KAS Newsletter, Issue 70, Autumn 2006
Written By KAS
PRE HISTORIC AND MEDIEVAL
FEAT URES AT FOSTER ROAD,
ASHFORD: PRELIMINARY RESULTS
B etween June and August this year Wessex
Archaeology undertook excavation of an
area of approximately 0.65 hectares off
Foster Road. Ashford. The dig was commis•
sioned by CgMs Consulting on behalf of PPG
Southern Ltd and Cirrus Properties.
The excavation was interesting for its discovery
of timbers preserved due to the high
water table. Only a relatively small finds assemblage
was uncovered. ranging from prehistoric
to medieval. with an emphasis on the later prehistoric
period. Pottery provides practically the
only currently available dating evidence for the
site. although scientific dating of charcoal and
the waterlogged timbers will be possible later in
the post-excavation analysis.
On the basis of the initial spot dating of
the pottery, the archaeological features
and deposits encountered have been
2
grouped into five periods. detailed below.
Middle-Late Bronze Age
The earliest feature on the site comprised a
large probable pond or waterhole that extended
beyond the southern limit of excavation. The
very irregular sides appear to be the result of
poaching by livestock. implying stock-keeping
during this period.
The upper fill of the pond was cut by a recti·
linear enclosure ditch on its north-west side and
by two contemporary ditches that continued to
the north-east. A number of small pits and post•
holes were recorded within the area bounded by
the enclosure ditch. Seven of the postholes
appear to form an arc, which continued beyond
the limit of excavation. and probably represent a
roundhouse between 3.7m and 4m in diameter.
The two ditches that extended to the north·
east of the pond partly enclosed a shallow
coomb that ran down the prevailing slope and
may have been intended to drain this area.
Within the coomb lay a hearth, postholes. slots
and shallow pits. also broadly datable to this
period. The postholes and slots. although proba•
bly structural, do not appear to form any coherent
structure and limited intercutting between
them demonstrates that they are not al I contem·
poraneous. The activity that this group of
features represents is uncertain. however. as
they all contained relatively large quantities of
charcoal, as did the overlying buried soil horizon
in this area. It is hoped that analysis of
environmental samples will shed light on these
features.
In the north of the site a few irregular
ditches or gullies suggest that they may
represent drainage channels.
KT'.,, ..,,..- - -- • , .i,i{
,.
Later Prehistoric
Overlying the shallow coomb and partly overlying
the enclosure ditch and pond was an extensive
buried soil horizon. Pottery, broadly datable to the
Late Bronze Age to Late Iron Age, was recovered
from this, along with small quantities of animal
bone, burnt flint and worked flint.
Several shallow, irregular gullies ran down the
prevailing south-west facing slope. While some
COVER: One of the Saxon pits under
excavation.
LEFT: Preserved wood exposed in the
Saxon pit.
BELOW: Site plan
Medieval
m Saxon
• Late Iron Age/Romano-Bnlish
• later Prehistoric
• Middle-Late Bronze Age
[=:J Limit or buned soil (later Prehistoric)
were very irregular and were probably naturally
formed. others were certainly man-made.
although in all cases their function appears to be
drainage. Two shallow depressions were excavated
in the east of the site and a large, waterlogged
pit in the south, all broadly datable to this period.
Although the function of this last feature is
unclear. analysis of environmental samples taken
from its fills may shed some light. The potential
for scientific dating also exists on a large, possibly
worked, timber that was recovered from the
basal fill of this pit.
Late Iron Age to Romano-British
Several ditches and gullies of this period were
recorded, again running down the prevailing
south-west facing slope. Once again their function
I
I
I
I
appears to be drainage, although their form was
more regular than the earlier drainage features. In
the north-east of the site one of these ditches was
cut by a large pit, from which Late Iron Age and
Romano-British pottery was recovered.
Saxon
Only three features. all in the north of the site
close to the crest of the prevailing slope, were
dated to the Early-Middle Saxon period on the
basis of pottery in handmade, organic-tempered
or sandy fabrics.
A sub-rectangular feature, approximately 4.4m
long, over 2m wide and 0.20m deep, with gravel
metalling in its base. may be a
'sunken-feature building' (SFB). although the lack
of any associated post-holes make this
SFB
-
interpretation uncertain.
Approximately
30m to the west of the
possible SFB were two
large pits, also dated to
the Early-Middle Saxon
I
"'
/
period. Both contained
preserved timbers.
comprising square linings
to the pits with
redeposited local clay
and stone packing.
These are currently
interpreted as wells or
waterholes; however,
analysis of environmental
samples may
enhance this interpretation.
Roundhouse
I
I
I
Pond/Waterhole
(Mlddle Broru:e AQe)
I
/
I
(
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
/ o====----====----===50m
Medieval
Two phases of shallow
gullies, some of
which, unlike the
majority of earlier features.
ran across the
prevailing slope, were
dated to the medieval
period. The potential
date range appears to
be 12th to 13th century,
although there was little
which is clearly
diagnostic.
These features appear
to represent a
small system of enclosures
or land divisions
of uncertain function.
All were very shallow
and no indications of
maintenance or r e -cutting
were seen in any
of the excavated
sections, suggesting
that these were probably
fairly short-lived
features.
Vaughn Birbeck
Wessex Archaeology
1-1: ; f! , ; \'i [ 1} I
ADDITIONS TO THE
KAS LIBRARY JUNE
TO SEPTEMBER 2006
Hill Figures of Kent (Dr Mark Hows).
For the Sake of the Children (Peter Hayward).
Sussex Archaeological Collections, Vol.143, 2005.
Revue Historique de Dunkerque et du Littoral, Nos.37 & 38.
Nomina, Vol. 28, 2005.
Surrey Archaeological Collections Vol. 92, 2005.
Archaeologia Cambrensis, Vol.153, 2004.
Anglo Saxon Cemeteries of Kent. Vais 1 & 2. (A.
Richardson).
Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and
Archaeological Society, Vol. 127, 2005.
Glorious Past - Women and Evangelical Religion in Kent
and Northamptonshire (Sibyl Phillips).
Wroxeter Archaeology; Excavation and Research on the
Defences of the Town 1968-1992, Vol.CXXVIII.
Archaeometry Vol.48 P.3.
Archaeological Journal, Vol.162, 2005: and "Finland and
Tallinn", Summer Meeting of the R.A.I. 2005, Supplement
to Vol.162.
Proceedings of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of
Scotland, Vol.134, 2005.
Jahresschrift fur Mitteldeutsches Forgeschichte Band 89.
Fornvannen 2006/3.
Yorkshire Archaeological Journal, Vol.75.
Suffolk Records Society- "Savage Fortune", History of the
Savage Family.
St. Radigunds Abbey, Dover (Grace Moylan).
Gender and Petty Crime in Late Medieval England; The
Local Courts in Kent 1460-1560 (Karen Jones).
COURSES IN
THE LIBRARY
GEOARCHAEOLOGY
Led by Dr. E. Jarzembowski
On Wednesday afternoons, commencing 7th
February 2007 between 2 .00pm and 4.00pm for
ten weeks, at a cost overall of £40.00.
Lectures will include:
Dating the past
Natural cycles e.g. erosion
Sediments
Building stones and strategic minerals
Landscape evolution
Geological maps and sections
Our geological history
Pa laeoenvironment
Darwinian evolution
The course will be approximately 50/50 theory and
practice and students will be expected to apply
what they have learned and to report back. A
booking form for the course is included in this
Newsletter.
COMPUTER KEYBOARD SKILLS?
'""""" 2006
Help Wanted
The .ac web team is looking to recruit volunteers to copytype the text from old
publications in order to produce new editions of them. The text will be used to
produce a new publication for download on the internet and be available to
produce a paper-based print on demand.
The work can be undertaken at home or in the KAS Library. Most document
formats can be used. The team uses open source software.
Please telephone Denis Anstey on 01634 240015.
4
ARCHAEOLOGIA CANTIANA
NOW AVAILABLE ON DVD
C
elebratin of th Kent Archae_ ological Society's sesquicentennial
year in 2007 has kicked off with an early start
as the Publications
quick browsing through the volume to the desired page. Once
you have found your article, you can zoom in or out to increase
Committee begins taking ,-------------------- or decrease the size of the
page; you can move through
the text from page to page or
article to article; you can print
copies of articles or illustrations;
and in some versions
of Adobe Acrobat Reader you
can search electronically for
individual words. The DVD is
not fully searchable, however,
because of the inordinate time
and expense of proofreading
and correcting ocular character
recognition (OCR) text. You will,
of course, be able to consult on
screen the six index volumes
and the individual indexes at
the end of the more recent volumes,
just as you do now when
Kent Archaeolog1cal Society
pre-publication orders for
the Archaeologia Cantiana
DVD. After two years
of careful planning and
hard work by the
IT Subcommittee of the
Publications Committee, the
entire run of Archaeologia
Cantiana from Volume 1 in
1858 to Volume 125 in 2005,
plus Testamentia Cantiana
and the specialised Index
to Archaeologia Cantiana
1858-1968, is now available
on one DVD. Dr. Frank
Panton, KAS Hon. Librarian
and chairman of the IT
Subcommittee, said, "The
Archaeologia Cantlana
lip ,1 '"It.I
•q· ,.., .. , ........
, ... ,,. 0
Volumea I lo CXXV
plu1
Teatameni. C1ntlana and
Ind•• Volume
project links the scholarship
of the Society over the past 150 years with modern day technology
to provide a unique tool for future historical and archaeological
research on Kent. It is a very fitting way to celebrate
the Society's sesquicentennial."
User Friendly Format
The DVD starts automatically when you insert it into your computer's
DVD drive, and will open in any version of Adobe
Acrobat Reader software. A contents page appears with a list
of volume numbers, and one click of the mouse takes you
directly to the opening page of your desired volume. Each volume
of Archaeologia Cantiana has been scanned and converted
to a PDF file so that the pages and illustrations appear on
the screen just as they do in the printed volumes. The text
appears on the right hand side of the screen, and on the left
hand side you will see the table of contents for the volume.
Each entry in the table of contents has been 'bookmarked' so
that clicking on the title of an article will take you directly to
the beginning of the chosen article. Every page has also been
paginated electronically, and 'thumbnail sketches' of each
page also appear on the left hand side of the screen to allow
using the printed volumes. Best
of all, you can do all this without
ever going to the library or getting up from your chair.
Pre-publication Orders
The DVDs will be officially published during the sesquicentennial
year in 2007. To determine how many copies of the DVD
to make, however, the Publications Committee is now taking
orders at the pre-publication price of £20 from individual members
of the Society and £50 from institutional members of the
Society. Imagine having a complete run of Archaeologia
Cantiana on your PC, including all those difficult-to-find rare
volumes, to view in the comfort of your own home. Imagine
being able to carry around the entire run of Archaeologia
Cantiana on your laptop and being able to access any article at
any time of day or night. Reserve your copy of the
Archaeologia Cantiana DVD by filling in the order form flyer
included in this issue of the Newsletter and returning it with
your cheque (made out to the Kent Archaeological Society) to
Dr. James M. Gibson, Secretary, KAS Publications Committee,
27 Pine Grove, Maidstone, Kent ME14 2AJ.
James M. Gibson
Publications Committee
5 11/RII 2006 •
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
KAS EVENTS
SEE PAGE 8 FOR INFORMATION ABOUT OUR
SESQUICENTENNIAL EVENTS IN 2007.
OTHER EVENTS AROUND KENT
CONFERENCES
CBA South East
The Archaeology of the Weald: Bridge or Barrier?
Saturday November 4, 10am - 5.30pm at Gatton Hall, Gatton
Park, Reigate, Surrey
Once a great forest stretching some 100 miles east-wes
miles north-south across the counties of Kent. Susse
Hampshire, the Weald is still one of the most
areas of England. Traditionally seen as a b
eastern England, it was penetrable only
much of its history. To explore the truth
CBA SE has brought together a nu
archaeology and history of the
Human presence in the
University of Sussex
Archaeology Team
The Roman peri
Late Iron
roup
aeologist, Surrey
orking; some fresh
en Iron Research Group
ttle where? Early Medieval
sh, University of Sussex
-Saxon times Dennis Turner, Surrey
""""•.c,,,_./ of vernacular building techniques across the Surrey
Wea artin Higgins, Historic Buildings Officer, Surrey County
Council
Gatton Hall is a Palladian-style mansion located close to junctions
7(M23) and 8 of the M25. There are no easily accessible catering
facilities in the area, so CBA SE has arranged a two course lunch
(choice of hot/cold/vegetarian) and coffee/tea to be included in the
ticket price of £15 for CBA members and £17.50 for non-members.
Tickets available from Eva & Steve Corbett, 4 Ditchling Close,
Eastbourne BN23 BLS, email: cbase@scorbett.co.uk, tel: 01323
743889.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Council for Kentish Archaeology
The Battle Against the Sea - The impact of the sea over 2000
years on the coastal settlements of south-east England.
Saturday 4 November from 2 - 5.30pm
Canterbury Christ Church University, North Holmes Campus,
Canterbury.
How past sea-level changes have affected the coast from Suffolk to
Sussex Basil Cracknell (author of Outrageous Waves)
From settlement to abandonment: the drowned Bronze Age landscape
of Shirewater Park, Eastbourne, East Sussex Chris Greatorex (Lecturer
411111111112 6
on Prehistory) .
The lost coastline of Kent Brian Philp (Chair of CKA) and David Plummer
(University Senior Lecturer)
. .
Dover Harbour Bill Fawcus (General Manager, Special ProJects, Dover
Harbour Board)
Tickets £4 available from CKA (cheque payable to CKA). 7 Sandy Ridge,
Borough Green, TN15 BHP Please enclose SAE. Further information on
www.the-cka@fsnet.co.uk or from Ruth Plummer tel: 02087 777872,
emai I: davru58-conorgcka@yahoo.co. uk.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
TALKS
Crayford Manor House Historical & Archaeological Society
11 November
Grinling Gibbons: The Art of Woodcarving Cyril Baldwin
9 December - Members evening and buffet (additional charge)
The Humorous Side of Being an Actor Jonathan Fyer
13 January 2007
lghtham Mote: History and Conservation Pat Mortlock
10 February 2007
The Huguenots Michael Peters
10 March 2007
Good, Bad and Ugly: 150 Amusing Years of Libraries in Kent Christopher
Bull
14 April 2007
Wine, Ships & Pirates Jane Fraser-Hay
All talks on a Saturday at 7pm for 7 .30pm, in the Baker Trust Hall,
Maxim Road, Crayford. Non-members are welcome, cost £2.00 each.
Further enquiries, tel: 01322 551279.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Friends of the Canterbury Archaeological Trust
Thursday 26 October at 7pm
Sandwich's Domestic Architecture by Sarah Pearson
(a talk in association with Darwin College) Lecture Theatre 1, Darwin
College, University of Kent, Canterbury.
Saturday 27 January 2007 at 6pm.
Frank Jenkins Memorial Lecture by Paul Bennett (Director, Canterbury
Archaeological Trust).
Old Session House, Canterbury Christ Church College, Longport,
Canterbury.
Wednesday 14 March 2007 at 7pm.
Recent developments in Thanet Archaeology by Ges Moody (Deputy
Director of the Trust for Thanet Archaeology).
Friends Meeting House, The Friars, Canterbury.
Suggested donations for all the above talks; FCAT members £2;
students £1; others £3.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Tonbridge Historical Society
26 October
Passports, Assassins, Traitors & Spies Martin Lloyd
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
18 November
Folklore and Customs of Kent and Sussex Dr Geoff Doel
4 January 2007
The De Cabhams and Randall Manor Lyn Palmer
15 February 2007
An Illustrated Walk Round the Saxon Shore - Part 2 Christopher
Wade
5 April 2007
AGM
Tunbridge Ware Dr Ian Beavis
All lectures held at the Adult Education Centre, Avebury Avenue,
Tonbridge at 7.45pm, except for the AGM at 7.30pm.
More details from Shiela Broomfield on 01732 838698,
email: s.broomfield@dial.pipex.com
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Loose Area History Society
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.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Sevenoaks Historical Society: Gardiner Lecture
Faith and History: the place of religion in the record of the past
Professor David Bebbington.
Friday 17 November at 8pm in the Undercoft of St Nicholas
Parish Church, Sevenoaks.
The Sevenoaks Historical Society annual lecture, named after S R
Gardiner, the distinguished historian of 17th century England, who
died in Sevenoaks in 1902.
Professor Bebbington, University of Stirling, has written major
books on nonconformity, the mind of Gladstone, and historiography,
and is President-elect of the Ecclesiastical Society for 2006-7.
Admission is free and all are welcome.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
EVENTS ELSEWHERE
The Rye Partnership
Aspects of Medieval Warfare and Rye's Response
28th & 29th October 2006
All lectures take place in Thomas Peacocke Community College
Hall, Rye.
Saturday speakers include:
The Mary Rose and Medieval Archery Robert Hardy CBE, FSA
Edward I/I's Crecy Men: Archers and Archery in the Early Years of
the Hundred Years War Dr Andrew Ayton
The European Response ta Archery Prof. Matthew Strickland
Agincaurt 1415: A Band of Brothers? Dr Michael Jones
The Medieval To urnament Dr Juliet Barker
Revolutionary? It's a Wander They Caught an at All: Guns in
Medieval Warfare Prof. Kelly DeVries
At 6.30pm, a concert at St Mary's of medieval music and dance,
in aid of the church restoration fund.
Sunday speakers include:
Archaeology of the Battlefield Helen Fenwick
Medieval to Modern - The Rebuilding of Rye David Martin
The Tale of Two Towers - the joint Angla/French lnterreg Project
Jo Kirkham
History of the Ypres Tower Allan Downend
The Ypres Tower Restoration Project Robert Clay
The Falleville To wer Daniel Cotrell
Pirates, Wreckers and Smugglers - Patriots at War, Villains at
Peace Dr Gill Draper
At 3.10 pm, a Tour of Rye's Medieval Tower.
It is not too late to book for this conference; contact
Alison Rowland, The Rye Partnership, 25 Cinque Ports Street,
Rye, East Sussex, TN31 7 AD, tel: 01797 229600, email:
alison.rowland@ryepartnershi p.org.uk. Booking can be for one or
both days, cost (including full lunch, and tea/coffee) is £70.00 for
2 days or £45.00 for one day (full time students £60.00 and
£40.00 respectively). The Concert on Saturday is an extra £5.00,
the Tour on Sunday is free.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Courses at The Weald & Downland Museum, West Sussex.
Tuesday 31 October 9.30am - 5pm
Traditional Timber Frame Construction, led by Museum
Director Richard Harris
A one-day course on traditional systems of timber framing,
including timber conversion, principles of layout, pegs and
assembly, and their importance in interpreting historic timberframed
buildings.
Wednesday 15 November, 9.30am - 4.30pm
How to be a House Detective, led by house historian Penny
Olsen
Techniques for tracing house history will be revealed in this day
school, covering both physical features and the use of primary
sources commonly held in record offices and local history
libraries.
Friday 27 April 2007 9.30am - 4pm
From Hangleton to Poplar: the history of the Museum's
houses. Part I - 13th to 17th centuries, led by Museum
Research Associate Danae Tankard.
Exploring the history of six of the Museum's houses by placing
them in their social and economic context and looking at the
social status and household structure of their earliest inhabitants.
An overview of the methods and sources for reconstructing
the past will also be provided.
7 AuJumn 2006
CELEBRATING 150 YEARS OF THE
Several events are planned to take place
during 2007, the sesquicentennial of the KAS -
come and join the celebrations!
Significant Advances over the last 50 Years
in the Knowledge of Kent's History and
Archaeology
Two one-day conferences on the above
theme are to take place. The date of the first
conference is fixed for 21 st April at the Medway
Campus of the University of Kent, near
Rochester.
The second conference is provisionally
booked for Saturday 15th September at the
University of Kent's Canterbury Campus.
Celebration Dinner
A dinner will take place on the evening of
15th September in Darwin College at the
University, at which the Hasted Prize will be presented.
This is a KAS-sponsored prize for the
best thesis on some aspect of Kent's history.
The Hidden Treasures of Kent
This exhibition in the Bentlif Gallery within
Maidstone Museum has been provisionally
scheduled to start on 12th May and run
through until early September. On display will
MEMBERSHIP MATTERS
be artefacts ranging from the Palaeolithic to the
Anglo Saxon period which, although all originally
from Kent, are now dispersed in museum
collections across Britain. This will be a rare
opportunity for KAS members to view some of
Kent's little-seen but important finds
gathered together under one roof, and it is
hoped that many public visitors will also benefit.
In an English Country Garden
Dig out your boaters and striped blazers,
your fringed dresses and your fans, for we are
partying, 1920's style! The Society will be
holding a garden party in the beautiful grounds
Here is my usual plea to you to let me know of any changes to your details, including email addresses etc.
Also, there are still some banks paying monthly instead of annually, so please check your bank statements.
If you do spot such an error let me know so that I can arrange for a refund for you - unless you wish to give
any overpayment as a donation!
Autumn 2
If you have mislaid your membership card, send me a stamped addressed envelope for a replacement - you
need it to be able to use the KAS library.
We are pleased to welcome the following new members:
JOINT MEMBERS
Hammond Miss K, & Mcconnel, DJ 3 Flora Cottages, Marley Lane, Battle, Kent. TN33 ODO
ORDINARY MEMBERS
Birks, Ms S
Morse, Mr T
Simmons, Mr T R
Walshe, Mr D
87 Sycamore Avenue, Horsham. Sussex, RH12 4TR
44 Woodstock Road, Golders Green, London, NW11 BE
1 Poultry Farm Catts, Plain Road, Marden, Tonbridge, Kent, TN12 9LS
55 High Street, Seal, Sevenoaks, Kent, TN15 DAW
For all correspondence relating to membership contact Mrs Shiela Broomfield, KAS Membership Secretary,
8 Woodview Crescent, Hildenborough, Tonbridge, Kent TN11 9HD. Tel: 01732 838698,
email: membership@kentarchaeology.org.uk or s.broomfield@dial.pipex.com
8
KENT ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
of Allington Castle. just outside of Maidstone.
on Sunday 20th May from 3.30pm onwards.
A jazz band will play whilst afternoon tea is
served - plenty of cucumber sandwiches.
strawberries and cream. cakes and Pimms.
Not to be missed!
Confirmation of dates and further details of
all these events will appear in the January 2007
Newsletter. Booking forms for the two one-day
conferences. the evening dinner and the garden
party will also be included.
COMMITTEE ROUND-UP
CHURCHES COMMITTEE
The summer evening visit this year was to
Cranbrook. First. we visited the parish church (St
Dunstan). The building is reminiscent of the large
East Anglian churches. said to have been 'built on
the backs of sheep.' It is light and spacious but does
not feel excessively big. A local historian. Tony
Allison. who wrote the current excellent illustrated
guide to the church. gave us a most informative and
interesting talk. There is only the faintest trace of
the 12th century, although there are documentary
references to a church on the site at that time. and
the present building dates from the early 14th century
when the cloth trade established by Flemish
weavers in Cranbrook was flourishing.
The 14th century church was increased in height
and side chancels added between 1480 and 1540
and there are records of the many donors who paid
for those changes. There have been very few
changes to the fabric since then. There is some good
glass from 1500 and some splendid memorials and
brasses but the church's most unusual feature is a
total immersion font. It was commissioned by the
Rev John Johnson around 1710 in an attempt to win
Baptists back to church. although there is only one
record of use.
That brings us neatly to our second visit. which
was to the Cranbrook Congregational church. We
were greeted by the Minister, Peter larcombe, who
told us that the present building dates from 1867
when it replaced an earlier chapel on another site.
When the United Reform Church was established in
1972. Cranbrook Congregational chapel was one of
700 Congregational churches that chose not to
become part of the new church.
The first Congregational minister was recorded in
Cranbrook in 1672 and there have been many
changes over the years. The Congregational movement
was the first to give women charge of churches
and it provided a spiritual home for many leading
thinkers as well as the Pilgrim Fathers who set sail
for America. The church is 'free' in that there are no
instructions about who should lead services or how
they should be led. Mr Larcombe provided us with a
good potted history of the movement in general and
its development in Cranbrook, after which tea was
served. The two visits provided plenty of food for
thought and it was interesting to learn about the
development of Cranbrook's Christian community
from two points of view.
Mary Berg
FIELDWORK COMMITTEE
Throughout the summer months members of the
Society have been busy carrying out their fieldwork
activities, be it looking for remains with electronic
devices, ie: the restivity meter. or helping to excavate,
pot washing or carrying out the many tasks
that are needed on a site.
The excavation of Ringlemere has finished but it
is hoped that the site will be available for a 'Minster
type' dig next year. subject to the landowner agreeing
and members supporting the project. It is hoped
to hold a dig during the latter two weeks of August
2007. so watch for further details. During this summer
a variety of visitors have been attending the
site, including three members of the profession from
Russia who spent two days with Keith Parfitt and
his team at the site and various work placement students
who carried out much work for the project.
The Maidstone Group have continued to excavate
the East Farleigh Roman Villa. This culminated in an
Open Day on the 28th August to coincide with the
150th anniversary of the Medway Valley Railway
that runs along on the other side of the river from
the excavation.
An exploratory excavation. including resistivity,
fieldwalking, metal detecting and dowsing has been
carried out at a possible future site to the south of
Faversham on farmland. The results of this initial
search are featured on page 15 of this Newsletter.
There are further exciting developments in store
for excavators as it is understood that Heritage
Lottery Funding has been applied for to carry out
excavations on a community basis at the Folkestone
Roman Villa. a site in danger of slipping into the sea
due to cliff erosion.
It is also hoped that forthcoming Fieldwork
events can be advertised on the KAS website. so
keep logging on!
Mike Howard
MEMBERSHIP & PUBLICITY
COMMITTEE
Summer Social Meeting
Boughton Monchelsea Place is not normally open to
the public, so members appreciated the arrangements
made for them to visit the house and grounds.
Entered from a main road by an unobtrusive gate,
the house only came into sight after a long woodland
drive. This emphasised the glory of the fifteenmile
Wealden panorama which suddenly burst into
view. Owner Mrs.Kendrick impressed and charmed
members with her enthusiastic appreciation of her
home and by the provision of an ample tea. An abiding
memory of the afternoon was the visit to the
church for an audio visual presentation of the millennium
window. This is an experience thoroughly
recommended to other KAS members, as the church
is open to the public although arrangements need to
be made in advance for the presentation. For further
information contact St Peter's Church Office, 01622
743321 or email admin@stpeters-church.org.uk.
Margaret Lawrence
3 D years ago this autumn, in the Lower
Medway Valley, the final season of excavations
on the site of the large Roman villa at
Eccles came to an end; yet the site has neither
benefited from full publication, nor has it been
fully explored. The Eccles Roman Villa is recognised
as a site of unusual significance in the story
of Roman Britain, as well as a major landmark in
Kentish archaeology. However, with
the passage of time, the likelihood
of completing the project lessens,
as do prospects for the publication
of a final report.
In 1961, as one of its first
projects, the Lower Medway
Archaeological Research Group
compiled a sites and monuments
index for much of north Kent. In July
1961, during the course of followup
aerial reconnaissance of the
Medway Valley, I photographed
faint crop marks revealing the presence
of a large villa-like structure
close to Aylesford's parish boundary
with Burham. The existence of substantial
buried structures of the
Roman period was subsequently
confirmed in August 1961 through
limited trial trenching carried out by
members of the Group under my
direction, with invaluable guidance
provided by Peter Tester (1 ).
The villa lies close to the east
bank of the River Medway about 4
miles north of Maidstone and 6
miles south of the City of Rochester.
What we know of the site results
largely from a programme of excavations
initiated by the Lower
Medway Archaeological Research
Group in 1962, then conducted
annually from 1965 until 1976 under
the auspices of the Eccles
Excavation Committee. Our member Dr. Alec
Detsicas, for many years editor of Archaeologia
Cantiana, was director of the excavations from
1962 as well as secretary and treasurer of the
Eccles Excavation Committee and the driving force
behind the project until his death in 1999. The
excavations attracted local and national publicity
and interim reports were included annually in
Archaeologia Cantiana (2).
Autumn 200 10
The main site consists of a large RomanoBritish
villa, with 125 rooms and many ancillary
structures. Nearby pottery and tile manufacture
took place on an industrial scale during the Roman
period. Despite modern quarrying and the construction,
in the 1970's, of large industrial buildings,
the area immediately surrounding the villa
site and to the east remains largely undisturbed
except by modern farming, with some evidence of
continuous landscape use from the late Iron Age.
In Roman times the Medway Valley was
intensively occupied. The sites of a significant
number of buildings are known, although few are
adequately recorded. The Eccles villa is the
largest and most interesting so far examined by
excavation. The date of its foundation soon after
the Claudian invasion, coupled with extensive
'
I
structures and complexity of building periods, suggests
an establishment of considerable status.
Excavations have found evidence of several early
ditches underlying the villa building, some possibly
military in origin, and occupation continued until late
in the Roman period. There was both an Anglo Saxon
cemetery and material evidence of early medieval
occupation (3). Recent discoveries at the Roman site
at Eccleston on the River Dee, near
Chester, remind us that the placename
Eccles is significant, associated
possibly with the religious re-use
of late Roman structures in the early
medieval period.
Following Alec's retirement
from a career in education in 1986.
work on a final report gathered
pace, helped by several grants.
To facilitate work on the extremely
complicated trench-by-trench
stratigraphy, all the excavation
records (about 6,000 entries) were
transferred to a database over a
period of two years. In May 1999,
recognising his failing health. Alec
transferred responsibility for the
Archive and completion of the excavation
report to the Kent County
Archaeologist, John Williams, with
the request that the Canterbury
Archaeological Trust (CAT) should
undertake the remaining work when
funds were available. The finds are
presently held by the Trust and
Rachel Shaw. who dug for several
seasons and worked latterly with
Alec towards the final report, has
care of the written archive and all
field records. The finds will ultimately
be deposited in Maidstone
Museum in accordance with a longstanding
agreement between Alec,
the landowners and David Kelly, the
Museum's then Keeper of Archaeology. It was also
agreed that. until further decisions are made, all
other site records should remain in Rachel Shaw's
care. Apart from dealing with research queries. work
on the Eccles project came to a standstill about three
years ago.
The current position of the Eccles project is most
unsatisfactory, both for Kentish Archaeology and for
Roman studies in general. The excavations were
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OPPOSITE. Dr Alec Detsicas.
RIGHT 1964: blocked testudo arch in
Room 46, Baths/.
DOWN YOUR WAY • LOCAL
HISTORY IN THE 1800s AT CLIFFE,
COOLING AND HIGH HALSTOW
This was the title of an exhibition organised
by KAS Member Ted Connell at the ASPS
Countryside Fair on Saturday 2nd
September 2006. The Countryside Fair is an
annual event at the ASPS Reserve at Sromhey
Farm. Cooling, which this year was celebrating
50 years of conservation in the area. Some
3,000 people visited the Fair on the day.
Members of the Public looking at the KAS
display were able to see a copy of the 1839
Tithe Map, showing the field names, owners
and occupiers at Bromhey Farm. In addition the
names of the occupants of Sromhey and
Eastborough Farms were listed from the 1841
to 1901 Censuses. Printouts of the tithe schedules
for the parishes of Clitte. Cooling and High
Halstow, together with printouts of the whole
of the 1841 and 1851 Censuses. were displayed
in ring binders. The exhibition attracted much
interest as local residents searched for their
house. or the field on which their house now
stands. Many people commented that the surnames
of the earlier occupants were still common
in the area today.
The tithe maps and their accompanying
schedules provide an excellent starting point
lor those interested in finding out more about
the local history of their area. Transcriptions of
over one hundred and fifty tithe schedules from
Kent can now be consulted on the Society's
website at www.kentarchaeology.org.uk
Research Section.
Pam & Ted Connell
Ted.Connell@BTlntemet.com
BELOW- Members of the public were able to
see Tithe Maps and transcriptions of over one
hundred and fifty tithe schedules from around
the county.
TO THE MANOR SHORNE!
D eep within Shorne Wood Country Park. near
Gravesend. medieval Randall Manor 1s
emerging after several hundred years lost in
the woods.
In celebration of National Archaeology Week.
Lyn Palmer. the Park's Community Archaeologist.
organised a week long excavation at the manor
site Led by KCC's Heritage Conservation Group and
supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund and Kent
Archaeological Society. the investigation involved
several archaeological societies. university stu-
12
dents. primary and secondary schools. scout groups
and park visitors. For many participants 11 was their
first encounter with archaeology and the children
in particular were thrilled to be able to dig for
themselves As well as the excavation. a medieval
fun day took place at the new park visitor centre.
including displays by a number of archaeological
groups and museums
Although the origins of the manor of Randall
lor 'Rundale') are not known. it 1s generally accepted
as being part of the Cobham estate purchased
by Henry de Cobham in the early 13th century The
manor of Randall remained in the possession of the
powerful Cobham family until bought by the Wyatt
family in the 14th cen tury. The ruins of the manor
remained hidden in Randall Wood until the early
1960's when local school teacher George Dockrell
excavated a number of small trenches. Although
his work was never published. the project team 1s
examining his original records.
As trees are cleared, the plan of the manorial
complex 1s emerging. The main buildings occupied
RIGHT: A pupil learning to survey on site.
BELOW Schoo/children investigating the
probable gatehouse.
a substantial plateau artificially constructed
between two stream valleys. The northern valley
had been dammed in several places to create a
series of substantial fish ponds.
The focus of this summer's work was the reexcavation
of Dockrell's trenches in the north western
corner of the plateau. resistivity survey and a
number of small trenches to locate the boundaries
of the main building complex. The excavations
have provided a much better understanding of the
building complex in the north western corner of the
plateau. Here, the remains of flint and chalk walls
suggest a range of probably single-storey buildings
once lining the plateau boundaries. The centre of
one building is dominated by a substantial stone
hearth, itself a replacement for an earlier tile
hearth. Sited close to the fishponds, it may be reasonable
to speculate that the room was employed
for smoking fish, a common method of preserving.
A more substantial building was found where
the present pathway into the site crosses the western
boundary. The building, which was probably
two storeys high, may have been the main gatehouse
to the manorial complex Substantial dumps
of flint rubble and tile provided some indication of
the buildings construction.
The geophysical survey indicated further substantial
buildings which will be tested in the
future. The remainder of the manor will be cleared
of trees in the coming winter and the site surveyed
and prepared for further excavation. Already
schools are booking their places on the two week
community excavation next July.
Overall, the project has been extremely successful
in enabling children of all ages to engage
directly in archaeological excavation and generated
huge interest amongst visitors to the park. KCC
are grateful to everyone who helped out during the
very hot week's work and in particular the support
of Roger Cockett and Gerald Cramp of the
Fawkham and Ash Archaeological Group who have
put great effort into the documentary research and
provided the Dockrell archive. Thanks are also due
to DKR Surveys for the geophysical survey and
James Elford for his illustration work.
Simon Mason & David Britchfie/d
EPE LAUNCH EVENT
N ow almost a year since its inception, the
Victoria County History's England's Past for
Everyone (EPE) programme has made considerable
advances across the country. In Kent the project
has now reached an important milestone with the production
of the first draft text. A team of around fifty
volunteers has been recruited and is hard at work in
the archives. Survey work has also commenced, with
a study of Eccles completed in late July. To mark this
progress and celebrate the involvement of the local
community in the project, a launch event was held on
19th July at the University of Greenwich's Maritime
Chatham campus. Over a hundred people gathered to
listen to presentations and meet others involved in
the project. Many of those attending were EPE volunteers
and their families. Also present were representatives
of the Kent Archaeological Society and other
local history societies from the Medway area; staff
from Medway Archives and Local Studies Centre and
the Centre for Kentish Studies, and several members
of the EPE support team from London.
Jane Longmore, Head of the School of
Humanities, welcomed everyone to the University of
Greenwich, and underlined its continued support for
the EPE project, and for the revival of the Victoria
County History (VCH) in Kent over the longer term. The
VCH's General Editor, Alan Thacker, gave a general
outline of the EPE programme, explaining the reasons
why it had been developed and the benefits it was
expected to bring for the VCH and the wider community
of local historians. He explained that whereas
VCH has in the past relied primarily on the efforts of
directly employed county staff, the new EPE model
would see a growing engagement with local historians
and the wider historical community. Stuart Bligh
also said a few words on behalf of Kent Archive
Services. He particularly commented on the recruitment
and involvement of so many volunteers. something
that the Centre for Kentish Studies had struggled
with in the past The main presentation of the
evening was given by the Team Leader of the Kent
project, Andrew Hann. His talk looked at different
aspects of the research, focusing especially on the
work done by volunteers. Some early findings relating
to wages and working conditions were also presented.
Once formal proceedings were completed
guests mingled and sampled the refreshments laid
on by the University's catering staff. Many also took
the opportunity to peruse the poster displays at the
back of the room. Some of these posters showcased
volunteer work; others provided an introduction to
some of the main project themes. Extracts from the
successful volunteer newsletter were also on display.
Overall this was a very successful evening helping
to raise the profile of the England's Past for
Everyone project in Kent, and to thank the volunteers
for their continued support, without which the ambitious
programme of work would be impossible.
Hopefully we will be able to gather again in a couple
of years' time to celebrate the launch of the Kent
paperback volume.
BELOW, LEFT TO RIGHT:
John Vigar (architectural consultant working
on village surveys), Andrew Hann and Dean
Johnes (EPE Volunteer).
13
The summer excavation of the Kent Archaeological
Field School was on a possible Roman building,
located by fieldwork as part of the Swale
Archaeological Survey in 2000. 67 students from
most of the major universities in Britain gathered
for a weeks training and excavation. at the end of
which we had exposed a large part of a unique and
magnificent late Roman octagonal structure with a
huge octagonal central plunge bath. This bath had
been re-built in the early 5th century as a smaller
circular central plunge bath with a fountain. The
blue-coloured fresco floor still survived. as did the
Roman lead water pipe leading from the massive
earlier Roman brick conduit. Our evaluation trench
also revealed the concrete base of an enormous
Roman corn mill. and a huge 'holloway· road leading
down from other Roman buildings - again
revealed by evaluation - to a possible harbour.
Earlier Iron-Age ditches and later Anglo-Saxon
buildings all added to the rich repertoire of the site.
The octagonal bath house is unusual. unique in
Kent and even south-east Britain. The structure is
about 10 metres across and has arcading surrounding
the huge central octagonal pool. itself over 5
metres wide. The pool still had in situ a massive
brick conduit built to supply fresh cold water. The
walls of the building were originally covered with
highly decorated painted plaster and the floors
with tesserae in black. yellow. red and blue. which
were smaller than usual. Smaller marble mosaic
cubes were also retrieved which suggest that some
of the floors had mosaics.
Octagonal buildings of this type are to be found
in the West Country at Lufton and Holcombe; others
are further afield in Ravenna. and of course.
Rome. The function of these elaborate and exotic
buildings has often been discussed. but some
experts keep returning to the idea that the astonishing
octagonal frigidarium in the centre could
have been used for Christian baptism or even
Jewish sacred bathing. This scenario has been
reinforced at our site by the finding of a Roman
lead seal probably depicting the Jewish minora.
Some rooms had underfloor heating as well as
alcoves which contained hot plunge baths. It is logical
to assume that above the central pool and its
fountain was a vaulted ceiling, carried on arcading
or columns. Some elements of a stucco ceiling -
again unique - had survived. and possibly a large
dome set on pendentives that would have echoed
and reflected the sound of cascading water.
Ceilings such as these would have been possible
with the columns or arcading bearing the vertical
pressure. and the surrounding ground floor rooms
providing a buttressing ettect to counteract outward
thrust. This is very sophisticated Roman engi-
,-----·-·
---------
, ,,,
.,.... .I..
i
I
I I
L_________ . ____ j
neering and belongs more to the late Roman and
Byzantine Mediterranean world. opening
discussion on why, and also how late. such Roman
influences were prevalent in Britain.
ABOVE:
Plan of the excavated area.
BELOW-
Dr Paul Wilkinson
A member of the KAFS standing in part of the
brick conduit which fed cold water to the 5
metre octagonal plunge pool. Built in the 4th
century and rebuilt in the early 5th by a much
smaller circular pool, it still has its blue fresco
paint and lead pipe to the fountain.
NEW ROMAN VlllA AT SHElDWICH
0 1er the weekend of 9th and 10th of September
this year, members of the Kent Archaeological
Society, along with members of the
Faversham Society, carried out a programme of
fieldwork on a site near Sheldwich, just south of
Faversham. The site had come to notice back in
2004 when metal detectorist David Button located a
scatter of Roman coinage of the 2nd to 4th centuries
in a field he had obtained permission to search.
Along with his colleague Gill Davies he recovered
about 60 coins across an area of about 100 square
metres He also noticed large quantities of tile and
brick across this area. This discovery led to a preliminary
resistivity survey, carried out by the author
under the supervision of Ted Connell; subsequently a
2m x 1 m trench dug by the author located a pit containing
large quantities of Roman pottery, tile and
animal bone, as well as some fragments of painted
wall plaster.
Since it seemed probable that a substantial,
hitherto unknown, Roman building was present on
the site, it was decided by the KAS Fieldwork
Committee to undertake this September's programme
of fieldwork, with the aim of confirming this
and assessing the scale and state of preservation of
the site. Brian and Carole McNaughton led a resistivity
survey, surveying an impressive sixteen 20m x
20m grid squares over the two days. The results
suggest considerable activity across the survey
area, and possibly indicate the presence of a large
ranged structure approximately 80m across. At the
same time, the author led the excavation of a second
trial trench across a very strong result located in
the previous resistivity survey. This revealed part of
a hypocausted Roman building. The floor of this
structure had been removed, along with most of the
hypocaust stacks that were visible in the trench, and
the underfloor area, which had a concrete base, had
been backfilled with compact rubble which probably
represents a demolition deposit. This layer was
overlain by two deposits, the lower of which contained
significant quantities of mortar lumps and
ceramic building material as well as fragments of
painted wall plaster. Cutting through both these layers
was a shallow ditch or elongated pit containing
amounts of carbonised wood, animal bone, and pottery
and tile. The pottery included a sherd of
Rhenish fineware and a large sherd of Oxfordshire
Ware. In addition, the upper level of the ditch contained
a bronze coin (pinpointed by David Button's
detector) minted between AD 364 and 378. In all. it
seems clear from the work carried out thus far that
this site can be added to the corpus of villas known
from east Kent.
Andrew Richardson
Chair, KAS Fieldwork Committee
ABOVE
Trench 2 from the south, showing the
excavated wall and hypocaust system.
Below:
Detail of above; note the patch of plaster on
the base of the wall, and section of Opus
Signinum floor on the top of the brick.
15
LEIGH GUNPOWDER MILLS
After decades of neglect. the site of the gunpowder mills at
Leigh, near Tonbridge , is to receive some care and attention.
aided by a grant of nearly £20 ,000 won through the enthusiasm
of a local group The Local Heritage Initiative (a now-discontinued
award of the Heritage Lottery Fund). have given the money to Leigh
Histoncal Society to investigate.
conserve and interpret
this fascinating place
The mills were started in
1811 by two wealthy local
families. the Burtons and
the Children Humphry
Davy, leading sc1ent1st of
the early 19th century, was
a fnend. and he expenmented
with the manufacture
of gunpowder with
members of the families
The mills were sited on
land that they owned ad1acent
to a disused flour mill.
since a millstream off the
River Medway already
existed to serve this. A
new canal was also dug
out from the Medway to
the mills
Over the next 40 years
the mills expanded greatly,
by 1851 they were employing
16 men. 5 boys and 4
women. all of whom had
homes built near to the
works. The hamlet of
Powder Mills comprised 15
cottages and appears to
have fiercely maintained
its own identity - there are
tales of the Powder Mills
gang battling with their
counterparts from Leigh,
despite being educated together at Leigh School'
In 1859 the mills were sold to Curtis & Harvey, whose annual
profit reached between
£2000 to £3000. a sizeable
sum. Over the nex:t
50 years this firm acquired over 100 mills. and further dramatic
expansion of their business took place dunng the First World War.
This was the heyday of Leigh mills. and a site map of this period.
some 5 foot long and 2 foot wide. shows 91 buildings, including 2 firing
ranges. and 20 individual mills. By this time the mills were being
modernised and water
power was phased out
Nearly a mile of narrow
gauge railway, with handpushed
carts. ran around
the site. After the stage in
the production process
where the goods became
volatile and dangerous.
they were transported
around the site by barges
on the waterways
As with other gunpowder
mills in the south-east.
in 1934. by which time ICI
owned the site. the works
were moved to Scotland
This was partly because of
the looming threat of hostil
it1es. ICI then razed
most of the site and
dragged away the machinery
to make it into a
wilderness. so much of
the structures only exist at
ground-level.
The foundations are
still in place throughout.
however. and Leigh
Historical Society have
identified 2 mills that are
worthy of restoration so
that future visitors can
appreciate how they once
operated. The Society
aims to make a record of
the historical information, tied in with an archaeological report
Would you like to help with any of this work over the coming winter
and spring? If you are interested please contact Chris Rowley,
Chairman. Leigh H1stoncal Society, Oak Cottage, The Green. Leigh,
near Tonbridge. TN11 80L. telephone 01732 833176.
Copy deadline for the next issue m Januaiy 1s Friday December 1st
The editor w,shes to draw attention to the fact that neither she nor the Coone,! of the KAS are answerable for opirnoos
wt11ch ctJlU1butOfs ma1 exprass m their signed an1cles each authO! 1s alooe restmsible for the
ABOVE
Two views of the Powder Mills, soon to
be investigated thanks to the aid of the
recent grant
16
cootents and Stlbstne ot the,r 'Mlll
·• • ," I I I : J ' • I .. I I J ii;; •- , • •
55 Stone Street Tunbridge Wells, Kent TNI 20U
Telephone: 01892 533661 Mobile. 07920 548906
Email evelyn pafmer@virgin.net or newsfetter@kentarchaeology.org uk
Published by the Kent Archaeolog1cal Society, Maidstone Museum and Benthf Gallery, St Faith's Street. Maidstone, Kent ME 14 tLH
www kentarchaeology org uk