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KE N TA RC H A E O LO G I C A LS O C I E T Y newnewIssue number 57ss ll ee tt tt ee Summerrr 2003 RI N G L E M E R E2 0 0 3 Inside 2-3 n March 2003 archaeolo- served to trap evidence of earli- Faversham Museum gists returned to Ringle- er activity below and it can & Time Team mere, near Sandwich, to now be seen that a major late Library Notes continue excavations at Neolithic settlement had exist- 4-5 the site where the spec- ed on the site of the barrow tacular early Bronze Age around 700-1000 years earlier. Lectures, Courses, gold cup was discovered The inhabitants of this settle- Conferences & Events in November 2001. This year’s ment used highly decorated 6-7 programme was again possible Grooved ware pottery and the Bayford Castle through the generosity of the assemblage of such pottery Anglo-Saxon & landowners, the Smith broth- from Ringlemere is now by far Medieval Conference ers of Ringlemere Farm. The the largest from Kent and one fig 1 8-9 work was funded by substan- of the largest from anywhere Notice Board tial grants from the KAS, the in south-east England. 10-11 BBC and the British Museum. Whether this coincidence of ‘Ideas & Ideals’ Progress of the excavation was location is purely fortuitous filmed throughout by a profes- remains to be considered in Baptists, sional team from the BBC (fig. the light of further excavation Independents & 1) and this should be screened, but some sort of link presently Separation from the as part of the new ‘Hidden seems possible. State in Kent Treasures’ series, sometime In order to set the site into 12-13 during September. its local context, field-walking New Books The excavations were and metal-detecting of the Civic Trust Heritage headed by members of adjacent field was undertaken, Open Days Canterbury Archaeological in search of evidence for any 14-15 Trust but the bulk of the fig 2 settlement associated with the Letters to the Editor digging was undertaken by barrow. This has confirmed Victorian Art in a a team from the that a spread of prehistoric Medieval Church Dover Archaeological Group, Top: The BBC film progress as the top-soil over the Bronze Age struck flints and calcined flints assisted by members from occurs across the entire area. 16 barrow is carefully cleared away. Photo by Tina Parfitt The Cantiaci Thanet, Lenham, Maidstone Below: The Iron Age brooch. Photo by Richard Hoskins Metal-detector surveys have and Otford Archaeological also revealed a light scatter of Societies, as well as a number of other can now be confirmed as being 41.50 Roman coins but the most significant volunteers. The entire operation metres (136 feet). Excavation of the discovery was a rare early Iron Age served as a splendid example of what ditch revealed that it was over 2 brooch probably imported from France can be achieved by amateurs and pro- metres (6 feet) deep and in times of (fig. 2). This represents an important fessionals working in close co-opera- wet weather had sometimes held new find for Kent but belongs to a peri- tion and should serve as a model for water. The ditch seems to have been od not previously represented at other projects being undertaken in the completely silted and invisible by the Ringlemere. County. Roman period. As part of the TV programme, some The main aim of this year’s inves- Many centuries of ploughing experimental archaeology was under- tigation was to re-examine the central have removed all but the base of the taken. In an attempt to ascertain the part of the round barrow previously barrow mound; originally it might possible uses of the numerous calcined identified and to try and determine have stood to a height of around 5 flints (‘pot-boilers’) which occur in the exact diameter of its enclosing metres (16 feet). Such dimensions large numbers across the site, fish and ditch. The great ditch was located in would have made the barrow one of meat were cooked in a pit using heated roughly its expected position and the the very largest in southern Britain. overall diameter of the enclosed area Survival of the mound had continued on page 2 Summer 2003 www.kentarchaeology.org.uk 1 continued from page 1 carefully removed from the site in the same field. The field-walking too order not to contaminate the area and will be continued as the crop rotation flints. The resulting cooked food was bias the results of any future field- allows. The general impression is that entirely edible and the waste material walking exercise. the entire Ringlemere area has a very left-over consisted of calcined flints Ploughing continues to erode the high archaeological potential and more identical to those found in the Ringlemere barrow and it is intended important discoveries are anticipated. Ringlemere excavations and on many to fully excavate the complete monu- Anyone wishing to assist in the other prehistoric sites in Kent. Details ment over the course of the next few September excavations should contact of this interesting experiment will be years. Hopefully, we will also be look- the writer. FAVERSHAM written up in due course. NB:- the cal- ing at some of the other, smaller bar- ACTIVITIES cined flints from the experiment were row sites known from crop-marks in Keith Parfitt FAVERSHAM ACTIVITIES FAVERSHAM ACTIVITIES NE WD I S P L AY SATFAV E R S H A MM U S E U M FAVERSHAM oused within the Fleur de Lis phone kiosk with a ‘Press Buttons A ACTIVITIES Heritage Centre, Faversham’s and B’ mechanism, complete with a Museum has recently been stock of old pennies for its use. FAVERSHAM updated to include several The repatriation and restoration of ACTIVITIES new displays. Visitors begin a beautiful Georgian Fa v e r s h a m FAVERSHAM their visit by seeing what shopfront which had found its way to archaeology has revealed, a Chicago Museum 75 years ago, will ACTIVITIES from the earliest Iron Age beginnings lead to eventual display in front of a FAVERSHAM of the area through to Faversham’s garden laid out in formal Georgian development in the medieval period, style. ACTIVITIES particularly the role played by its two The Museum is open from 10am FAVERSHAM monasteries, Faversham Abbey and to 4pm on Monday to Saturdays and Davington Priory. from 10am to 1pm on Sundays with ACTIVITIES This is followed by the new an admission charge of £2 (conces- FAVERSHAM Elizabethan Room, illustrating the rise tre’. “Not exactly Bluewater” says sions £1). in prosperity of the town after the John Culmer, Senior Honorary ACTIVITIES Dissolution. The development of the Curator, “but a vivid evocation of how FAVERSHAM explosives industry is traced in a spe- High Street shops used to be in our ACTIVITIES cially-commissioned video. grand, or great-grandparents, day”. A Upstairs is a Victorian Schoolroom barber’s, a chemist’s, a sweet shop, a FAVERSHAM and a late Victorian kitchen, as sub-post office and lending library, ACTIVITIES authentic as possible in style, with a and a drapers’ are all recreated in peri- selection of Victorian ‘entertainment’ od style with almost everything on FAVERSHAM such as lantern-slide shows and wind- show being authentic. ACTIVITIES up gramophones also on display. Displays on Faversham’s other Both World Wars are remembered, industries, such as brewing and brick- FAVERSHAM with memorabilia from the work of making, are planned when finance for ACTIVITIES ‘Dad’s Army’ and the Air Raid upgrading the available space is FAVERSHAM Wardens. A hand-operated air raid found. Pride of place will surely go to siren sits silently nearby – too incredi- an old fashioned electro-mechanical ACTIVITIES bly noisy to operate! (Strowger) automatic telephone FAVERSHAM The town’s civic and ceremonial exchange, of which there are only two life and sporting scene are also shown. or three left in the country. Engineers ACTIVITIES The virtually extinct local sports of will install lines around the Fleur de goal running and rink hockey take Lis complex and visitors will be able to Top left: The centre’s attractive frontage and pride of place. call each other on old-fashioned above, two of the display areas: the late Finally comes the ‘shopping cen- phones. There is even an old tele- Victorian kitchen and Wartime display. TI M ET E A MC O M E ST OFAV E R S H A M ver 60 people from Time Team when the programme is aired in descended on Syndale recently January 2004. A dig is currently to explore and film recent dis- underway to build on Time Team’s dis- coveries. Paul Wilkinson’s theo- coveries, ending August 3rd. To partic- ry was that there was evidence ipate phone 01795 532548; cost £35 of a Roman fort from the per day or £25 for members of Kent Claudian invasion of Britain buried Archaeological Field School. under the 18th century estate at Picture shows (from left) To n y Syndale, just to the west of Faversham. Robinson, Paul Wilkinson, Guy de la They were not disappointed, and dis- Bedoyere, Phil Harding, Malcolm Lyrie coveries were made which can be seen and Carenza Lewis. Summer 2003 2 will be invited to embark, is to Trust Yearly Reports 1997-1998, provide a summary of the con- 1998-1999, 1999-2000, 2000- LI B R A RY tents of each file. It is no part of 2001. this exercise to attempt an in- Kent Family History Vol.