№ 111 Spring 2019 THE OLDEST AND LARGEST SOCIETY DEVOTED TO THE HISTORY AND ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE ANCIENT COUNTY OF KENT Wrotham Sheerness East Farleigh A straight-tusked elephant From medieval palace The Royal Dockyard: MAAG update Found at Upnor in 1911 garden to bowling green Where are we now? 05 18 24 28 ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL’S FRAGMENTS OF HISTORY President Hon. Editor Dr Gerald Cramp Terry G. Lawson [email protected] Vice Presidents Mr L.M. Clinch Hon. Curator Mr R.F. Legear Dr Elizabeth Blanning [email protected] Hon. General Secretary Clive Drew Hon. Librarian [email protected] Ruiha Smalley [email protected] Hon. Treasurer Barrie Beeching Press [email protected] Vacant Hon. Membership Secretary Newsletter Mrs Shiela Broomfield Richard Taylor [email protected] [email protected] WELCOME FROM THE EDITOR Welcome to the Spring 2019 Newsletter. skills in the process, to survey approximately 250,000 square metres of agricultural land, the results of Following a relatively quiet winter, we have an issue which are a feature on pages 15–17 of this issue. packed with a variety of fieldwork, historical research projects and discussion. The Letters to the Editor For me, the best way to increase the Society’s section has taken off in this issue with members membership is continued engagement and learning commenting on previously featured articles; this – get people involved, try new activities, learn new extended discussion is a long-term aim of the skills and make contributions to our County’s fantastic Newsletter and one, I hope, the Membership continues. archaeological and historical heritage. Members wishing What also struck me when editing this issue is the to make use of the survey equipment need only contact number of articles – and their associated projects the survey team at [email protected] – that have utilised and benefited from the survey equipment purchased by the Society in 2018. This The Newsletter remains an outlet for this fantastic investment in new technologies will continue to have heritage and the tremendous work going on out a positive impact on much of the survey and fieldwork there. I continue to encourage as many members as carried out by the Society and affiliate groups. possible to think about writing articles and help inform the broader historical and archaeological community Nowhere has this aim been more evident than at the of what is taking place in our heritage-rich and recent survey of Badlesmere Bottom Field at Lees diverse County. Please continue to forward articles Court Estate, a probable candidate for one of the or notices to [email protected]. most extensive volunteer magnetometry surveys undertaken. Students from the University of Kent and Enjoy this issue. KAS members from affiliate groups worked tirelessly, Richard Taylor using the KAS survey equipment and learning new The editor wishes to draw attention to the fact that neither he nor the KAS Council 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. Front cover image courtesy of Jacob Scott. 02 | Kent Archaeological Society № 111 Spring 2019 CONTENTS FEATURES From Medieval Wrotham Palace Garden to Bowling Green 05 Adisham Mill: Romano-British Temple and Ritual Landscape 08 Badlesmere Bottom Geophysical Survey 15 Sheerness Royal Dockyard 18 Fragments of History 21 MAAG 2019 at East Farleigh 24 Darent Valley Landscape Partnership Scheme 26 The Context of the Palaeolithic Straight-Tusked Elephant 28 Conserving ‘Powerful Symbol’ of Nazi Invasion Threat 33 The Dutch Gables of Kent 36 Spoons, Flags and Heroes 38 Revising the Definition of Treasure in the 1996 Treasure Act 41 27 18 05 28 26 21 08 24 36 15 38 33 10 km 6 mi. REGULAR President’s Column 04 Letters to the Editor 10 Books 11 An Interview With... Nigel Macpherson-Grant 12 Cobham Landscape Detectives 27 Membership Matters 35 Notices 43 Winter 2018 | 03 PRESIDENT’S COLUMN FROM MEDIEVAL After the process started by my predecessor, Ian Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) and the increase Coulson, the KAS became a Charitable Incorporated in interest in metal detecting has seen treasure WROTHAM PALACE Organisation (CIO) on 1st January 2019. As mentioned cases rose from 79 in 1997 to 1,267 in 2017. in my previous column, members were informed that the Society’s old bank account would close Most of the document seeks views on the technical and from 2019 the subscription should be paid operation of the Treasure Act 1996 including reporting GARDEN into the new bank account. While many members a find, the definition, the valuation of treasure did send their subscription to the correct new and the acquisition by museums of treasure. account, the Society’s membership secretary, Shiela TO BOWLING GREEN By Gerald Cramp Broomfield, has been working hard to correct the The last part of the consultation (paragraphs many errors that have occurred when subscriptions 136 to 143) concerns the long term future of the This historic site between have been credited to the wrong account. treasure process and its sustainability. I have Wrotham Church and the medieval included paragraphs 141 and 142 as they may Archbishop’s Palace at Wrotham is On the same date, the Society’s revamped be viewed as having long term implications for now used as a bowling green by the website was launched successfully. the KAS and all archaeological societies. Wrotham Bowls Club. The ruined palace building is shown in print on 141. Our aim, therefore, is to have a treasure Wrotham as published by Edward Donation to the Society process that supports the intention of the Act Hasted in 1782 (1st edition of his and encourages positive behaviour. In order History of Kent, volume 2, page 235) During last year the Society was given a significant to continue its success, however, the process (Fig 1). Recently, one member of volume compiled during the first decade of the Society’s must have a sound financial underpinning. the Wrotham Bowling Club became existence. Originally the volume belonged to E M very interested in the history of its Gibbs of Clarendon Cottage, Gravesend who pasted 142. To this end, we are putting forward several initial home site after a search on the newspaper reports of the Society’s annual meetings suggestions as to the basis of discussion on the net using “Wrotham” and “bowling from 1858 until 1868. Somehow the volume found its future form of the treasure process. These are: green” as search arguments. He way to the West Country and has been donated to was surprised to be referred to an the Society by Caroline Marsham of Herefordshire. • the introduction of a process similar to that in article from Hasted’s History. Further The Society must also thank David Everett of Scotland, whereby all archaeological objects enquiries by members of the club, Worcester for arranging the gift and undertaking become the property of the Crown; much of it undertaken in the Kent some family history research on Edwin Gibbs. History and Library Centre (KHLC) • strengthening educational outreach to the full in Maidstone have uncovered a spectrum of the metal detecting community in order fascinating history of the site. Consultation on Proposed Changes to encourage the proactive reporting of finds and to the Treasure Act (critical) adherence to the Code of Practice for Responsible Hugh Hornby, the author of Bowled superfluous. In the middle of the Metal Detecting and the treasure process; and Over: the Bowling Greens of England 14th century, Wrotham Palace published by Historic England (2015) Her Majesty’s Government is consulting on was pulled down and Harris, in his believes that the Wrotham Green is proposed changes to the Treasure Act 1996, its • the introduction of a regulation as in Northern History of Kent published in 1719, the tenth oldest green in England. associated Code of Practice and the process for Ireland where archaeological digging of any records that “about 350 years ago, Moreover, research undertaken by finds that may be treasure. The Council of the Kent sort (both by professional archaeologists Archbishop Islip pulled it down and the garden historian, Sally Jeffery, Archaeological Society discussed this consultation and others) is only allowed by permit. carried the materials to Maidstone has shown that the walled enclosure at its meeting on the 23rd of February and decided to complete the palace there.” The surrounding the green and the that the membership of this Society should be These proposals have the potential to have a ruins and the site to the east of enclosed area was the middle part consulted directly. I have been asked to submit the significant impact on archaeology in England the parish church continued to be of a three-part garden scheme set Society’s comment using online submission. and Wales, especially that carried out by owned by the church until they were archaeological societies such as the KAS. out during the seventeenth century. surrendered to Henry VIII in 1537. The full document can be viewed by Googling “treasure The Manor of Wrotham was owned act consultation” and following the link where it says Further details of the proposals are given in an The remaining buildings and gardens by the Archbishop of Canterbury “documents”. It is 41 pages long with 144 paragraphs article in this issue of the newsletter (page 41). were acquired as part of a dowry by from the 10th century until it was and thus not easily condensed into a few notes. James Byng in about 1557 who later surrendered to Henry VIII. Wrotham sold the property to William James Palace was one of several linking The stated aim is to improve the treasure process of Ightham shortly after 1649.