KAS Newsletter, Issue 67, Winter 2005/6
Written By KAS
nneewwss ll ee tt tt ee rr K E N T A RC H A E O LO G I C A L S O C I E T Y
Issue number 67 Winter 2005/6
www.kentarchaeology.org.uk
Inside
2-3
KURG
Library Notes
Tebbutt Research
Grants
KHBCRequire Recruits
Letters to the Editor
4-5
What’s on
6-7
What’s on
Happy Birthday CAT
CATKITS
8-9
Notice Board
10-11
Bee Boles
Cattle Droving
12-13
Wye Rural Museum
YACActivities
14-15
Thanet Pipeline
Microfilm Med Records
New Books
16
Hunt the Saxons
GOING UNDERGROUND
THE KENT UNDERGROUND
RESEARCH GROUP HAVE SURVEYED
SITES THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY
FROM ROMAN WELLS TO WORLD
WAR TWO BUNKERS
the well at Fort Amherst for the trustees. At
present we are excavating a limestone mine just
over the border in Sussex. A great many wells
have been descended by our members using the
man-carrying winch designed and built by one of
our members. The latest was some 80m deep.
If you would like further information, either
on the group or a subterranean feature, we
KURG is an affiliated group of the KAS. We are
mining historians – a unique blend of unlikely
opposites. We are primarily archaeologists
and carry out academic research into the history of
underground features and associated industries.
To do this, however, we must be practical and thus
have the expertise to carry out exploration and surveying
of disused mines. Such places are often
more dangerous than natural caverns, but our
members have many years experience of such
exploration.
Unlike other mining areas, the South East has
few readily available records of the mines. Such
records as do exist are often found in the most
unlikely places and the tracing of archival sources
is an ongoing operation. A record of mining sites is
maintained and constantly updated as further sites
are discovered. Members are encouraged to carry
out re s e a rch into individual sites and this
information is published in the Group’s newsletters
and publications.
T h rough membership of the National
Association of Mining History Organisations, the
Group is in contact with over 40 societies and
museums throughout the United Kingdom which
allows liaison and exchange of information.
Mining history is a relatively recent branch of
archaeology and there is great scope for original
research in the South East. We welcome new
members who have an interest in mining history
and we are able to teach them the techniques of
safe underground exploration. They are welcome
to assist with ongoing projects and we can suggest
many areas where they can carry out their own
research. The unique feature of this interest is its
many aspects; members can contribute just as
much from surface recording and archival research
as from underground exploration. All are welcome,
including those who merely have an interest in the
subject and wish to receive the publications.
We work closely with the Kent Bat Group in
clearing out suitable underground sites and securing
them. The latter is essential to prevent further
dumping of rubbish and to ensure the bats are not
disturbed. Amongst these sites are dene holes, ice
houses, railway tunnels and follies.
We have the experience and equipment to
explore and survey many types of underground
sites, both man made and natural, the former ranging
from WW2 bunkers to Roman wells. We
recently carried out a survey for a highway maintenance
company of the dene holes in a 500m corridor
each side of the Kent motorways and have
escorted engineers and surveyors into the Borstal
Wood mine (front cover picture). We cleared out
K E N T U N D E R G R O U N D
R E S E A R C H G R O U P
ABOVE TOP: After clearing a denehole at
Wormshill, KURG installed a grill with the
Kent Bat Group.
ABOVE BOTTOM: WW2 bunker at Canterbury.
Winter 2005/6 2
have a web site at www. K U R G . o rg.uk, or I
can be reached on mike@mikeclinch.co.uk or
01322 526425.
Holy Trinity Church,
Maidstone.
Captain Nolan and His Memorial
Anew acquisition to the KAS Library is a loose leaf folder containing
the results so far of the researches of Dr. Douglas J
Austin concerning the conversion of the Holy Trinity Church,
Maidstone (consecrated 1828), into the Maidstone Trinity Centre
(1978), and, more particularly, into the possible whereabouts or fate of
the Memorial Plaque to Capt. Lewis Edward Nolan, of the 15th or
King’s Hussars, which was one of the plaques on the walls of the
Church.
The Folder brings together an interesting set of copies of photographs
and news cuttings of the state of the disused and vandalised
Church before it began its transformation into the Trinity Centre, and
includes details of the conversion plan, and lists of the monuments,
inscribed windows and burial vaults within the Church before conversion.
Dr. Austin’s main interest, however, centres on the Memorial
which bears the inscription ----
In Memory of
Lewis Edward Nolan
Captain in the 15th or Kings Hussars
and ADC to Major General Airey
Quarter Master General to the Forces
in the Crimea.
He fell at the Head of the Light Cavalry Brigade
In the Charge at Balaclava
On the 25 October 1854
Aged 36.
Captain Nolan carried Raglan’s notoriously ambiguous 4th Order to
Lord Lucan, Commander of the Cavalry Brigade during the Battle of
Balaclava, and according to some, gave grossly misleading directions
to that Lieutenant General. The result was the Charge of the Light
Brigade, which advanced steadily into a killing-ground of artillery,
musket and rifle fire and opposing cavalry. The consequent losses in
men and horses eliminated the Light Brigade as a striking force for the
rest of the war. The blame for this catastrophe has been variously
apportioned between Raglan, Nolan and Lucan, and the whole matter
is fiercely controversial to this day. Nolan, however, remained in sufficiently
affectionate regard by his fellow officers - including General
Richard Airey, who wrote out the fatal 4th Order - that they set up the
Memorial to him in Holy Trinity.
Alas, Nolan’s memorial plaque disappeared sometime during the
period of transformation from Church to Trinity Centre, and Dr. Austin’s
assiduous search has failed to find any trace of it. Dr. Austin would be
delighted to have from readers of this article any information of its
present location or of its fate; contact can be made through me.
Dr. Frank Panton
Hon Librarian KAS.
L I B R A RY N O T E S
3 Winter 2005/6
The Kent Historic Buildings Committee (agent in Kent for the Council
for British Archaeology) is seeking new recruits and local contacts.
The County’s local authorities are required to notify the Committee
about applications to demolish (wholly or in part), or otherwise alter substantially,
any listed building. The Committee considers around 400 cases
per year.
Interested members of the Society should contact:
Michael Peters (Honorary Secretary)
c/o CPRE Kent Branch
24 Evegate Park Barn, Station Road, Smeeth, Ashford TN25 6SX.
K H B C R E Q U I R E R E C R U I T S
Tebbutt Research Fund
Grants
This fund was established as a tribute to the life and work of
the late C F Tebbutt, OBE, FSA. Applications are invited, from
individuals and groups, for grants towards research, including
associated expenses, into any aspect of the Wealden Iron Industry.
It is anticipated that approximately £100 plus will be
available from the fund. Any interested person should write a
suitable letter of application giving details of themselves
together with relevant information concerning the re s e a rch
envisaged.
Applications should be sent to the address below not later
than 31 March to be passed to the panel for consideration.
Ann Callow (Hon.Sec.WIRG)
Glazier’s Forge Cottage, Dallington, Sussex TN21 9JJ
Dear Editor
Thank you for publishing my letter about Tudor deer parks
last year. I had a marvellous response and have visited several
fascinating sites thanks to the overwhelming enthusiasm and
generosity in interest and time shown by those involved. If anyone
hesitated to respond before, I would welcome them to
come forward. I started with Lambard’s 50+ parks and now
have 103 on my list!
I wondered if readers might solve a couple of locations for
me? I have not been able to discover the whereabouts of
Hamswell and Stonehurst, and is there only one Shoreland (Isle
of Sheppey)? I can be contacted on 01322 669923 or
pittman@crockenhill.freeserve.co.uk.
Susan Pittman
L E T T E R S T O T H E E D I T O R
W I N T E R 2 0 0 5 / 6
Saturday 8 April, 2 - 5.30pm 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
David Lakin (Museum of London Archaeological Services)
Anglo-Saxon Sites at Rookery Hill, 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 Plummer, tel: 0208 777 7872,
email: davru58-conorgcka@yahoo.co.uk.
Tickets £4, 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 Lectur e
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 free – all 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 colonization, followed by local extinctions, and then
recolonisations.
The Ancient Human Occupation of Britain project is a 5-year collaborative
enterprise between archaeologists, palaeontologists and geologists
to reconstruct early human colonisations, and investigate 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 Januar y
Defending the Medway and Chatham Dockyard Geoff Harvey
17 Februar y
Constructing a Medieval Cathedral David Carder
17 March
The History 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.
Winter 2005/6 4
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, many new sites, from the Roman
period to the nineteenth century, have become available; for example,
Segedunum (where the Wall meets the North Sea), Cherryburn, the
birthplace of the wood engraver and naturalist Thomas Bewick, and
the revolutionary Cragside House.
For further details and a booking form contact the Hon.Excursions
Secretary, Joy Saynor, 28 High Street, Shoreham, Sevenoaks TN14
7TD or saynor.shoreham@amserve.com
KAS Churches Committee Outing
You are invited to visit the two East Kent churches of Tenterden and
Rolvenden on Saturday 1 April. We meet at 1.45 for 2pm 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
Manuscript T reasures of Lindisfarne and Canterbur y
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
manuscripts and are well-known for infecting 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 costs £8. 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
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5 Winter 2005/6
British Archaeological Association Meetings
1 Februar y
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 aisleless cruciform plan: 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 6pm.
Visitors welcome.
4 Februar y
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
S e c re t a ry, Shiela Broomfield on 01732 838698 or mail to
s.broomfield@dial.pipex.com.
Loose Area History Society
13 Februar y
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 Ewart
8 May
Kent Women – Famous, Infamous and Unsung Chris McCooey
13 June
Guided Perambulation of Rolvenden
11 July
Guided Perambulation of Lenham
9 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.
Crayford Manor House Historical & Archaeological Society -
Winter Talks
11 Februar y
Lost Pubs of Crayford & 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 Baker Trust Hall, Maxim Road, Crayford at
7 for 7.30pm. Non-members are welcome to attend at a cost of £2
per talk. More information on 01322 551279.
Friends of the Canterbury Archaeological T rust
15 March
The Ringlemere Excavation Keith Parfitt (Site Director)
7pm in the Dominican Priory Youth & Community Centre, St Peter’s
Lane, Canterbury. Parking 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 1985 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 visit 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 as many other sites as can be fitted into the time available.
We travel direct from Gatwick to Kirkwall, with independent travel
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CONTINUEDON PAGE 6
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 to pre-booked societies – a 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.
Winter 2005/6 6
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 Febr u a r y 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
CONTINUEDFROM PAGE 5
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More than two hundred people packed Christ Church College Hall
on 14 June 1975, at a public meeting organised by Canterbury
Archaeological Society. Barry Cunliffe, Professor of European
Archaeology at Oxford, took the Chair. Speakers, including Frank Jenkins,
Nicholas Brooks, Martin Biddle and Tom Hassall, emphasised the need for
further investigation of the city’s archaeology, the importance of urban
archaeology and the value of forming a full-time professional unit.
Rapid economic development within Canterbury gave urgency to the
initiative. Other historic towns such as Winchester, York, Lincoln and
Oxford, already had their own units of professional archaeologists. At the
end of the meeting, the Archaeological Committee for Canterbury (ACC)
was set up, consisting of representatives from the City Council, the
Department of the Environment, the Cathedral, the University, the Council
for British Archaeology and a number of eminent archaeologists. Their
brief was to plan the creation of a unit and to appoint a director. The
Department of the Environment funded a Field Officer for six months to
prepare a report on the archaeological potential of the city.
With Tim Tatton-Brown in place as director, Canterbury Archaeological
Trust was born in April 1976. The City Council supplemented the DoE grant
and Tim was provided with an office in the old Municipal Buildings in Dane
John; Paul Bennett started work as supervisor of the Cakebread Robey site
in Castle Street, where the Roman temple was found.
Twenty years ago a second initiative established the Friends of the
Canterbury Archaeological Trust. Since then, the Friends have raised
around £130,000 to support the Trust’s operations and provided many
hours of unpaid help. Anniversary celebrations this year took place at
Darwin College, the University of Kent, when Tim Tatton-Brown gave a
series of lectures, taking as his theme the archaeology and architectural
history of the cathedral.
RIGHT: CAT directors old and new: Tim Tatton-Brown and Paul Bennett.
H A P P YB I RT H D AYC A N T E R B U RY ARCHAEOLOGICALT R U S T
7 Winter 2005/6
An innovative project to provide ‘hands-on’ resources was undertaken in 2005 as
part of the 30th anniversary of the founding of Canterbury Archaeological Trust
(see page 6). The Trust has ‘rescued’ numerous significant sites in Kent and
recovered tonnes of material dating from prehistoric times onward. Some of this has
recently been utilized to produce valuable learning resources for 60 local schools and
community groups.
Learning is easier for all of us when we are motivated, and for young people, learning
through practical activity is a most effective way to literally get to grips with new
skills and knowledge. For many years Ian Coulson, History Adviser for Kent schools, promoted
this approach using a portable museum carried in an old toolbox. It was this idea
that was adopted for the Trust’s ‘CAT KIT’ project and early last year its Education
Service attracted funding to embark on a new venture. The aim was to build 60 handling
kits of archaeological objects (using material superfluous to further academic
study) plus a teacher’s booklet and new web materials.
The ‘CAT KIT’ project is supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund and provides for maintained
and independent primary, secondary and special schools in the Canterbury
District (Canterbury city, Whitstable, Herne Bay and the rural hinterland).
The ‘CAT KIT’ package is composed of:
l pottery sherds, animal bone and building materials of Iron Age, Roman, medieval
and post-medieval date protected in a sturdy case with room for the school to add their
own items
l a booklet identifying the finds with suggestions for teaching activities
l new ‘CAT KIT’ pages on our website with attractive colour images
l a special pottery measuring chart and ‘Feely Bag’
Last September, a series of special ‘CAT KIT’ training sessions were held in
Canterbury, hosted by Marion Green and Ian Coulson. Teachers had the opportunity to
discover the kits for themselves and their excellent educational potential. Everyone had
a lot of fun and each of them went away inspired and motivated, taking a ‘CAT KIT’ to
keep in school on permanent loan for use at their convenience. Contact will be maintained
with teachers during the academic year allowing evaluation of how the kits are
being used.
Already, feedback is coming in. A teacher from St Philip Howard Catholic Primary
School, Herne Bay said “As soon as I saw the box I was excited. I selected finds
that…fit perfectly with my History/Creative theme. You gave the children a first hand
experience that they will always remember, really bringing history to life for them.”
The project has the full support of the owners of the objects, Kent County Council
Schools Advisory Service, Canterbury Museums and the Kent Archaeological Society,
the latter having supported the work of the Trust for many years.
For more about the ‘CAT KIT’ project and the work of the Trust contact:
Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 92a Broad St, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 2LU
01227 462062
mariongreen@canterburytrust.co.uk; admin@canterburytrust.co.uk or
www.canterburytrust.co.uk
Marion Green
CAT Education Officer
C AT K I T S T O L O C A L S C H O O L S
BELOW: 18 Court Str
ABOVE: Marion Green and CAT KITS.
BELOW: Teachers discovering the potential of CAT KITS with Ian
Coulson.
probably because of a change of address. Also,
there must be some members on email for whom
we have no address.
If you did not receive our email in November, Occasionally we wish to send out bulk emails
to members notifying them of events etc.
The last time we did this over 100 were
returned as undeliverable. In most cases this was
about the dates of meetings about studying historic
buildings, the chances are that we do not
have your email address or it is out of date.
If you have not notified us of your email
address or have changed it, please email the Hon.
Membership Secre t a ry with the correct email
a d d ress so we can put this right:
s.broomfield@dial.pipex.com.
MEMBERSHIP MATTERS
The subscription renewal date seems to come round more quickly than ever, so many thanks if you have already sent your cheque to me.
If you haven’t as yet, please do so as quickly as possible to ensure that you will not miss out on the benefits of membership. These
benefits include using the extensive library for your research, joining in with the various conferences, outings etc. arranged by our
committees, the excellent newsletter and lastly, to ensure that you do not miss the 2006 Archaeologia Cantiana.
If you pay by banker’s order please check your statements to make sure that the payment is correct and is only made once a year - banks
do make mistakes!
My other plea is to please let me know as soon as possible of any changes to your details so that I can keep the membership database
up to date.
If you are going to conferences, meetings etc. please help to publicise KAS by putting out a pile of application forms in a prominent
position. I have plenty here, so do get in touch for your supplies.
The address for all correspondence relating to membership is Mrs Shiela Broomfield, KAS Membership, 8 Woodview Crescent,
H i l d e n b o rough, Tonbridge, Kent TN11 9HD. Tel: 01732 838698. Email: membership@kentarc h a e o l o g y. o rg.uk or
s.broomfield@dial.pipex.com.
We are pleased to welcome the following new members:
JOINT MEMBERS
Fellows, Mr R, and Mrs, Court House, Bishopsbourne, Canterbury, Kent, CT4 5JB
JUNIOR MEMBERS
Claydon, Miss V, 4 Cherry Orchard, Chestfield, Whitstable, Kent, CT5 3NH
Latham-Pavitt, Miss A, Flat Two, Havisham House, Bounds Cross, Bell Lane, Biddenden, Ashford, Kent, TN27 8LD
Ruddock, Miss E L, 8 South Lea, Church Hill, Kingsnorth, Ashford, Kent, TN23 3EH
ORDINARY MEMBERS
Donithorn, Mrs C, Field House, Skeynes Park, Lingfield Road, Edenbridge, Kent, TN8 5HN
Foreman, Mrs L M, 54 Berrylands Road, Surbiton, Surrey, KT5 8PD
Scoble, Mr C L, The School House, Church Lane, Sturminster Newton, Dorset, DT10 1DH
CONGRATULATIONS!
Shiela Broomfield, our tireless Membership Secre t a ry, was recently made a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, a well-deserved
accolade for this contributor to so much of the organisational aspects of archaeology in our region.
Y O U A N D Y O U R SOCIETY
COPY DEADLINE FOR THE NEXT ARE YOU ON EMAIL?
Winter 2005/6 8
KAS COMMITTEE ROUND-UP
FIELDWORK COMMITTEE
Although no centrally organised excavation
has taken place during 2005, the
Fieldwork Committee and members have
been involved in supporting the various
affiliated groups with funds, expertise and
equipment.
Keith Parfitt and the CAT, along with the
Thanet Trust, have been continuing to excavate
at Ringlemere. They have also been
s e a rching for Roman Sandwich by trial
trenches on the north side of the road;
although not yet successful, they are
confidently looking elsewhere.
The Dartford and District Society are
continuing excavation at the Balham Farm
project.
Excavation continued at East Farleigh
Roman villa, where Albert Daniels and his
team held an open day to coincide with
Channel 4’s ‘Big Dig’, that attracted around
200 visitors.
A ground radar survey was carried out
using a specialist organisation at the
Lenham Archaeological Society site of
Royton Chapel. Further use of the resistivity
meter has been recommended at the site,
but earlier in the year to take advantage of
the wet ground after winter and the denser
building material.
The website is continuing to expand;
this is to include archiving of past fieldwork
re c o rds, including pottery, (types and
examples), to allow comparison of shape
and type. Members are invited to send
details of sites/projects to be included in
the website.
Michael Howard (Sec.)
CHURCHES COMMITTEE
On a sunny Saturday afternoon in
September last year we visited the churches
of St Peter and St Paul at Upper Hardres and
St Mary at Stelling. We were fortunate to
have Dr Eaves to introduce both buildings
and Mr McDine to give us some fascinating
historical background about the area of
Stelling. They were willing to engage in the
lively discussion that continued over tea at
Stelling. Both churches have been enlarged
and altered many times over the centuries,
but are quite different in character.
St Peter and St Paul was originally built
in the 12th century and was the manorial
church of the Hardres family, who lived here
until 1764, when Sir William Hardres died.
Sir William’s memorial can be seen in the
chancel chapel. The church was enlarged in
the 13th century and little of the 12th century
fabric is visible today. The 14th century
glass in the East End came from St Mary
Stelling but, until a fire in 1972, there was
13th century glass in the church that almost
c e rtainly originated there. Fragments
rescued after the fire have been assembled
in mosaic roundels in a chancel window.
There is a magnificent brass on the tomb of a
re c t o r, John Strete, under cover in the
chancel and dated 1405.
St Mary is a very striking church. It was
originally a chapel of ease for Upper Hardres
but it has been altered so much that it is difficult
to ‘read’ its architectural history. It also
seems possible that some stonework has
been reused from elsewhere. As mentioned
above, the 14th century glass formerly in the
east end of the south aisle at Stelling was
moved to Upper Hardres. This was in keeping
with the changes made in the church in
1790. On first entering the church one would
be forgiven for thinking it is a non-conformist
chapel. There are large box pews, most of
which are pointing at the large pulpit
halfway down the north wall of the nave.
The pews in the chancel are in the usual
position, but one wonders if even these were
once facing the pulpit rather than the altar.
No-one in the large KAS group had seen anything
similar in an Anglican church before!
MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE
Members revisited the Great Hall of Wye
College for the annual Christmas lunch.
During the reception there was time to view
member’s publications which was a good
opportunity to share the joy of completed
work. The meal was begun with a Saxon
grace rendered vigorously by Saxon speaker
Karl Wittwer. After lunch there was a robust
entertainment by the Tonbridge Mummers
who presented their first performance of a
new play. Owing to the bitter weather only
the hardiest members continued for the
planned visit to the Brook Agricultural
Museum. Those who did were delighted, and
resolved to return in the summer.
It is proposed to use another venue for
the 2006 lunch. Suggestions for consideration
would be welcome.
No brains needed – just hands!
The committee would welcome new
members who would help in practical
situations, for example setting out chairs at
meetings, helping with projectors, collecting
entry money at the door - and just generally
s u p p o rting. For discussion contact
M a rg a ret Lawrence on 01622 871945 or
margaret.society@virgin.net.
Margaret Lawrence (Chair)
EUROPEAN FORUM OF HERITAGE ASSOCIATIONS
Our attention has been drawn to this organisation which consists of local and national non-professional archaeological societies in
Europe. The Council for British Archaeology is a member .
The main interest for us is that member societies use it to publicise their excavations that are open to non-members. Details of
these and links to other sites with similar information can be found on the Forum’s web site www.heritageforum.or g
ISSUE IS WEDNESDAY 1st MARCH
9 Winter 2005/6
T H E I B R A B E E B O L E S R E G I S T E R O N L I N E
Winter 2005/6 10
Until the introduction of modern hives in the
late 19th century, beekeepers in Britain and
Ireland kept their bees in traditional hives
(skeps) made from wicker and, later, coiled-straw.
Before sugar was introduced, the honey was much
valued as a sweetener and was also used to make
mead; the beeswax was very important for making
candles for the church.
Most skeps of bees were kept in the open, but
some beekeepers built special stru c t u res to
protect the skeps from the weather. The commonest
type of structure surviving in the UK is a wall
containing a row of recesses (bee boles), but other
types have also been re c o rded: alcoves, bee
shelters, bee houses and winter storage buildings.
The International Bee Research Association
Register, which was started in 1952, is now a
l a rge and valuable collection of re c o rds and
photographs of these structures in many parts of
England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
The IBRA Bee Boles Register database,
which contains 1370 re c o rds and over 1100
images, can now be accessed online (free) at
www.ibra.org.uk/beeboles. Searching is easy, and
selected records and images can be viewed. In
addition, a list of relevant publications is provided.
The site will be of special value to local historians
throughout Britain and Ireland who are interested
in our beekeeping heritage and in vernacular
buildings. It could also be useful for school or
college projects.
Penelope Walker, the voluntary curator of the
Register for IBRA, has organized the conversion of
the paper record forms and photographs into this
online database. Its main purposes are to make
the information and images easily accessible to
anyone interested, and to encourage conservation
of the structures as well as further recording. New
records are welcome, and the database will be
updated regularly. For contact details, see the
website, or tel. 029 2037 2409 (IBRA).
Financial contributions towards the cost of
the project were received from Awards for All (to
the English Bee Boles Society), CADW (Cardiff),
Historic Scotland (Edinburgh) and the Eva Crane
Trust.
RIGHT: Skep in brick bee bole, Quebec
House, Westerham, Kent
(Register No. 0078; photo: J Walker)
BELOW: Row of bee boles, Lovington,
Somerset
(No. 0131; photo: H C Tilzey)
C AT T L E D R O V I N G I N T H E
E A R LY N I N E T E E N T H C E N T U RY
11 Winter 2005/6
ABOVE: The Kerry is believed to be one of the oldest breeds in Europe. The skull is very
similar in formation to the ancient aurochs (Bos primogenus), though smaller in size.
Info and image from www.kerrycattle.com/history.asp
In the Universal British Directory of 1792,
Goudhurst was referred to as the site of
livestock fairs, in August and November, at
which Welsh and Scotch cattle were for sale.
This raises some important questions on the
movement of cattle, generally, throughout the
British Isles before the construction of the
railway network (1830 onwards).
George Watts, in his seminal articles on
drove roads (Hampshire Field Club Newsletters,
40 & 41), notes the difficulties encountered in
identifying drove roads due to their ephemeral
character. He has identified, in the north of
Hampshire (HFC Newsletter 41), three long
distance droves (his type D3); the Lunway, the
Harroway and the Welsh Drive.
The presence of Scotch cattle in Goudhurst
is not easy to explain but Sir Walter Scott in his
novel ‘Rob Roy’ (1829), gives two helpful pieces
of information. The hero meets Rob Roy in
Darlington. At the period of the novel it must
have been quite usual to meet a scotch drover
that far south. The second piece of information,
contained in a true story related in the extended
introduction to the novel, refers to a man and
his son recovering cattle stolen from the
Lennox. This was achieved under the guidance
of Rob Roy after a short walk of 37 miles
accomplished in fifteen hours. This gives a fair
estimate of the distance covered in a day’s
drive, viz., 25 miles in late autumn. At this pace,
it would have taken some eight days to drive a
herd from Inversnaid (Rob’s family estate) to
Darlington at the head of the Vale of York.
K. J. J. Mackenzie, in his book, ‘Cattle and
the Future of Beef Production in England’
(Cambridge U. P., 1919), refers to conditions
prevailing post 1875. The situation in which
calves became stores and were passed from
one grazier to another may have been a long
established procedure. The present day Kerry
breed of beef cattle is probably the closest to
the original Celtic black cattle. The Kerry is
small, hardy and thrives on the roughest grazing,
the animal is, however, slow to reach maturity
(3 years). Such cattle would have been ideal
for the upland grazing of Wales and Scotland.
Calves, when weaned, could be brought down
to Lowland pastures for fattening. Because of
the slow development, animals would be ‘sold
on’ every six months and only at the end of
three years would be fattened on rich grazing
for the butcher.
Considering, then, those animals destined
for the London market, it can be seen that the
three years growth of a Scotch ‘store’, could be
divided into six feeding periods, each commencing
with a drive of 100 miles (2 days) that
would not ‘set back’ the animal to any serious
extent. Furthermore, it would permit the final
fattening process to take place quite near to
London and ensure the animal arriving at the
market in prime condition. The search for drove
roads in the sparsely populated uplands of
Wales and Scotland, the Southern Uplands and
Cheviots and the Pennine Chain would go to
prove, or disprove, the hypothesis outlined
above.
Ancient routes, such as the North and
South Downs Ridgeways would have been of
particular use to livestock drovers coming from
Blackwater Fair (Watts, quoted above).
Margary, in ‘Roman Ways of the Weald’ (Dent
& Sons, London, 1965), notes a late ‘Roman’
road from Wrotham, on the Pilgrims’ Wa y
(North Downs Ridgeway), to Tunbridge Wells
and beyond. Crossing from Tunbridge Wells to
Goudhurst, Cranbrook and Hemstead, the
Roman road to Ashford, Canterbury and
Fordwich would have become available and the
Ridgeway regained in the Stour Gap above
Wye. The purpose of this deviation would have
been to take advantage of the easier crossing
of the Medway above Tonbridge rather than
encounter the more difficult crossing on the
Ridgeway at Snodland below Maidstone. This
would also have made Goudhurst a pivotal fair
for graziers in the SE corner of Kent, including
the Romney Marsh.
P. J. Ovenden
ABOVE TOP: The barn - east view.
ABOVE BOTTOM: Interior of barn with a farm wagon, one of the
museum’s many agricultural exhibits.
Winter 2005/6 12
T H E W Y E R U R A L M U S E U M
T R U S T L O O K S F O R H E L P
The Wye Rural Museum Trust was set up in 1996-7 to take over ownership
of the Agricultural Museum at Brook, near Ashford, from
what was then Wye College, University of London. It is run by a
board of Trustees, some appointed and some co-optative. One of the former
is appointed by the Kent Archaeological Society (originally Kenneth
Gravett and currently Alan Stevens). The Trust has made good progress
in its first ten years, but now wants to develop various aspects of its
work. For this it needs some more specialised voluntary help in certain
areas, supplementing that already provided by the team of volunteers
who help in opening the Museum to the public during the summer
months.
Would any other member of the Society be interested in joining what
is certainly an interesting and worthwhile organisation? This would not
be in the role of a Trustee but to help with certain specific projects in
which their previous interests or experience might be useful. Some of the
needs might well be met by people working from home, though some
may need a presence on the spot, which might be more convenient for
people living within a reasonable distance of Brook.
We have listed below some of the areas where help would be welcomed.
All would involve individuals working on the basis of what is
practicable for them - we are not looking either for a lifetime commitment
or the burning of midnight oil!
1. People with experience in oral history work, video recording and
editing, or the design and putting together of written text for publication
would be very useful in our LHI-funded project on Recording Woodland
and Agricultural Crafts.
2. Many of the items in the museum’s collections and/or the activities
with which the Trust is involved are potential sources of short articles
or news releases for the press, and anyone with experience of producing
such items, or editing work produced by others for the purpose,
would be welcomed.
3. We are keen to address the problem of marketing to increase visitor
numbers. The most likely source of significant additional visitors is
the encouragement of organised parties of ‘special interest’ groups (eg.
Historical and Agricultural Societies, Young Farmers’ Clubs, WI’s etc.).
This work would involve email, telephone and postal contacts and the
Trust would refund relevant expenses.
4. We are also developing contacts with some local schools, and
anyone with teaching or other relevant experience with children would
be very helpful to us here.
5. For those who enjoy ‘hands-on’ approaches we shall, we hope,
have a need for some volunteers who can be trained to show visitors
round the Museum or, if this does not appeal, who might like to help in
the conservation work which some of the exhibits need from time to time.
If any reader would like to discuss a possible interest in any of
these topics (there are others), or to discuss aspects of the
matter in more detail do please contact either the Honorary Curator, Brian
Wimsett (tel; 01304 824969; email; brianwimsett@hotmail.com) or the
Trust Secretary, Tom Hill (tel; 01227 730477; email; hill.ta@tiscali.co.uk).
We should be delighted to hear from you.
up to have a go, YAC leaders did wonder what Dover’s residents made of the
unearthly wail emanating from high above the town. Aerial photos taken in
the 1940’s were used in ‘Spies!’, a meeting which examined how this resource
developed from wartime reconnaissance and its subsequent applications in
archaeology today. The Christmas party saw the children in wartime dress;
evacuees with cardboard boxes, resistance fighters with secret codes, spivs
with nylons taped inside their jackets and servicemen in their grandparents
original uniforms, gathered to celebrate under red, white and blue bunting.
2006 holds the promise of practical work at various mill locations,
including Leigh Gunpowder Mills near Tonbridge. The support of the KAS for
North Downs YAC is, as always, very gratefully acknowledged; the support
given encourages the archaeologists of the future.
13 Winter 2005/6
2005 was another exciting year for the children belonging to North Downs
Young Archaeologists’. In February they became editors for a day, when they
were given the chance to choose articles and images for the next edition of
‘Young Archaeologist’, the quarterly magazine of the national YAC. As predicted,
the more gruesome and grisly stories of plague and burial appealed to their editorial
discretion! They were posed the question ‘Guns – good or bad?’ in March,
in an examination of firearms through time, looking at their uses for procuring
food, for defence and for aggression. The following month they became ‘House
Detectives’ at the Centre for Kentish Studies, tracing the history of their homes
and learning about available sources, and in May they were swept back into the
Neolithic at the Medway megaliths. A family coach trip to Portsmouth Dockyard
and the Mary Rose in June proved very popular, and was followed up in
September with a meeting on long-bow archery, Tudor style.
Parents, children and YAC leaders worked hard to make the July National
Archaeology Day event, ‘Prehistory – life B4 txt’, a successful event. Despite
torrential rain, over 300 visitors arrived to take part in lots of free activities,
including a ‘mini-dig’ of objects deliberately buried some months before.
A talk by Carenza Lewis of Time Team, on Channel 4’s ‘Big Roman Dig’, drew the
crowds.
The last three meetings of the year focussed on World War II, in keeping with
the anniversary events happening around the country. In October, Dover’s
Western Heights was explored, the Napoleonic defences intriguing the children
and their families as much as the more recent examples (below). A hand-operated
air raid siren was brought along for them to operate.. As they eagerly queued
ABOVE RIGHT: Defending the Drop Redoubt!
RIGHT BELOW: Winding the air raid siren.
LEFT BELOW: Climbing the Grand Shaft staircase at the Western Heights.
Y O U N G A R C H A E O L O G I S T S
hundreds, and views at Boughton, Calehill, Gillingham and Teynham):
ED.619-655 incl.
Rental of c.1509-10, Maidstone: MS. 1025(1)
Accounts (Serjeant, Reeve, Keeper, Parker and Farmer) 1279-1447:
ED.656-680 incl., & ED.878 (ED.669 is a rental, temp.Richard II)
Ministers account rolls and vouchers for the Bailiwick of Maidstone,
(incl. Boughton, Charing, Gillingham and Teynham 1350-1523): ED.1222-
1239 incl., & ED.1429
Receivers accounts for Bailiwicks of Maidstone, Aldington, Otford,
Wingham, or Croydon 1459-60, 1464-65, (1467-68 included in ED.1229),
1479-80, 1508-09, 1518-19, 1522-23 and receipt 1525-26: ED.1346,
1347, 1351, 1362, 1364, 1366, & 1366A
Valor by bailiwicks (Aldington, Croydon, Maidstone, South Malling,
Otford, Pagham and Wingham) 1422: ED.2063
At the bottom of Cottington Hill, two of the cemeteries lay close
together, one containing cremation burials, the other inhumations. The
cremation burial cemetery was particularly interesting. The burials had
been placed in Dressel 20 olive oil amphorae, the type most commonly
found in Roman Britain. This practice has been seen before at other
cemeteries in Kent, notably Ospringe. Like the other cemeteries, the
Cottington Hill amphora contained other pots as well as the burial. Pots
were also found with some of the inhumations and one also contained a
copper alloy buckle.
Only two burials were found in the third cemetery at the base of
Cottington Hill, both of which had been disturbed by later activity. The
graves, however, lay very close to the edge of the excavation, so there
may be others beyond its boundaries.
In two of the excavations, a large ditch, almost 2m deep and 5-6m
wide, was found. It had been dug in the Late Iron Age/Early Romano-
British period, and may have formed part of a flood defence associated
with the Wantsum Channel.
The discovery of two medieval ovens has been interpreted as the site
of a small bakery. Recent work in Kent has uncovered several other similar
sites. Like this one, they all have one large and one small oven. It is
thought that the smaller oven was for helping the dough to rise whilst the
other was for the actual baking.
Angela Batt
Wessex Archaeology
T H E M A R G AT E T O B R O A D S TA I R S
PIPELINE: RECENT D I S C O V E R I E S
Winter 2005/6 14
The plan by Southern Water Services to lay a new underground
wastewater pipe has given Wessex Archaeology a wonderful
opportunity to further investigate the archaeology of the Isle of
Thanet. The pipeline, which runs from Margate Headworks to
B roadstairs Headworks and Wetherlees Hill wastewater tre a t m e n t
works, runs across a varied landscape. It travels from the chalk cliffs of
Margate, across the plateau, before sloping down below Cottington Hill
towards the Wantsum peninsula.
The archaeological discoveries have been equally varied. So far,
eight significant areas have been excavated along the route, but work is
still going on, and more sites may yet be found.
There have been exciting discoveries: Late Bronze Age ingots (1100-
700BC); four Romano-British cemeteries; a medieval oven or bakery; and
a large ditch, possibly a flood defence for the Wantsum Channel.
The earliest finds were a number of Late Bronze Age ditches, pits
and postholes; and the bronze ingots at Ebbsfleet Lane. These add to the
two Bronze Age hoards discovered on this site in 2004. Close to Star
Lane, a single cremation burial dating to the Late Bronze Age/Early Iron
Age (1100-400BC) was found. Cremation burials of this date are rare.
Of the four Romano-British cemeteries, one was on the higher
ground close to Coldswood Farm Road, and the other three were close
together at the base of Cottington Hill.
At Coldswood Farm Road some of the cremation burials had been
placed in wooden caskets. Grave goods had been placed with the burials.
Two of the burials contained samian vessels stamped TERTIVSFE.
Microfilm copies of medieval estate documents relating to the
manor of Maidstone have been added to the collections at the
Centre for Kentish Studies at Maidstone.
The original court rolls, rentals, and account rolls of various ministers
and receivers are held at Lambeth Palace Library. These have been filmed
by Academic Microforms Ltd.
The microfilms of these documents will complement other
Maidstone manorial records already held at CKS, especially those dating
from the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries in the Romney collection,
U1644.
Additional funding for the project has been provided by sponsorship
from P. & D.J.Goacher, brewers of Maidstone, and a grant from the Allen
Grove Local History Fund through the Kent Archaeological Society.
The documents involved are listed in Jane Sayers’ catalogue, ‘Estate
Documents at Lambeth Palace Library’. They are as follows:
C o u rt rolls - Courts (hallmoots & portmoots) and views
(including 4 drafts)
Maidstone 1382-1522, (a few including courts at Charing, courts,
M I C R O F I L M E D M E D I E VA L R E C O R D S
O F T H E M A N O R O F M A I D S T O N E
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Kent in Prehistoric Times by Paul Ashbee. 0-7524-3136-6. 224pp, 75 illus.
Paul Ashbee, a Patron of the KAS, has known Kent and its prehistoric monu-
15 Winter 2005/6
N E W B O O K S
INSET:
The Cottington Hill
cremation amphora
contained other
pots within.
MAINPICTURE:
Careful excavation
of the copper alloy
buckle.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Kent in Prehistoric Times by Paul Ashbee.
0-7524-3136-6. 224pp, 75 illus.
Paul Ashbee, a Patron of the KAS, has known Kent and its
prehistoric monuments since his schooldays. This longawaited
book is a wide-ranging and accessible account of
the county’s prehistory.
Having first covered the broad environmental features of
the county and the work of the early antiquaries and pioneer
prehistorians, Dr Ashbee then explains the long Palaeolithic
lineage and the Mesolithic interlude. The great chambered
tombs of the Neolithic, such as the Coldrum and Kits Coty,
and the Iron Age, with its large hill forts like Bigbury and
Oldbury, are covered in detail.
Normal retail price is £19.99. A special offer is available to
KAS members – please see the enclosed flyer.
Published by the Kent Archaeological Society, The Museum, St Faith’s Street, Maidstone, Kent. ME 14 1LH
www.kentarchaeology.org.uk
EDITOR: LYN PALMER
55 Stone Street, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN1 2QU
Telephone: 01892 533661 Mobile: 07810 340831
Email evelyn.palmer@virgin.net or newsletter@kentarchaeology.org.uk
Copy deadline for the next issue in April is Wednesday March 1st.
The editor wishes to draw attention to the fact that neither she nor the Council of the KAS are answerable for opinions
which contributors may express in their signed articles; each author is alone responsible for the
contents and substance of their work.
ABOVE,
CLOCKWISEFROMTOPLEFT:
One metre test pit in a garden.
Sorting the finds.
The exhibition at the Fleur de Lis
Heritage Centre.
Winter 2005/6 16
In the summer of 2005, a Community Archaeology project ran in
Faversham, under the umbrella of the Faversham Society. The aim
of the project is easily stated: this would be archaeology done by
local people, for local
people, based on the
i m p ression that in
Faversham there are a
substantial number of
people who would be
deeply interested in such
a project.
Research of any kind
needs a clear focus, one
which captures the imagination
and fires the desire
to find an answer. Hunt
the Saxons came from the
fact that although a rich
pagan ‘Jutish’ cemetery
was found in the 19th
century in what is now
the southern part of
Faversham, there has not
been any archaeological
or historical evidence for
where the people actually
lived. In
short, we would be looking for evidence of Saxon
occupation.
From this focus came a strategy derived from
the common assumption, best summarised in the
2003 Kent Historic Towns Survey: Faversham, that
‘Saxon Faversham’ lay in the Tanners Street/West
Street area. Yet not a scrap of archaeological evidence
existed for this. Furthermore, this part of
Faversham is most unlikely to see development in
the foreseeable future, leaving the assumption
unchallenged.
Last summer’s project involved the digging of
eleven one metre-square test pits in gardens in
this ancient part of our town, near the probable
tidal limit of the Creek. The digging season lasted twenty two
days, and an enormous amount of work has gone into post-excavational
analysis.
P a rticular attention
has been
paid to pottery,
with Andre w
Linklater fro m
the CAT giving us
an intensive
training session
in identification.
At the point of
writing (mid-
November 2005)
test pit re p o rt s
are being written
and at the Fleur
de Lis Heritage
Centre a warmly-received team-produced Hunt the Saxons exhibition
is running.
Did we find the Saxons? So far, no: our new website
www.community-archaeology.org.uk gives details. Note, however,
so far. Next summer, we will be back in the so-called Saxon Zone
to complete the investigation, this time armed with a lot
m o re knowledge. Hunt the Saxons has involved a host
of Faversham people,
not just the
excavation team,
and contributed a
great deal already
to the understanding
of Faversham’s
past. It has also
been (and this is
far from trivial)
enormously enjoyable.
Roll on
HSX06!
Dr Pat Reid
HUNT THE SAXONS: AN EXPERIMENT
IN COMMUNITY ARCHAEOLOGY