New Publications
A Biographical Dictionary of Those Engaged in the Book Trade in Kent, 1750-1900 by R. J. Goulden
This covers personnel engaged in the Kent book trade between 1750 and 1900: booksellers, stationers, printers, bookbinders, circulating library proprietors, apprentices, compositors, bookshop and library assistants, music sellers, music publishers, newspaper proprietors, editors, managers and reporters, and also travelling booksellers, commercial travellers dealing in stationery and books, colporteurs and hawkers of ballads and periodicals past.
A most useful resource for historians, genealogists and family history researchers.
In two paperback volumes (A-L and M-Z) with sources lists, index, 712 pages, published by R. J. Goulden, 156 Addiscombe Road, Croydon, Surrey CR0 7LA (email rgoulden@aol.com), £50 inc. p&p if within the UK.
Bryan Faussett Antiquary Extraordinary by David Wright
A biography of Bryan Faussett, F.S.A. (1720-1776), pioneering Kentish archaeologist and antiquarian. At his death, Faussett owned the world’s greatest collection of Anglo-Saxon antiquities, now in Liverpool Museum. The book presents the first comprehensive genealogical sections on the Faussetts and Godfreys; a history of the family seat near Canterbury; an introduction to antiquarianism and how the history of the world was imperfectly viewed in the 18th century. A detailed biography of Faussett covers his education, career and scholarly circle, with detailed descriptions of the sites he excavated. Copies of the book can be bought from the UK; the price (from £26) includes p&p. See http://www.bryanfaussett.co.uk/about.html or email Dr Wright at davideastkent@gmail.com
Kent Communicants Lists 1565 by Gillian Rickard
Part 2: Bicknor, Bobbing, Bredgar, Frinstead, Milstead, Milton next Sittingbourne, Newington near Sittingbourne, Queenborough, Stockbury, Tunstall, Wormshill. Numbers (no names) for Thurnham.
Communicants lists are lists, by parish, of inhabitants who took Holy Communion. Generally, communicants were aged 14 years and over. There was no set method of recording and the returns for each parish were set out in a different way, with differing amounts of information. The Communicants Lists transcribed in this book were presumably drawn up for a Visitation in 1565. Of the 11 parishes covered, the parish registers of five start only after 1565 (Bicknor, 1572; Bobbing, 1738, Queenborough, 1718; Stockbury, 1563, and Wormshill, 1700). Bishops’/Archdeacons’ transcripts commence much later. Communicants Lists are an extremely valuable resource for family and local historians.
Price: £4.50 or £5.50 including inland postage. Overseas rates including postage on request. Can also be sent electronically as a .pdf file at £4.50 – but please respect copyright. Email: GrKent@aol.com
Parts 1 and 3 are already published and copies are still available. Part 4 (the last part) will be published in due course.
Please see www.kentgen.com for further information, including a list of parishes covered.
Publication was assisted by a grant from the Allen Grove Local History Fund of the KAS.
Iron Age & Roman Pottery Specialists’ terminology by David Wright
Two long out of print publications have recently been added to the Society’s website. The first is 'Beggar's Kentish Ragstone 'Belgic' Pottery of South-eastern England' by Isobel Thompson. This was originally published as BAR British Series 173 in 1987 and can be viewed at http://www.kentarchaeology.org.uk/15/000.htm
Generally, lots of pottery is found during excavations of most Roman and Iron Age sites. Much of this pottery is grey ware, some shiny, some with cross-ties patterns, and would have formed the everyday cooking and tablewares of the period.
In the 1980s these two books classified these grey wares into forms and fabrics, using a mixture of letters and numbers. Archaeological reports now contain frequent references to such forms of pottery as a Thompson A1 (a pedestal urn) or a Monaghan 5D (a decorated roll-rim ‘pie-dish’). From this, pottery specialists immediately understand what kind of pottery has been found. For the less experienced archaeologists, the classifications are completely incomprehensible without illustrations. Now, due to the generous grant of permission by the authors, members of the Society and the world wide web, anyone can look up, at the click of a mouse on the Society’s website, the meaning of such terminology.
To access the Thompson and Monaghan publications, go to the home page of the website, click on Research on the right-hand side below the heading Archaeological Fieldwork are the links to the books.