KAS Newsletter, Issue 63, Winter 2004/5

Issue number 63 Winter 2004/5 www.kentarchaeology.org.uk rain did us no harm!). The award comprised a large certificate and a splendid hand-made plate, suitably inscribed. These two items were shown to Members at the annual Christmas lunch and will shortly be put on permanent display in the Society library at Maidstone Museum. The Award also carried an invitation to apply for a grant from the Robert Kiln Trust. We are hoping that this will allow us to engage an expert to assist in the recording and reporting of some of the beautiful pieces of painted wall plaster discovered during n the last newsletter, we reported on the final season of excavation at the Minster-in –Thanet site of the Abbey Farm Roman villa complex. Earlier in 2004, it had been decided to enter the Abbey Farm project for one of the annual British Archaeological Aw a r d s open to archaeological investigations carried out by amateurs. For this Pitt Rivers Award, an entry was prepared back in May 2004 and we were pleased to learn, in mid summer, that we had, at least, won through to the finals. As a result we were asked to receive a visit from the award judges to the Minster site during the final excavation. As (bad) luck would have it the visit took place on the worst day of the whole two week season – the judges were greeted by a very muddy field and pouring rain. A month or so later, the Society was invited to send a representative to the annual Awards ceremon y, to take place in Belfast. The Chairman of the Fieldwork Committee accepted the invitation, not expecting any success in the Awards (but taking the opportunity to visit some of the archaeology of southern Ireland, thanks to the new flight service to Dublin from Manston, which is less than a mile from the Abbey Farm site). At the awards ceremony it therefore came as a great surprise when the KAS were announced as the runners-up (out of 18 entries). The judges were apparently impressed by the dedication of the Society to the sponsorship and organisation of the digs, and of the Members who took part (perhaps the pouring Winter 2004/5 1 the excavation. This is a great result for the Society, for the two hundred or so amateurs who have participated over the years and for the dedicated band of professionals who have put so much effort into the training and supervision of the diggers. E n c o u r a g e d by this success, but with the Abbey Farm excavation concluded, the Fieldwork Committee are now looking for a suitable site for a future training excavation and would very much welcome suggestions from Members. Inside 2-3 Stone Castle Pits Historical Atlas 4-5 Library Notes Allen Grove Local History Fund 6-7 Lectures, Courses, Conferences & Events 8-9 Notice Board 10-11 Oil Paintings New Books 12-13 Maps, Websites, Study Circle, Kent History Fund & Letters to the Editor 14-15 YACactivities Holborough Quarry 16 Iron Age comes to school nneewwss ll ee tt ee rr K E N T A RC H A E O LO G I C A L S O C I E T Y The hand-made plate (above) was part of the award accepted by Chris Pout, Chairman of the Fieldwork Committee. K A SD I GW I N SAWA R D Winter 2004/5 2 ‘OFFERING’ POTS IN STONE CASTLE PITS ‘OFFERING’ POTS IN STONE CASTLE PITS ‘OFFERING’ POTS IN STONE CASTLE PITS ‘OFFERING’ POTS IN STONE CASTLE PITS ‘OFFERING’ POTS IN STONE CASTLE PITS ‘OFFERING’ POTS IN STONE CASTLE PITS ‘OFFERING’ POTS IN STONE CASTLE PITS ‘OFFERING’ POTS IN STONE CASTLE PITS “OFFERING’ POTS IN STONE CASTLE PITS re – Construct Archaeology Ltd undertook archaeological work at Stone Castle, located c. 1.5km to the south of Greenhithe Village. The work was commissioned by CgMs Consulting Ltd on behalf of Land Securities in advance of a proposed redevelopment of the site. The site is situated on Boyn Hill gravels to the west and undivided, mainly Seaford Chalk to the east, sloping down from west to east from a highest level of 36m OD to 25m OD. To the east of the site, the Seaford Chalk had been cryoturbated, with crevices being silted in with natural brickearth. This resulted in a rather interesting ‘zebra’ striped effect across the open area of investigation. The site lies c. 2km south of the River Thames with a vista across to the West Thurrock Marshes into Essex. The land has been under plough during the last 150 years. This followed its earlier use as a park or hunting estate. The route from London to Rochester passes to the north, and excavations at a Stone Castle chalk pit to the north-east found evidence of a Above: The ‘offering’ pots, both complete and ritually ‘killed’. Right: the Bronze Age ring ditch. idea of a comprehensive historical atlas devoted to Kent and was delighted to discover that another member of the KAS Publications Committee, Professor David Killingray, was very much of the same mind. They were appointed as joint editors and with the help of contacts in the academic world were able to enlist the expertise of over 50 contributors. A particular stroke of luck for the editors was being put in contact with the Geography Department at Canterbury Christ Church University College whose cartographic technician, John Hills, subsequently played such an important role in the successful completion of the project. Drs Elizabeth Edwards and Sheila Sweetinburgh, both of the University of Kent, greatly helped the editors by taking over responsibility for the coordination of the Early Modern and Medieval sections of the Atlas. The Kent Atlas is twenty per cent longer than the Sussex example as it necessarily covers a wider range of topics, not only because of the various unique aspects of Kentish history but also because David Killingray was embers and Af f i l i a t e d Societies will have received their free copy of A n Historical Atlas of Kent*, the production of which was sponsored by the KAS. The Society funded a substantial part of the cartographic costs of the project. Work began in late 2000 spurred by the appearance of A n Historical Atlas of Sussex a year earlier, also published by Phillimore and accepted as the model for the Kent Atlas. Terry Lawson, Honorary Editor of the Society, had long supported the H I S T O R I C A L A T L A S ‘OFFERING’ POTS I N S T O N EC A S T L EP I T S “ ...a very important addition to the printed collections here.” Stuart Bligh, Manager CKS “ ... a lasting benefit to Kent historians.” Mrs Margaret Sparks Winter 2004/5 3 HISTORICAL ATLAS HISTORICAL ATLAS HISTORICAL ATLAS HISTORICAL ATLAS HISTORICAL ATLAS HISTORICAL ATLAS HISTORICAL ATLAS HISTORICAL ATLAS HISTORICAL ATLAS HISTORICAL ATLAS HISTORICAL ATLAS HISTORICAL ATLAS HISTORICAL ATLAS HISTORICAL ATLAS HISTORICAL ATLAS HISTORICAL ATLAS HISTORICAL ATLAS HISTORICAL ATLAS Romano British settlement, including a c e m e t e r y. Other artefacts of Ro m a n date have been found in the vicinity, including a number of burials. Area A (above), immediately to the north of Stone Castle covered c. 6000 square metres. The machine stripping revealed a Late Iron Age to Early Roman site, with initial pottery dating suggesting activity from c. 100 BC to AD 80 with a possible earlier Bronze beyond the limit of excavation. The Late Iron Age period was represented by a series of rectangular and rounded pits which proved to be incredibly rich in finds material and included several ritually ‘killed’ pottery vessels and one complete pot. These features are likely to represent deliberately backfilled grain storage pits, with the ceramics being interred as ‘offerings’ for both the successful storage and germination of seed corn. One burial was also discovered relating to this same period. The skeleton was in a crouched position with the head to the north in a west facing direction and was accompanied by a polished grinding stone. Between the Late Iron Age and Early Roman period the site appears to have become more developed, with a series of separate field enclosures being established in the form of linear ditches. These contained both pottery and animal bone, and in one instance, several deliberately ‘killed’ vessels were also unearthed. A continuation in land usage is present in the form of further storage pits containing large amounts of pottery and further deliberately placed ‘goods’ including a horse skull at the base of one of the features. The early Roman period is represented by the introduction of a drainage ditch and a gully, which also contained a large amount of broken pottery at its terminus. Further pits of an ovoid definition were also identified which again proved to be rich in finds. Recoveries included a Hod Hill type brooch of first century date and a large amount of wall plaster, suggestive of inhabitation in the immediate vicinity. Alexis Haslam Age ringditch. Area B, to the northwest of Stone Castle covered an area of 625 square metres, with just three features of an as yet undetermined prehistoric date. The Bronze Age ringditch enclosure located in the east of Area A constitutes the earliest evidence of occupation, measuring approximately 20m across. Unfortunately only half of this feature was revealed as it extended Area A determined to deal adequately with important developments in the Modern period, e.g. the growth of utilities, leisure pursuits, newspapers, etc., generally neglected in most county atlases and other histories. The launch of the Atlas, hosted by the KAS, took place on the evening of November 18 at Darwin College, University of Kent, presided over by its Master, Dr Anthony Ward – who also took the accompanying photograph. He introduced speeches from John Whyman (Vice President of the Society, deputising for the President), Peter Vu j a kovic (Head of Geographical and Life Sciences Dept, CCCUC) and David Killingray. Noel Osborne, Managing Director of Phillimore, spoke of the series of county historical atlases which his company is planning to produce. * This does not include Institutional Subscribers and Corresponding Societies. Below, left to right: Peter Vujakovic, Elizabeth Edwards, John Hills, Terry Lawson, John Whyman, Sheila Sweetinburgh and David Killingray. “ ... excellently designed and full of fascinating information ... “ Christopher & Katharine Draper Winter 2004/5 4 LIBRARY NOTES AND GRANTS LIBRARY NOTES AND GRANTS LIBRARY NOTES AND GRANTS LIBRARY NOTES AND GRANTS LIBRARY NOTES AND GRANTS LIBRARY NOTES AND GRANTS LIBRARY NOTES AND GRANTS LIBRARY NOTES AND GRANTS LIBRARY NOTES AND GRANTS LIBRARY NOTES AND GRANTS LIBRARY NOTES AND GRANTS LIBRARY NOTES AND GRANTS sequence. A band of hardy volunteers was recruited for this purpose, and over many months, they carefully collated each file, and made a manual list of every item that was present. This was detailed, painstaking work. After this, the task of entering the whole collection onto the database could begin. In order that members could have immediate benefit, it was decided that the web site would show the catalogue as it progressed, and now after some months of careful work, we are currently entering places with names beginning in the latter part of the alphabetical sequence. A special attempt has been made to create a standard style throughout, although owing to the widely differing format of virtually every item contained in the archive, one could not for instance, easily provide a standard library entry as is the case for books. However, the guiding principle has been to enter any item in such a way that its content and significance are clear, and in such a way that the system will produce the information if a reasonably phrased enquiry is made. It is possible to enquire under PLACE NAME, and under a SUBJECT or a KEY WORD e.g. BROADSTAIRS, CASTLE, ROMAN, MOTOR CAR etc. etc. Names of individuals, or their occupations, are also keyworded if they seem to be significant e.g. BLACKSMITH, HARDIMAN. The system is very easy to use, and an enquiry under a place name will instantly produce the whole contents of the archive as relevant to that place. It is expected that the complete Gordon Ward archive will have been entered onto the database by the end of 2004. However, the next task will be to ensure that the complete collection is removed from the temporary, and totally unsuitable foolscap folders, and into proper archival storage. There will be more work for keen volunteers to assist with this process during this year. What does the collection tell us about Kent? The answer is a great amount. Gordon Ward was obviously an avid collector/ cutter up of journals, newspapers and other matter. He appears never to have knowingly thrown away any items which had a Kentish connection and came into his possession. Because he was so well known, he was invited to many local occasions and events, and he had connections over the whole of the County. He was never unwilling to help any person who had a genuine historical or archaeological question to ask, and he was totally generous with his knowledge and information, the results of which are amply illustrated in the files. The collection also contains letters and notes from many other famous Kent antiquarians, and the subjects that they avidly debated cover a bewildering variety of ground. Gordon Ward’s enthusiasm was ignited by virtually any Kent topic – ancient horseshoes, nails, tokens, lost roads, tracks, ancient customs, buildings ancient and modern. He clipped information from numerous sources, and however trivial in their origins, many of the cuttings, leaflets, handbills and letters give an insight into village life during his lifetime. There is a sense of poignancy in observing how, by the end of WWII, the arcadia that had been an antiquarian’s lot in Britain, was totally swept away by the urge to modernise. Maps, especially tithe maps and parish boundaries, were an abiding source of interest to him, and he collected and annotated 19th century sale maps from all over the County. Some of his own maps, delicately traced and colour coded, are works of art in their own IN THE STEPS OF DOCTOR WARD – CATALOGUING AN UNUSUAL ARCHIVE. Dr. Reginald Gordon Ward, M.D., F.S.A., died in 1962, at the age of 77. A GP, practising at Sevenoaks, he was also a member of the KAS from 1927 until his death. He was a member of the KAS Council, and was made an Honorary member in 1954 in recognition of his services to the Society. His range of interests was very wide, covering Saxon charters, manorial records, Wealden dens, the Yokes, Hengist and Horsa, topography and place names. He was always in demand as a lecturer at venues throughout Kent and was also revered as a well known philatelist. He accumulated a vast collection of papers, a large proportion of which is lodged at the Centre for Kentish Studies, however a s m a l l e r, but none the less intriguing one, was deposited in the Society’s Library. To describe it as eclectic would be an understatement, since the collection comprises a vast variety of notes, printed ephemera, post cards, prints, handbills, letters, maps, tickets, advertisements, cuttings, essays, opinions, speculations, sale catalogues and much more. Gordon Ward did not confine his interests to his own locality, and virtually the whole of the County is represented in the files, although naturally, the areas nearest to Sevenoaks received his greatest attention. Since the Society first acquired the archive, it has been housed in the Library Room at Maidstone Museum where it has been available for use by members. At an early stage, it was roughly sorted into foolscap folders, following Gordon Ward’s own method, which was to file his items by place. This enabled members to make a rough search of the archive in order to back up information that they had obtained from other sources, but this was obviously an unsatisfactory and haphazard way of doing research. The task of cataloguing, sorting, indexing and conservation always seemed to be daunting, and the need to physically sort through the vast collection when a particular item was needed, meant that damage to fragile items was unavoidable. However, the encouraging results of the information technology that has now been brought into the Library have meant that, at last, the development of this overdue project can begin. It was agreed that the contents of the Gordon Ward Archive should be catalogued directly onto the Society’s web site, so that members, or any interested person, could know exactly what was present and available, thus making actual visits to the Library itself more constructive and profitable in terms of time and expertise. A second benefit would be to minimise physical handling of the items. Lastly, it was considered important for the Society to know exactly what it owned in this unique collection. Initially, it was necessary to make a survey of the collection and to sort each place file into a useable L I B R A RY NOTES THE GORDON WARD CATALOGUE OTHER GRANTS The Society has other grant programmes. Applications for these will be considered at any time. 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. mail to: d_bacchus@talk21.com. he late Allen Grove left a legacy to the Ke n t 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 Ke n t Archaeological Society. 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 of 2005. Applications must be submitted, on the official application form, by the 31st March 2005. 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. 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 KAS or the Kent History Federation and members of those societies or the KA 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. Winter 2004/5 5 T H E A L L E N G R O V E L O C A L H I S T O RY F U N D LIBRARY NOTES AND GRANTS LIBRARY NOTES AND GRANTS LIBRARY NOTES AND GRANTS LIBRARY NOTES AND GRANTS LIBRARY NOTES AND GRANTS LIBRARY NOTES AND GRANTS LIBRARY NOTES AND GRANTS LIBRARY NOTES AND GRANTS LIBRARY NOTES AND GRANTS LIBRARY NOTES AND GRANTS LIBRARY NOTES AND GRANTS LIBRARY NOTES AND GRANTS right. He had some bad habits, often neglecting to date cuttings and notes, and rarely noting sources, although property advertisements, obviously from The Field, and Country Life, illustrate many houses and estates that are likely to have vanished from the Kentish scene during later development. Given the evidence of Gordon Ward’s consuming enthusiasm, some of the volunteers who made the initial sorting of the collection began to wonder how he ever found time to be a GP. However, he had a somewhat disconcerting habit of storing his ephemeral items in envelopes that had previously contained his cuttings from The Lancet, and other medical journals, as well as headings for case studies and similar. He obviously shared his talents and energies equally amongst his professional and personal lives. The archives contain one or two letters from grateful patients as further evidence of this trait. What use is the collection to serious researchers or indeed, to anyone making an historical study of Kent? Again, the answer is a great deal. The Gordon Ward Archive may consist of ephemeral material, but much of it, particularly the illustrative matter, is invaluable as evidence to back up serious academic points. The historical and archaeological opinions of Gordon Ward and his contemporaries may perhaps not always stand up well in the light of present knowledge, but they had prime access to important sites and sources that could well have been forgotten over the years. There is also of course, the question of posterity, and the chance for future members to dip into the lost world of an early 20th century antiquarian, and one whose life spanned a period of enormous change. The Gordon Ward catalogue can be accessed at www.kentarchaeology.ac Guest Editor Needed I am searching for a guest editor for one issue of the Newsletter. Would you enjoy producing the next issue due out in April? Your responsibilities will include sourcing, collating and editing material, working with the designer on the layout, sending copy out for proofreading and checking printers proofs. More mundane tasks include labelling the envelopes, arranging the insertion of flyers and the finished product into the envelopes, ensuring postage is paid and the items are collected by the Post Office. All the mechanisms are already in place to enable this process and I will give as much help as I possibly can. Remuneration will be discussed with interested applicants. Please contact the editor on 01892 533661 or email evelyn.palmer@virgin.net. Lyn Palmer LECTURES, CONFERENCES, COURSES AND EVENTS LECTURES, CONFERENCES, COURSES AND EVENTS LECTURES, CONFERENCES, COURSESAND 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 Winter 2004/5 6 KAS Churches Committee Visit Saturday 23 April You are invited to visit the two West Kent churches of Stone (near Dartford) and Southfleet. We meet at Stone at 1.45 for 2pm. Tea and biscuits will be provided at Southfleet. Cost of the tours is £2 (students £1) with tea extra at £1. All payments on the day. A booking slip for the visit is enclosed; it would be helpful if return was made by April 16. KAS Churches Committee Event ‘Reading A Church’ with Professor Nigel Saul on Saturday 12 March An all-day event at St Helen’s Church, Cliffe-at- Hoo. Professor Saul, a distinguished medievalist at the Royal Holloway, University of London, is the principal speaker both morning and afternoon. He will use the many and varied features of Cliffe church to enable us to interpret churches as a genre with their history, architecture and ideology interrelated. Cost £5.00 per person for the day, optional lunch £5.00. Numbers may have to be restricted and early booking is advised. A booking slip for the event is enclosed, to be returned by 15 February please. Copyhold Tenure in Kent Saturday 19 March 2005, 10.30 am to 12 noon, and 2 to 3.30 pm. Lecture to KAS Members at Maidstone by Arthur Ruderman, B.Sc. (Econ.), CPFA, DPA., Dip.Loc.Hist.(Kent). ‘Copyhold tenure is rare in Kent’. There is no doubt that for much of Kent this statement (taken from Perambulation of Kent, by William Lambarde, first published in 1570) is true, although there are two manors known, Ashford and Folkestone, where significant areas were held by this tenure, most of which continued in this way until the tenure was abolished by Law of Property Act, 1922. In addition, small parcels of land in several manors in other parishes have been found, held by the same tenure. The lectures will seek to explain the origins of the tenure, well before the Norman Conquest, and the way in which it worked. The morning session will consist firstly of a lecture, with illustrations of the documents in which the transactions were recorded, and the areas (not only in Kent, or England) where the custom prevailed. This will be followed by details of the long Parliamentary battle that lasted from the early 1800’s to 1922, for the abolition of the system. The afternoon session will be a more general discussion. It is hoped that members of the audience will be prepared to give examples of copyhold land that they have found in manors that they have studied; indeed if they are able to send the speaker brief details beforehand (preferably by e-mail to arthur@ruderman.fsnet.co.uk), this would enable the additional material to be included in the days proceedings. Telephone Denis Anstey on 01634 240015 or email to d@degian.demon.co.uk to make reservations. Cost £2.00, pay on the day. KAS Summer Excursion 2005 ‘Looking at Lincolnshire’ Due to unforeseen circumstances, we will be visiting Lincolnshire rather than Cumbria as originally suggested. Our excursion will be for 5 days, from 13 – 17 June inclusive, staying in a 3 star hotel. Our coach will take us to various places and we hope to visit some or all of the following; Lincoln Cathedral and the Roman colonia and medieval city, Gainsborough Old Hall, Tattershall Castle, Belton House and Woolsthorpe Manor (Newton’s home). We also hope to have a guided tour of Stamford and nearby Burghly Hall. Full details can be obtained from the Hon. Excursions Secretary, Joy Saynor, at Friars, 28 High Street, Shoreham, Sevenoaks TN14 7TD, email: saynor.shoreham@amserve.com. The KAS History and Archaeology Show will be held on Saturday 29th October 2005. Lessons learned from the first show include (1) restricting the show area to the ground floor and the three art galleries, (2) better publicity, (3) better signage and (4) on-site catering. Early in the New Year details will be forwarded to our affiliated societies and other organisations who participated in the last show. Other organisations are welcome. Please write to The History and Archaeology Show, K.A.S., Maidstone Museum and Bentlif Art Gallery, St. Faith’s Street, Maidstone ME14 1LH. Crayford Manor House Historical & Archaeological Society Saturday 12 February The History of Tower Hamlets by Malcolm Barr- Hamilton WH A T’S ON KAS EVENTS LECTURES OTHER EVENTS FROM AROUND THE COUNTY > Saturday 12 March The Cutty Sark by Roger McLean Saturday 9 April Lord Castlereagh and Lord Bexley by John Mercer All lectures held at the Baker Trust Hall, Maxim Road, Crayford at 7.30pm. Cost for non-members of CMHHAS is £1.00. Canterbury Archaeological Society Lectures Lectures take place in the Ramsay Lecture Hall, Canterbury Christ Church College, starting at 6pm. Saturday 12 February Early Exotics: A Harvest from the Late 17th century Dutch and English Colonies Dr Elizabeth Edwards Saturday 5 March Crusader Castles by Richard Eales Tonbridge Historical Society Lecture Series 7.45pm in the Adult Education Centre, Tonbridge. Thursday 17 February Support for the Fleet: the Royal Dockyards at the time of Trafalgar Jonathan Coad Thursday 7 April AGM followed by lecture Further details tel: 01732 838698 University of Kent Annual Darwin Lecture ‘Archaeology, Genetics and the Origins of Linguistic Diversity?’ by Professor Lord Colin Renfrew Friday 22 April at 6pm in the Brabourne Lecture Theatre, Keynes College, University of Kent at Canterbury. Admission is free and all are welcome Bexley Local Studies & Archive Centre Winter Talks 7.30pm at Hall Place. Wednesday 23 March Rural Survivors Malcolm Barr-Hamilton To order tickets and for further information tel: 020 8301 1545. Sevenoaks Historical Society Talks Held on Thursdays at the Undercroft, St Nicholas’ Church at 8pm. All talks £1.50. 27 January The Coastal Shipping Trades and Harbours of the Thames Estuary 1800-1950 Roy Walker 24 February The Story of the Dance Band Days - 1920s, 30s and 40s Don Dray 24 March The Life of William Morris Dai Evans, Property Manager, Petworth 21 April The Edwardian Eye of Andrew Pitcairn-Knowles, early photo-journalist Richard Pitcairn-Knowles Historic Houses in Kent presented by the Council for Kentish Archaeology on Saturday 9 April at Sevenoaks Community Centre, Crampton Ro a d , Sevenoaks. Hever Castle 100 years ago Robert Pullin (Managing Director, Hever Castle) The Archaeology of Ightham Mote Dr Peter Rumley (Assistant Project Archaeologist, Ightham Mote) Roman Villas in the Darent Valley Brian Philp (KARU) Tickets £4.00 (cheques payable to CKA) from CKA, 7 Sandy Ridge, Borough Green TN15 8HP. Please enclose SAE. British Archaeological Association The Association welcomes visitors who wish to attend occasional meetings. Meetings are on Wednesdays at 5pm in the rooms of the Society of Antiquaries, Burlington House, Piccadilly. It is requested that non-BAA members make themselves known to the Hon.Director and sign the Visitor’s Book. 2 February The façade of the great church from the 4th to the 12th centuries Barrie Singleton 2 March The Hotel Saint-Pol, Paris, main residence of the Valois kings 1364-1422 Mary Whiteley 6 April Who, where, what and why? Trondheim Cathedral and its decoration in the 12th century James F King 4 May Architecture and patronage at Croxden Abbey Dr Jackie Hall Winter 2004/5 7 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 LECTURES, CONFERENCES, COURSES AND EVENTS LECTURES, CONFERENCES, COURSES AND EVENTS LECTURES, CONFERENCES, COURSES AND EVENTS CONFERENCES EVENTS ELSEWHERE GAP ON THE BOOKSHELF? A few copies of Archaeologia Cantiana have been given to the editor for dispersal: Vol XCV – 1979 Vol XCVI – 1980 Vol XCVII – 1981 Vol XCVIII – 1982 Vol C – 1984 Vol CI – 1984 Vol CXIX – 1999 Free to good homes! Postage costs only required. Please contact the editor at the usual addresses to arrange delivery. Those of you who pay by cheque should have received your renewal notice and sent the cheque to me. If you have not, please do so as soon as possible. If you pay by banker’s order please check your bank statements to make sure that the payment has been deducted once and not every month/quarterly, as some banks seem to delight in doing! I am pleased to welcome the following new Members: JOINT MEMBERS Bailey, Mr A, and Mrs, 13 Ivy Close, Etchinghall, Folkestone, Kent, CT18 8NH Boone, Mr S J, & Ms J Spouse, 90 Little Venice, Hampstead Lane, Yalding, Maidstone, Kent, ME18 6HH Clinch, Mr J, and Mrs, 3 Milners, Upper Street, Leeds, Maidstone, Kent, ME17 1G Cottee, Mrs S & Miss A, 23 The Close, Bough Beech, Edenbridge, Kent, TN8 7PF Hope, Mr P, and Mrs, Cole Farm, Mill Lane, Frittenden, Cranbrook, Kent, TN17 2DT Smith, Mr M J & Smith, Mrs N, 5 Mitre Road, Bishops Square, Rochester, Kent, ME1 1U JUNIOR MEMBERS Codlin, Miss V, 88 The Fairway, Dymchurch, Kent, TN29 0QP ORDINARY MEMBERS Butler, Mr M B, 67 Charterhouse Road, Orpington, Kent, BR6 9EN Debling, Mrs T, 23 Kentmere Avenue, Ramsgate, Kent, CT11 0QF Featherstone, Ms G, 72 Woodside Road, Tonbridge, Kent, TN9 2P Hall, Mr E, 65A London Road, Southborough, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN4 0PA Johnson, Mrs S, 205 Lodge Hill Lane, Rochester, Kent, ME3 8NP Linley, Mrs A, Tye Cottage, 6 Childsbridge Lane, Seal, Sevenoaks, Kent, TN15 0BL Moss, Ms K, 282 Upper Fant Road, Maidstone, Kent, ME16 8DA Redmond, Mrs M, 5 Grosvenor Road, Broadstairs, Kent, CT10 2B Rogers, Mr M J, 45 Avery Way, Allhallows, Rochester, Kent, ME3 9Q Savage, Mr A J, 18 Seymour Place, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 3SF Shipman, Miss D, 3 Betenson Avenue, Sevenoaks, Kent, TN13 3EN Smith, Mrs S E, 18 Winifred Road, Bearsted, Maidstone, Kent, ME15 8N Waters, Mr T H, 91 The Hythe, Ware, Hertfordshire, SG12 0EU The address for all correspondence relating to membership is: Mrs Shiela Broomfield, KAS Membership, 8 Woodview Crescent, Hildenborough, Tonbridge TN11 9HD. Tel: 01732 838698, email: membership@kentarchaeology.org.uk or s.broomfield@dial.pipex.com Winter 2004/5 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 AGM 2005 MEMBERSHIPMATTERS Copy Deadline for the next issue is T You and Your Society KAS CONTACTS Hon. Gen. Secretary Andrew Moffat, E m a i l : s e c r e t a r y @ ke n t a r c h a e o l o g y. o r g . u k H o n . Tr e a s u r e r Robin Thomas, E m a i l : t r e a s u r e r @ ke n t a r c h a e o l o g y. o r g . u k Maidstone will be the location of the Society’s annual general meeting on the 21st May this year. The meeting will be in the morning in the council chamber at Maidstone Town Hall and we hope to be supported by the attendance of plenty of members. After the business there will be a presentation by one of the Society’s Committees about its work and some presentations on other topics of current interest. The results of the elections will be announced at the A.G.M. Our President, Paul Oldham, will not be seeking re-election. The council will nominate a candidate for election as President. However, members may put forward their own nominations, as mentioned below. The Hon. General Secretary will be pleased to provide further information and guidance. The new President will have the challenge of leading the Society’s preparations for its 150th anniversay celebration in 2007. 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 1st March at the latest and be 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 DA12 3HH; email secretary@kentarchaeology.org.uk. Although an application form does not have to be used, he can supply a suitable form. At the KAS Christmas Lunch, grace was said in Anglo-Saxon by Saxon speaker Karl Wittwer. This delighted the 75 members who were already in anticipation of an entertaining day. After the festive meal in the Great Hall at Wye College, members were entertained by Michael G a n d y, a well-known genealogist, who illustrated in words and song what music hall entertainment reveals about Victorian and Edwardian life. His wit and rendering of the songs earned him the tremendous applause he deserved. So popular was the invitation to view Ian Coulson’s Jacobean Grade 2* listed house that Dr Burnham assisted by taking alternate parties to view the older rooms of the College. Tea and biscuits back in the Hall concluded a very satisfying day. Margaret Lawrence (Chair) There was plenty of interest for everyone who took part in the midsummer evening visit to two parish churches in the Maidstone area. The first call was at the church of the Holy Cross, Bearsted. It is situated on a high point above the village and now surrounded by buildings and trees. Angela Legood gave a personal, but very well informed, account of the building and its history. The earliest feature of the church is what seems to be a Saxon arch. The arch with its consecration cross is preserved behind a glass panel. Bearsted church belonged to Leeds priory in the 12th century but little of that period remains. The church we see today contains work from just about every century from the 13th until the late 20th and it is possible to trace changes made to accommodate different liturgical practices. The oldest part of the church is the Milgate Chantry dating from the 14th century. Following the team are currently focusing on archives of Canterbury sites and expect to be examining other key Kent sites at a later phase in the project. The Kent Churches Website is progressing, for which the Society has contributed a £2000 start-up grant. The proposed site will be extensive, including plans, photographs and other diverse material relating to the parish churches of Kent. F i n a l l y, a stand-alone 10 minute digital presentation of The Whitefriars Story is planned to tour the Whitefriars Centre snack bars and restaurants in the spring 2005. So if you missed the excavations first time around, or want to relive it all again, you can see the highlights in the warm – and over a coffee! Marion Green Hon Secretary At the October meeting, Steve Willis joined the Committee. Resistivity Survey In August, Brian and Carole McNaughton carried out a resistivity survey at Chevening Park, nr. Sevenoaks. The survey was requested by Kristina Taylor who is doing some research work there. Using the Society’s newly acquired ‘TR/CIA Meter’, they located the base of a bastion and wall, both of which had been demolished in the 1760’s. They were taken down to make way for a ha-ha boundary wall. Excavation and Recording With regard to our future e xcavation and recording plans, the Roman Villa at Folkestone was considered at the October meeting. Part of this site has already slipped into the sea. Whilst much of the site has been dug, there are still some areas that have not been examined. For archaeological purposes, part of the site has been scheduled by English Heritage. David Bacchus The Committee last met on Saturday 9 October and will next meet on Saturday 22 January 2005. As part of the 150th anniversary celebrations of the Society in 2007 it is proposed to digitise all volumes of Archaeologia Cantiana and the publication of a special volume of Archaeologia Cantiana is also being considered. The Historical Atlas of Kent has now been published, all paid-up members of the Society being entitled to one free copy. This is a high quality volume, meriting wide consultation. Its compilation, involving many contributors, has been a complex undertaking, expertly managed by its joint editors, Mr Terry Lawson, the Society’s Honorary Editor, and Professor David Killingray. The Education Committee’s autumn meeting had a full agenda and members heard about a variety of current activities in both formal and informal education. The Society has contributed £300 towards the work of North Downs Young Archaeologists Club whose members are enjoying a season of Archaeology and Geology with a ‘Revealing Rocks’ trip to Swalecliffe and ‘Chemical Capers’ experiments with soils and materials at their base in Maidstone Museum; many other engaging events are planned for coming meetings. There was much discussion about the proposed Archaeological Resource Centre for Kent and its functions. Canterbury Archaeological Trust has been awarded an HLF grant for its ‘CAT Kits’ project, to build cases of finds and support materials for all 57 schools in the Canterbury, Herne Bay and Whitstable district. C AT is partnering Canterbury Christ Church University College on the Dakini project, to produce GIS materials for use in secondary schools in Kent, Sussex and Northern France. The Christ Church Winter 2004/5 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 is Tuesday 1st March - to usual address You and Your Society PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE EDUCATION COMMITTEE CHURCHES COMMITTEE FIELDWORK COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE continued on page 10 revealed includes work by artists with strong Kentish connections such as Thomas Sidney Cooper, Albert Goodwin, Charles Spencelayh and John Ward, as well as works by Van Dyck, Gainsborough, Kneller and Zoffany. 770 artists are represented. Saga Group and Kent County Council were the projects lead financial supporters. Sir Sandy Bruce-Lockhart, Leader of KCC, said, ‘The Foundation has produced a stunning catalogue which will do much to highlight Kent’s rich artistic heritage’. Kent’s catalogue is the second to be published in the series; We s t Sussex, East Sussex and London: The Slade, will also be published this year. The Catalogue will be on sale at participating collections or by mail order, at £15.00 paperback (1 904931 03 0) or £35.00 hardback (1 904931 02 2). Proceeds from the sale of catalogues in collections will be held in trust by the collections for use in restoration or conservation. The images and brief descriptions will eventually be available on the internet, free of charge, but to order a copy now, go to www.thepcf.org.uk or ring 020 7932 8460. church which had nothing to do with ‘women’ but everything to do with ‘a forest of active men’! There was an earlier church on the present site and St Margaret of Antioch was popular during the early crusades and so it is reasonable to conclude that there was a church here in the twelfth century, although the present building dates from the thirteenth century. The church is spacious compared with Barfreston but the population of the surrounding area seems never to have been great. However, Womenswold was linked to Wingham and its college of canons from 1282. After the Reformation, Wo m e n s w o l d became a chapel of ease in the parish of Nonington. Unlike Barfreston, the exterior is quite plain. Indeed, there are neither windows nor a door in the north wall of the nave. In summary, a most rewarding Saturday afternoon spent in two small communities that were never significantly larger than they are today but with interesting, although quite different, churches. An all-too-tempting selection of delicious cakes accompanied tea served by Womenswold parishioners ensured that all went home satisfied in every respect. Thanks to Ted Connell, two detailed articles about Barfreston church and one about the nearby church at Patrixbourne are now available in full on the KAS website: h t t p : / / w w w. ke n t a r c h a e o l o g y. o r g . u k / Re search/ Libr/ VisRec/Intro.htm. The latter includes more illustrations than the version in Archaeologia Cantiana 122, and they are in colour. Mary Berg n Newsletter 58, Autumn 2003, an outline of the Public Catalogue Foundation was given. This registered charity has been set up to photograph and record all oil, acrylic and tempura paintings in publicly owned collections in the UK, of which it is estimated that some 80% are hidden from public view, being either in storerooms or public buildings in official use. In November 2004 the fully-illustrated volume on Kent was published, bringing together for the first time all the paintings in the county. In total some 1850 paintings from 41 publicly owned collections are shown in colour, coming from museums, galleries, town halls, guildhalls, mayors’ parlours, libraries, hospitals and even a police station! The broad Winter 2004/5 range of paintings 10 reformation in 1536, the chapel was in the private ownership of the owners of Milgate Park until 1966, when it was restored to the legal ownership of the church. In contrast, St Mary the Virgin, Thurnham is in one of the ancient settlements along the trackway near the spring-line below the North Downs. M i ke Perring, whom members may know from the KAS Library, presented the church’s history from Norman times. He told us how the now-demolished church of St Peter’s at Aldington, only a third of a mile away, was closely linked with St Mary’s. Mr Perring’s wealth of knowledge together with the archive of documents and pictures he displayed provided a valuable insight into the development of the building over the centuries. The church is close to the site of a Roman villa and there are two motte and bailey castles nearby. The building includes material from the Roman villa and a wide Norman arch that may have been moved from one of the castles. Now blocked as an entrance, the north porch contains an early, undamaged holy water stoop and a 14th century door. The tower also dates from the 14th century. The Norman church is thought to have been of the usual two-cell type with a chancel smaller than the nave. It seems, however, that the nave was extended and the chancel roof raised in the 13th century and lengthened again in the 14th century. Extensive restoration in the 19th century an early 20th century additions has made it more difficult to make a definitive judgement on OIL PAINTINGS IN PUBLIC OWNERSHIP IN KENT OIL PAINTINGS IN PUBLIC OWNERSHIP IN KENT OIL PAINTINGS IN PUBLIC OWNERSHIP IN KENT OIL PAINTINGS IN PUBLIC OWNERSHIP INKENT OIL PAINTINGS IN PUBLIC OWNERSHIP INKENT OIL PAINTINGS IN PUBLIC OWNERSHIP IN KENT OIL PAINTINGS IN PUBLIC OWNERSHIP IN KENT OIL PAINTINGS IN PUBLIC OWNERSHIP IN KENT OIL PAINTINGS IN PUBLIC OWNERSHIP IN KENT OIL PAINTINGS IN PUBLIC OWNERSHIP IN KENT O I L PAINTINGS IN PUBLIC OWNERSHIP I N K E N T continued from page 9 the architectural history of the church. On September 18, there was standing room only in Barfreston church as KAS members and their guests listened to a former churchwarden at St Nicholas, Dr Charles Coulson, as he told us about the architectural history of the building. In fact, had the church not been so difficult to find in the lanes of north-east Kent, the audience would have been even larger! The earlier flint and ragstone church was transformed into what has been described elsewhere as ‘a gem of Norman architecture’ in the third quarter of the twelfth century. It is certainly a gem of Norman sculpture but, as we heard, sculpture was seldom carved in situ and the programme of magnificent decoration was almost certainly not assembled by the artists themselves but by others. Dr Coulson pointed out many examples of where the workmen had had to improvise to make the carved stone fit into the programme. He also referred to the much-needed and welldocumented restoration by Hussey in the nineteenth century (Arch. Cant. 16). Fine weather meant that Dr Coulson was able to spend some time on the exterior decoration programme, not least the south doorway with its magnificent tympanum and voussoirs. Hussey and later restorers have left their mark but generally what has been done has been sympathetic and not detracted from the beauty of the building. Next stop down the windy lanes was Womenswold, or as the church guide calls it Wymynswold, and the church of St Margaret of Antioch. Mr Bone, a member of the congregation, recounted the origins of the village and of the Above left: ‘The Madonna and Child Enthroned with St Peter and a Carthusian Prior, and St Catherine of Siena’, c.1520. Pirri, Antonio, active 1509-1520, and ‘Separated, but not Divorced, The Bull’ 1874- 1892. Thomas Sydney Cooper, 1803-1902. Medieval Sandwich by T L Richardson. 0 9542424 2 4. A5, 116 pages, b&w illus, maps, diags. A series of new insights into the town’s early history, with sections on The Town and its World - exports and their markets, imports and their origins; The Hundred Years’ War; The Export Trade in Wool; The Overseas Trade in Cloth; The Italian Galley and Carrack Trade; The Closing of the Haven – physical change and human intervention. Available from Barham’s of King Street, Sandwich for £4.50, or for £6.50 (includes postage and packing) direct from Dr F W G Andrews, Sandwich Local History Society, 14 Stone Cross Lees, Sandwich CT13 0BZ. Field Systems in Essex by John Hunter. Essex Society of Archaeology and History, £5.95 (inc p&p). The first in a new series of occasional papers by one of our neighbouring county societies, this wellillustrated popular guide is a wideranging analysis of Essex field systems, concentrating on the medieval and Tudor periods. Includes four case studies – Cressing Temple; Little Easton, Broxted and Tilty; Littley Park; The Parallel Parishes – examining the relationship between field systems and the wider contexts of estates structures, demography and economic forces. Available from Dr Chris Thornton, 75 Victoria Ro a d , Maldon, Essex CM9 5HE. Cheque payable to Essex Society for Archaeology and History. Winter 2004/5 11 going on to tell how Eastbridge Hospital was set up to receive pilgrims and how Elizabethan and other benefactors responded to the needs of their times. A new final chapter by Marjorie Ly l e charts the last four decades of these charitable foundations and their buildings, embodiments of a living tradition which continues to change and adapt to meet new social needs. Available by post for £6.99 from Ke n n e t h Pinnock, White House, St Martin’s Av e n u e , Canterbury CT1 1QQ. Kent Communicants Lists 1565-1567, Part1 by Gillian Rickard. 0 9630968 1 5. £4.00 The transcribed lists of inhabitants who took Holy Communion in Appledore, Brookland, Burmarsh, Dymchurch, Ebony, Fairfield, Lympne, New Romney, Orlestone, Saltwood, Stone in O x n e y, Tenterden, We s t Hythe and Woodchurch. Communicants were generally aged 14 and over, but the names of many of those unable, or unwilling, to participate, were often also noted. Available from the author at 99 Strangers Lane, Canterbury CT1 3XN (please add 50p postage) or via www.genfair. com. 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 Romano-British Religious Centre of Vagniacis at Springhead, Kent by Vi c t o r Smith, Gravesend Historical Society. 0 9548137 0 7, A4, 24 pages, 60 illus. £4.25 (includes postage & packing). Partly funded by the Ke n t Archaeological Society, this is a completely re-written account of the site from its pre-Roman origins to its demise. Although mainly drawn from the results of the epic series of excavations by the Gravesend Historical Society over a period of 50 years, the text also refers to the more recent discoveries from archaeological investigations preceding the construction of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link. Available from the author at 65 Stonebridge Road, Northfleet DA11 9BA. Cheque or postal order payable to Gravesend Historical Society. The Ancient Hospitals and Almshouses of Canterbury by Derek Ingram Hill, Canterbury Archaeological Society (new edition). 0 901589 05 5, A5, 64 pages, 24 illus., mainly col. £5.99. A story of nine centuries of care for the old and infirm in Canterbury, beginning soon after the Norman Conquest with the establishment by Archbishop Lanfranc of the hospital of St John just outside the city centre and another for lepers at Harbledown, N E WB O O K S Winter 2004/5 12 KENTMAPS & WEB SITES KENTMAPS & WEB SITES KENT MAPS & WEB SITES KENTMAPS & WEB SITES KENTMAPS & WEB SITES KENTMAPS & WEBSITES KENT MAPS & WEB SITES KENTMAPS & WEB SITES KENTMAPS & WEB SITES KENTMAPS & WEBSITES KENT MAPS & WEB SITES KENTMAPS & WEB SITES KENTMAPS & WEB SITES KENTMAPS & WEBSITES KENT MAPS & WEB SITES KENT MAPS & WEB SITES KENTMAPS & WEB SITES KENTMAPS & WEB SITES KENT MAPS & WEB SITES KENT MAPS & TITHE AWARD SCHEDULES he Tithe Commutation surveys, carried out from the 1830s to 1840s, provide a great deal of information about land ownership, tenancy and land use at the time. Over 400 Kent Tithe Maps have now been digitised by the Centre for Kentish Studies (C.K.S.) with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The tithe map for each parish is on a CD-Rom. They are now available to view in the three county record offices and are also in the major town libraries for their own areas. The tithe map CDRom’s can also be purchased, now for only £15 per CD, from either on the website for wider consultation. To date over fifty parishes have been covered. Only another three hundred and fifty-three to do!!! If you would like to contribute a transcription or help with this project please contact Ted Connell at ted.connell@btinternet.com tel; 01474 872763, 110, Manor Forstal, New Ash Green, Longfield, Kent DA3 8JQ. To view the work carried out so f a r, log on to our website at w w w. ke n t a r c h a e o l o g y. o r g . u k then click on ‘Research’ and then click on ‘ Kent Maps & Tithe Award Schedules’. the Centre for Kentish Studies (01622 694363), or the Canterbury Cathedral Archives (01227 865330). Regrettably funding was not available to digitise the accompanying tithe award schedules. However a slim notebook in the KAS Library lists the details of twelve tithe award schedules from parishes to the West of Maidstone. These have been typed up and made available on our website. Following on from that, members of the K.A.S., assisted by many individuals and Local Societies, are in the process of putting further transcriptions of the schedules up http://www.kentarchaeology.ac he library committee set up the .ac website to be under the supervision of the KAS Honorary Librarian, with content control to be exercised by the KAS Honorary Editor. The project draws on professional advice in the areas of website design and library standards. The site is designed to be a p e e r-reviewed site adhering to standards set by the Editor with a view to gaining academic acceptance. Any committee wishing to be represented on the site must comply with the set standards. The site was designed to be a free on-line resource for the use of the general public worldwide and to assert our educational charity status. On-line publishing The following items have been added since the last newsletter: eBOOK_Kentish Dialect The full title of this 1888 publication is ‘A Dictionary of the KENTISH DIALECT and provincialisms stock on-line catalogue. Work is in hand to add a new catalogue which will detail the many documents lodged by the Society at Kent Archives. Researchers will be able to search the whole catalogue by place/chosen words including the use of wild cards etc. This new database should appear in spring 2005. Forum (a new facility) A new facility has been added and can be accessed at h t t p : / / f o r u m . ke n t a r c h a e o l o g y. a c The first forum to be activated is Kent Place and Field Names moderated by Karl Wittwer and Paul Cullen. If any other special interest group wishes to have a forum please contact me with the names of at least two responsible moderators willing to undertake the task. Nothing appears until approved by a moderator. Denis Anstey Project Manager Email d@degian.demon.co.uk in use in the county of Kent’. Basan and Bata: The Occupational Surnames of Tw o Pre-Conquest Monks of C a n t e r b u r y. As hereditary surnames were not common in Anglo-Saxon England, men of the same name were differentiated by sobriquets based on their place of origin, ... Note that Kentish Dialect is an ebook and has a large file size. This will be no problem to broadband users but dial-up users can expect it to take up to 30 minutes. Catalogues The visual records group continue to add more data. The Gordon Ward Archive of ephemera relating to towns and villages in Kent should be complete by the time this newsletter is published. As new books are acquired they are added to the library book Dear Editor I am currently researching Tudor and early Stuart deer parks in Kent (1500-1660) for an MPhil/PhD at Canterbury Christ Church University College. Taking Lambarde’s list of the 1570s and others on maps or mentioned in other documentary evidence, I hope (where possible) to trace the boundaries of these deer parks in the landscape today and to explore documentary evidence for various aspects of their management. I am writing this to appeal to readers for help in tracing these parks and in locating documentary sources, perhaps family estate papers which remain in private collections. I am hoping that the various Local History Societies or local historians who might know of deer parks in their locality will come forward and share their interest and expertise with me. Lambarde’s list is as follows: Aldington disparked Alington disparked Ashowre At Ashford Bedgebury Brasted disparked Broxam disparked Byrling Cage disparked Calehyll Cobham Cooling Eltham x 3 Folkston disparked Glassenbury Grenewich Groombridge Halden disparked Hamswell Henden disparked Hever disparked Hungershall Ightam disparked Knoll Langley disparked Leeds Lullingstone Lye disparked Mereworth disparked North frythe x 3 Otford x 2 - I disparked Oxenhoth x 2 disparked Panthyrst disparked Penshurst Postern disparked Postling St Augustines Saltwood disparked Shoreland disparked Sissingherst Southparke Stonehyrst disparked Stowting Sutton disparked Westenhanger x 2 Wrotham disparked Other parks which have come to my attention. Speed’s map has: Bromley (Bishop of Rochester), Scott’s hall (nr Smeeth), Hanger, Bocton-Malherbe, Throughley (Throwley), Eastwell, Lynsted Park. Saxton’s map adds: Forde nr Canterbury, Hastingligh, Hemsted nr Sissinghurst, Ulcum (Ulcombe) nr Lenham. Also: Mote, Maidstone (1st mentioned as park 1500), West Wickham (evidence of park still with deer in 1567), Chilham (228a), East Wickham, Mersham-Hatch (380a), Godinton, nr Great Chart, Lees Court nr Challock. I would be most grateful for any help in making the research as comprehensive as possible and can be contacted via details below. Mrs Susan Pittman 27 Old Chapel Road, Crockenhill, Swanley BR8 8LL 01322 669923 pittman@crockenhill.freeserve.co.uk Winter 2004/5 13 LETTERSTO THE EDITOR, WEALDEN SETTLEMENT STUDY CIRCLE & KENT HISTORY FUND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, WEALDEN SETTLEMENT STUDY CIRCLE & KENTHISTORY FUND LETTERSTO THE EDITOR, WEALDEN SETTLEMENT STUDY CIRCLE & KENTHISTORY FUND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, WEALDEN SETTLEMENT STUDY CIRCLE & KENTHISTORY FUND LETTERSTO THE EDITOR, WEALDEN SETTLEMENT STUDY CIRCLE & KENTHISTORY FUND W E A L D E N S E T T L E M E N T S T U D YC I R C L E THE KENT HISTORY FUND he Kent History Fund, administered by the Pu b l i c a t i o n s Committee, awards grants to assist serious research leading to publication. Applications are invited from local history societies affiliated to the KHF (Kent History Federation) or KAS, and from individuals who are either members of KAS or of a local history society affiliated to either the KHF or KAS. Professional historians and postgraduates are not eligible to apply. Anyone wishing to apply should write to Dr J M Gibson, 27 Pine Grove, Maidstone, ME14 2AJ, requesting an application form. n September 2002 several people who had been independently researching aspects of late Saxon and post-Conquest settlement of the Weald set up the Wealden Settlement Study Circle, defined as ‘an informal network of people undertaking academically respectable research on the settlement of the Weald of Sussex, Surrey and Kent, particularly in the Saxon and post-Conquest eras, membership of which is by recommendation or invitation’. There are 15 members, from various parts of Sussex and Surrey, though none as yet from Kent. Although the main interest of most is based on documentary research, allied to study of the landscape, relationships with prehistory on the one hand and modern developments on the other, are not ruled out. Meetings to discuss common interests, held twice or thrice a year in East Grinstead, and personal communications, have helped everyone widen and deepen their knowledge and understanding of their own particular pursuits. Further information may be obtained from M J Leppard (Convenor), 20 St George’s Court, East Grinstead, Sussex RH19 1QP, tel: 01342 322511. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR WINTER 2004/5 North Downs YAC focused on the interaction of geology and archaeology during autumn and winter 2004. Pleistocene environments and fauna were investigated in a trip to Swalecliffe beach led by Dr Danielle Shreve of Royal Holloway College, London. Ancient bones, including a near complete aurochs skeleton found at the site, were laid out by Martin Rayner, a local collector and expert, for the children to handle. They then braved the sticky clay and crunchy overlying shingle on the beach to hunt for their own specimens. Success was met with whoops of delight as several blackened bones were unearthed, identified by Danielle as deer. A visit to Wildwood Country Park followed, to see cold-adapted animals no longer extant in this country, such as wolves, arctic foxes and lynx. In October the effects of differing soils on archaeological remains was brought to life with experiments which accelerated the decay caused by chemical reactions; this was science made fun, with lots of fizz and whiffs. The permanence of ‘cave art’ and the reasons for its execution were explored in November, each YAC member taking home their own piece of rock wall covered in hand stencils. A frieze was also created, with mammoth herds, horned sorcerers and bison vying for space on a 6 metre length of textured wallpaper. To round off 2004, ‘Flintstone Frolics’, a stone age Christmas party, took place with Time Team’s Phil Harding. He remarked on entering that he ‘felt very overdressed’ in light of the numerous fun-fur outfits running around, most accompanied by large clubs! Following a feast of mammoth burgers and rock cakes, Phil’s talk to the YACs and gathered family members delighted all. North Downs would not be able to provide their members with such a varied and exciting programme without the continued generous assistance of the KAS – so thank you, and a Happy New Year to you all. K E N T Y O U N GA R C H A E O L O G I S T S Winter 2004/5 14 KENT YAC ACTIVITIES KENT YAC ACTIVITIES KENT YAC ACTIVITIES KENT YAC ACTIVITIESKENT YAC ACTIVITIES KENT YAC ACTIVITIES KENT YAC ACTIVITIES KENT YAC ACTIVITIES KENT YAC ACTIVITIES KENT YAC ACTIVITIESKENT YAC ACTIVITIES KENT YAC ACTIVITIESKENT YAC ACTIVITIES KENT YAC ACTIVITIES KENT YAC ACTIVITIES KENT YAC ACTIVITIESKENT YAC ACTIVITIES KENT YAC ACTIVITIES he Canterbury branch of the Young Archaeologists’ Club celebrated its re-launch anniversary in November with a great day out field walking and metal detecting with the White Cliffs Metal Detecting group. It has been our aim as new branch leaders, (Colin Jeffreys and archaeologist Abby Guinness), to organise as many handson and outside activities as possible. After a promotional push, the branch soon attracted new members and has been growing since. We now have 18 members from all over East Kent, ranging in age from 8 to 15. We meet monthly in the Education Room at the Museum of Canterbury. Since November 2003 we have held meetings here on aerial photography, world Christmas cultures, picked out favourite objects from the displays to help with a museum web site, and had a flint knapping demonstration. With willing parents as chauffeurs, we have been able to hold many meetings out and about. The YACs learnt about the Bronze Age at the Dover Boat Museum, and had a site tour of the Bronze Age barrow excavations in progress at Ringlemere. They had a look at archery and the long bow, and tried shooting bullseyes themselves with the Folkestone Archery club. A visit to the Roman fort of Richborough made the leaders slightly on edge as the YACs took off as invaders down the triple ditches! The club spent a day at the Museum of London’s Archaeological Archive where the children had a go in a mini e xcavation, painted medieval style tiles and identified bones. Closer to home, we studied the graves at St. Stephens and went field walking and metal detecting near Sherperswell. Many of the children had their ‘archaeological eyes’ in, to find struck flint, pottery sherds and treasure; a gold gilded button, part of a Saxon d-shaped brooch and a broken Roman coin - not bad for a day’s walk! In July, we hosted an activity for National Archaeology Day at the Museum of Canterbury, supervising four mini digs for up to 20 children, excavating real finds. It was a great day despite the rain, though that did not seem to put some children off digging - definitely future archaeologists. With a Viking saga party to end the year, Canterbury YAC are looking forward to another full year of archaeological activities. If anyone aged 8-16 is interested in joining the branch, please contact Abby Guinness on abbyguinness@ hotmail.com. Below: Archery and excavation at Canterbury YAC. Above: North Downs members examine ancient bones at Swalecliffe. the southern ditch. Although most of the pits in the southern zone contained domestic refuse, a number of pits in a group located a short way south of the southern boundary provided rare evidence for metal working. Amongst the group one pit contained a large assemblage of clay mould fragments (figs. 2&3). These have now been cursorily studied by Dr Stuart Needham of The British Museum, Department of Prehistory - one of the leading specialists in prehistoric metalworking. Dr Needham has reported that the moulds from the Holborough site represent one of the best assemblages he has seen from the British Isles and are of national importance. The mould fragments, representing the clay casing for a Bronze sword (probably of Ewart type, fig.4) manufactured approximately 3000 years ago in the Late Bronze Age, will without doubt place Holborough Quarry as a ‘type site’ in the archaeological literature in years to come. The site has been handed back to B e r keley Homes (Eastern), who funded the excavations, although further work next summer to complete the investigation will have to wait until the relocation of a badger sett. Damien Boden Site Director bonised pulses and grains recovered from soil samples indicate the growing of cereals and vegetables. Further evidence for agricultural activity in the form of four-posted structures, which are usually interpreted as granaries, were also identified. Elsewhere the site appears to have been subdivided by two linear ditches, both aligned east-west. The northern ditch may have defined the northern boundary of settlement, with few features surviving to the north of it. The southern ditch (a segmented feature, with lengths of ditch separated by causeways) was also a site boundary, but perhaps separated activity areas within the settlement. The eastern settlement boundary adjoins the quarry, the western boundary was undefined. The area between the two ditches appears to have been for domestic use. A number of rectangular and circular structures defined by groupings of post holes were suggested. To the south of the putative domestic area were a significant number of pits and fewer post holes, which probably represent drying racks, cattle pens and other structures associated production of food and other day to day activities. Most significant perhaps was the survival of at least ten pits containing cremated human bone, testifying to burials south of the domestic area. A further three cremations were identified on the western side of the site, extending westward from the end of H O L B O R O U G H Q U A R RY Winter 2004/5 15 HOLBOROUGH QUARRY HOLBOROUGH QUARRY HOLBOROUGH QUARRY HOLBOROUGH QUARRY HOLBOROUGH QUARRY HOLBOROUGH QUARRY HOLBOROUGH QUARRY HOLBOROUGH QUARRY HOLBOROUGH QUARRY HOLBOROUGH QUARRY HOLBOROUGH QUARRY HOLBOROUGH QUARRY HOLBOROUGH QUARRY HOLBOROUGH QUARRY HOLBOROUGH QUARRY rchaeological excavation during the summer and autumn of this year by Canterbury Archaeological Trust, to the east of Holborough Quarry at Snodland in Kent, has identified the site of a Late Bronze Age settlement (c. 900 BC). This excavation followed a programme of evaluation and mapping also carried out by the Trust. The site lies within an area which has revealed a comparatively high concentration of archaeology encapsulating the prehistoric, Roman and Anglo-Saxon periods. Much of this came to light during the quarrying work and included Mesolithic and Neolithic artefacts, a Roman burial mound and evidence of an Anglo-Saxon cemetery. Although the site has been truncated by agricultural activity over a protracted period, with only deeply cut features surviving the plough, the spatial spread and close grouping, particularly of post holes, clearly suggests the presence of built structures and activity areas representing a settlement of some significance (fig.1). A single ring ditch surrounding the post holes of at least one major roundhouse survived against the western boundary of the excavation. Rubbish pits found immediately east of the structure, support the assumption that the ring ditch represented a structure of domestic type. Amongst the finds from the pits was a large collection of Late Bronze Age flint-tempered pottery and a number of baked clay loomweights, testifying to the manufacture of woollen textiles. A large number of animal bones recovered from the pits clearly indicate the keeping of livestock, while car- 2 4 3 1 IRON AGE COMES TO SCHOOL Winter 2004/5 16 * ESAMP is a training organisa - tion, offering a wide range of training opportunities to individuals within a number of museums and within the fields of archaeological reconstruction and experimental archaeology. They undertake commissions from heritage 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 he second week in October was a very unusual one in the life of St Lawrence CE Primary School in Seal, Kent; the usual curriculum was suspended and the children and staff came to school wearing old clothes! This was because we were all spending a week under the instruction of archaeologists from ESAMP (East Sussex Archaeology and Museums Project)* engaging in a variety of Iron Age activities. These included pottery, weaving on an authentic loom, wood working using pole lathes, string making using nettles, fire making and cooking. But the most exciting project was the building of an Iron Age Hut in the school woods. The building, which is now complete, is based on archaeological evidence of prehistoric houses and the materials used are those which would have been available to prehistoric house builders in Kent. The shape, design and all the techniques were kept as authentic as possible. The children were involved in every stage of the building from mixing the daub in a ‘daub pit’ (very messy) to wattling the hazel rods and thatching the roof. They are now extremely proud of their hut and can discuss at length how it was made and what it would really have been like to live in the Iron Age. Interestingly, several children are convinced that they would have been happier! The building should last about 30 years and so it will be a bit of living history for a whole generation of children. It is well worth a visit! Alison Saunders (Headteacher) 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 and educational organisations to reconstruct past buildings and technologies, and have put up over 20 buildings ranging from the Mesolithic through to the Saxon period. They also run courses in ancient crafts and technologies. Copy deadline for the next issue in April is Tuesday March 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 Pupils suitably dressed for weaving outside. Above left: handsome coil pots and right: the Iron Age Hut.