KAS Newsletter, Issue 75, Winter 2007/08
Written By KAS
nneeww ss ll ee tt tt ee rr K E N T A R C H A E O L O G I C A L S O C I E T Y
Issue number 75 Winter 2007/08
www.kentarchaeology.org.uk
Inside
2-3
Ringlemere
Blacklands
4-5
KASConference
Hasted Prize
6-7
What’s On
DVDAdvertisement
8-9
Notice Board
Committee Round Up
10-11
Committee Round Up
A Forgotten Hero
12-13
New Books
Heritage Marketing
14-15
Letters
Rev Larking
16
Archaeology in Kent
Book Launch
KAS GRANT
ENABLES
FURTHER
WORK
AT THIS
FAMOUS
SITE
Monument 3
As with M2, this monument had been identified
on aerial photographs and also by geophysical
survey. Its site was fully excavated in 2007
and was found to consist of a continuous ringditch
enclosing a fairly precise circle between
15.25 and 16.25 metres in diameter. The ringditch
was between 1.00 and 1.80 m. wide and
0.44 – 0.65 m. deep. Its filling produced a
moderate quantity of prehistoric flintwork,
together with some pottery.
More than twenty shallow hollows, pits and
In the summer of 2007 members of the
C a n t e r b u ry Archaeological Trust re t u rned to
Ringlemere, to resume investigations at the now
famous Bronze Age gold cup site. The work this
season was made possible through a generous
grant from the Kent Archaeological Society and
much of the fieldwork was undertaken by K.A.S.
members. Two of the lesser ring-ditches
(Monuments 2 and 3) now known to lie adjacent
to the large barrow site previously excavated
(Monument 1) were examined. These smaller circles
were located immediately to the south-west
of Monument 1. Monument 3 was fully excavated,
whilst a single trench was cut across the ditch
of Monument 2. Plough erosion had long ago
removed any associated barrow mounds here so
that, unlike M1, these smaller features are now
invisible on the surface.
Monument 2
This ring-ditch was first identified from
geophysical survey and aerial photographs. It
is approximately 28 metres in diameter.
Unfortunately, a gas main had been cut through
the central area sometime during the 1980s and
this is likely to have caused significant damage.
In 2007, a single trench was cut across the ringditch
on its north side. This showed the ditch to
be of very substantial proportions, about 3.30 m.
wide across the top and 1.50 m. deep. The gravelly
silts filling the ditch produced limited amounts
of flintwork, helping to confirm a prehistoric date.
In August 2007, archaeological students and members
of the Kent Archaeological Field School
descended on School Farm, just to the east of
Faversham, and adjacent to Watling Street, to
investigate the probable site of a Roman settlement
found by field-walking, limited excavation and geophysical
survey.
Paul Wilkinson had discovered the site by field
walking some years before and had excavated a
small area with Brian Philp in 1996. The initial
R E T U R N T O R I N G L E M E R E ( T R E N C H 9 )
I N V E S T I G A T I O N S AT
BLACKLANDS, FA V E R S H A M
Winter 2007/08 2
ABOVE : The ring-ditch of M2. FRONTCOVER: Monument 3, fully excavated in 2007.
RIGHT: Mosaic fragments retrieved from the
demolition debris of the hypocaust flues. The
mosaic pavement covered an area of about
seven square metres. It was full colour and
pictorial, with individual tesserae sometimes
smaller than one centimetre.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
investigations had revealed the remains of a Roman
bath house with mosaic fragments and highly decorated
painted plaster. It was thought that this was
the only Roman building on the site - one of the socalled
‘isolated bath-houses’ found only in Kent
(Detsicas 1987).
Later, English Heritage generously offered to
conduct a geophysical survey, with stunning results.
The survey in 1997 revealed a further 18 buildings,
albeit electronically. Investigation last summer of the
areas highlighted by the geophysical survey exposed
a huge Roman building further to the west of the
known bath house, again with hypocaust heating
with terracotta pilae still standing, and vast quantities
of everyday painted plaster and pottery.
A depression was also investigated which
revealed a large terraced feature cut into the natural
chalk. This was in use in the 4th century; however,
its function is an enigma still waiting to be solved.
this material appears to be Neolithic or Bronze
Age in date.
The excavations in 2007 have provided some
significant new information concerning the
Ringlemere site. One of the lesser ring-ditches
(M3) has now been completely excavated and
another (M2) sampled. The two field boundary
ditches skirting the edge of M3 represent the first
features discovered at Ringlemere that can be
dated to Roman times, although finds belonging
to this period, including pottery, tile and coins
have been previously discovered.
The new graves discovered adjacent to M3
provide further important information concerning
the size and extent of the Anglo-Saxon cemetery.
Once again, it would seem that an upstanding
prehistoric monument had provided a focus for
these later burials and a substantial cemetery,
whose full extent has still to be ascertained, is
now clearly indicated.
Acknowledgements
Thanks are again due to the landowners - the
Smith family at Ringlemere Farm - who readily
allowed access to their ground. The excavations
would not have been possible without the aid of
the Kent Archaeological Society grant and this
must be gratefully acknowledged here.
Most of the excavation and finds processing
work was carried out by members of the K.A.S.
and other volunteers from various local archaeological
societies, together with a number of students
from Archaeology Departments of different
Universities. Without their hard work very little
would have been achieved and sincere thanks are
due to all concerned.
Keith Parfitt and Barry Corke
influence on activities in the landscape many
centuries after they were first constructed. This
seems to imply that the prehistoric monuments
survived as upstanding barrow mounds, providing
clear local boundary markers.
Anglo-Saxon Graves
Previous excavations on the south-western
side of Monument 1 had shown it to be the site of
an Anglo-Saxon cemetery, founded during the
fifth century AD and containing over 50 burials.
The full extent of this cemetery has still to be
d e t e rmined but six more inhumation graves
(Graves 53–58) were discovered in 2007. These
new graves appear to represent a discrete group
placed adjacent to the northern side of M3.
The acidic gravel subsoil meant that no skeletons
survived but the size of one grave (Gr. 55)
indicated that it belonged to a small child. Gravegoods
were recovered from four of the graves;
Grave 53 contained five brooches and 42 beads
and must represent the burial of a reasonably
well-off woman. Provisional dating of the gravegoods
recovered suggests that these burials are
again of fifth century date.
Finds
The quantity of finds from the 2007
excavations was quite modest. Nevertheless, a
significant amount of prehistoric flintwork was
re c o v e red. A large irregular pit located
immediately to the north of M3 produced a
fresh Mesolithic adze (c. 8000 – 4000 BC), which
joins several others found in previous seasons,
and provides further evidence for activity on the
site prior to the main Neolithic and Bronze
Age period of activity (c. 2600 –1600 BC). Just
over 200 sherds of pottery were found but little of
3 Winter 2007/08
post-holes were located inside the ring-ditch.
These need not all be contemporary with the
ditch and several are probably of natural origin.
None can be closely dated. At the very centre of
the enclosed area lay a neat, oval pit some 0.30
m. deep. This measured 1.02 m. by 1.22 m. and
was aligned ENE by WSW. In the base at the
north-eastern end, a deeper depression appeared
to represent a substantial post-hole. This was Dshaped
in plan and there can be little doubt that
an upright wooden post had originally occupied
this north-eastern end of the pit. Its D-shaped
form indicates that this was probably a split tree
trunk, with the flat (split) surface facing southwest.
It remains less certain whether the main pit
simply represents the construction pit for the
insertion of this post or whether it formed a
grave, marked by the post at one end. Certainly,
the pro p o rtions of the main pit would have
allowed the insertion of a crouched inhumation,
such as have been found in similar positions within
many barrows and ring-ditches. However, no
traces of any bone survived and the question
presently remains unresolved.
Later Boundary Ditches
On its north-eastern side, the ring-ditch of
M3 was cut by two straight ditches. These were
set on different alignments and their continuations
beyond the excavated area are visible on air
photographs and the geophysics plots. The pottery
recovered indicates that they are of early
Roman date and there seems little doubt that
they re p resent field boundaries. From the
positioning of the ditches in relation to the prehistoric
remains it would seem that these ancient
monuments were still continuing to have some
RIGHT: The geophysical survey; the black
lines are conjectural walls, some of which
have now been shown to be Roman founda -
tion walls. The Roman bath-house (left) has
a hypocaust system built of chalk blocks
which were full of demolished parts of the
building including mosaic fragments and
painted plaster.
Bath-house
Bath-house
with
full-colour
mosaics.
30 metres
Large-terraced feature.
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Winter 2007/08 4
The second one-day conference got off to a flying start with
inspiring lectures from two of east Kent’s finest arc h a e o l ogists.
Opening the event was Keith Parfitt of Canterbury
A rchaeological Trust, who provided an expert and entert a i n i n g
s u m m a ry of the investigations at Ringlemere. He discussed the
evolution of the site from a place of Mesolithic activity to a late
Neolithic henge (perhaps the first to be certainly identified in
Kent), and the henge’s re-use during the Early Bronze Age when a
low mound and wooden stru c t u re (perhaps associated with the
famous gold cup) were added. He also illustrated the subsequent
abandonment of the monument and its eventual redeployment in
the earlier Saxon period as a place of burial and later settlement.
See also our front cover story on Ringlemere in this Newsletter. From Ringlemere we journeyed across the Wantsum Channel to
see a picture of Iron Age Thanet presented by Ges Moody,
Deputy Director of the Trust for Thanet Arc h a e o l o g y. He began
by reviewing the early discoveries made by pioneer arc h a e o l ogists,
followed by more recent investigations. He demonstrated
that, while most of the finds have been made on small scale excavations
or observations, they all reveal elements of Iron Age occupation
evidence which have been seen in more complete form during
the open-area digs of large sites elsewhere. Ges highlighted
the importance of combining all this disparate data with modern
GIS technology to reveal sites in their landscape context. Using
mapped data from the Tru s t ’s own Sites & Monuments Register he
showed that this analysis can reveal factors which influenced
positioning of sites, suggest the potential functions of some, permit
a re i n t e r p retation of evidence and indicate the large size of
some settlements which had otherwise only been sampled by
piecemeal excavation.
Paul Hart
Steve Clifton spoke about the KAS Abbey Farm Roman Vi l l a
training digs of 1996-2004, from the perspective of the diggers/
trainees. He highlighted the great opportunity those
digs had provided for KAS members and others to be fully involved
and to develop their archaeological skills. He also spoke of the
s u p p o rt, encouragement and expertise given by the
p rofessional archaeologists, the new information discovered and
published about the site and especially about the enjoyment of
e v e ryone who had taken part . The development of high-class Anglo-Saxon jewellery in Kent
was discussed by Andrew Richardson, stressing initially that
it was neither ‘Anglian’ nor ‘Saxon’. His talk was superbly
illustrated with pictures of jewellery, mainly brooches, from both
a rchaeological sites and metal-detecting finds. He also clearly
demonstrated the contribution that computer mapping of finds can
make to analysis and interpretation.
Christine Hodge
Sarah Pearson took the stage to outline some of the likely findings
of the re s e a rch project on The Town and Port of
Sandwich up to the 16th century, of which Sarah is the arc h itectural
historian.
The documentary evidence begins with the extensive ro y a l
grant of land and rights to Christchurch Priory in 1023, around the
strategically important Wantsum Channel. A fresh contour surv e y
showed the church of St Clement as a central focus of the early
town; by the 14th century the centre had shifted with the draining
of adjacent marshland to the west. In terms of commercial activity,
by the 12th century the town was second in size only to Canterbury
and a significant entrepot for both coastal and international maritime
traffic, defended from the mid 14th century by walls and ramp
a rts. It was in decline by the mid 16th century, probably associated
with the silting of the Wantsum, but revived with the arrival of
d i ff e rent skills with the religious re f e rees in the 1560’s .
Significant thre e - s t o rey buildings remain from the early 14th
c e n t u ry, now thought to have been for workshop or commercial use
rather than domestic. There are few surviving domestic buildings
b e f o re the 16th century. We await the publication of the Study with
much interest. An d rew Butcher presented a re f reshing approach to the familiar
disturbances of the 13th and 14th centuries, set in a ‘tendentious’
view of the work of historians covering the period
f rom around 1200-1500. His own ‘pre - M a rxist’ view of the peasa
n t ry and townspeople accepted that rebelliousness was pre s e n t
at all periods in the late Middle Ages. He described a ‘top-down’
sense of the culture or ‘pays’ of Kent, first in the period of settlement
up to about 1000, and then in the following period of population
growth, colonisation of the landscape and growing towns. All
this implied a much higher degree of interaction of peasantry and
C rown. He mentioned widespread awareness of political agitation
and disturbances elsewhere and particularly the influence of the
Low Countries. He also stressed the local consciousness of Thanet
itself.
He then turned to the ‘micro’ – the Hundred of Ringslo, essentially
modern Thanet, to provide evidence for the widespre a d
weight of taxation, the local disturbances and the Inquisition held
in Thanet in 1381 after Wat Ty l e r ’s rebellion earlier in the year. It
is his view that essentially the revolt had little to do with London,
but all to do with Thanet and its identity.
This was a stimulating talk on an interesting subject, delivere d
at possibly re c o rd speed! It certainly livened up the traditional
post-lunch ‘death spot’.
Charles Wo o d
In ‘Fishing and Fishermen in Medieval Kent’, why, asked Sheila
S w e e t i n b u rgh, should a Kent fisherman name their boat Robin
Hood? Most boats were named after saints, birds, flowers or
even the Tr i n i t y. The biggest of the 20-odd types of specialized
THE SECOND KAS CONFERENCE
M o re than 160 people attended the second one-day KAS conference in
September last year, organised as part of our 150th anniversary celebrations
and sponsored jointly with the University of Kent. Here is a round-up of the
d a y ’s speakers, contributed by several of our members.
5 Winter 2007/08
Local history student Dr Celia Cordle, author
of a thesis on 250 years of hop growing in
the Weald of Kent and hop marketing in
Southwark, is the first winner of the
Kent Archaeological Society’s new £3,000
Hasted Prize.
Launched during the society’s 150th anniversary
celebrations, the prize – named in honour of
celebrated 18th century local historian Edward
Hasted – aims to encourage scholars to choose
Kentish subjects for their research, and to promote
publications that advance knowledge of
the county’s past. It will be awarded every two
years for the best thesis on any aspect of the
county’s archaeology or history.
Celia’s first acquaintance with hop growing
came in 1970 when her parents, Frederick and
Doris Squires, moved to Sandhurst in Kent, near
the hop gardens of their new neighbours, John
and Mollie Rummery.
Celia, who had left school at 16, worked in
the Agricultural Research Council until marriage
and the subsequent birth of a daughter in 1961.
Family matters and various part-time employment
occupied the following years but when her
younger son went to university she decided to
continue her education.
She joined a combined studies course at
Kingston upon Thames Polytechnic (now
Kingston University) and in 1994 was awarded a
BA in the history of art, architecture and design
with human geography.
Then followed study at the University of
L e i c e s t e r ’s Centre for English Local History,
where her chosen options were Anglo-Saxon
and Modern History. “It was a wonderful
course”, said Celia, “and it opened up a new
world for me”.
She was awarded an MA with distinction
and then embarked upon research for a Ph. D at
Leicester University in 1997, continuing an interest
begun in her MA dissertation.
Betty Carman of Cranbrook Museum introduced
Celia to the farm records of the Wickham
family. Interviews with David Wickham about his
own and his grandfather’s hop farming, and with
Stephen Wickham about current hop farming,
followed those with the Rummerys, and with the
late Fred Farley about his work on hop farms.
Among other interviewees were Ben Wright,
telling of his work as a hop factor, and Dr Peter
Darby of Wye College on the breeding of new
varieties of hops. “Oral history was very important
to this research”, said Celia, “and people’s
own words were included as much as possible
because the immediacy of the spoken word is so
much more vivid to the reader than second-hand
description”.
Historical records were equally vital and
during research at the Centre for Kentish Studies
in Maidstone, and at Reading University’s agricultural
archives, Celia ‘felt very privileged to be
able to read manuscripts that hop farmers had
written two and three hundred years ago’.
Celia lives in Mapperley, near Nottingham,
but has Kentish roots. Her mother’s ancestors
settled in Kent and her gre a t - g r a n d m o t h e r,
Sarah Hunt, was the daughter of a Sheerness
shipwright.
C e l i a ’s thesis ‘Hop Cultivation and
Marketing: Wealden Kent and Southwark 1744-
2000’ gained her a doctorate in 2006 and has
now won the 2007 Hasted prize. “What matters
to me most is that my work has been validated in
Kent and that the KAS found it worthy of its very
generous prize. I am honoured to have been
awarded the prize and I look upon it as a ”thank
you” to all the people who helped me”.
“I should like other people to know about all
the things that I discovered – and that you’re
never too old to go to university”.
A copy of Celia’s thesis has been deposited
at the Kent Archaeological Society’s Library at
Maidstone Museum.
The Hasted Prize was presented to Celia on
the KAS’s behalf by Dr Shirley Black, author of a
life of Hasted, at the society’s re c e n t
Sesquicentennial Dinner. Part of the prize money
will help pay for Celia’s thesis to be published as
a book.
Details of the 2009 Hasted Prize, open to all
original master’s or doctoral theses that shed
new light on the history of Kent and have been
successfully examined by higher education
establishments during 2007 or 2008, can be
obtained from Dr James Gibson, 27 Pine Grove,
Maidstone, ME14 2AJ, tel: (01622) 673050,
email: pinegrove@blueyonder.co.uk
STUDENT OF HOP GROWING
WINS FIRST ’HASTED PRIZE’
ABOVE : Dr Celia Cordle (left) receiving her
prize from Dr Shirley Black.
boat displaced as much as 25 tons, carried a crew of 5, and were
passed down through the family at a value of £60 or so. The big
catch was herring, trawled early in the season off Newcastle
b e f o re following shoals down to Ya rmouth and later to Sandwich.
This last port was re q u i red to send 40,000 herrings a year to
C h r i s t c h u rch Priory at Canterbury where the monks were expected
to eat fish all year round and nor merely during Advent and Lent.
W h e re the shoreline was distant from permanent hamlets, the
f i s h e rmen built cabins to store ropes, sails, oars, lines, hooks,
boots, breeches and, above all, the many varieties of sometimes
heavy and expensive nets. The industry was important thro u g h o u t
the Kent shoreline, and although Sheila couldn’t explain the ‘Robin
Hood’ naming, she could tell us much about inheritance and family
stru c t u re – and the important roles played by fish wives – fro m
her analysis of documents. Paul Bennett, in the breathlessly illuminating style for which
he is known, set out to demolish the idea (still illustrated in
the Museum in Canterbury), that in AD410 the city stopped
being Roman and became Anglo-Saxon. Already by the late 4th
c e n t u ry, Roman Kent was undergoing rapid and profound change
and the garrisons on the shore, far from being disciplined re g iments,
were a ragged Dad’s Army full of local adolescents re m iniscent
of young Pike rather than any aspiring centurion.
The great 4th century pewter industry at Ickham was supplied
with scrap metal by the local Steptoe & Son and no less than 5
mills – one of them a horizontal flue-mill – churned out such
fashionable accessories as German belt buckles. The transformation
of sub-Roman society and economy preceded apace after
R i c h b o rough replaced Dover as the gateway from Europe, half
the Riding gate was shut off to become a metal workshop; the
N o rth gate city wall survived as the most complete piece of
Roman walling in Britain, and experiments with pottery and tiles
evolved which far outlived AD410 in oases of continuity and
re b i rth.
David Birm i n g h a m
Winter 2007/08 6
pm at the Dominican Priory, St Peter’s Lane, Canterbury.
Wednesday 26 March
Metal Detecting in Kent by Andrew Richardson (Kent Finds Liaison Officer) 7pm at
the Dominican Priory, St Peter’s Lane, Canterbury.
Talks are all £2 for Friends of the Canterbury Archaeological Trust and £3 for nonmembers.
CENTRE FOR KENTISH STUDIES
Local History Talks 2007-2008
The Centre for Kentish Studies continues to present a joint programme of talks
together with Maidstone Library and Maidstone Museum and Bentlif Art Gallery,
under the title of ‘Time Talks’. For more information about the talks, please
contact Maidstone Museum on 01622 602838 or Maidstone Library on 01622
701943 for more details.
Monday 18 February at 6.30pm
“What I am I want you to tell me”: the ‘telling’ relationship of Vita
Sackville-West and Virginia Woolf by Lyndall Gordon
2008 is the 80th anniversary of Orlando, the novel Virginia Woolf based on Vita
Sackville-West andKnole. In Vita’s amorous relationship with Virginia Woolf, reciprocal
imaginative play and ‘telling’ were, I want to suggest, paramount. There
will also be a book-signing at this event.
All talks £3.00 each. Please make cheques payable to Kent County Council and
send to The Centre for Kentish Studies, Sessions House, County Hall, Maidstone
ME14 1XQ, enclosing a stamped addressed envelope.
TONBRIDGE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Thursday 21 February 2008 7.45pm
Archaeology of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link – Part 2 Helen Glass
Thursday 10 April 7.30pm
AGM followed by The British Slave Trade & Abolition David Killingray
Talks take place at the University of Kent Centre, Avebury Avenue, Tonbridge. Non
members welcome. Further details on 01732 838698.
Egyptology Courses
With Frances Williams M.A., M.I.F.A.
University of Kent dayschool: Tuthmosis III: Egypt’s Warrior King
Canterbury, Saturday 15 March
Study Tours to Egypt
1) the Western desert: Cairo-Baharya-Farafra-Dakleh-Kharga-Luxor
2) the Archaeology of Luxor – exploring a sacred landscape
More details available from fwpetiset@hotmail.com or 01892 723013. For
University of Kent dayschools contact v.j.woolnough@kent.ac.uk.
CRAYFORD MANOR HOUSE HISTORICAL & ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
Talks
9 Februar y
Lord Mayors of London John Halligan
8 March
The History of John Lewis and Waitrose A speaker from Waitrose
12 April
Behind the Scenes at the National Trust Patty Judge
All meetings are held at the Baker Trust Hall, Maxim Road, Crayford at 7pm for
7.30pm. Non members of CMHHAS are welcome to attend - £2 each. Enquiries
to Mrs J Hear-Gillham on 01322 551279.
The Society also has a summer excursion programme – please contact Mr Davies
on 01322 525335.
KAS CHURCHES COMMITTEE VISIT
St Nicholas Church, Chislehurst and St Mary’s, Cray
Saturday 26 April
We meet at 1.45 for 2pm at St Nicholas and at St Mary’s at about 3pm. Tea and
biscuits will be served at St Mary’s.
Cost of the tour is £2. Tea and biscuits is £1 extra.
A booking form for this event is included in this Newsletter.
KAS HISTORIC BUILDINGS COMMITTEE
Excursion to Westenhanger Castle and Barns
Tuesday 26 May
The castle is one of a group of quadrangular castles and manor houses that were
strengthened in response to threats of attack from France during the 14th
Century. This scheduled monument and the two medieval timber-framed barns
are undergoing a programme of conservation. The three-hourtour will cover:
l The development of Westenhanger during the period 1300-1750
l Historical facts relating to the site
l Owners of Westenhanger
l Phased restoration work since 1996
l Restoration and consolidation techniques
l English Heritage connections
Cost of the tour is £6.50 per person. Tea £3.00 extra. A booking form is included
in this Newsletter.
More details from Joy Saynor on 01959 522717 or email: saynor@shorehamkent.
wanadoo.co.uk
A second excursion will be to Boxley Abbey and Barn on Saturday, 28 June 2008.
A third excursion will take place in September. Details of these two trips will be
given in the April issue of the Newsletter.
KAS MEMBERSHUPCOMMITTEESOCIALEVENT
Visit to Provenders near Faversham
Thursday 22 May
Provenders is a Grade II 14c manor house being restored from decay by Princess
Olga Romanoff. A detailed tour of the 29 rooms will repay the charge of £10. Full
details in the next issue, but if needed before, contact Margaret Lawrence on
01622 671945.
OTHER EVENTS AROUND KENT
COUNCIL for KENTISH ARCHAEOLOGY
Spring Conference on Rescue Archaeology
19 April
Sevenoaks Community Centre, Otford Road.
This conference focuses on rescue archaeology and is organised jointly with the
organisation ‘Rescue’. Further details on speakers, cost and tickets on www.thecka.
fsnet.co.uk.
FRIENDS of CANTERBURY ARCHAEOLOGICAL TRUST TALKS
Saturday 26 Januar y
Frank Jenkins Memorial Lecture by Paul Bennett
6pm at Old Sessions House, Canterbury Christ Church University, Longport,
Canterbury (Joint lecture with the Canterbury Archaeological Society).
Wednesday 27 Februar y
The Work of the KAS Historic Buildings Committee by David Carder (KAS). 7.00
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KAS EVENTS
c a rved on each face.
T h e re is a similar stone in the nort h e rn part of the churc h y a rd ,
also aligned with the west wall of the nave. It is on the extreme left
in the picture below, close to a group of other ancient stones.
Readers are invited to contact the editor with any clues or
comments, or details of similar stones known to exist in other
c h u rc h y a rd s .
On page 15 of this issue you can read about Rev Larking,
founder of the KAS, who is buried at St. Martins, Ryarsh. The
c h u rc h w a rden there asks if anyone in the KAS can help him
discover the history of two mysterious stones in the churc h y a rd.
A re they gravestones or do they have some other significance?
The stone pictured below stands in the southern section of the
c h u rc h y a rd, in line with the west wall of the nave, and has a cro s s
7 Winter 2007/08
LOOSE AREA HISTORY SOCIETY
Monday 11 Februar y
Donald Maxwell – the unknown artist
A talk by Bob Ratcliffe, President of the City of Rochester Society, on the man who
wrote, drew and painted prolifically in the early part of the 20th century but is
now largely forgotten. Bob’s talk will attempt to rectify this situation.
Monday 10 March
Hops and Hop Picking
A talk by Richard Filmer, author and historian, on the history of hops from early
times to the present day.
Monday 14 April
Cobham Hall
A talk by Gerry Harris on the families associated with Cobham Hall since the 13th
century, their place in English histor y, and the development of the Hall.
Monday 12 May
‘Saxon Maidstone’
A talk by Karl Wittwer
Monday 9 June, 7.30 pm *
Private visit to Kent Police Museum
Monday 14 July, 7 pm*
Private visit to Tudeley Parish Church to see the Chagall windows
Monday 13 October
‘Ration Fashion’
A talk by Lee Ault
Monday 12 November
‘One hundred years of Scouting in Loose’
A presentation by the Scout management team
Monday 8 December
‘Puppets, piers and pantomime’
A talk by Alan Stockwell
* Please pay in advance for these events – 9 June £2, 14 July £4.
Unless otherwise stated all meetings are held at Loose Infant School Hall and
start at 7.30 pm. All welcome. Admission: £2.50. Pay at the door. For more details
telephone 01622 741198.
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >
l Now you can have 125 volumes of Archaeologia
Cantiana at the amazingly low cost of £31 for individual
members and £76 for institutional
members on the KAS Sesquicentennial DVD.
l To order your copy, send a cheque payable to
Kent Archaeological Society to James Gibson, 27
Pine Grove, Maidstone, Kent ME14 2AJ.
Have you just joined the society?
Do you wish you could collect
all the back issues of
Archaeologia Cantiana?
W H AT D O Y O U T H I N K T H I S I S ?
Grants may be made to societies and groups
as well as to individuals and are not restricted to
members of the Kent Archaeological Society. They
are usually around £200 to £400 each but the
trustees would consider a larger grant for a particularly
imaginative or innovative project which
might not be able to proceed without the grant.
Awards may not be announced until the summer
of 2008.
The late Allen Grove left a legacy to the Kent
Archaeological Society to establish this fund
to be used for the purposes of research,
preservation and enjoyment of local history. The
trustees will consider applications for grants for
any project with one or more of these purposes.
Projects may be practical ones such as presentation,
publication and education as well as
research.
Applications must be submitted, on the official
application form, by the 31st March 2008.
Application forms and further information may be
obtained from the Hon. Secretary: Mr A. I. Moffat,
Three Elms, Woodlands Lane, Shorne, Gravesend,
DA12 3HH, or by email to secretary@kentarchaeology.
org.uk. A form can be downloaded from the
web site www.kentarchaeology.org.uk/Grove app
form for web.pdf.
MEMBERSHIP MATTERS
Happy New Year!
Many thanks to those of you who have returned your standing order mandates. These have now been sent to your banks and, with luck, they
will have credited our bank with the correct amount. In case they do not do the correct adjustments, or even pay two amounts, please check your
bank statements carefully. If the entry is incorrect or duplicated please contact your bank immediately to ensure that the correct amount is paid
in future. In the unlikely event of you not receiving a form from me, or if you have mislaid it, please get in touch. I did send out nearly 750 letters
with standing order mandates, so some may have got lost in the post!
The new rates are as follows: Ordinary membership £25; Joint membership £30; Affiliated Societies £25. There is no alteration to those
claiming the under-21 rate or the reduced rate if you have been a member for more than 10 years and are over state pension age.
Those of you who prefer to pay by cheque should have received a letter from me in December with a renewal form. If you have not already
returned this to me with your cheque please do so as soon as possible.
It is interesting to note that very many of our new members find us through our website.
Shiela Broomfield
The address for all correspondence relating to membership is – Mrs Shiela Broomfield, KAS Membership, 8 Woodview Crescent, Hildenborough,
Tonbridge, Kent TN11 9HD. Tel: 01732 838698. Email: membership@kentarchaeology.org.uk or s.broomfield@dial.pipex.com.
We are pleased to welcome the following new members:
Mr M Ashley, Walderslade
Mr P A Collins, London N8
Mr D R Lewis, Canterbury
Mr P McDonnell, Aylesford
Mr N J Newell, Cranbrook
Y O U A N D Y O U R SOCIETY
Winter 2007/08 8
COPY DEADLINE FOR THE NEXT IS
THE ALLEN GROVE LOCAL HISTOR Y FUND
After the business there will be a presentation
about the Society’s work and other topics of
current interest.
The results of the elections will be announced
at the A.G.M. Nominations can be submitted for
any office; it is the sign of an active society if
there is competition for office.
Any five members can propose a candidate
for election as a member of the Council or as an
officer. Nominations have to be received by the
Ca n t e r b u ry will be the location of the
S o c i e t y ’s annual general meeting on
Saturday the 17th May this year. The meeting
will be in the morning and we hope to be
supported by you and the attendance of plenty of
other members.
Hon. General Secretary by the 1st March at the
latest and must be accompanied by the written
consent of the candidate.
F u rther information and guidance can be
obtained from the Hon. General Secretary Mr A.I.
Moffat, Three Elms, Woodlands Lane, Shorne,
Gravesend, DA12 3HH; email secretary@kentarchaeology.
org.uk. Although a special nomination
form does not have to be used, he can supply a
suitable form.
A.G.M. 2007
Miss C Palastanga, Langton Green
Professor S R Palmer, West Malling
Mr M F Powis &
Ms J Taylor, Tovil
Mr J E Walker, Larkfield
Ms I Wedd, Ipswich
Mr R C Churchill, Cheam, Surrey
Mr A M Larkin, Kemsing, Sevenoaks
Mr J C Window Bunkers Hill, North Cray
Mr G R Evans Broadstairs
9 Winter 2007/08
ISSUE IS FRIDA Y 29th FEBRUAR Y
KAS COMMITTEE ROUND-UP
Over 40 people attended the visit to
B e k e s b o u rne and Patrixbourn e
c h u rches organised by the KAS
C h u rches Committee in September.
These two churches are suff i c i e n t l y
close together for it to be possible to
walk from one to the other in just a few
minutes. It was a particular pleasure to
do so on this day as we were blessed
with a very pleasant afternoon. These
beautiful churches are of great intere s t
both architecturally and in their historical
associations. Mary Berg, a member
of the KAS Churches Committee, gave a
talk at both churches and drew out the
i m p o rtant points with clarity and
h u m o u r.
St Peter’s Bekesbourne is a Vi c t o r i a n
re c o n s t ruction of an ancient medieval
c h u rch, with a fine Norman doorw a y,
set on what is most likely an even more
ancient religious site upon a hill above
the Nailbourne stream. The Norm a n
c h u rch was extended in the 13th century
both eastwards and westwards, with the
c o n s t ruction of a tower. The manor of
B e k e s b o u rne was acquired in the early
16th century by Canterbury Cathedral
P r i o ry as a place for the monks’ re c reation.
Following the Dissolution, the
A rchbishop of Canterbury owned the
manor and had a palace here until
1647. A brick south transept was added
to the church in 1715, replacing an earlier
chantry, probably to serve as a family
pew for the Hales family of
Howletts. It contains some intere s t i n g
monuments including a memorial to
R i c h a rd Fogge, a naval captain of the
time of Charles I. The church owes its
p resent appearance to the drastic but
n e c e s s a ry restoration of 1882, apart
f rom the tower which was rebuilt in
1841 having collapsed some time
b e f o re 1817. Today the church is obviously
well loved and cared for.
St Mary ’s Patrixbourne is one of the
most impressive and best pre s e rv e d
monuments from the post-Conquest era
in rural east Kent. Its Norman feature s
continued on page 10
CHURCHES COMMITTEE
Study Afternoon: A Parish
Pump Revolution
Visit to Bekesbourne and
Patrixbourne Churches
This half day exploring the local
impact of the Reformation, held in
N o v e m b e r, was the last special
event of the KAS’s 150th anniversary
year celebrations. It was led by Dr
A n d rew Foster of the University of
C h i c h e s t e r, who ably communicated his
e x p e rtise and enthusiasm for the subject
to the large gathering of
p a rticipants. For, indeed, this was a
KAS event with a diff e rence, in which
Dr Foster got the audience actively
p a rticipating in an exploration of how
the Reformation was experienced in
local society.
Dr Foster began with a short
discussion on the causes, characters,
c h ro n o l o g y, concepts and consequences
of the Reformation. He then
gave a slide show giving examples of
the changes to church interiors (and
what these changes tell us) from the
p re - R e f o rmation period to the 17th cent
u ry. This re i n f o rced Dr Foster’s point
that many scholars now see the
R e f o rmation as a long process lasting
well beyond the 16th century. Other
themes included local variations in the
impact of the Reformation, developments
in education and the influence of
the gentry in local society.
Following an excellent tea, pro v i d e d
by the East Peckham Historical Society,
the participants were divided into
g roups and asked to imagine themselves
into the mentalities of various
g roupings in a country parish in the
1580s. These included the law-abiding
silent majority, the feckless teenagers,
the traditionalist Catholics, the radical
Puritans, the churc h w a rdens, etc.
Together they explored how such
g roups would have related to each
other and responded to the social and
religious turbulence of the period. In
this they were assisted by the expert i s e
of Dr Foster and his assistants for the
d a y, Professor Kenneth Fincham and Dr
D o reen Rosman from Canterbury. This
p roved an enjoyable way of considering
the dynamics of change and complexity
of the Reformation. It also served as a
reminder of how much historians do not
know about the majority of English
parishioners of the period, of what they
thought and felt. The Churc h e s
Committee chairman Philip Lawre n c e
and secre t a ry Liz Nussbaum spoke
for everyone in thanking Dr Foster for
an enjoyable and thought-pro v o k i n g
a f t e rn o o n .
Above: The fine Norman doorway of St Peter’s Bekesbourne.
Winter 2007/08 10
include a round east window (intriguingly
of the same dimensions as that not far
away at Barf restone) and a superb port a l
with richly-carved tympanum. The village
owed this high-quality rebuilding of its
c h u rch in the 1170s to its Norman lords of
the manor - the Patricks - the latest of
whom had recently married rather well (to
a great grand-daughter and heiress of the
p rudent Henry I). The churc h ’s patro n s
b e f o re the Reformation were Beaulieu
(near Rouen) and Merton Priories. The
south chapel was added in the 15th
c e n t u ry to house the family tomb of the
Isaacs, who were major local landholders.
An unusual feature of the church is the
position of the tower, on the south side of
the nave, through which one enters the
building. A north aisle with arcade was
added in the 19th century, and Gilbert
Scott re s t o red the church in 1857. One of
the churc h w a rdens kindly attended to provide
the welcome tea and biscuits and she
spoke about the interesting 16th and 17th
c e n t u ry Swiss glass which was installed
second-hand in 1837. She and her fellow
villagers are working hard to keep the
c h u rch in good ord e r, and for that we can
all be grateful.
Paul Lee
continued from page 9
The Churches Committee is keen to
p romote the production and publication
of church guides, with inform ation
for those wishing to visit, or study,
any particular church.
Guides may already exist for many
parish churches, but may be usefully supplemented
with further accurate historical
or archaeological detail of the building, its
monuments, and its role in the local are a
and community. It would, however, be
ideal if each church were to have at least
a simple information sheet available,
p referably with a plan of the building.
The Committee has already been able
to assist with projects to produce individual
guides, which have even included
printed, coloured books. It may be able to
p rovide advice on both content and
s o u rces for new guides using its database,
and knowledge of bibliographic or
illustrative material, and churc h - re l a t e d
websites; it may also have access to
knowledgeable individuals. Additionally,
t h e re is material held in the K.A.S. Library
collections, which may include earlier
published guides, or previous re l e v a n t
s t u d i e s .
If you are considering producing a
c h u rch guide, or know of others who
might wish to, whether as an individual,
local historian, or member of a part i c u l a r
c h u rch, the Churches Committee would
welcome any queries. There are re s e a rc h
facilities and assistance in locating
re s o u rces which the Kent Arc h a e o l o g i c a l
Society may be able to off e r.
We would also be pleased to hear of
anyone interested in becoming involved in
actually producing new guides for any
c h u rches where there is not at present a
potential local compiler for an inform a t i o n
sheet, or guide.
Contact: Churches Committee, KAS
L i b r a ry, Maidstone Museum and Bentlif
G a l l e ry, St. Faith’s Street, Maidstone,
Kent. ME14 1LH.
E-mail: churchguideskentarchaeology.org.uk
LEFT: The richly-carved tympanum of St.
Mary’s, Patrixbourne.
tectural features, Christopher Pro u d f o o t ,
C h a i rman of the KAS Historic Buildings
Committee, kindly stepped in at short notice.
He brought along part of his collection of doorknobs
and locks, which formed the subject of a
v e ry novel and amusing exposition on the evolution
of door fittings from the 18th century.
E v e ryone enjoyed his lively presentation as
well as the opportunity for closer examination
of the collection of fittings, which was on display
during the lunch bre a k .
After lunch, Elizabeth Finn of the Centre for
Kentish Studies (CKS) explained how the CKS
could help re s e a rchers trace the history of
specific buildings in the county. She gave
v e ry useful guidance on accessing the
extensive documentary sources held by the
C e n t re, followed by a ‘whistle-stop tour’ of
the contents of the local studies collections
and archives. Judging from the response
of the audience, Elizabeth should expect an
i n c rease both in requests for re a d e r ’s card s
and in visits to the CKS website.
the history of buildings, would live up to the
high standard set by those earlier events.
The day got off to a good start with first
s p e a k e r, Andrew Linklater of the Canterbury
A rchaeological Trust, whose topic was the
complexities of the archaeology of buildings
‘ F rom Hip to Hearth’. Rather than dealing
with high status buildings, he focussed on
the type of domestic stru c t u res in which 90
per cent of the British population would
have lived. Among Andre w ’s fascinating
slides, of particular note were those of
excavations that had taken place at Nort h
S t reet and Stour Street in Canterbury,
which he used with great effect to illustrate
the evolution of buildings. The many questions
and wide ranging discussion that followed
were a measure of the enthusiasm
stimulated by Andre w ’s pre s e n t a t i o n .
The next speaker listed on the programme
was Charles Brooking. However, as
he was unwell and unable to give the
planned talk on dating buildings by arc h i-
Over 70 people attended the KAS
Historic Buildings Conference held
last October in Lenham Vi l l a g e
Community Centre. The Confere n c e
C h a i rman, David Card e r, opened the day by
welcoming everyone and providing backg
round on the KAS Historic Buildings
Committee. He went on to explain that the
c o n f e rence was the first to be held by the
Committee. However, it could be considere d
the successor of the annual Conference of
Building Recorders, originally organised by
the late Kenneth Gravett, which evolved into
the Autumn Conferences organised so ably
by Joy Saynor. David expressed the hope of
the Committee that the day’s pro g r a m m e ,
dealing as it did with a variety of aspects of
Promotion of Church
Guides
HISTORIC BUILDINGS
COMMITTEE
Historic Buildings
Conference
the Spring issue of the Newsletter.
Advice leaflet
In an earlier issue of the Newsletter it was
announced that the committee was pro d u cing
a leaflet entitled ‘Historical Assessment
and Survey of Old Buildings’, an advice note
for those who care about them. This document
offers guidance to people who want to
find out more about their pro p e rt y. In addition,
a separate publications list is being prep
a red. The list contains reviews of publications
that might be helpful to anyone interested
in carrying out an assessment or surv
e y. Both documents will be available on the
KAS website and in hard copy. In order to
cover the cost of production, a small charg e
will be made for hard copies. (Leaflet £1;
Publications List 50p.)
11 Winter 2007/08
gramme of speakers, and Ted Connell, who
had taken care of the equipment and other
technical aspects, were also thanked for
their contributions to the success of the day.
F u t u r e Activities
When the committee met on 10 November,
in addition to deciding to hold another conf
e rence next October, it agreed to org a n i s e
t h ree excursions during 2008. All three will
focus on Kentish barn stru c t u re s .
The first will be a visit to We s t e n h a n g e r
Castle and Barns on Tu e s d a y, 26 May.
(See What’s On section for more inform a t i o n
and how to book).
The second visit will be to Boxley Abbey
and Barn on Saturd a y, 28 June. More
details on this event, and a third visit
scheduled for September., will be given in
Aided by slides and models, David Card e r
then gave an overview of the construction of
t i m b e r-framed stru c t u res, and more specifically
of Kentish barns, as an introduction to
the visit to the magnificent medieval tithe
b a rn in Lenham. Thanks were given to the
o w n e r, Valerie Woollven, for so genero u s l y
allowing the rare chance to examine one of
K e n t ’s finest barns, and to Martin Porter for
giving his time to guide the group around the
building.
B e f o re everyone set off to visit the barn ,
Christopher Proudfoot rounded off the conf
e rence by leading the expressions of appreciation
that went to David Carder for org a nising
such an enjoyable and inform a t i v e
event. It had provided a remarkable insight
into historic buildings from the arc h a e o l o g ical
and documentary point of view. Debbie
G o a c h e r, who had helped to arrange the pro-
The French invasion of England in 1216 is a relatively
neglected event in English history. Had it
succeeded, England’s then-ruling dynasty, the
Plantaganets, would have been extinguished and the
country as thoroughly conquered as it was by the
Normans in 1066. The invasion was led by Prince
Louis, son of the French King Philip Augustus, and he
was invited over to take the English crown by English
barons sick of the misrule and oppression of King
John (1199-1216).
John did not put up much of a fight and retreated
instead of opposing the French landing, but there
were those who were prepared to resist. One of
these was William of Cassingham (now Kensham, a
town between Rolvendon and Sandhurst) a lowly but
pugnacious country squire. The contemporary chronicler
Roger of Wendover reports William’s appearance
as the French army entered the south-east and
conquered all in their path: ‘A certain
youth, William by name, a fighter and a
loyalist who despised those who were
not, gathered a number of archers in the
forests and waste places, all of them
men of the region, and all the time they
attacked and disrupted the enemy, and
as a result of their intense resistance
many thousands of Frenchmen were
slain’
The archers that William gathered
were local men from the forest of the
Weald, the great expanse of forest that
once stretched unbroken across Sussex
and Kent. Under the leadership of William, who
assumed the nickname of ‘Willikin of the Weald’,
they soon became a terror to the invaders.
William and his band of volunteers formed a
core of stubborn resistance
to the otherwise triumphant
Prince Louis, ambushing
French troops and inflicting
fatal casualties on them.
William’s efforts, along with
the heroic defence of Dover
Castle by Earl Hubert de
Burgh, were the only sparks
of resistance against the
invasion in the south-east as
King John wandered the
midlands and south-west,
desperately trying to raise
support.
By October 1216 it
seemed that Dover must fall,
which would leave nothing except William’s band of
g u e rrillas to fight the French in the
south-east. It was doubtful they could
resist the invaders alone, but then King
John perf o rmed the best service he
could for his country: he died at Newark,
leaving his little son Henry to succeed
him as Henry III.
English fortunes now changed, as
many barons who hated John had no
quarrel with his son, and by early 1217
Louis decided to return to France for
reinforcements. Louis was obliged to
fight his way to the coast as the forests
were swarming with loyalists, and part
of his army was ambushed by William of
Cassingham and his band near Lewes. The French
were routed and the rest of their army pursued to
Winchelsea, where only the arrival of a French fleet
rescued them from starvation.
Still determined to conquer, Louis soon returned
to England with fresh troops, but again his plans
were spoiled by the efforts of William. As the invasion
fleet approached Dover William’s men attacked
and burned the French camp outside the castle, and
in fear Louis turned aside to land at Sandwich
instead. His cause was further shattered by defeats
at Lincoln in May and the destruction of his fleet in
August, and he was forced to sign a peace treaty at
Lambeth and return to France.
The war over, William of Cassingham was
rewarded for his efforts with a pension and made
warden of the Weald. He lived another forty years,
quietly drawing his pension and performing lowly
tasks such as fetching logs for the king’s household.
He died in 1257, a humble Kentish man but one
who the chronicler Holinshed was moved to laud as
‘O Worthy man of English blood!’
‘WORTHY MAN OF ENGLISH BLOOD’
WILLIAM OF CASSINGHAM, A FORGOTTEN HERO
Above: King John.
Above: Contemporary depiction of 13th century warfare.
Winter 2007/08 12
In the last issue of the KAS Newsletter, under Library Notes, the
name of the new book by Anne Clinch was incorrectly listed. The title
should be A History of Langley in Kent, not A History of Lingley in
Kent. My apologies to Anne.
The Editor
KAS SUPPORT FOR LOCAL HISTORY RESEARCH
Two local history enthusiasts have recently self-published books
on their specialist subjects, with the help of research grants from the
KAS’s Allen Grove Local History Fund.
‘FAMILIES OF WARTIME LOOSE” by Margaret Chapman
In this book, the author of the Loose Area History Society tells the
stories of the 65 men and women whose names are engraved on the
village’s war memorial; the 15 servicemen from the area who for various
reasons are not listed on the memorial; and several others who
won battle honours but whose fate is unknown.
Margaret’s book begins with an account of the unveiling of the
war memorial by Private Harold Harris, who lost his sight while fighting
in Flanders but with the help of St Dunstan’s set up a boot repair
business in the village.
She quotes extensively from official records and contemporary
newspaper reports; features family memorabilia and the reminiscences
of the casualties’ relatives; and records the casualties’
s e rvice histories and the locations of their war graves or
battlefield memorials.
There are more than 300 illustrations, including photographs of
nearly all the men and women concerned; the places where they
lived; ships, aircraft and battlefields – and much more!
The 264-page book is available free on CD in pdf format from
Margaret at 13 Northleigh Close, Loose, Maidstone, Kent ME15 9RP.
To cover P&P please enclose a cheque for £5 payable to ‘Margaret
Chapman’. The book can also be downloaded free of charge from
w w w. l o o s e a re a h i s t o ry s o c i e t y.webeden.co.uk (click on News/Wa r
Memorials).
Enquiries to 01622 746630 or MChap53767@aol.com
‘THE LOST MANOR OF WARE’ by Kathryn Kersey
Kathryn Kersey reveals some of the secrets of Ware Street, which
runs from Bearsted Green to Weavering Street, Maidstone, and
although less than a mile long, holds many clues to the days when it
was a sleepy hamlet, deep in the county town’s countryside.
“It was a medieval manor owned by Rochester cathedral”,
explains Kathryn. “The earliest surviving records I found were some
Latin documents, more than 600 years old, in Medway Archives
Office”.
“They were very fragile and about to be withdrawn from public
inspection, perhaps for several years. Luckily I was able to have them
transcribed and translated before they were taken away to be
repaired by conservation specialists”.
In her book Kathryn takes readers on a walk along the street,
describing how the
manor evolved over the
centuries and identifying
its historic pro p e rt i e s
and buildings. She also
brings to light the
manor’s surprising links
with such nationally
i m p o rtant historical
events as the Jack Cade
Rebellion in 1450 and the
‘Swing Riots’ on Kent’s
farms in 1830.
The careers of local
traders and craftsmen
are covered and although
f a rming was the main
occupation along old
Ware Street, it once had
an important ragstone
q u a rry and brickworks,
whose ruined engine
shed Kathryn discovered and photographed.
There are also oral history contributions and extracts from local
newspapers, parish magazines and census returns – and more than
200 photographs supplied by past and present residents and members
of Bearsted and District Local History Society.
‘The Lost Manor of Ware’, ISBN 978-0-9545831-3-2; 262 pages,
paperback, costs £17 inc. P&P available from 5 Greensand Road,
Bearsted, Maidstone, Kent ME15 8NY. Enquiries to 01622 730444 or
mjkersey@tiscali.co.uk. The book is also on sale at Waterstones,
ABOVE: Margaret Chapman (left) at the Loose War Memorial with Carol
Lockwood, whose father Flt. Lt. ‘Ginger’ Culver, an RAFpilot, is one of the
servicemen commemorated here. Alfred never saw his daughter. He was
posted missing, presumed dead, when she was eight weeks old. In the
picture Carol is wearing his medals and holding his portrait .
ABOVE: Kathryn Kersey in Ware Street.
N E W B O O K S
13 Winter 2007/08
Fremlin Walk Shopping Centre, Maidstone.
Allen Grove, who died in 1990, was curator of Maidstone
Museum for many years and the KAS’s Hon. Curator from 1949 to
1975 and President from 1987 to 1988. He left a legacy to the KAS
for the establishment of the Allen Grove Local History Fund to pro -
mote research, preservation and the enjoyment of local history.
For details of how to apply for a grant see page 8 of this
Newsletter.
KENTISH RAGSTONE by Malcolm Stocker
This book attempts to give a balanced assessment of Kentish
ragstone, its strengths and its drawbacks and traces the history of
the most widely used building stone in the South East of England.
The decline of the stone industry was particularly severe in Kent
with the closure of most of the Kentish ragstone quarries making its
future availability problematic. The difficulties this presents for those
involved in conservation is discussed.
A4 size paperback, 72 pages with 71 illustrations. Price £11.50
inc. P&P.
Available from Malcolm Stocker, Crowham Cottage, Main Road,
Westfield, East Sussex TN35 4SP. Email: stocker1@btinternet.com
THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF KENT TO AD800, edited by Dr John
Williams
Kent's proximity to the European mainland has meant that it has
always had a special relationship with its continental neighbours. At
times this has been a positive force, with Kent a conduit for trade and
new ideas, but on other occasions the white cliffs of Dover have symbolised
defiance, with Kent being in the front line in the defence of
England. The opening up of the Channel Tunnel and the construction
of the associated high-speed railway line linking England and France,
together with major development activity associated with an
agenda for regeneration and economic growth, has resulted in
unprecedented archaeological activity which has revolutionised our
understanding of Kent's earlier past.
The book begins with The Growth of Archaeology in Kent, from
the early pioneers to today’s development-led work. Four chapters
cover the Palaeolithic Archaeology of Kent, Prehistoric Kent, Roman
Kent and Anglo-Saxon Kent to AD 800. Within the narrative a number
of ‘boxes’ describe special sites and discoveries - such as
Barnfield Pit, Swanscombe, home to the second oldest human
remains from this country; the Dover bronze age boat; the Romano-
British ‘cult centre’ at Springhead, near Gravesend; and the Anglo-
Saxon watermill at Ebbsfleet.
The contributors to this volume, Professor Timothy Champion, Dr
Francis Wenban-Smith, Professor Martin Millett and Dr Martin
Welch all have specialist research interests in Kent, and have combined
established wisdom with the fresh information from recent
work to create a new and exciting story.
Hardback, 300 pages, well illustrated in colour with plans, maps,
photos and re c o n s t ruction drawings. Published by Boydell and
Brewer, Kent County Council, 2007, ISBN 9780851155807.
Normal price £25, but £20 to KAS members on production of a
KAS membership card, if collected from the Centre for Kentish
Studies in Maidstone, Dover Museum, Dart f o rd Museum or
Canterbury Archaeological Trust at 92a Broad Street, Canterbury. This
offer ends at the end of February.
Winter 2007/08 14
Dear Editor,
T h e re are obviously more sides to the debate over the future format and presentation
of the Archaeologia Cantiana. The hardback edition, although
expensive, maintains the standard by which the society is judged. If the presentation
migrated solely towards DVD then who can say that in 100 years
time the format will still be playable? Remember the 12 inch optical discs
that were buried in a time capsule for posterity by ‘Blue Peter’ in the 70’s ?
This format is no longer readable except in a museum. The humble CD is
a l ready going the same way; it is lucky that DVD players can still read the
same form a t .
No, paper is the guaranteed storage medium for the future! By all means
publish by download also, but do not neglect the future !
Alan Buckman
Dear Editor,
I read Angela Muthana’s letter in the Autumn 2007 Newsletter with intere s t
but disagree with her views. In my opinion our Journal is first class, not only
as re g a rds its content but also its presentation and our editor is to be congratulated
on a first class job. Angela queried as to whether any other ‘ j o u r -
nal of equivalent standing continues to be published in hard-back’ – I am
also a member of the Sussex Archaeological Society and am pleased to conf
i rm that their Journal is also published in the same manner.
In my opinion AC is ‘ w o rthy of a society operating in the 21st century ’
and long may it continue. In case any of our readers think I am a member of
the ‘Save the dinosaur brigade’, I didn’t write this letter with a quill pen but
on my computer.
Tom Hollobone
Dear Editor,
I was pleased to read the letter about our work at Bax Farm from my ex-student
Diarmaid Walshe. It is of particular joy that he is now engaged in
i m p o rtant work in Israel. However, Israel is a long way from Kent and the
Christian tradition of baptism is somewhat diff e rent in the We s t e rn Roman
E m p i re than the East. Diarmaid explains in his letter that a defined entrance
and exit for one person is the norm in the East, but if we look to Rome and
indeed the Baptistery of Constantine built by Sixtus 111 in AD440, (pro b a b l y
the first baptistery built) we see a ground plan exactly the same as the
Roman building investigated at Bax Farm. Indeed the octagonal building at
Bax Farm has all of the architectural details found in the Constantine
B a p t i s t e ry in Rome. Both are octagonal, both have a roof supported by a ring
of eight columns, and both have a large octagonal terraced central plunge
pool, in the case of Rome 12 metres across compared with the 5 metres at
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 7 / 0 8
Bax Farm. Patently, both are of a completely diff e rent design from those
generally found in the east. The building at Bax Farm is of such an unusual
and complex design that questions have to be asked of its function -
to say it is just another Roman bath-house is not a valid interpretation of
the evidence. Of course, other examples of octagonal baptisteries
abound in the west; the Baptistery at Nocera is one, Ravenna is anothe
r, in fact over forty of the same design as Rome and Bax Farm exist -
most with attested Christian baptisms having taken place.
On the question of the seal found at Bax Farm, it is in fact a fivebranched
menorah, not the more normal seven-branched as discussed by
D i a rmaid. Both have a completely diff e rent function. The type found at
Bax Farm is called a ‘redemption of the first born’ medal. These were
used by Jewish parents symbolically to pay priests upon the birth of
their first born son. The priests, it is believed, could be either Christian
or Jewish. Five such seals would be given to the priest to ‘buy back’ the
first born from God. The ceremony would generally take place when the
baby was 31 days old (Exodus 13:1-3).
In summing up, we have a unique late Roman building which deserv e s
f u rther investigation and may help in our understanding of late Roman
K e n t .
Paul Wi l k i n s o n
Dear Editor,
I sometimes wish there could be a little less crowing when pre s e n t - d a y
re s e a rchers discover a mistake or an omission in Edward Hasted’s magnum
opus, his 12-volume (or 4-volume folio) History of Kent. Of course
t h e re are omissions in it – Hasted was working nearly 250 years ago,
without the benefit of today’s catalogues, calendars and indexes, and
the mountain of re s e a rch, historical and archaeological, which has accumulated
in the intervening years. He had to journey on horseback to look
at a family’s archive, to look at it by candlelight if it happened to be
mouldering away in some dark place. And he was covering the whole
c o u n t y, not just a single parish or town. A review of his first folio volume
re p roached him on this basis, contrasting his work unfavourably
with that of Edward Rowe Mores on Tunstall. Hasted was comforted by
his great friend John Thorpe, who wisely pointed out that an undert a king
on such a scale was quite unrealistic for one man: ‘Notwithstanding
M o re ’s Hist. has such merit…yet to pursue his plan in a large County
Hist. Good Lord! How voluminous would it be, and what few could purchase
it, or indeed, what man’s life or pocket is adequate to it?’
Hasted, with his life devoted to his project, is certainly the father of
Kentish local history, whom we should be proud to own. There are very
few counties which possess a complete 18th-century history of this magnitude,
although a large number were proposed or begun. It is fitting
that the KAS should now have given him what one may hope will be a
lasting memorial in the shape of the biannual Hasted Prize, for which
students at any university may submit their final dissertation for an MA
or PhD. Aw a rded for the first time this year, it was won by Celia Cord l e ,
a mature student, from her thesis on the hop industry, ‘Hop Cultivation
and Marketing: Wealden Kent and Southwark, 1744-2000’ (see page 5).
Celia was encouraged to re t u rn to education herself in 1993 when her
son began university, and since then has achieved a BA at Kingston,
followed by an MA and then a PhD at Leicester University, all of which
she was able to work for on a part-time basis. She chose the Kentish
subject for her thesis as her family has Kentish links, and her pare n t s
lived at Sandhurst. I am sure we should all congratulate her on her
persistence and hard work, and the successful outcome of this.
ABOVE: The Baptistery of Constantine. Dr Shirley B Black
Thomas Streatfeild in collecting material for a new
history of Kent; working on a revised and updated
version of Hasted’s History and To p o g r a p h i c a l
Survey of the county (part of which, edited by Dr
Henry H. Drake, was published 20 years after his
death); a facsimile, translation and transcription of
The Domesday Book of Kent (published in 1869);
many articles in Archaeologia Cantiana (including
more than 200 pages of Volume 1); and editing
three volumes of records for the Camden Society.
In his volume on Kent in The King’s England
series, Arthur Mee wrote that Larking was ‘probably
unmatched in the county for his mastery of the
Saxon language and his understanding of ancient
manuscripts’.
HIS MEMORIALS
Larking is commemorated in several ways in
Ryarsh. There is a plaque in his honour at the main
gate to The Old Vicarage, which stands a few
yards south of the road to St Martin’s.
His grave and that of his widow is in the
churchyard, between the south wall of the nave
and the church path.
On the south wall of the chancel there is a
fine brass memorial, erected by Larking’s widow
and by John Wingfield Larking, his bro t h e r.
Beneath the memorial another brass plaque
informs us that ‘To the Glory of God and in Memory
of Rev. L. B. Larking the interior of this church was
restored AD 1872’. The restorations included
installing new benches, choir stalls, a screen and
a tiled floor. The nave and chancel are most
impressive when seen under the church’s new
energy-efficient subdued lighting.
A booklet, published about ten years ago and
on sale in the church, gives a brief outline of St
Martin’s history and architecture. However, visitors
will learn much more if they are fortunate enough
to be accompanied by the churchwarden, David
Parkins, who has known the building for 60 years
and is familiar with its every nook and cranny.
With acknowledgements to various KAS
members and to Rob Wraight (www.ryarsh.info)
and David Parkins (churchwarden). Our likeness of
Rev. L.B. Larking is from a lithograph reproduced in
Dr Henry Drake’s edition of Hasted’s History of
Kent.
LEFT (top): Rev. Larking.
(Middle): The commemorative plaque at the
main gate to the Old Vicarage.
(Bottom): The nave and chancel of St.
Martin’s church showing restorations
dedicated to Larking’s memory.
15 Winter 2007/08
Before memories of our 150th anniversary
fade, let us remember our founder, the Rev.
L a m b e rt Blackwell Larking, cleric and
antiquary.
In September 1957 a group of our members
laid a wreath on his memorial in St Martin’s
Church, Ryarsh, before gathering at Maidstone’s
Royal Star Hotel for their centenary dinner. Fifty
years later Larking was not singled out for special
celebratory attention; indeed, it seems that not
much at all was said about him, so we must resort
to Archaeologia Cantiana Vol. 70, published in
1956, in which Frank W. Jessup, our Hon. General
Secretary at the time, paid his respects in a
detailed account of the origin and the first one
hundred years of our society.
He reported that it all began on September 19,
1857, when 11 ‘noblemen and gentlemen of the
county’ met at Mereworth Castle at the invitation
of Viscount and Viscountess Falmouth, and decided
to form a Kent Archeological [sic] Society.
‘Thus the origin of the Society is chronicled in
the official records,’ wrote Jessup. ‘However, a
less official journal, kept by the Rev. Lambert B.
Larking, Vicar of Ryarsh and the Society’s first Hon.
Secretary, shows that he, in fact, was the only
author and true begetter of the Society and that
the initiative in its formation lay elsewhere than
with Lord Falmouth’.
Larking was born at Clare House, East
Malling, Kent, on February 2, 1797 and baptized
there at St James’ parish church.. He was the
eldest son of John Larking, who became High
Sheriff of Kent in 1808, and Dorothy (nèe Style)
Larking, daughter of St Charles Style, Bt, of
Wateringbury Place.
Dr Shirley Burgoyne Black’s biography in the
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (which
can be read online at www.oxforddnb.com) reveals
that Larking was a learned and diligent scholar
who found time to combine his pastoral work with
deep and serious academic research.
He lived for most of his life in villages close to
the one in which he was born. He was curate at St
M i c h a e l ’s, East Peckham, from 1820; vicar of
Ryarsh from 1830 to 1868; and, during the last year
of his life, also vicar at St Michael’s, Burham. He
was also chaplain to Viscount Falmouth, which
explains his presence at Mereworth Castle on that
important day in September 1857.
Larking died at Ryarsh Vicarage (now The Old
Vicarage) in Roughetts Road on August 2, 1868,
aged 71, and was buried at St Martin’s. His widow,
Frances (nèe Twysden), eldest daughter of Sir
William Jervis Twysden, Bt, of Roydon Hall, East
Peckham, died on March 25, 1873, aged 86. They
were married in 1831, when he was 34 and she
was 44. They did not have any children.
L a r k i n g ’s achievements, over and above
founding the KAS, include collaborating with Rev.
‘ L E T U S N O W P R A I S E FA M O U SM E N ’Ecclesiasticus xliv
RE V . LAMBERT BL A C K W E L L LA R K I N G (1 7 9 7 - 1 8 6 8 )
Published by the Kent Archaeological Society, Maidstone Museum and Bentlif Gallery, 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: 07920 548906
Email evelyn.palmer@virgin.net or newsletter@kentarchaeology.org.uk
Copy deadline for the next issue in April is Friday February 29th.
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.
INSET: Alex King, Deputy Leader of Kent County
Council, (centre) presents a copy of The
Archaeology of Kent to AD800 to Martin Welch, at
the books recent launch event. Martin was one
of several distinguished contributors to the book.
Another contributor, Timothy Champion, browses
his copy on the right. The editor, County
Archaeologist John Williams, stands beside Alex
King. For further details of the book and a special
offer to KAS members, see page 13.
Winter 2007/08 16