year 3 (7 and 8 year olds) teacher used the opportunity to support curriculum studies of the local area. Teachers were given additional support materials to use for follow- up work in the classroom. The staff and children were so inspired that the normal curriculum was suspended on the second day in favour of a ‘Roman’ day. In addition to the villa remains, a number of earlier ditches were picked up at the site. In the final week one of these produced masses of pre-conquest ‘Belgic’ pottery sherds, beneath which lay crushed fragments of a horse skull – a bonus find at the end of the excavation. Marion Green CAT Education Officer anterbury Archaeological Trust has just completed a month’s excavation at a fascinating Roman site in Florence Road, Maidstone, west of the River Medway. They were commissioned to e xcavate following discussions between the developer, Mr Don Crosbie, and Kent County Council Archaeological Team. Not far below the modern ground surface, the team picked up the remains of what would once have been a substantial Roman structure, almost certainly a villa. The surviving archaeology was composed of masonry foundations constructed in Kentish ragstone with associated robber trenches indicating a number of rooms and part of a bath suite, extending under the Florence Road footpath. Remains of two plunge baths had survived, one with a large area of intact opus signinum floor. Op. sig was a building material composed of various aggregates including crushed tile or brick mixed with lime and water. The result was a kind of concrete, waterproof and extremely durable and therefore ideal for building baths. It is likely that pilae stacks from the hypocaust system survive below this floor as it had a rather hollow ring to it. Connecting the two baths were the remains of a drainage HISTORY LESSON ON THE DOORSTEP Top: Abby Guiness, one of the excavation team, telling children about the Florence Road discoveries. Masonry walls of the villa can be seen and one of the plunge baths. Below: CAT Education Officer, Marion Green, gives six and seven year olds their archaeology briefing before they cross the road to the site. More of the villa is probably beneath their bottoms! Site Director Grant Shand, with some of the pre-conquest ‘Belgic’ pottery from an early ditch. THE KAS HISTORY & ARCHAEOLOGY SHOW Summer 2004 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 Saturday 5 June, around 40 different groups gathered within M a i d s t o n e Museum, all those concerned being involved in various ways with the history and archaeology of Kent. The brainchild of Denis A n s t e y, (a member of the Membership and Publicity Committee), the History and Archaeology Show was originally formulated to provide a showcase for the affiliated societies of the KAS. As interest from other groups grew, the remit of the show expanded to include local authority-based services and other organisations wishing to exhibit. The Mayor and Mayoress of Maidstone, Councillor Morel and Mrs Karin D’Souza, opened the Show, taking time to talk to each exhibitor. The interest base of groups ranged widely. Local history and archaeology societies, too numerous to name individually here, brought along their latest research, often including a visual feast of old photographs, documents and maps. More specific subject areas were represented by such groups as The English Companions, the Wealden Iron Research Group, Maidstone Masonic Museum and North Downs Young Archaeologists’. Kent Archive Services and Medway Archives were on hand to answer enquiries, as was Kent’s Finds Liaison Officer and KCC’s Sites and Monuments Record Officer. Metal detecting groups affiliated to the KAS brought showcases, and KAS 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 Committees also took this opportunity to show their work; you can read about the involvement of the Publications and Library Committees in the Show elsewhere in this newsletter. Over 500 people enjoyed the Show, which not only gave the public a chance to explore the ways in which Kent’s past can be investigated, but also the opportunity for those already involved to meet and discuss their interest and work. It is hoped to hold the event again in 2006. Two vertical banners bearing the Society’s name and logo in the corporate colours of blue and yellow were bought for the Show, also bunting in the same colours. These are available for use on application to the Membership Committee. Copy deadline for the next issue in October is Wednesday September 1st. 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. ME 14 1LH www.kentarchaeology.org.uk Above: Chair of the Membership and Publicity Committee, Margaret Lawrence, and Alec Miles welcome the Mayor and Mayoress of Maidstone to the Committee’s stand. Below: KASPresident Paul Oldham introduces the Mayoral couple to Kent’s Finds Liaison Officer Andrew Richardson. Good to see the Mayoress has kept her copy of the KAS Newsletter!