Gerald Cramp
Archaeology has been my life long passion. Aged 13, in 1957, I started digging at Lullingstone Roman Villa and joined the Society 7 years later. Since then I have assisted in numerous archaeological excavations both in Kent and elsewhere including at Winchester where I was a site supervisor. I met my wife on a dig to discover the Flodden wall in the centre of Edinburgh and after six years of living there we moved in 1976 to Hartley in West Kent.
After obtaining my PhD in Pure Mathematics, I lectured in Statistics and then worked for Bexley London Borough retiring in 2001 as a senior accountant. As one of the local historians of Hartley and the surrounding area I am invited to give talks and recently I was elected Chairman of my Local History Society. I was also chairman of a small group producing the Village Design Statement and Parish Plan commissioned by Hartley Parish Council. Since February 2012, I have served on the Society’s Fieldwork Committee before being elected to Council in May 2013. All these differing experiences gave me a wide basis for serving the Society as President from May 2016. I continue to keep fit by swimming regularly and enjoy skiing with my family. My particular interests in Kentish Archaeology is to assist with excavations throughout the County, continue my work in compiling a census of medieval floor tiles, saving archaeological archives and creating a list of Roman Villas in the County. Finally I want to strengthen the role of the Society in the life of the County by ensuring that the Society has all the appropriate resources for its future development.