Reviews

REVIEWS Romney Marsh. Evolution, Occupation, Reclamation. By (Eds.) J. Eddison and C. Green. 29.5 x 21 cm. Pp. 196, 105 pls. and figs. Oxford University Committee for Archaeology, Monograph no. 24, Oxford, 1988. (£25.00, limp). The Romney Marsh Research Group was formed in 1984 in order to meet the challenge of a study of the marsh combining the evidence of both geology and geography on the one hand and archaeology and history on the other. Two study conferences have since been held, and the present volume contains nine papers presented at Oxford in 1986 as well as additional material 'in order to give as complete a review as possible of the present knowledge of the area' (p. 2). Following a foreword by the joint editors, the geological history and geography of the river valleys, Walland Marsh and Romney Marsh are discussed and illustrated in great detail in Sections 1-3. In Section 4 is presented an investigation near Pett Level on the fringes of the marsh in E. Sussex, and a group of Early Bronze Age axes from Lydd is published in Section 5. Prof. Barry Cunliffe deals next with the Romano-British period, followed by a short contribution on the abandoned cliff at Lympne. Then, there is a jump to the Early Middle Ages covered by Prof. Nicholas Brooks in Section 8, and Tim Tatton-Brown contributes next a paper on the topography of Walland Marsh. Recent excavations at Broomhill Church lead Mark Gardiner to an examination of medieval settlement and society in that area (Section 10), followed by papers on New Romney in the Later Middle Ages, changes in the course of the Rother and its estuary, the sea defences and land drainage of Romney Marsh, and the palaeo-geography of marine inlets (Sections 11-14), and a concluding section on the research potential of Romney Marsh. The book also contains a very useful gazetteer of sites, a record of existing air photographs and an index. It will easily be seen from the above that this is a very comprehensive volume, which succeeds admirably in its intention to present an up-to-date survey of the current state of knowledge regarding 219 REVIEWS Romney Marsh and to underline how much remains to be done. In this respect the work of the Trust is well worth members' support. Though the magazine-like publication of the contents in two columns will not appeal to many readers, it is true to add that this volume is attractively produced. It is a pity, however, that a more durable binding could not be had, without a great price increase, for a volume that ought to be often resorted to. I also wish that a different illustration had been used for the front cover for Romney Marsh is not everywhere all that bleak! A.P. DETSICAS The Faversham Poor in the 18th and early 19th centuries. By Shirley Smyth. 30 x 21 cm. Pp. vi + 52. Plans of Faversham (1774), the House of Correction (1746) and the Union Workhouse (1865). Faversham Papers no. 28. Published by the Faversham Society. 1987. Faversham Miscellany no. 1. Comprising (a) A Journal of my Birth, Parentage, Life . .. 1726-96. By William Bennett; (b) A Short Diary of the 1939-45 War. By the Reverend C.T. Spurling; (c) Memoirs. By William E. Sands; (d) Faversham Rail 50 Years ago. By Frank Newman. 30 x 21 cm. Pp. vi + 54. Faversham Papers no. 29. Published by the Faversham Society. 1988. A Visitor's Guide to Faversham. By F.C. Giraud and C.E. Donne. 21 x 15 cm. 1 plate. A Faversham Society Reprint of the book published in 1876. Published by the Faversham Society. 1988. Faversham Shops Guide. Edited by Arthur Perceval. 21 x 15 cm. 58 pp., 1 sketch map. Nutshell Guide no. 4. 1988. Price 50p. (30p. extra by post) from the Fleur de Lis Heritage Centre, Faversham. Monastic Dress in the Middle Ages- Precept and Practice. By Barbara F. Harvey. 21 x 15 cm. 32 pp., 2 iJlustrations. William Urry Lecture no. 3. The William Urry Memorial Trust, 1988. Price £1.70. The Faversham Poor book is a valuable piece of original work which can profitably be used as a model by workers in the same field in other Kent parishes. It is all the more valuable as its arguments are backed by much documentary research in the Faversham Town Archives and at the Kent Archives Office. In fact it is a local contribution of worth to add to the wider treatments in Professor W.K. Jordan's Social Institutions in Kent 1480-1660 (Arch. Cant., 220 REVIEWS lxxv, 1961) and Elizabeth MeHing's The Poor (Kentish Sources), Kent County Council, 1964. Faversham local pride occasionally bursts through. For instance in the 'Summary' there is the following: 'There are many records in existence to show that from early in the history of the parish the Faversham people showed an active interest in caring for the poor. They were quick to implement the early Parliamentary legislation, and in most instances were among the leading towns to adopt new measures . . . the officers of Faversham poor seem to have been at least as honest as, and a little more energetic than, most'. The book is rounded off with an appendix on the history of the Union Work House (subsequently called Bensted House) until 1981 when it was a hospital under the health authority and an Old People's Home administered by the Kent County Council. This is by Margaret Needham. The Faversham Miscellany contains four parts, all dealing with the district. The first is the Journal of William Bennett (1726-96)- a man who rose from being an apprentice 'chippy' at Chatham Dockyard to becoming a Jurat in 1780. He carefully noted that his aldermanic gown cost £7 18s. lld. He was adventurous. Edward Jenner vaccinated against the cow pox in 1796. Under the date 14th March, 1760, Bennett wrote 'our two girls Polly and Sally with the Servant Maid Jane Row were innoculated with the smallpox and all had them very favourable being but 8 or 9 Days upstairs'. But on 6th March, 1767, a daughter Elizabeth died of the disease. The Reverend Terence Spurling was curate of the Parish Church from 1935 until 1944 when he became Rector of Otham. His Diary is essentially confined to the 1939-45 period and to wartime affairs in Faversham, especially those concerned with A.R.P. work. It is full of worthwhile observations . . . 'we watched our airmen descending by parachute, drifting for a long time before they reached the ground. We noticed that the German parachutes were much larger, grey or white in colour, in which the airmen sat instead of hanging down straight'. There is also much information about Vls and V2s. In the Forces where one was not officially allowed to keep a diary a detailed account such as this would probably have earned a court-martial. William Sands wrote 'Memoirs' (covering the time from 1895 until his retirement in 1972) which mainly deal with his job as a worker in Selling Post Office, with his hobbies such as photography and making wireless sets and with his interest in early motor cars - all against a background of life in Selling. His descriptions supplement the image of the village given in Mrs Olivia Bovil's Nutshell Guide which was reviewed in Arch. Cant., civ (1987), 402. Frank Newman's contribution is only two pages in length but it 221 REVIEWS contains a first-hand account of conditions at the Whitstable Road Goods Office of Southern Railway fifty years ago. Freight was varied and included wagons full of a 'disgustingly smelly stuff called scutch, mainly animals' entrails'. This must be the substance also known as kutch or cutch which was used at Lydd in the beach coppers for dyeing or preserving fishing nets (Journal of Kent Local History, no. 8, p. 7). Readers of the Victorian volumes of Archaeologia Cantiana will surely recall the name of Francis Giraud, the learned Town Clerk of Faversham. His contributions start in volume IX and appear regularly until volume XXXII. The Reverend Charles Donne's name may not be as well known as Giraud's although he, too, wrote for the Society. Their joint knowledge of the district was distilled in a Faversham Guide of over 100 pages, published in 1876 and now a scarce book. Almost a century later Arthur Percival was given a copy and saw its potential. It has been made an economic proposition by printing four old pages on one new page. This will cause no eye strain and will give much enjoyment. Another happy thought coming through Arthur Percival is an indexed volume which is a guide to the present, privately owned, nonmultiple- store shops of the town. Descriptions of their buildings stress architectural merits and importance. There is one titbit obviously meant for K.A.S. members who visit Faversham. They must not miss the St. Ann's Cross public house where in 1886 the landlord showed 'the latest priceless jewellery finds, from the King's Field AngloSaxon cemetery nearby'. Perhaps some of the Society's present possessions were included. We go from Faversham to Canterbury and the third William Urry lecture, given by Barbara Harvey. The authoress acknowledges that she is pursuing a 'somewhat neglected subject'. She plays variations on themes concerned with Benedictine habits - on such items as frocks, cowls, tunics, shirts, drawers, cloaks and footwear. Her many detailed comments come from her own researches into the Westminster Abbey archives. The message is clear. Someone is needed to root out similar information about the Benedictines - or indeed about any other orders - in Canterbury. ALLEN GROVE 222 REVIEWS Textiles in Archaeology. By John Peter Wild. 21 x 15 cm. Pp. 68, with 45 illustrations. Shire Publications Ltd., Princes Risborough, Aylesbury, 1988. (£2.50, limp). Samian Ware. By Guy de la Bedoyere. 21 x 15 cm. Pp. 68, with 51 illustrations. Shire Publications Ltd., Princes Risborough, Aylesbury, 1988. (£2.50, limp). These two titles are recent additions to the well-known series of booklets issued over the last few years by Shire Publications. Textiles in Archaeology by Dr John Peter Wild, the acknowledged authority in this field, covers in eight sections such diverse topics as the survival of textiles, fibres and their preparation, spinning, the weaver's work and non-woven fabrics, needlework, fulling, dyeing and dyestuffs, in an easy-to-read, informative style. Further sections contain a glossary and suggestions for further reading and museums to visit. This is a most useful and comprehensive introduction of its subject, well illustrated by many plates and line drawings, and fills an obvious need for such a well documented survey. Samian Ware by our Member, Mr Guy de la Bedoyere, a welcome newcomer to the field of samian studies, is another introductory booklet, though there have been others previously published, notably by Chester Museum and the British Museum. Mr de la Bedoyere deals with the manufacturing processes of samian ware and its production centres, decorated and plain forms and their interpretation. There is, however, an unfortunate imbalance in this survey in that he devotes five sections (pp. 23-52) to figured samian and only one 4-page section to plain vessels - from which the non-specialist reader might erroneously conclude that decorated vessels were preponderant in samian production and use. There is also too much detail in some parts of this work (e.g. the decorative details used by some potters) and not enough in others (e.g. the complexities of potters' stamps could have been mentioned, with some illustration). With regard to Drusus I, the comment that the York mould fragment 'has been interpreted as evidence of an attempt by the Central Gaulish potter to set up a "branch" in Britain' (p. 46) is to go beyond what was meant in earlier publications. Nevertheless, it is also fair to add that, as an introduction to samian ware, this booklet will serve its purpose: it is well illustrated by many photographs and first-class drawings. A.P. DETSICAS 223 REVIEWS Canterbury Cathedral (The New Bell's Cathedral Guides). By the Reverend Canon Derek Ingram Hill. 21.5 x 14 cm. Pp. 192, with 101 illustrations and two plans. Bell and Hyman, London, 1986, (£9.95, cased; £6.95, paperback). In this valuable book our former President, Canon Derek Ingram Hill, has distilled the essence of his immense knowledge and love of the cathedral, the fruit of an association lasting sixty years. The opening chapter outlines the history of the building, concentrating on the people and events connected with the Foundation rather than on a purely architectural analysis. There follows a chapter taking the visitor round the exterior and the Precincts in an anti-clockwise direction wisely simplifying the complex series of alterations that have taken place in all the buildings both before and after the Reformation. We then follow our enthusiastic and scholarly guide inside the building, starting in the Western Crypt and ending with the Martyrdom Transept. The chapter on the stained glass is a masterly summary of one of the cathedral's outstanding treasures; several windows are described in detail with helpful diagrams. Chapters on the tombs and monuments and on the ornaments, furniture and fittings contain a wealth of detail, modern additions being fairly assessed. The tables of Archbishops, Priors and Deans, the bibliography and glossary are useful additions. In order to keep the pri.ce reasonable the photographs are in black and white; many are of unusual details but some are too dark. The plan of the book seems ideally suited to the needs of the average tourist (Chapters 2 and 3) and of the keener visitor with more time to spend who can follow up his interests in the remaining chapters; the full index is useful here. Both types of reader will be conscious, not only of the amazing amount of information he has received, but also that the cathedral has been and is the focus of a community dedicated to the worship of God. All the many thousands who have enjoyed the unique experience of a tour of the cathedral led by Derek Ingram Hill will hear his distinctive voice in his prose and will be grateful to have his words and his learning in permanent form. LAWRENCE LYLE 224