What’s On

KAS EVENTS

KAS Summer Excursion 2006

Return to Northumbria, 12 – 17 June inclusive
After too long an interval, the Society plans to visit Northumbria for its 2006 excursion, which, for one year only, will last for six days. Over recent years, we have visited Ireland and Wales, Herefordshire and Dorset, Derbyshire and Yorkshire, and last year, Lincolnshire, thus it seemed right to go back to the North East.
Since our last visit to Northumbria, in many new sites, from the Roman period to the nineteenth century, have become available; for example, Segedunum (where the Wall meets the North Sea), Chesters, the birthplace of the wood engraver and naturalist Thomas Bewick, and there is now library Cragside House.
For further details and a booking form, contact the Hon Excursions Secretary, Joy Spencer, 24 High Street, Snodland, Sevenoaks TN14 7TD or spnor.shorne@snornee.com.

KAS Churches Committee Outing

You are invited to visit two fine East Kent churches of Tenterden and Rolvenden on Saturday 1 April. We meet at 1.45 for 2.00pm at Tenterden church, and at 3pm at Rolvenden. Tea and biscuits will be provided at Rolvenden.
Tour £2 (students £1), with tea £1 extra. Please complete the enclosed booking form and return by 24 March.

KAS Churches Committee Event

Saturday 29 April
Manuscripts & recent finds of Lindisfarne and Canterbury
A one-day conference in Canterbury Cathedral’s International Study Centre. The speakers will be Dr Michelle Brown and Dr Richard Gameson. Both are established experts in the field of early medieval manuscript and are well known for infusing audiences with their own enthusiasm. There will be a linked exhibition in Canterbury Cathedral Archives and Library on the same day. The day will start with coffee at 10am and ends at 5. No lunch is organised. Time will be allowed for visiting the exhibition. A booking form for this event is enclosed.

KAS Charing Conference

October 14
Coastal Fortifications through the Ages
More details in the April Newsletter.

OTHER EVENTS AROUND KENT

CONFERENCES

Council for Kentish Archaeology

Burial Sites in South East England – Recent Discoveries and Research
Saturday 8 April, 2 - 5.30 pm at Queen Elizabeth’s School, Abbey Place, Faversham.
Iron Age Warrior Burials at Ashford Casper Johnson (KCC Heritage Conservation Group)
The Discovery of the Burial Chamber of a Saxon King at Prittlewell Ian Blair (Museum of London Archaeological Service)
Anglo-Saxon Sites at Ryarsh: Fifth Bishopstone, Sussex Dr Gabor Thomas (University of Kent)
Anglo-Saxon Cemeteries in Kent Dr Andrew Richardson (KCC Finds Liaison Officer)
Further information can be found on www.the-cka.fsnet.co.uk, or from Ruth Plumley, tel: 0208 777 7872, email drs.d.plumley@aka.org.uk.
Tickets £3.50, available from CKA, 5, Sandy Ridge, Borough Green TN15 8HP. Cheques payable to CKA with SAE please.

TALKS & LECTURES

University of Kent - Darwin College
The Annual Darwin Lecture
The Early Human Occupation of Britain: new perspectives, by Professor Chris Stringer FRS
Friday, 17 March at 6pm in The Bradbourne Lecture Theatre, Keynes College, University of Kent at Canterbury
Admission is free - all are welcome.
Until recently, it was believed that the early human occupation of Britain was essentially continuous from the Middle Pleistocene onwards. However, current research suggests a much more complex picture, with episodes of colonisation, followed by local extinctions, and then re-colonisations.
The Ancient Human Occupation of Britain project is a 5-year collaboration the interest between archaeologists, palaeontologists and geologists to reconstruct early human colonisations, and investigates the factors controlling these. Approaches include excavation, faunal and archaeological collections research, dating studies and isotope analyses. The project investigates sites such as Boxgrove in Sussex, Swanscombe in Kent, Lynford in Norfolk, and Paviland in South Wales.
By the completion of the project, a detailed calendar will have been established for when our early ancestors were in Britain and the main factors which controlled their presence and absence across the millennia.

Professor Chris Stringer is Head of Human Origins at the Natural History Museum, London and Director of the Ancient Occupation of Britain Project.

Maidstone Area Archaeological Group

Indoor Meetings Programme

20 January
Defending the Weald and Chatham Dockyard Geoff Harvey
17 February
Constructing a Medieval Cathedral David Carder
17 March
The Registry of Pub Signs Gordon Bentley
All meetings are held at 7.30pm at the Kent Police College, off Sutton Road (A274), Maidstone. Admission for non-members of MAAG is £1.

British Archaeological Association Meetings

1 February
The Chapter House Vestibule and Masons’ Drawing Loft at York Minster Dr Kate Giles
1 March
New facts about the Carolingian Imperial abbey of Lorsch Dr Markus Sanke
5 April
The aisled east conch of S. Piran: Augustinian and other canons’ churches in Romanesque Europe Jill Franklin
3 May
Worcester Cathedral: architecture and historiography Dr Ute Engel
All meetings are held at 5pm in the rooms of the Society of Antiquaries, Burlington House, Piccadilly. Non-members are very welcome but are asked to make themselves known to the Hon. Director on arrival and to sign the visitors book.

Canterbury Archaeological Society Winter Programme

Ramsey Lecture Theatre, Canterbury Christ Church University at 7pm. Visitors welcome.
4 February
Houses and Households in 16th century Canterbury Dr Catherine Richardson
4 March
Dover’s Western Heights Jon Iveson

Tonbridge Historical Society Lectures

16 February at 7.45pm
The Art & Architecture of Rochester Cathedral Simon Bliss
6 April at 7.30pm
AGM plus lecture (TBA)
All lectures are at the Adult Education Centre, Avebury Avenue, Tonbridge. For further details, and to book, contact THS Secretary, Sheila Broomfield on 01732 838698 or mail to s.broomfield@dial.pipex.com.

Loose Area History Society

19 January
John Constable: Painter and Country Lover, a pictorial biography Julia Page
13 March
Jane Austen: Her Kentish World and Naval Connections Anthea Bryant
10 April
Elementary Schooling in Victorian and Edwardian Times Peter Evart
8 May
Kent Women – Famous, Infamous and Unsung Chris McCooey
13 June
Guided Perambulation of Rolvenden
11 July
Guided Perambulation of Letham
10 October
History of the Victoria Cross Lt Col. Mike Martin
13 November
The Caged Lady Lee Ault
11 December
Shakespeare’s International Globe Anne Carter
All meetings are held at Loose Infant School and start at 7.30pm. All welcome. Admission £1.50, pay at the door. For more details tel: 01622 741198.

Cayford Manor House Historical & Archaeological Society - Winter Talks

11 February
Lost Pubs of Cayford & Locality Jim Packer
11 March
Kent Women – Famous, Infamous & Unsung Chris McCooey
8 April
Village Signs in Kent – Designs and Royal Connections Roger and Carole Smith
All meetings held at the Baksr Trust Hall, Maxin Road, Cayford at 7 for 7.30pm. Non-members are welcome to attend at a cost of £2 per talk. More information on 01322 651279.

Friends of the Canterbury Archaeological Trust

15 March
The Bigginbrooke Excavation Keith Parfitt (Site Director)
7pm in the Old Priory, Priory Youth & Community Centre, St Peter’s Lane, Canterbury. Participants nearby in public car parks. Non-members welcome – donations appreciated.

OTHER EVENTS

Field trip to the ISLES OF ORKNEY – 3-8 July 2006

In July 2006 the Friends of Canterbury Archaeological Trust are planning a six-day trip to Orkney, just off the north coast of Scotland. The tour will encompass some of the best-preserved and spectacular archaeological monuments of all periods anywhere in Europe, set in a beautiful landscape of gently rolling islands, seascapes and astonishing wildlife.
Our guide will be Peter Clark FSA, deputy-director of the Canterbury Archaeological Trust. Between 1978 and 1986 he spent every summer season excavating sites of many periods throughout the islands. The tour will visit many of the great sites of European archaeology. It will be based in the Norse town of Kirkwall and include both Orkney mainland and the small islands of Hoy and Rousay. Included will be Birsay, seat of Norse power in Orkney, the round church of Orphir, St. Magnus in Kirkwall, the important Neolithic village of Skara Brae and many other sites as can be fitted into the time available. We travel direct from Gatwick to Kirkwall, with independent travel.

to Gatwick.
There will be rough walking and ever-changing weather, so stout walking shoes and waterproofs are essential. The cost is £825 and the group is limited to 30.
For Orkneys booking form apply to: CAMINO JOURNEYS Ltd., PO Box 292, Broadstairs, CT10 2WY.

House History for Beginners

20 February 10am – 4pm in the Centre for Kentish Studies, Maidstone.
Includes how to use directories, census, electoral rolls, maps, parish material, estate papers, rating and taxation records, and more.
Cost £4 per person to include refreshments (lunch not included). Tickets available by post (cheque payable to Kent County Council) from CKS, Sessions House, County Hall, Maidstone ME14 1XQ. Tel: 01622 694363.

Crofton Roman Villa, Orpington

Special Guided Tours for Societies
Sunday afternoons from April to October 2006
Visit the Roman Villa at Orpington, the remains of ten rooms within a covered building, with graphic displays and Touch Table of Roman artefacts. Special offer for pre-booked societies – guided tour by the excavation director, Brian Philp. Normal admission charges (80p/50p) plus donation to Kent Archaeological Rescue Unit.
Information and booking from KARU, 11 Penshurst Green, Bromley BR2 9DG, tel: 020 8460 1442.

EVENTS ELSEWHERE

History of the English Landscape

Saturday 18 March at Christ Church, Oxford.
A day school on historic English landscapes. Programme includes:
Landscape in Prehistoric Oxford Tim Allen (Oxford Archaeology)
East Anglian Landscapes Dr Tom Williamson (University of East Anglia)
Monastic Landscapes James Bond (author of Monastic Landscapes)
Historic Parks and Gardens Dr Paul Stamper (English Heritage)
Course costs £52, including tea and coffee, or £65 including lunch in the Great Hall at Christ Church. A 10% discount on all fees (excluding lunch) will be given to KAS members who apply before the end of January; discounted costs would therefore be £45 and £58 respectively.
For further details or to book please contact Academic Study & Travel, 3 Whites Forge, Appleton, Oxford OX13 5LG, tel: 01865 861625, email: trevor@academic-study.com.