Library Notes

Kent Archaeological Society Library

Acquisitions May to August 2005:

Essex History and Archaeology, Vol. 34 2003.
Records of Buckinghamshire. Vol 45 2005.
Cranbrook Pamplets:
     Cranbrook Turnpike Roads. 1785-1878.
     Watermills and Windmills.
     Charities of Cranbrook.
     Broadcloth Industry.
     Dissenting Congregations.
     Inns of Cranbrook.
     Cranbrook School.
     Dame's School.
     Bryanite Kent. Vol 28 No. 6. J.
Postmedieval Archaeology. Vol. 39 p.1.
Roman Pottery: Roman Reference Collection. Sonja Marlies.
Wiltshire Studies. Vol. 98 2005.
Archaeometry. Vol 47 p.2.
Visitation of Lincoln Diocesan 1827. Harleian Society.
Antiquities of Anglo-Saxon Cemeteries. Faussett Collection Lecture, Thomas Wright, 1854.
Southern History. Vol. 25 2004.
Suffolk Records Society. Vol. XLVIII.
Archaeological Journal. Vol. 161. 2004.

STACKS OF INFORMATION 2

In the last KAS Newsletter, I wrote an article, “Stacks of Information” about a stack of manuscript note books, bequeathed to us by long dead members of the Society, and stored for decades in a corner of the library. Among these are some 60 note books by U.J.Tor, who died in 1985. Six of these seemed to contain detailed descriptions of monumental inscriptions in Kentish Churches and churchyards, most probably copied from an original compilation by the Kentish Antiquary the Rev. Bryan Faussett (1720-1776). If this were so, then Tor's books could contain valuable information on inscriptions on monuments and gravestones existing in the eighteenth century which may by now have crumbled or disappeared.

Before I asked our Library Volunteers to work to produce from Tor's books information on names, dates and locations which could be added to our indexes and family name listings, I had to investigate further the validity of the information they contained. To do so, I visited the library of the Society of Antiquaries, London, in which had resided Faussett's original four manuscript volumes when Charles, published in 1857, with additions in 1875. Spot checks of comparisons of descriptions of particular churches in our 6 Tor volumes with Faussett's account of the same showed that Tor's work is a faithful copy of Faussett's, except that Tor does not attempt to sketch memorials. Faussett's beautiful hand coloured illustrations of coats of arms and hatchments, Tor's copies of descriptions of locations in his books does seem to follow Faussett, but Tor does not elsewhere restrict himself to location in Faussett.

A curiosity is that the Antiquaries' Library also houses seventeen folio volumes of Tor's handwriting which contain copies of Faussett's work, and it was from these that he wrote these copies of Faussett, and indicated what Tor copied. It would seem that Tor was indefatigable enough to make two copies of Faussett!

The Antiquaries' reference to their Faussett and Tor material in their catalogue of manuscripts lists the locations covered, but gives no further information on them. On this basis, I think it may be useful to ask our library volunteers to extract from our 6 Tor books, for research purposes, information on names, places and dates.

Dr Sarah Panton