Obituary: Duncan Harrington (1945–2023)

It is with great sadness that the Kent Archaeological Society has learnt of the death of Duncan Wilson Harrington, who passed away on Sunday 26th March 2023 aged 78 years.

He was born in Surrey on 21st February 1945 and was the eldest of three siblings. He received a diverse education, and during his later teenage years, he suffered from Meningitis. Although his parents hoped he would study medicine, he decided to pursue Zoology and Botany at Nottingham University for a year. Later, he briefly served in the army and, by 1969, had settled in Kent, where he quickly developed an interest in Archaeology and Genealogical Research. Initially, he assisted with excavating medieval tile kilns located north of Canterbury and researched their origins. He became a member of the Kent Archaeological Society in 1970.

He continued his archaeological career with excavations organised by the Council for Kentish Archaeology, for which he was their honorary secretary until 1980. Through these excavations, he met Susan Johnson, whom he married in Oare Parish Church on 10th April 1976. They had two children, Rachael and James. Unfortunately, a few years later, Susan contracted cancer and died on 27th January 1986. During this period, they lived in Canterbury, and Duncan published his first work, the “Harrington Family Miscellany”.

From about 1971, Duncan studied the basis of genealogical research at the Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies in Canterbury, where he obtained his Licentiateship in Genealogy and Heraldry (LGH) and later became a member of its staff. He became one of the most respected Kentish genealogists, and his palaeographic skills were second to none. He continued privately undertaking historical research and publishing over 50 titles on Kent history. These publications include “Kent hearth tax assessment, Lady Day 1664” (2000), “Faversham oyster fishery through eleven centuries” (with the late Patricia Hyde 2002), “the early town books of Faversham c1251 – 1581” (with the late Patricia Hyde 2008) and the monumental inscriptions of 14 churches and churchyards in Kent. He contributed the chapters on medieval history in the book “Faversham in the making: the early years: the ice ages until 1550” (Patricia Reid 2018). Duncan joined the Kent Family History Society in 1974, and in recognition of his contribution to Kent history, he was elected their president in 2004.

In 1986, after Susan’s death, he moved from Canterbury to Lyminge near Folkestone and married Rhona. As a Lyminge resident, he significantly contributed to recording historical life in the village. He joined the Lyminge Historical Society and became the general editor of their publication “Lyminge a History”, which has now reached its twelfth part. He contributed many articles on various subjects, including Lyminge tithes and charities. He was equally at home talking about his research and was well known in the village for his convivial, entertaining and generous nature.

He was also recognised nationally for his contribution to historical research as a skilled transcriber and translator of early texts. He was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries (FSA) in 2002 and a Fellow of the Society of Genealogists (FSG) in 2007. He taught extensively in Adult Education and the School of History at the University of Kent. He was an independent researcher in medieval records at the National Archives and the British Library.

He will be considerably missed, and our thoughts are with Rhona and his two children, Rachael and James.

By Gerald Cramp