Obituary: F. W. Shilling

( 236 ) F. W. SHILLING. MR. F. W. SHILLING, of Borough Green, who died on September 3rd, 1934, aged 73, was for many years an earnest worker in the field of pre-historic archaeology. The earUer part of his Ufe was spent in East Kent, where he was in his youth weU known as a local cricket player, and as Secretary of the Sharsted Court Cricket Club. He was also Clerk to the Newnham Parish CouncU for about a decade. In 1904 Mr. Shilling removed to Borough Green where he became acquainted with F. J. Bennett, the geologist, H. Elgar, the Curator of Maidstone Museum, and Benjamin Harrison, the archaeologist, aU of whom greatly influenced his later years. From Harrison he acquhed a knowledge of the eoUthic flint implements and of the problems to which the discovery of these primitive tools had given rise. He became an ardent coUeotor and devoted his spare time whole-heartedly to the search for them, both on the surface and in pits which he dug or helped to dig in the plateau gravels. He wUl be principaUy remembered for his persistent and successful work at an excavation which he opened in 1921 at South Ash, in association with de Barri Crawshay of Sevenoaks. Representative eoUths from this excavation are to be seen in the cases at the British and Maidstone museums. Mr. Shilling was for ten years a member of the Kent Archaeological Society, but failing health, which forced him to give up both his occupation and his field work, also caused him very reluctantly to rehnquish his membership of the Society in 1932. He remained deeply interested in archaeology and was never so happy as when studying his pre-historic treasures or showing them to appreciative visitors. EDWARD HARRISON.