KAS Newsletter, Issue 82, Autumn 2009

nnee ww ss ll ee tt tt ee rr KENT ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY Issue number 82 Autumn 2009 www.kentarchaeology.org.uk I n s i d e 2-3 Faversham’s 5 Years 4-5 East Farleigh KAS Library & Website 6-7 Hoskins Report What’s On 8-9 You & Your Society AGM Report Committee Round Up Report from Council Paul Ashbee 10-11 Notes from the Archives New Books 12-13 Pioneers, Power Brokers & Saints Allen Grove Fund 14-15 TTA Dig for a Day 16 County Show U N D E R S T A N D I N G O S P R I N G E I N V E S T I G A T I N G F I E L D S A N D F L O W E R B E D S specifically-funded short term pro j e c t s , open to paying volunteers and managed by professionals. FSARG was set up with a different community remit, which was to counter the fragmentation and inaccessibility of archaeological findings resulting from Faversham being visited repeatedly by different commercial units. The professionals do excellent work but have no time to join everything up once their job is done. Developer funding means that non-developmental areas are left uninvestigated. Finally, the Faversham community was being left out of the loop – archaeology, it seemed, had become the business of developers, their employees and the Kent Heritage Team. The local feeling was that something had to be done. For the first three years, a tightly focused project was run, with a simple research aim, to Hunt the Saxons. For two years, the oldest part of Faversham, Tanners St and Lower West Street, was investigated. In the third year, central locations with potential based Five years ago, a community archaeology group was launched in Faversham, the Faversham Society Archaeological Research Group (FSARG). FSARG’s website, set up in December 2005, was the first to use community-archaeology as a domain name. FSARG also provided Wikipedia with its first definition of community archaeology, which started with the deceptively simple statement ‘by the people, for the people and about the people’. Nowadays, the term ‘community archaeology’ is everywhere – our Wikipedia definition is almost entirely superseded. Ten years ago, roles for the dedicated archaeological volunteer seemed to have disappeared, this loss being an unintended outcome of the exponential rise of the post- PPG16 professional sector. Yet according to Lisa Westcott, editor of Curre n t A rc h a e o l o g y, in summer 2009 over 300 opportunities were open to volunteers in the UK. Many of these opportunities were with FIVE YEARS OF JOINED-UP ARCHAEOLOGY IN FAVERSHAM Autumn 2009 2 MAIN COVER PICTURE: Field walking behind Ospringe Church. COVER INSET LEFT: The test pit in this idyllic garden revealed a post-medieval earth floor and yielded medieval and Roman pottery. COVER INSET RIGHT: Excavating a robbed-out wall of the hospital of St Mary, Ospringe in the garden of the Ship Inn. RIGHT: A modest keyhole behind a late 18th century row of officers houses associated with a Napoleonic barracks in Ospringe revealed this impressive original cess pit. OPPOSITE: A post-medieval flint feature in Water Lane, Ospringe. John Cotter to the early medieval: he sees production as ceasing in north east Kent around AD1225. We found shelly ware in four places along Water Lane, but hardly any along the Street (Watling Stre e t ) . Interestingly, the report on the major excavation of the northern part of the Hospital site in 1977 gave shelly ware as the main foundation level deposit, dating it to the 13th- 14th centuries. If we accept Cotter’s dating, this gives an earlier date for the earliest buildings of the Hospital, a conclusion which fits with the latest documentary evidence. Our most startling success was with the prehistoric. The archaeology of Ospringe village is much shallower than that of Faversham: in Ospringe, 0.8 meters depth exposes three thousand years or more. In seven closely spaced locations along the west side of the Westbrook valley, considerable evidence for prehistoric settlement was found. A keyhole behind the former Anchor pub yielded Neolithic grooved ware, scrapers, calcined flint, animal bone including red deer and two aurochs teeth. Another keyhole further up Water Lane, but at the same distance from the stream, yielded worked flints, including cores, waste flakes and blades, tentatively identified as Bronze Age. This keyhole was reopened and extended this summer and is still being worked at the time of writing, using meticulous coordinating techniques for every item. A larger trench near Ospringe Church’s Bier House yielded a number of possibly early tools, although this has yet to be confirmed. There is certainly an important report due in the near future, contributing to the patterns emerging along the north Kent coast FSARG has come a long way in the last five years. We see ourselves as complementary to the professional sector, with our multi site, micro-archaeological fillin- the gaps approach, very much aware of our limitations but also aware of our independence and responsiveness to local need. We look forward to the opportunities for learning from others which will arise from the new KAS landscape project. Dr Pat Reid Honorary Archaeologist for the Faversham Society, Director FSARG. Medieval Fair. Monthly archaeological updates are published in the newsletter of the Faversham Society. Our latest project involved well attended public meetings at different stages. Last but not least, we have been publishing re p o rts and other data on our website www. communityarchaeology. org.uk - see this for Hunt the Saxons . Yes, we found them - in Test Pit 1 behind the Bull Inn (mid-Saxon pot is shown below). For the last two years we have been working on a project called Understanding Ospringe. Around Ospringe, archaeologists had concentrated heavily on the Romano- British site of Durolevum (Syndale), the Saxo-medieval Stone Chapel and the Hospital of St Mary Ospringe (Maison Dieu). Little attention had been paid to the post medieval, early medieval before the building of the Hospital in AD1234 (except for the parish church), or the prehistoric. The last two became our research priorities. North Kent shelly ware, very familiar to us from the Tanners Street area, is dated by 3 Autumn 2009 on documentary evidence and stray finds were explored. Although looking for evidence for Saxon settlement, every scrap of data was processed, re c o rded and analysed. These three years involved non-stop development and training. Desktop skills, particularly the use of historic maps, improved enormously. Surveying skills were developed and refined. Excavation, which started with one metre square test pits in gardens, evolved into larger trenches excavated using single context methods. Finds processing skills were developed to a high degree. Field walking, resistivity surveying and metal detecting were built in and historic wall structures recorded. All of these involved an increasingly elaborate recording system, involving proformas, databases and visual records of various types which were used for report writing. Finally, a system of long term archiving was set up. Health and safety training was continuous. Equal attention went into the community side. All volunteers are locals, with flexible participation keepng around thirty active each field season. A core of twenty has developed specialist skills in e.g. pottery identification and excavation supervision, supported by visiting expert trainers. Over the five years, we have dug in 41 gardens (involving households), run open days, exhibitions, lectures, workshops and Archaeological Road Shows at the annual Autumn 2009 4 ROMAN BUILDINGS AT EAST FARLEIGH; AN UPDATE Excavations at the west end of building 3 cleared an are a 8m by 5m, revealing what appears to be a workshop, with a 2m-diameter hearth occupying the NE quadrant of this. The fire had been so intense as to burn out the stones in the west wall, causing it to be patched at least twice, conveniently (for us!) using pink, instead of the original pale yellow, m o rt a r. The floor, a deep red in c o l o u r, was covered in ash and extended over the demolished wall of building 2. A large inverted pot was built into the floor midway along the south wall and an infant burial was located in the SW corner of the workshop. Various pits in the floor indicated the position of built-in fittings; however, the function of the workshop is not yet known. Excavations have also continued on building 5, using machine excavation of the overburd e n , p a rtly financed by a grant from the CKA. The floor of the building lies at a depth of 1.5m and the walls remain to a height of 1m in places. The inside of the building is filled to the top of the walls with ragstone hard c o re and soil. The building is 13m by 8m with a 3m extension on the south side. A N-S t rench across the building revealed an internal wall, which f o rms one side of a room. A platf o rm 1.5m wide and 300mm above the general floor level had been c o n s t ructed. The floor consisted of ragstone covered with a layer of light yellow mort a r, which has decayed. A slot 125mm deep in the f l o o r, 120mm long by 600mm, is i n t e r p reted as a timber machine base; possibly a press. The nort h wall had been pierced by a 2.4m wide opening with semic i rcular reveals. This had later been blocked up. The coinage associated with this building is mainly from the second half of the 4th century. The incomplete demolition of this building left the stubs of the walls c o v e red and this has left us with an unusual find. The outside of the west wall is covered with painted re n d e r. Although in poor condition, limited uncovering has re v e a l e d p a rt of the pattern. The lower 300mm is pink, with a 40mm wide black strip. Above this the pre d o m inant colour is white. Both the pink and the white have been spattere d with black and red, leaving spots up to 5mm in size. Some vertical black lines were also noted. The surf a c e had been patched with lime plaster and repainted in places. The surface may be trying to imitate marbling. Painting and render was only present on the west flank. The ABOVE: Part of the painted render. B E L O W: Much interest was shown at the site’s open day in August. We reported on the excavation of this site by the Maidstone Area Archaeological Group in the Spring 2008 and Winter 2008 Newsletter; a round-up of this season’s work appears below. 5 Autumn 2009 THE KAS LIBRARY AND ITS WEBSITE: www.kentarchaeology.ac render stops 150mm around the c o rners, which have a 50mm wide c h a m f e r. Excavations will continue until the beginning of October to try and c o n f i rm the use of the building. As the Gro u p ’s contribution to the CBA’s Festival of British A rc h a e o l o g y, an open day was held on 2nd August which was attended by nearly 200 people. A . J . D a n i e l s RIGHT: Plan,excluding large main Building 1. British Library, and a team of volunteers signed up for a workshop managed by Judy Buckley, under the supervision of Dr. Jacqueline Bower. Around half the pages have already been transcribed and should appear on the website in 2010 on completion of the project. Support by the website team to the most successful ‘Leisure Learning’ courses on History and Geoarchaeology in the Library, open to the general public and organised by Joy Sage, must be mentioned. The Web team uses programmes from the Open Source community, and in re t u rn they provide educational material on our site free of charge for personal use, to a steady stream of visitors. All this work of creating and running a website of which the Society can be very proud, has been achieved by volunteers. A great debt of gratitude is owed to Denis Anstey, who as Website Manager masterminded the whole enterprise, and to his Website team, particularly Maureen Bennell and Joy Sage. The Web team is based in the Library, and may be emailed at k e n t a rchaeology@btconnect.com. If you would like to consider volunteering to join the team, we would be glad to hear from you. Frank Panton documents on permanent loan to Kent County Archives, and a brass rubbing Catalogue; are all posted and maintained on the site. Additionally, one of our members, Mike Cozens, has compiled a dire c t o ry of East Kent Wills which is on a sub-site authored by him. Regarding the second main objective, the site currently publishes articles under the head of eArticles and books under the head of eBooks. Recently, the site has started to post archaeological reports in a new “e” section, under the supervision of Maureen Bennell, a respected field archaeologist. There is good support for this not only from groups within Kent, but also from out-ofcounty contractors. The re p o rts are prepared in standard form, with an abstract appearing in Archaeologia Cantiana. We are keen to assist amateur groups to prepare their work for inclusion. The publication of transcribed (and translated) source material now features as another of the interests of the site. So far the Kent Hundred Rolls and the Kilward b y Survey have been put on the site, and a particular project centres on the Wotton Survey c1560, giving details of the family’s holding of Lands throughout Kent. A digital copy of this Survey has been obtained from the In 2003, the KAS Library Committee decided to set up a website, www. kentarchaeology. ac, which, despite various crises along the way, has gone from strength to strength. The site has two main objectives; first, to setup and carry searchable databases of the Society’s collections of books, finds, and other material accumulated during the 150 years of the Society’s existence, so that not only members but also the general public could become aware of, and gain access to, the wealth of knowledge the Society possesses on the history and archaeology of Kent. The second objective is to represent the Society as an internet publisher of peerreviewed works under the auspices of the Hon Editor and his Editorial Board. The overall intention was to create a site which would gain recognition as a source of reliable material. Regarding the first objective, the KAS Library bookstock Index (constantly being e n l a rged), a Visual Records Catalogue (over 20,000 items registered, with a large collection of postcards, still being added to), a Gordon Ward Archive (a collection of historical ephemera relating to Kentish Places), an A rtefacts Catalogue of finds acquired by the Society, a section re f e rring to the Society’s collection of papers, wills, maps and other Autumn 2009 6 parallel sessions by professional academics, research students and local historians representing local history societies around Britain. The aim of the conference was achieved with papers that celebrated the wide variety of questions and key issues in local history, through a remarkable range of sources and techniques of analysis. The timing of the delivery of the papers had to be strictly adhered to, so that delegates could easily move between sessions without disturbing the speakers. The papers were so engaging it was a shame that there was so little time for further discussion in the conference auditorium. Not to be deterred, friendly banter and earnest discussions of the papers took place during the conference breaks. The excellent papers of Dr Gillian Draper, Dr Sheila Sweetinburgh and Professor David Killingray and the plenary lecture of Sarah Pearson highlighted the rich diversity of local history topics currently researched by Kent historians and KAS members: from death in 14th century Rye; Hythe butcher graziers of the late medieval Kent countryside; the impact of immigrant communities on British local history and Sandwich the ‘ completest’ medieval town. I presented an aspect of local history in Kent, with the latest approach for PhD students to outline their research in a poster format. My poster detailed sources, methodology and a case study sample, to illustrate Punishment and the New Poor Law in Kent: with specific reference to the recording and reporting of o ffences committed in workhouses 1835 to 1944. This enabled me to discuss my research and receive constructive criticism in a less formal setting than delivering a paper at a conference or seminar. The conference was very enjoyable, friendly and thought provoking with pleasant accommodation and food. One highlight of many was the Saturday afternoon trips into the Leicester landscape with excellent guides from the Centre for English Local History. After the closing remarks of the conference, delegates could be overheard asking when the next conference would be: a fitting tribute to all the hard work carried out by the conference organising committee and to the local historians who delivered the papers. Mary-Jane Pamphilon, M.A. Firstly, I would like to thank the Kent Archaeological Society members for their generous support in awarding me a bursary towards the cost of attending the ‘Local History in Britain after Hoskins’ conference. As a second year PhD student researching a regional study of Kent, I found the conference invaluable with regards to inspiration and encouragement. The conference was jointly organised by the British Association for Local History and the Centre for English Local History at the University of Leicester. The aim of the conference was to ‘celebrate the subject of local history that W. G. Hoskins helped to create’. One hundred and seventy five delegates attended the Gilbert Murray Conference Centre at Oadby, Leicester. Guests included W. G H o s k i n s ’s daughter and grand-daughter who received a warm welcome at the conference dinner. The conference was divided into the eight themes of Local History Now; Culture and Belief; Community and Society; History of Local History; Family, Population and Migration; Identity and Belonging; Making a Living in Town and Country and Sources, Methods and Techniques. Over fifty papers were delivered in as whether fathers were present at births, or what games they played with their child ren, to gain an insight into the way f a t h e rhood has, or hasn’t, changed. They are also interested in hearing f rom fathers who left families behind to fight in the Second World War, and fro m the children they left behind. Another i n t e rest is the way in which the sexual revolution of the 60’s or 70’s may have a ffected family life, so if you were a father then, they’d also like to hear from you. Testimony Films has a long track re c o rd of making oral history documentaries and specialise in recording the stories of the older generation. They recorded the first ever interview with Harry Patch, when he was 98. If you would like m o re information about them visit w w w.testimonyfilms.com. To contact them about your story of fatherhood please ask for Janet Mills (re s e a rc h e r ) tel: 01179 257668 or email: re s e a rch1@testimonyfilms.com. The editor has been contacted by Testimony Films, based in Bristol. Do you have a story to tell about your own experience of being a father, or memories of your own father? Testimony Films are making a television series to be shown on BBC4, charting fatherhood over the last 100 years and want to hear f rom the older generation. They are particularly keen to speak to those in their 90’s and beyond. They’d like to explore themes such LOCAL HISTORY IN BRITAIN AFTER HOSKINS REPORT ON THE CONFERENCE JULY 2009 A CENTURY OF FATHERHOOD 7 Autumn 2009 Cost £45.00 per person. £10.00 deposit will secure a place. Please book early as there is a maximum of ten persons per day. For further details or to book a place email Pip at pips-pad@tiscali.co.uk or tel: 07961 963893. Crayford Manor House Historical & Archaeological Society Saturday 14 November Embassy Court, Welling – Recent Discoveries Richard Humphrey Saturday 12 December Christmas on the Home Front Michael Brown Saturday 9 January 2010 A Country Christmas Pat Mortlock Saturday 13 February 2010 Romance of London’s River: Southend to Sonning Tony Farnham Saturday 13 March 2010 Royal Visits to Kent Colin Breed Saturday 17 April AGM & President’s Lecture All meetings held in the Baker Trust Hall, Maxim Road, Crayford at 7.30pm. Non members are welcome to attend – cost £3.00. Enquiries to Mrs Hearn- Gillham, tel: 01322 551279. ‘YOUR VILLAGE’ Valley of Visions is launching a villages project in the Medway Gap and holding a one day conference in January 2010. For more information please contact training@vov.kentdowns.org.uk or tel: 07920 548906. EVENTS ELSEWHERE CBA South East Annual Conference DEATH AND REMEMBRANCE: an archaeological viewpoint Saturday 31 October 10.00am – 17.00pm Redhill Methodist Centre, Gloucester Road, Redhill, Surrey RH1 1BP PROGRAMME Introduction by Andrew Richardson, Chair, CBA SE Roman period burials in Sussex David Rudling (University of Sussex) The archaeological evidence for the emergence of Anglo-Saxon kingdoms in South East England Dr Martin Welch (UCL) The Black Death of 1348-50 in Southern England Prof. Tom James (University of Winchester) Pets, Pods and Patriots: 21st Century Trends in Death and Disposal on the South Downs. Maire McQueeney (Author) AGM In their flowing cups: memories, myths and person kinds in Beaker funerary ritual Dr Paul Garwood (University of Birmingham) Two 1st Century AD ‘Warrior Burials’ from Ashford in Kent Casper Johnson & Jim Stevenson (East Sussex County Archaeologist and ASE) What do funerals mean? Dr Jake Weekes (Canterbury Archaeological Trust) Questions Tea/coffee available at breaks.Tickets £20 CBA SE Members, £25 non-members. Further details available from Steve and Eva Corbett, 4 Ditchling Close, Eastbourne, East Sussex BN23 8LS, email: cbase@scorbett.co.uk, tel: 01273 905004. EVENTS AROUND KENT Council for Kentish Archaeology Conference LOST CITIES IN THE MEDITERRANEAN Saturday 24 October 2.00pm – 5.30pm Old Sessions Lecture Theatre Canterbury Christ Church University, North Holmes Road, Canterbury Pompeii – Living under the Volcano Dr David Plummer Cyprus – The Lost Roman Cities Edna Mynott Leptis Magna – The African Queen Ruth Plummer Malta – the Pearl of the Middle Sea Brian Philp Tickets £4, available from CKA, 7 Sandy Ridge, Borough Green TN15 8HP. Please send SAE. Website www.the-cka.fsnet.co.uk Loose Area History Society Monday 12 October Maidstone’s Fires, Floods, Bangs & Crashes Andrew Clarke Monday 9 November Nor the Years condemn – Some War Memorials of Kent & East Sussex Peter Ewart Monday 14 December Medieval Food & Feasting Toni Mount Non-members are welcome at all meetings, which are held at Loose Infant School Hall, Loose, Maidstone, starting at 7.30pm. Admission £2.50. Pay at the door. Friends of Canterbury Archaeological Trust Talks Thursday 19 November Medical practices in Roman Spain Dr Patty Baker (Lecturer in Archaeology, University of Kent) 7.00 pm. Keynes College, Lecture Theatre 5, University of Kent Saturday 30 January 2010 Frank Jenkins Memorial Lecture 6.00 pm. Canterbury Christ Church University Wednesday 10 February 2010 Preview of an exhibition on Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Canterbury Sidney Cooper Centre, St Peter’s Street, Canterbury 6.00–7.00 pm Wednesday 10 March 2010 History Underground: The work of the Kent Underground Research Group Mike Clinch (Secretary, Kent Underground Research Group) Wednesday 21 April 2010 The Pyramids of Egypt – design, construction and purpose Roger Sharp Further details: admin@canterburytrust.co.uk or 01227 462062 Bexley Archaeological Group Two one-day courses on flintknapping Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 November, 9.30am – 4pm Taught by professional flintknapper Will Lord Learn how to make arrowheads, handaxes and bladecores with associated tools such as backed knives, scrapers and burins W H AT ’ S ON >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> order are paying the correct amount and that those in arrears have now been taken out of the membership – this also explains some fall in numbers. Yes, recruitment of new members is lower than in some years, but the splendid websites have helped to turn round this situation and I am gratified to report that I have had few resignations this year. Although we shouldn’t rest on our laurels, I know from personal experience that some other County Societies are having problems and are having to raise their subscriptions which is not a good solution in these straitened times! In common with most similar societies there has been a gradual decline in membership over the years. In our case, taking the last 10 years from 1,476 in 1998 to 1,357 in 2008, At the 2009 AGM some concern was expressed at the apparent reduction in membership numbers over the past few years. Some of this is due to the fact that members decide to leave because of downsizing, both of their living accommodation and annual expenses. Some of course, unfortunately die, because of the age profile of the membership. However, the number of members given in the annual report was inadvertently not compiled on the same basis as in previous years as it treated joint memberships as one person instead of two. It should have given the membership as 1,357. I have worked hard at cleaning up the database, making sure that members paying by bankers reveals a drop of about 8% over the period, breaking down to less than 1% a year. Any suggestions for the recruitment of younger members would be very welcome. I know that Lyn Palmer and Kate Kersey encourage YAC members and families to join but there must be other ways of attracting students as well. The reduced age limit was raised to 25 to attract those in higher education. I have plenty of membership leaflets so please ask me for some to take to any conferences and heritage events that you are attending. I have just posted out bundles to approximately 100 venues around the county but I would be grateful for any suggestions for other suitable places. Shiela Broomfield MEMBERSHIP MATTERS It will soon be time for me to send out renewal letters for 2010 to those of you who pay your subscriptions by cheque. I plan to do this in early December to avoid the Christmas rush. Please pay promptly so that I can save the Society money by sending out as few reminder letters as possible next year. I know that this is sometimes unavoidable as the first letters fail to arrive for one reason or another. Occasionally this is because I have not been told about a change of address. Just as a reminder, the subscriptions are £25 for individual members, £30 for two members at the same address and £10 for junior members – still a bargain and lower than neighbouring societies! The address for all correspondence relating to membership is – Mrs Shiela Broomfield, KAS Membership, 8 Woodview Crescent, Hildenborough, Tonbridge, Kent TN11 9HD. Telephone 01732 838698. E-mail – membership@kentarc h a e o l o g y. o rg.uk or s.bro o m f i e l d @ c l e m e n t i . d e m o n . c o . u k . We are pleased to welcome these new members: Affiliated Members Halling Historical Society Northfleet History Group Kent Family History Society (website) Joint Members Mr & Mrs K B Bray, Maidstone. Mr A G Cooper & Miss A M Maiollla, Horsmonden, Tonbridge Mr & Mrs A Cresswell, Newington, Sittingbourne Mr & Mrs I J Disbrey, St Margaret’s at Cliffe, Dover Mr & Mrs M Routledge, Allhallows, Rochester Junior Member Mr L Routledge, Allhallows, Rochester YOU A N D YOUR SOCIETY Autumn 2009 8 COPY DEADLINE FOR THE NEXT ISS FALLING MEMBERSHIP? for the other three places on the Council. This means there are now several vacancies on the Council which can be filled at the AGM next year. We rely on members of the Society volunteering or putting in nominations. It is not the function of the Council to nominate members. If you wish to volunteer or make a nomination please contact the Hon. General Secretary who will be pleased to give advice. At the meeting there was discussion of a num- As a result of the ballot for Hon. Curator Dr Andrew Richardson was elected. The other officers were all declared re-elected in the absence of any other candidates. Dr J. Gibson was re-elected to the Council. There were no candidates ber of matters including recruitment of members, incorporation of the society, choice of auditors and risk management. The Council and its committees will be considering most of the suggestions that were made. After the meeting interesting talks were given by Ges Moody on changes in the Kent coastline, Peter Clark on proposals to build a full size working replica of the Dover Bronze Age Boat and Mike Clinch on the work of the Kent Underground Research Group. AGM REPORT Ordinary Members Miss K Boulden, Aldington, Ashford Mrs J Clark, London Mr R W Darby, Istead Rise, Gravesend Mrs M Kent, Tatsfield, Westerham Mr R B Lambert, Canterbury Mr A Nicolson, Sissinghurst Castle, Cranbrook Mr R C O’Connell, Maidstone, Kent Mr A Plummer, Cranbrook Mr D J, Semmens, Sevenoaks Mr P Slaughter, Northfleet, Gravesend Mrs S Stratton, Maidstone Mrs M E Symonds, Broadstairs Mrs M E Woods, Tonbridge did Mr Chapman save the building, but he is also is to be given much credit for preserving it with such sensitivity. On Wednesday 1 July a group of 30 members went on the second of the visits to The Grange at Ramsgate. As mentioned in the last issue, this house was built by Augustus Pugin, and was where he produced much of his finest work. Again, thanks go to Joy Saynor for organising such an interesting series of visits. She is already working on arrangements for the 2010 programme, more information of which will appear in the next issue of the Newsletter. arrangements with Heritage Marketing and Publications was no more successful and has recently been terminated. The cost of holding and insuring the stock has been more than could be justified so the stock has been sold to Christine Swift Books of Egerton, apart from a few copies retained mainly as a reserve stock for the library. However the recent book ‘Hadlow, Life, Land and People of a Wealden Parish 1460 - 1602’ is still available. 9 Autumn 2009 ISSUE IS TUESDAY 1st DECEMBER KAS COMMITTEE ROUND-UP REPORT FROM THE COUNCIL HISTORIC BUILDINGS COMMITTEE The very popular 2009 series of visits continued with a trip to Luddesdown Court and Dode Church on Wednesday 10 June. Members fortunate enough to be allocated places on the visit greatly appreciated having the chance of being taken around Luddesdown Court, accepted as one of the earliest surviving medieval medium-size houses in Kent. Afterwards, the group went on to the well-preserved and isolated Dode Church, and was given a fascinating guided tour by Derek Chapman. This church was de-consecrated in 1387. Not only PAUL A S H B E E MA, D. Litt, FSA, FRSAI It is with sadness that we report the death of Paul A s h bee, Patron of the KAS since 2002. Paul’s archa e o l ogical work over five decades laid much of the foundations of archaeological know l e d ge today, particularly of prehistory. Kent in Prehistoric Times ( 2005) was one of the last publ i c a tions in a prolific output wh i ch produced around 40 works. As a te e n a ger growing up in Bea r s ted, Paul’s earliest investigations were at T h u r n ham Roman Villa and fieldwalking around Detling, inspired by lunchti me visits to Maidstone Museum. He joined the Royal West Kent Regiment in 1939, where his ability with the German lang u a ge was put to use in wartime broadcasti ng. He returned from Germany in 1949 and began stud y i ng European Prehistory at the Insti t u te of A r cha e o l og y, wo r k i ng with Mortimer Wheeler on the St Albans exc av a tions. Key sites that he later exc av a ted inc l ude Fussell’s Lodge, the Amesbury group, a re-examination of Sutton Hoo with Rupert Bruce Mitford and Halangy Down on the Scilly Isles. He was also involved in the Experimental Eart h works Projects at Overton Down and Wa r e ham. He was the first archa e o l ogist at the new University of East Anglia and had lived in Norfolk since 1968. T he KAS was represented at his funeral at Che d gr ave Church, Norfolk, by t he Hon.Editor Terry Lawson and his wife Mary, who were regular visitors to Paul. A fuller profile of Paul appeared in Newsletter Issue 56, Spring 2003, wh i ch can be ac c e ssed online at: http:// www. kentarchaeology. org. uk/ Newsletter. The following is a selection of matters dealt with by the Council of the Society so far this year. Canterbury Museum was trying to buy a Celtic mirror and brooch found at Chilham Castle to prevent them being exported and was supported by the British Museum. If bought they would be exhibited at Canterbury. The Society offered a grant of £1,500. Folkestone People’s History Centre asked the Society to support its application to the Heritage Lottery Fund for a grant to help its community archaeology project ‘A Town Unearthed’. After hearing a report on it and following its policy of encouraging volunteers taking part in archaeology the Council agreed to give its support. Peter Stutchbury of Lympne has been appointed Assistant Hon. General Secretary. He will be nominated to succeed Andrew Moffat as Hon. General Secretary at the next AGM. Over the years the Council received reports from its members, latterly Mrs Shiela Broomfield, who were on the Standing Conference on London Archaeology and CBA South East. In particular it followed the formation of the new London branch of the CBA and accepted the right to nominate one of its trustees: Mrs Broomfield was nominated. SCOLA has now been disbanded and CBA London has taken over its functions. As Dr Andrew Richardson (our Hon. Curator) is chair of CBA South East reports will also be received about its activities. Among matters discussed at the AGM was incorporating the Society as a company limited by guarantee to protect members of the Council against personal liability. The Council has discussed this, not for the first time, and decided to defer any action until the introduction of charitable incorporated organisations which will be a simpler and more suitable form of body corporate. The Charity Commission expects to make that form of incorporation available next year. In the mean time the risk to members of the Council was considered minimal as they are protected by a comprehensive insurance policy and the substantial funds held by the society. For many years the Society has held a large stock of the books that it has published over the years. Attempts to sell these by offers to members or through large and small booksellers have not been successful. The Autumn 2009 10 papers held on the Cobham brasses by the Society of Antiquaries, London. Gough Nichols had intended to publish on the Cobham Brasses. In the G e n t l e m a n ’s Magazine 1841 it says that the monuments have been “...researched with intention to publish by Mr. John Gough Nichols. F.S.A.” The 1840-41 letters in Box 17 from Charles Spence urges Gough Nichols to publish on the Cobham Brasses. The publication never materialised. Papers relating to the Cobham Brasses held by the Society of Antiquaries contain a criticism of the engravings and this is often taken as being the reason. However, the collection of letters in Box 17 hints at scholarly disagreements between J.G. Waller and F.C. Brooke on one side and John Gough Nichols on the other and these may also be implicated in the decision not to publish. The plates were eventually published by F.C. Brooke, and J.G. Waller published accounts in Archaeologia Cantiana in 1877 and 1878 after the death of John Gough Nichols. Gough Nichols’ large collection of books as well as the archive of family papers was dispersed after his death in 1873. The Nichols Archive Project, undertaken by the University of Leicester, aims to catalogue the correspondence of the Nichols family held by various archives in order to aid the study of the social circle and intellectual pursuits of the time. The letters in Box 17 could potentially be of interest to those on the project who study the circle around the G e n t l e m a n ’s Magazine. Pernille Richards 1840 to 1866. The majority of letters were written by Charles Spence, Esq. of the Admiralty (1779- 1869) to John Gough Nichols F.S.A. (1806-1873). Charles Spence was a Clerk of 1st Class in the civil department of the Admiralty (Pay Off i c e ) and acquainted with Gough Nichols. In 1840-41 we find him in Rochester and Chatham and in 1844 he is in Devonport, where he gave a talk on Medieval Brasses, including the Cobham brasses, at the Mechanics’ Institute. He wrote “A walk though Rochester Cathedral” in 1840 and a work on Romsey Abbey. In Archaeologia Cantiana ( Vol. XII, 1878) Waller credits him with being the first to collect and arrange the fragments of the Brooke tomb. Spence’s letters show that he took a keen interest in the restoration project. He did a lot of practical work and functioned as an intermediary between John Gough Nichols, Hammerton, J.G. Waller and F.C. Brooke. Through his letters we can follow the practical minutiae of the restoration project, the two distinct phases, and the questions that were relayed to Gough Nichols. John Gough Nichols F. S. A was an eminent Antiquarian and editor of numerous publications including the G e n t l e m a n ’s Magazine. He provided an important link for Clergy and Antiquarians who were restoring their churches. The letters in Box 17 document these activities in relation to Cobham and provide a useful supplement to the The Cobham Brasses in correspondence to John Gough Nichols F.S.A. “I really think it will be a very fine restoration, all the ancient portions remaining inlaid and clearly dis - cernable whilst the total ensemble will shew (sic) one beautiful whole.” C. Spence, Dec. 1864 St. Mary Magdalene Church in Cobham, Kent is known for its magnificent collection of Medieval brasses of the Cobham family and the tomb of George Brooke, Lord Cobham and Anne Bray. Amazingly, The brasses and the tomb survived, although much damaged over the centuries and the sight we can enjoy today is the result of restorations undertaken first in the late 1830s and early 1840s and secondly, in the 1860s. The restoration was paid for by a descendant of the Brooke family, Francis C. Brooke. In the first phase of restoration the work was overseen by Charles Spence of the Admiralty and the research was done by John Gough Nichols, F. S. A. Mr George Hammerton, who had previously worked on Rochester Cathedral, restored the monuments. In the second phase in the 1860s the restoration work was undertaken by J.G. Wa l l e r, but still with the involvement of John Gough Nichols and Charles Spence. The ongoing archive survey has found an interesting collection of 31 letters and other papers relating to the restoration project at Cobham Church in Box 17. These range from MEDIEVAL BRASSES IN ST MARY MAGDALENE CHURCH IN COBHAM ABOVE : A memorandum from George Hammerton, restorer in the 1830s and ’40s. N OT E S F ROM T H E ARC H I V E S 11 Autumn 2009 N E W BOOKS Two New Books on the History of Rye The Romney Marsh Research Trust are just completing a major thre e year project looking into Medieval and early-Modern Rye. The outcome of this is the forthcoming publication of two volumes in November. Rye Rebuilt: Regeneration and Decline within a Sussex Cinque Port Town, 1350-1660 by David & Barbara Martin, with Jane Clebb and Gillian Draper. A very readable book which discusses the form and fabric of the port town, concentrating in particular on the old buildings for which the town is rightly famous. The period covered extends from the French raids of the 14th century, through the 16th-century boom years to the town’s mid- 17th century decline. Illustrated summaries of over a hundred medieval and Tudor timber-framed houses are included. Retail price £30.00. Rye: a History of a Sussex Cinque Port to 1660 by Gillian Draper, with David and Barbara Martin and Alan Tyler. This companion volume is an illustrated history of Rye from its origins at the Norman Conquest until the end of its period of great prosperity under the Tudor monarchs: This book substantially takes forw a rd our local knowledge of life in Rye and its hinterlands, covering themes such as seafaring, piracy, the Yp res tower and defences, the parish church and pilgrims, and trade and work in the medieval town. The book is an important contribution to the history of the Cinque Ports in particular and medieval and early-modern towns in general. Retail price £25.00. The Romney Marsh Research Trust is extending a pre-publication off e r to KAS members, giving a generous discount. Both books will be £20.00 each. They can either be collected by appointment after 13 November from the Secre t a ry (01797 224418) or posted to you at £3.00 p&p per book. Please make cheque payable to the RMRT and post by November 5 to the Hon Sec RMRT, 41 Mermaid Street, Rye, TN31 7EU, with sae if you wish an acknowledgment. Portrait of Canterbury by John Boyle. Edited by Elizabeth Edward s . John Boyle was Town Clerk of C a n t e r b u ry from 1942 to 1972, and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries. He traced the city’s history fro m the earliest times – its re c o rd of growth from the Saxon period onwards; the coming of St Augustine; the founding of the cathedral and the g rowth of the city around it – to the rebuilding of a third of the central area after destruction by aerial attack in 1942. He also dealt with the lighter side of life, including festivals and celebrations, and revealed many startling and even sensational anecdotes. Whilst retaining the voice of the original author aAnUd Th Uis M j uNd2ic 0io 0u 9s evaluations of the political, professional and cultural society of Canterbury in the 1970’s, Elizabeth Edwards has updated his portrait for the 21st century. So much has changed during the past 30 years; our knowledge of its history considerably deepened through work by Canterbury Archaeological Trust and the growth of local studies, as well as sweeping changes to the city’s fabric in response to modern economic and cultural stimuli. This book puts Canterbury’s rich past and lively present into perspective, providing insight into its fascinating history for the contemporary observer by uniting two cities – the historical one beloved by tourists, and the modern, where re s i d e n t s live and work. Published by Phillimore ISBN: 978-1-86077-532-1. 208 pages, 100 illustrations. £16.99. Available from local bookstores or www. p h i l l i m o re.co.uk. Speldhurst Church: Its Story and its Wi n d o w s by Guy Hitchings This book combines a history and a guide to the c h u rch. Much is about the wonderful stained glass windows, notably those designed by E d w a rd Burn e - Jones for William Morris & Co and those designed by M o rris himself. The history of various rebuilds of the c h u rch is detailed in the context of its surrounds; the earliest, probably wooden, version before the Norm a n Conquest, the 13th century sandstone church with tall and slender spire, the increase in worshippers after the re s o rt of Tunbridge Wells came into being in the 17th century, destruction by lightning in 1791, the reduction of worshippers following the building of churches at nearby Rusthall and Langton G reen in the mid 19th century and finally the new building of 1870 which exists today. The book was published with the aid of a grant from the Allen G rove Local History Fund through the KAS. Available from local bookshops or by post from Mr Hitchings, Spring Bank, Speldhurst, Tunbridge Wells TN3 0PD, for £3.78, which includes p&p. Cheque payable to ‘Guy Hitchings’ please. Autumn 2009 12 precedence, marriage and the frequency of Synods. Indeed at the Synod at Hatfield in 679, the matter of orthodoxy was again addressed by Theodore. His reforms had far-reaching effects on the Church in England. Not only was Theodore an excellent administrator, but he appears to have been a man of some physical force, even in his old age. Bede tells how Bishop Chad preferred to carry out his evangelistic work on foot for reasons of humility. Theodore, with characteristic impatience, ordered him to ride if the journey was to be a long one. When Chad demurred it is said that Theodore “lifted him onto the horse with his own hands since he knew he was a man of great sanctity and he determined to compel him to ride a horse when necessity arose.”8 His remarkable energy also allowed him to address education and music in the Church and it was here that he made his greatest impact. Theodore and Hadrian founded a school at Canterbury, the site of which is now lost, at which scholars learned about the holy scriptures, the art of metre (poetry), astronomy, calligraphy, medicine, music and ecclesiastical computation. Theodore’s intellect and the standard of education offered was so high that students flocked to be admitted to the school.9 Such a high standard was achieved that it could be argued that this set the tone for other centres of learning around the country, subsequently allowing a child called Bede to thrive academically in the north and paving the way for England to be regarded as producing the best academics in Europe. Although Bede’s life did coincide with Theodore’s, they never met (Bede lived from c.673 – 735 and therefore would have been about seventeen when Theodore died). It is plain from his writing, though, that he had the highest regard for him. One of the most remarkable Archbishops of Canterbury was the 7th one: St Theodore of Tarsus. As his name implies, he was not an Englishman, but was born in what is now south-eastern Turkey in the Greek-speaking province of Cilicia.1 It seems likely that he was a refugee either as a boy or as a young man and that he went to Constantinople, a renowned centre of learning and culture where a man with his scholarly attributes could thrive. It is thought that he became a monk and he is next seen at the monastery of St Anastasius outside Rome, but no record exists of how or when he came to be there. As far as we know his life had been one devoted to prayer and study and little more might have been known had the Archbishop of Canterburydesignate (Wigheard) not died of plague in Rome when he went to collect his pallium in 667. This, naturally, caused a problem, not least because the post had been vacant since the death of Archbishop Deusdedit in 664.2 Pope Vitalian first of all nominated Abbot Hadrian for the job, but he declined and himself suggested Theodore. This might not attract comment but for the fact that Theodore was then aged 65; he had more than exceeded the average lifespan and was being asked to make a dangerous journey to take on a difficult province. He agreed on condition that Hadrian accompanied him, although the truth behind this will never be known. It may be that Vitalian required Hadrian to go to make sure that Theodore carried out his duties in the Roman rather than Greek tradition3 and we will never know if the pope would have been dismayed or delighted if he could have known that Theodore would live to be 88, fulfilling over two decades in the post. He arrived in England on 27 May 669 and (as Lapidge has put it) ‘set about reforming the English church with the urgency of an old man in a hurry.’ He was sixty-seven. The problem facing him was an England in which emotions were still running high after the so-called Easter Controversy which had come to a head at the Synod of Whitby in 664. Although five years had passed, Christian religious feeling was still split between the Roman way of practising Christianity and what might be termed the Celtic way. The administration of the Church in England was in disarray; some dioceses such as Rochester, Dunwich and Winchester lacked a bishop whilst others were of an unwieldy size, making them profitable to the incumbent but impossible to administer, Bishop Wilfrid’s in Northumbria being a case in point.4 Bede tells us that Theodore “visited every part of the island where the English peoples lived”.5 He made appointments to the vacant bishoprics, corrected the position of St Chad who had not been properly consecrated, rectified numerous things that were irregular, and was “the first of the Archbishops whom the whole English Church consented to obey”, a telling remark revealing much about Theodore’s charismatic personality and leadership. “Never”, wrote Bede contentedly, “had there been such happy times since the English first came to Britain.”6 Had Pope Vitalian had any doubt about Theodore’s conformity to Rome, it seems that he need not have worried. In 672 he called a national synod at Hertford, the details of which are repeated in Bede’s History.7 He began by asking the bishops if they were acting within canonical decrees (they said that they were) and then laid down rules that would prevent one man from interfering or practising in the area of another which still hold true today down to parochial level. Other matters discussed included PIONEERS, POWER BROKERS AND SAINTS St Theodore of Tarsus, the 7th Archbishop of Canterbury AD602-690 The Churches Committee is always keen to emphasise that its remit encompasses beliefs and people as well as ecclesiastical buildings and artefacts. Accordingly this series (the first article of which appeared in Spring, Issue 80 this year) focuses on people in our own county whose impact has been noteworthy. The contributors will be those knowledgeable in their areas of interest. The series will run to about ten articles. 13 Autumn 2009 Recording St Theodore’s death in 690, Bede writes: “To put it briefly, the English Churches made more spiritual progress whilst he was Archbishop than ever before”.10 He then goes on to record the first and last verses only of a thirty-four verse poem someone else originally wrote on his tomb, the rather greetings-card style somewhat detracting from the greatness of Theodore’s intellect: “Here lies a holy bishop’s mortal frame: In Grecian tongue is Theodore his name. A great high priest was he, the church’s head, Who in sound doctrine his disciples fed. .... September was the month, the nineteenth day, When from the flesh his spirit took its way, Climbing in bliss to share new life and love With angel-citizens of heaven above.” Kent Archaeological Society is offering grants towards the cost of research, publications, exhibitions and other projects aimed at encouraging interest in the county’s local history. Individuals, groups, organisations and students can download application forms from www. kentarchaeology.org.uk or obtain them by sending a s.a.e. to the KAS’s Hon. General Secretary at Three Elms, Woodlands Lane, Shorne, Gravesend, Kent DA12 3HH. The grants are made from the society’s Allen Grove Local History Fund and distributed annually in amounts that usually range from £200 to £400. Larger sums are available for ‘exceptional projects’. The deadline for applications for 2010’s grants is March 31. In 2009 grants totalling £1,730 were made to: ● Ashford Town Bowls Club (£250), for research into the club’s history and a centenary booklet and display. ●􀀀 Folkestone People’s History Centre (£200), towards the production of the first of a series of journals on the town’s history and archaeology. ●􀀀 Herne & Broomfield Local History Group (£230), for the cost of producing a booklet ‘Herne Chronicles’ — a collection of myths, legends and facts to celebrate 700 years of the parish. ●􀀀 Guy Hitchings (£250) for the cost of publishing a guide to Speldhurst Church and its unique windows. ●􀀀 Dr Helen Leaf (£200) for research into a collection of letters written in the 19th century to George Moore, who had emigrated to America, describing life in Faversham area. ●􀀀 The Save the Hadlow Tower Action Group (£400), for a permanent display about the tower and its history. The tower is to be restored by the Vivat Trust and will have a museum and visitor centre on the ground floor and a holiday flat above. ●􀀀 Dr David Wright (£200) for research leading to the publication of a book about Rev. Bryan Fausset of Canterbury, the 18th century antiquary whose work included notes on the history and architecture of east Kent churches. Allen Grove (pictured right) was one of the county’s most eminent historians of his generation. He was Curator of Maidstone Museum from 1948 to 1975, Hon. Curator of the KAS for 26 years (and its President in 1987/88) and Chairman of the Kent History Federation for eight years. When he died in 1990 he left £26,000 from the proceeds of the sale of his house to the KAS, with instructions that the society should invest the legacy and distribute the interest in ways that would promote the enjoyment of Kent’s local history. The first grants were made in 1994. Since then more than £20,000 has been awarded, mainly to support the publication of books and booklets but also for exhibitions, displays in heritage centres, oral history projects, and establishing archives and research centres. GRANTS NOW AVAILABLE FOR KENT LOCAL HISTORY PROJECTS He was buried at Canterbury where a modern stone at St A u g u s t i n e ’s Abbey commemorates his life. Imogen Corrigan Bibliography: The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, M. Swanton (trans. & ed.), Phoenix Press, London, 2000 Bede, The Ecclesiastical History of the English People, J. McClure & R, Collins (eds.), Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1969 M. Lapidge, J. Blair, S. Keynes & D. Scragg (eds.), The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Anglo-Saxon England, Blackwell, Oxford, 1999 P.G. Maxwell-Stuart, The Archbishops of Canterbury, Tempus, Stroud, 2006 1 M. Lapidge, J. Blair, S. Keynes & D. Scragg (eds.), The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Anglo-Saxon England, p.444 2 Ibid., p.140 3 P.G. Maxwell-Stuart, The Archbishops of Canterbury, p.41 4 Lapidge, Blair, Keynes & Scragg, op.cit., p.445 5 Bede, The Ecclesiastical History of the English People, p.172 6 I b i d ., p.172 7 I b i d., pp.180-183 8 I b i d ., p.174 9 I b i d ., p.172 10 I b i d., p.246 Autumn 2009 14 Bradstow School in Broadstairs, formerly a private residence known as Bartrum Gables and later as Valletta House, has a rich archaeological heritage. A large hengiform enclosure, four Bronze Age barrows and a rich Anglo-Saxon cemetery were excavated within the grounds of the school between 1910 and 2006. Bradstow School is a residential specialist school for children with severe learning difficulties and autism, operated by Wandsworth Borough Council. In April 2009, during an excavation by the Trust for Thanet Archaeology prior to the construction of a sensory swimming pool, a fifth barrow was discovered along with two prehistoric burials and a further Anglo-Saxon grave. The relationship between the Trust and Bradstow School that developed during the excavation grew into the idea for the ‘Dig for a Day’ event held in June 2009. The staff at the school, led by Headteacher Burt Furze and the Inclusion Development Manager Lorraine Hiller, were excited by the potential to broaden the learning experiences of their pupils through participation in new activities and challenges involving the archaeology of the site. Preparations for the event were funded with a grant awarded by the Education Committee of the Kent A rchaeological Society in aid of the Trust’s education activities in 2009. The participation of the Trust staff on the day was partly funded by a small grant from the CBA Challenge Fund awarded to Bradstow School. Dig for a Day took place on the 25th June and enabled over two hundred pupils from 12 schools across Thanet, from both the specialist and mainstream sectors, to participate in archaeological activities organised by the Trust and hosted by Bradstow School. One school f rom Nonnington, Dover also took part. The Trust and Bradstow School staff were assisted over the day by volunteers including members of the Isle of Thanet Archaeological Society, Kent Archaeological Society and staff and a volunteer from Quex Museum. Six activity zones were set up around the grounds of Bradstow School designed to introduce the children to the basic principles of archaeology. Each visiting school group was taken around the zones by a pupil from Bradstow School acting as a host, assisted by a member of staff. Zones 1 and 2 were located at the front of the school on the playing field where the first Bronze Age Barrow had been excavated in 1911. It proved to be the ideal spot for an introduction to geophysics and to take part in real survey, especially as we managed to locate and plot the extent of the barrow! Zones 3 and 4 were located within the site of the recent excavation. In Zone 3, Year 10 pupils from King Ethelbert’s Secondary School were able to help excavate a segment of the barrow ditch, while younger pupils from the primary schools were introduced to archaeological excavation by Ges Moody of the Trust, who told them all about the equipment used by archaeologists, the finds made and the importance of Health and Safety! In zone 4 children were shown how archaeologists distinguish different soil deposits in excavations and had a ‘ DIG FOR A DAY’ at Bradstow School, Broadstairs 15 Autumn 2009 hands-on, or hands in, demonstration of the difference between clay, sands and silts, a slightly mucky process for the willing volunteers! This zone also allowed the children to explore how materials decay or survive using objects placed around a plastic teaching skeleton laid in the emptied Anglo-Saxon grave cut. Demonstration of the differences in body positions between the prehistoric and Anglo-Saxon graves in the excavation to Year 11 pupils from the Royal School for the Deaf resulted in a lively debate in sign language; admirably translated by John Handley, about the belief systems that lay behind the variations. Zone 5 introduced the children to the principles of stratigraphy, learning how deposits build up over time by constructing their own mini site using clear plastic tanks, ‘artefacts’ and soils from the recent excavations. In zone 6 the children were shown how to excavate artefacts from the Tru s t ’s dig boxes, matching the objects to pictures on identification sheets before describing and illustrating the finds on pre - p r i n t e d recording sheets. Other activities taking place around the school included mosaic making and pottery. The Trust provided printed examples of mosaics from archaeological sites and large colour photographs of pots excavated on Thanet from the prehistoric to the Anglo- Saxon periods for the children to make their own copies. The day proved to be a resounding success, comments from the teachers included: ‘There were so many activities, all appropriate and well thought out and the children learnt such a lot about archaeology’ and ‘The people we met were great and interesting and they spoke to the pupils at their level’. More importantly though, the children enjoyed themselves too and every child, regardless of their ability, was able to take some part in an archaeological activity. The children’s comments included ‘My favourite thing was when we had to look in the sand for bits of old things and I liked it when we saw the real dig’. Perhaps the most effusive summary of the day came from a child who commented ‘it was the best school trip ever!’ For those running the activities it was an exciting and exhausting day but it was also very rewarding to give so many children from Thanet an opportunity to take part in archaeology and to share the experience with children from very different backgrounds. For the Trust it was a significant occasion in fulfilling our aim of providing opportunities to learn, see and do archaeology in Thanet. Emma Boast Trust for Thanet Archaeology OPPOSITE LEFT: Some of the 200 pupils who attended, eagerly awaiting the start of the activities. AND BELOW: Ges Moody of the Trust introduces archaeological equipment and finds. ABOVE RIGHT: King Ethelbert’s School pupils investigating the newly-discovered barrow ditch. BELOW: Creating mosaics. Published by the Kent Archaeological Society, Maidstone Museum and Bentlif Gallery, St Faith’s Street, Maidstone, Kent. ME 14 1LH www.kentarchaeology.org.uk EDITOR: LYN PALMER 55 Stone Street, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN1 2QU Telephone: 01892 533661 Email evelyn.palmer@virgin.net or newsletter@kentarchaeology.org.uk Copy deadline for the next issue in January is Tuesday December 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. ABOVE: The Earl and Countess of Wessex and George Jessel, Chair of Kent County Agricultural Society, peruse the KAS stand at the County Show. Autumn 2009 16 Out of the blue at the end of May I had a telephone call from one of the organisers of the Kent County Show offering KAS a free stand to help celebrate the Show’s 80th anniversary this year. Even though the time scale was extremely short, this was really an offer too good to miss. Several years ago when the Society attended, the costs proved to be quite high. I am grateful to Joy Sage for putting together the display boards so that we could tell visitors to the Show what we actually do and re p re s e n t . Chris Pout kindly delivered the display boards to Detling - this was a case of calling on any available resource - Presidents, spouses……….! We left home at the crack of dawn on the first day so that we could put up the boards and generally make the stand as attractive and eye-catching as possible. Very fortunately we were in one of the permanent buildings as the weather was far from ‘summery’. We shared the ‘Remembering Kent’ section with other heritage organisations, ranging from the Agricultural Museum at Brook, Brogdale, Dolphin Barge Museum, to the Kent Guild of Spinners, Dyers and Weavers, the County Federation of WIs etc. It was interesting speaking to others of like-mind as well as spreading the KAS word, especially in periods of heavy rain when everyone was seeking shelter in our building! The Earl and Countess of Wessex opened the Show and made a special effort to come round and speak to everyone in our section. The Earl had obviously been very well briefed and I was impressed by the depth of his knowledge of a rc h a e o l o g y, presumably gleaned from his bro t h e r’s interests! With just two of us manning the stand it did seem a very long day, especially as it then took an hour to even leave the showground. On the Saturday two stalwarts of KAS, Chris Pout and Andrew Richardson, manned the stand as I had to chair an AGM in deepest Sussex. They also had an interesting and busy day. We were back again on Sunday with welcome help from Joy Sage and Vince Burrows. At least this meant that we could have a quick stroll round the rest of the Show, avoiding the showers! Again we had many visitors and were able to distribute copies of the excellent Newsletter as well as many membership forms. I coded these and have had a couple of new members. I am very grateful to those who helped, but it highlights the fact that we need many more volunteers if we are invited in future years. Extra publicity for the KAS can only be a good thing. The following weekend we took the same display to the History Weekend at Sissinghurst Castle – this was part of the CBA archaeology fortnight which meant that quite a few potential helpers were occupied elsewhere. Again the manning of the stall over the two days fell on myself, husband Chris and Chris Pout. We had much interest from visitors especially with regard to the photographs of places featuring individuals. We have so far gained one new member from this – not a very good result but more people should now be aware of the existence of KAS. One problem was that many of the visitors to Sissinghurst were from out of the County on coach tours visiting other gardens and places of historical interest. Please let me know if you can help at any such events in future years – it is important that we have more volunteers so that the work does not just fall on a few willing people. Shiela and Chris Broomfield KENT COUNTY SHOW & SISSINGHURST CASTLE HERITAGE WEEKEND