Issue 18 Summer 2020

Home , Alfred Deller, Kent Opera, Royal Navy Dockyard

Issue 18, Summer 2020 A drawer of index cards - a familiar sight to Kent Archives’ staff during lockdown! Like other local authority archives across the country, the exceptional circumstances occasioned by Covid- 19 has meant that Kent Archives has been temporarily closed to the public since 23 March, and staff have been working from home. In this edition of the Archives@Kent newsletter, Kent Archives’ staff tell us about some of the important archive projects that they have been working on during lockdown and how they will improve the service and help its users in the future.

Depositors’ Database Project: Kent Archives’ Accession Registers Olivia Weekes and Katharine Martin, Project Archivists

Our role as cataloguers means that it is difficult for us to work from home during the lockdown, as we do not have physical access to the collections held at the Kent History and Library Centre. Therefore, we have been working on a completely different project that not only keeps us busy but will benefit the Archives in the future! We are creating a Depositors’ Database in our cataloguing software, Calm. This is a comprehensive database of information regarding the individuals and organisations that have donated or deposited records with Kent Archives. It is important that this custodial history is kept up to date with depositor’s contact details, as it is vital for the authenticity and integrity of the records we hold. The database will therefore make it easier for us to identify who deposited specific records, highlight any other collections that person deposited in the past, and assist us if we need to contact the depositor with queries about their collections in the future. Since late March, we have been inputting the depositors’ information contained in the Kent Archives’ handwritten accession registers dating back to the 1930s onto a spreadsheet where it can be sorted and collated. We have now almost completed work on six of the registers, comprising a total of 5,823 entries to date, with just the final pages of the last register to go! This will then be uploaded onto Calm. Linking all the collections we hold to a depositor entry will take time and some careful research to make sure all the information is up to date and accurate. Luckily time is something that we have had rather a lot of over the past few weeks! We have been able to make a positive outcome out of a very serious situation, as we have been able to work on a project that we may not have had the opportunity to complete otherwise. Everyone has had to change their way of working but this has undoubtedly encouraged us to become more creative, flexible and adaptable in the way we work. It has also been a fun challenge and test of our palaeography skills at times to decipher some of the handwriting, especially in the early register entries! We have only been working at Kent Archives since December, and both of us have found that this project is allowing us to get to know the types of records and the collections in a way that would not have been possible so quickly under normal circumstances. We are gaining a better understanding of the types of depositors and the logistics of acquiring new collections, and we are excited to see the work we have produced assist the team going forwards.

Working at Home during Lockdown (AKA Carry-on-Archives) Sheila Malloch, Customer Services Officer—Archives and Local History

I would never have thought we would be going through this present situation, so working at home for weeks with no idea of an end-date has been a culture shock to me and my colleagues. A ‘temporary’ home office was hurriedly set up and I found myself with an ancient laptop, a tablet with a dodgy screen and a smart phone, sat at the dining room table (the smallest bedroom/my craft room had already been comman- deered). Not forgetting stationery, comfy cushions, Radio 4 for company and close proximity to the fridge. As visitors to the Archives searchroom will be able to confirm, we are usually a chatty bunch, and I have kept in touch with the rest of the team to discuss work progress and provide support. Plus, with the wonders of mobile technology, I have been able to talk whilst walking in circles in the garden and getting some of my daily exercise! So, what have I been doing? With Olivia and Katharine, I have been typing up entries from our Accession Registers, focusing upon the records that were received at the former archives branch office at Folkestone. The registers were digitised before we left the office and it is my job to type up the entries onto a spreadsheet. I can access the digitised images on my tablet and then type up the entries on my laptop. The registers are handwritten, and I frequently have to ‘google’ correct spellings of names and addresses: that’s where the smart phone comes in handy. All three devices need to be kept charged, and there have been many occasions when the snaking wires under the chair needed to be untangled (only to knot themselves together again mysteriously overnight). Once complete, this information will be checked and then exported to our electronic catalogue, Calm, to provide staff with a searchable database of our accessions records. In the past, if we had queries about a deposit we would have to look through the register entries in date order. As the entries date back to 1920, we could be looking at several years of information before finding the correct entry needed! Not only are the contents of the accession registers useful for office administration, but they have also ena- bled me to find out more about the history of businesses in the Folkestone area. For instance, I was surprised to find how many solicitors had operated in Folkestone, and it will be a difficult job to try to find out if they are still active, when they ceased being in business, and if they merged with other legal firms. It has made me want to visit Folkestone after the lockdown is lifted to get more of a feel for its history. Undertaking this work, particularly under present circumstances, has reinforced my belief that we are fleet- ing custodians looking after history for future generations. Our archive collections have survived wars, moves, re-organisations, and other pandemics. But, hopefully through modern technology, digitisation and social media, we have been able to bring you some of their special stories. I have titled this article ‘Carry-on -Archives’ because that’s what we are doing, carrying on trying to do our work, looking after and promoting our holdings. Hopefully there won’t be a film appearing of our efforts. Kent Wills and Inventories Indexing and Digitisation Project Jennifer House, Archive Collections Assistant

From home I have been continuing the work of our fantastic volunteer, Diane, in transcribing the information from our card index of pre-1653 Rochester wills onto a spreadsheet. The card index covers both the loose original wills (which contain the testator’s signature and the act of probate, which marked the end of the process of legally proving the will), and the volumes of registered wills (which contain transcript copies of the will and act of probate entered by the Registrar). As I go, I am noting any issues that will need to be investigated when we can access the original records in our strongrooms again. This may be a case of clarifying whether the date cited is the date of death or the date when the will was filed or proved, checking the professions recorded, or confirming the correct document reference where the reference on the index card no longer aligns with the format used on Calm, our cataloguing system. Once all of the entries have been checked and edited, the details from these index cards will form the basis of a new index that will be made available on Kent Archives’ website. It is our hope that these steps will make accessing the valuable information that the wills contain (from the name, occupation and residence of the testator, to mention of family and friends and details of the deceased’s property and posses- sions) easier and more efficient. In time, we intend to also digitise the wills so that the images can be linked to the index entries via our online catalogue. Our ultimate aim is for digital copies of the wills to be ordered and downloaded directly from our website. In working on this project I have been surprised by the variation in the spellings of surnames: Rowe and Arow, Ridley alias Wridlocke! I can certainly appreciate how this fluidity can cause headaches to the family historian! I have also been interested to see the range of occupa- tions beyond the typical yeomen and husbandmen. There are barbers, victuallers, butchers, and cordwainers, as well as some less familiar to the modern ear: cutlers, maltsters and maltmen, hemp dressers and even a Queen’s trumpeter in ordinary. If you would like to know more about probate records, then our helpful Guide to Probate Records explains the records that we hold and how to use them in your research.

Kent Wills and Inventories Indexing and Digitisation Project Anne Entwistle, Archive Collections Assistant During lockdown I have been typing up the Rochester Consistory Court Will Index cards for wills proved in this ecclesiastical court between 1660 and 1858. Each card gives details, where available, of the name of the testator, the date when the will was proved, the place where they lived, details of the person’s occupation or status, and the reference for the registered copy of the will and/or that of the original will. In addition, snippets of extra information from the wills may be included, such as the names of the ships that a mariner served on, the company a marine belonged to, or the name of a spouse or parent. Whilst this work has a routine element to it, there have been some highlights. For instance, there are some great names within the records (or at least the following appealed to me!): • Melior Heblethwaite (1669) - doesn’t sound very Kentish but she was a widow from Rochester • Hercules Hills (1678/1679) - a carpenter from Rochester • John Oldmeadow (1747) - a boatswain who served on HMS Victory and HMS Royal Sovereign • John Overnuckle (1696) - from Sandwich, a mariner on HMS Carlisle • Rice Price (1690) - a mariner from Bridgewater, Somerset • Gamaliel Palmer (1687) - a mariner from Chatham. The Christian name, Gamaliel, was new to me and I discovered that it is the Greek form of the Hebrew name meaning ‘God is my reward’ and indi- cates the loss of one or more earlier children in the family. So why, I wondered, in the 4000 or so index cards I have typed up, have I only come across one example of this name?

Kent Wills and Inventories Indexing and Digitisation Project Anne Entwistle, Archive Collections Assistant Moving on to trades, I must mention Thomas Griffin (1701) , a cook on HMS Sandwich - cold buffets only I guess… Trades that were new to me include that of Edward Moore (1748), from Rochester, who was a Landwaiter in the Port of Rochester, which turned out to be a customs official; David Morgan (1719), of Sheerness, a scav- elman - one who maintains waterways and ditches; William Mugredge (1662) of Tonbridge, a saddletree maker - one who produces the wooden frame for a horse saddle; George Rogers (1827) of the City of Roch- ester and Edward Turner (1771) of Rochester St Nicholas, both coal meters - a licensed official responsible for measuring coal; James Towers (1673), from St Anne, Soho, a dry cooper - one who made containers used to ship dry goods; Richard Turner (1738) from Milton next Gravesend, a tiltboatmaster - a tilt boat being a large rowing boat with an awning often used to convey passengers between Gravesend and London; and more unusually, Stephen Duer (1768) of Chatham, a mathematician, and William Hills (1722) of Dartford, a musician. Sadly, wills for women generally describe their status only - widow, spinster, wife - so it was very pleasing to find Ann Wainwright (1719/1720), Katherine Nichols (1724), Jane Rohane (1754) and Mary Pattison (1773) who are described as nurses in ‘His Majesties’ Royal Hospital for Seamen at Greenwich. The post of housekeeper also receives recognition with Mary Penfold (1729) of East Malling, who is noted as housekeeper to Lady Twysden at Bradbourne, and Avis Haritage Pitt (1827), who was housekeeper to Thomas Hollingum, gentleman, in Gravesend. The parishes of Greenwich, Deptford, Woolwich, Chatham, Gravesend and Rochester were all historically under the jurisdiction of Rochester Consistory Court for the proving and administration of wills, and it is no surprise that there are many mariners’ wills. In fact, 17% of the wills on the index cards I typed up are for mariners and this does not include those who, with no specified occupation, were attached to ships in the Royal Navy or those who had other specified roles on board such ships, like cooks, boatswains and carpenters. I at first naively imagined that many of these mariners were killed in swashbuckling sea battles but the index cards record that most ‘died on board’ their ships. Only a few mariners were ‘killed on board’, such as Henry Downes, captain’s cook on HM Frigate Monmouth who died, ‘halfe an hower before the last engagement against the Dutch (which happened on or about the said day in which Engagement he was slayne)’; John Riches, mariner ‘slayne in the late engagement against the Dutch’ in 1673; or the truly swashbuckling reference to Robert Emmett, a seaman on HMS Marie-Rose, who was maimed in the fight between his ship and 7 Turks Men of War off the Coast of Spain in December 1669. Trades and employees of the Royal Dockyards of Chatham, Deptford and Woolwich are well represented too, with ropemakers, shipwrights, carpenters and sailmakers, as well as Michael Pinfold from Rochester, whose will of 1745/1746 gives his trade as the Master Attendant at the Royal Navy Dockyard at Port Mahon (Minorca in Spain). Whilst my work is part of a longer term project, the immediate benefits to me of undertaking this project at such a time of worry and upheaval in our daily lives have been immense; it has given me a daily purpose and focus, and allowed me the time and opportunity for escapist flights of fancy, imagining the lives of this very different Kentish generation of which I previously had very little knowledge or appreciation.

Quarter Sessions’ Calendars of Prisoners Project: 19th Century Lockdown! Alison Linklater, Archive Collections Assistant (Digitisation)

Since working at the archives, my colleague, Soniya, and I have been responsible for the bulk digitisation of documents. Our initial project was the digitisation of the parish registers, and these images are now available online at Findmypast. We have since gone on to digitise other collections – school admission registers, Canterbury Cathedral archdeaconry and consistory court records and various smaller collections, which will be made available online on Kent Archive’s website, or a partner site, when these projects are complete. When it became clear in mid-March that the spread of Covid-19 would necessitate a lockdown and prevent access to our scan- ners and the archival documents, we realised that we would have to adapt in order to keep being productive. With an unknown amount of time to act, we changed the focus of our bulk scanning from the inventory project that we had been working on to the dig- Part of the front page from the Calendar of Pris- itisation of documents that would allow ourselves, and other oners from January 1810 [Q/SBe/37] members of the archive team, to continue working from home. Part of the preparation for homeworking involved the scanning of the 19th-century Calendars of Prisoners from the Quarter Sessions Courts. These are double-sided printed documents that record the names of prisoners, magistrates, defendants and witnesses, as well as the ages and trades of the prisoners, descriptions of the alleged crimes, and sometimes the sentences or punishments awarded. The Quarter Sessions were (as their name implies) trials that were held four times a year, at Epiphany, Easter, Midsummer and Michael- mas. They tried a great variety of cases, from murder to bastardy, with the more serious crimes being esca- lated to the assize courts. I have been working on the Eastern division calendars, which covers prisoners held in Canterbury gaol; this was originally situated in St. Dunstan’s Street, but after 1808, in the new prison at Longport, St. Augustine’s. The project of extracting data from these Calendars had been started by volunteers who had compiled spreadsheets with lists of names, places and charges. My scans have allowed me to continue and elaborate on their work (from the comfort of my kitchen table, situated right next to a handy kettle) and make further progress in preparing this information for addition to the archive catalogue. Some of the most frequent misdemeanours were: deserting a wife and children so that their upkeep became the responsibility of the parish; desertion from the army; stealing items ranging from scraps of cotton to guns and bank notes; being found with wires or other engines for the destruction of game; being a rogue and vag- abond; robbery on the King’s Highway; various assaults and sexual crimes; running away from an employer; and the occasional murder. Among these crimes I found the following dastardly exploit, detailed in seven separate charges, against three individuals. On 8 February 1810, William Weaver was charged with stealing five fowls and two geese from Chilham, followed by ‘one pig, otherwise called a barrow pig’ from Nonnington. Then, in the company of Edward Atkins and Catherine Rigden (who turned King’s evidence on them both), he went on to gather a sheep from Longport and another from Hackington, followed by ten fowls from Bridge. Finally, they broke open a corn mill in Chillenden and carried away ‘a quantity of rough undressed meal, and one sack, and one bag’. We can only guess at the story behind their exploits but they were all ‘removed to Maidstone for trial’, so were presumably in quite a lot of trouble. The punishments awarded were similarly varied: transportation; sent to prison hulks; imprisonment with hard labour; public or private whipping; returned to their legal place of settlement; and delivered to their regimen- tal sergeant. In these uncertain times I have gained some comfort from the fact that being ‘idle and disorder- ly’ isn’t the reserve of my teenagers – though punishment was somewhat harsher two hundred years ago!

An extract from the east Kent Easter Quarter Sessions Calendar of Prisoners [Q/SBe/38] recording one of the allegations for theft of ‘a barrow pig’ by William Weaver on 8 February 1810. Quarter Sessions’ public undertakings records Hannah Whibley, Archive Collections Assistant/ Archive Collection Officer

Throughout the lockdown period, I have been working on the Q/Rum records. These are collections of deposited records for proposed public utility schemes. Kent Archives holds over 1300 of these records; which relate to footpaths, high- ways, turnpike roads, canals and railways from the late eighteenth century onwards. Usually they are made up of two parts: the plan and the book of reference. The plans are often very detailed, and show the areas which the proposed utility scheme will affect. The books of reference record land owners, occupiers, and descriptions of the property for the corresponding plots de- picted in the plans. Prior to starting this work, all of the Q/RUms were listed on our catalogue, but most had only a basic description in the title field. However, we hold a card index which provides more information about each record: for example, the scheme’s engineers; the surveyors; its extent; its size; it scale; its format and further details about the proposed plan and the parishes affected. I have been busily typing away to ensure that the rest of the information on these cards is entered onto the catalogue. Now all records have their fuller description entered, this will help customers to find more records relating to the areas they are interested in. The plans of public undertakings are a great source, especially for house and local history. Going through each plan and entering its details has given me an extra appreciation of the value of these records. The plans for the earlier schemes in particular can give an interesting insight into how areas rapidly developed as railways carved through towns and villages, completely changing the landscape from what it had been.

Searchroom Index Cards Julie Keys, Archive Collections As- sistant Whilst on lockdown I have been entering the information from the index cards situated within the archive searchroom onto a spreadsheet to create an electronic copy. This will preserve the information that the index cards contain, and enable us to cross-reference the content and add it to our online catalogue. I have started with the ‘Kent Parishes’ card catalogue and with so much data it is quite a task. On average, I have created 1100 entries per week, and as you can see, one of my cats, Pixie, has been inspecting my work and making sure I am doing it correctly.

I was also involved in Kent Archives’ recordings for the VE Day Commemorations, dressing up in my WAAF uniform as I am a 1940’s re-enactor, and reading out historic articles from the archive collections. These recordings have been added to our website for the public to view. I have also been brushing up on my palaeography with the help of the archivists and the National Archives online lessons, which can sometimes be frus- trating if you cannot decipher the handwriting, but I will persevere! Lockdown was at first very unnerving, but as time has gone on I have adapted and created a rhythm in my work; it’s amazing how us humans can adapt in times of change. I hope that all of our archive users and newsletter readers are well, and hope to see you soon in person at the Kent History and Library Centre. History walks: Boughton Aluph parish church Gareth Brown, Archive Collections Assistant These are strange times that we live in. A few months ago, I was diagnosed with type two diabetes and told to exercise more, but then along came the lockdown. Still wanting to get myself fit, I decided to use my daily outing for exercise to walk the parish lanes around where I live in Kennington, just outside of Ashford.

In my usual everyday life, I had barely noticed the green footpath signs pointing down these narrow lanes as I rushed to get from A to B as fast possible. But these little alleyways and tracks wedged between modern day buildings are paths to the past. Leading out into the countryside to churches scattered in different loca- tions, they connected parishes and their parishioners. They were our ancestors’ pathways and communica- tion channels, mapping the routes they used in everyday life for worship and work.

My first walk was down one of these paths by Kennington Church to the parish of Boughton Aluph, (5 miles from the centre of Ashford). It took in a walk across farmers’ fields, through a wood and brook, to a gate in the side of a field, which came out on the Challock hill on the A251. A little way along from Boughton Aluph lies its twin sister, the village of Boughton Lees, which consists of a large village green surrounded on one side by the 17th century pub, ‘The Flying Horse’. Next to Boughton Leeds is part of the Pilgrims Way, the old route used by pilgrims on their way to Canterbury Cathedral, and a mile and a half along it stands the church of All Saints, Boughton Aluph Church.

The village was called ‘Boltune’ in 1086. By 1211-1212, the name had evolved into ‘Boton Alou’, meaning ‘place where the beeches grow, on lands held by Aluf’. The church was founded in the 13th century by Adulphus of ‘Boctune’ to replace the earlier Anglo-Saxon wooden church, and was enlarged in the 14th century. It was constructed from flint and rubble, with brick porches and buttresses, refurbished in 1878, and grade 1 listed as a Building of Architectural Interest in 1957. The church has become a re- nowned concert venue and was championed by Alfred Deller CBE (1912-1979), who popularised Renaissance and Baroque Music in the 20th century, and who is buried in the graveyard.

It was whilst I was investigating the graveyard that the gravestone of a WW1 soldier caught my eye. W. A. Sinden died two years after the end of WW1. The same curiosity bit me as it has the numerous customers that I meet in the archive searchroom at the Kent History and Library Centre every day. Why was this man buried at Boughton Aluph instead of on a battlefield? What was his story?

Research on the Boughton Aluph war memorial conducted as part of the Kent War Memorials Transcription project on the Kent Fallen website helped to ex- plain the fascinating story of this brave man. Private William Alfred Sinden, 5062 East Kent Regiment, died 2 August 1920, aged 44. William joined the 3rd Battalion of the Buffs on 30 May 1916. William served with the Buffs on the front line until August 1918, when he was downgraded to the Labour Corps on medical grounds. Prior to his transfer, William had been buried alive during a bombardment, and his family reported that he was never the same from that point onwards. He was invalided out of the army on 12 March 1919, aged 43, and returned to his family in Boughton Aluph. However, his health didn’t improve and he died the next year. Although his wife was awarded a widow’s war pension, William’s name was not included on the war memorial, and he was buried in a pauper’s grave without a headstone because he was not recorded as a war casualty. It was not until 2006, and following a petition, that the Com- monwealth War Graves Commission erected a headstone over William Sin- den’s grave.

Why not walk to your parish church and see what secrets it holds? Research is very much being like a detective and we have a range of guides on our website to help you get started. Happy Hunting! Kent Opera collection cataloguing James Larden, Archive Collections Assistant Paving the way as the nation’s first regional opera company, Kent Opera enjoyed two successful decades of performing across the South of England and beyond. Founded in 1969 by Norman Platt, the company strived to challenge opera’s long-standing reputation for being the reserve of the elite by staging productions that were acces- sible to all yet on a par with those found at opera’s traditional cen- tres. For Platt, it was essential that the company perform in English, a preference which spurred him to commission new translations of several foreign librettos. Kent Opera cast many rising stars in their first operatic roles and nurtured the careers of several acclaimed practitioners, among which included the soprano Dame Felicity Lott, conductor Sir Roger Norrington, and director Sir Jonathan Miller, to name but a few. Coordinated from an Ashford-based oast house and utilising the region’s best-known theatres, it is fair to say that Kent Opera ranks among the most significant contributors to the county’s Norman Platt, the founder of Kent Opera. performing arts heritage. The Kent Opera archive collection has been kindly donated to Kent Archives by Johanna Platt – wife of the founder and avid supporter of the company – in a gesture that will see it preserved for the benefit of future generations. In addition to administrative records, the collection contains a host of creative and technical material synonymous with the performing arts, including programmes, press review cuttings, show reports, light- ing plans, set design drawings, sheet music and theatre contracts. Work has been underway for several months to prepare this material for cataloguing, a process which has involved listing the contents of over one hundred deed boxes, weeding duplicate documents, and assessing material in compliance with GDPR. The Kent Opera Collection also contains photographic prints, slides, transparencies and negatives, which provide a rich visual insight into the company’s twenty-year existence. Whilst the majority depict scenes from the stage, others chronicle life behind the curtain, offering a glimpse into rehearsals, marketing events, cos- tume fittings, wig making, life at Kent Opera’s HQ, and much more. The breadth of imagery will appeal to a diverse range of researchers: from students and practitioners of all theatre production disciplines, academics studying the history of opera in Britain, to local enthusiasts with an interest in the county’s cultural heritage. Like all new accessions entering our repository, it has been necessary to repackage the entire photographic collection using materials and methods aligned with current archival standards. For example, the accession contains a large number of 8” x 10” prints which arrived in cardboard retail boxes manufactured in the 1980s for the sale of photographic paper. These boxes have provided short-term protection to the prints but their continued use could be problematic; even if housed in an environmentally-controlled strongroom, the compo- nents of non-archival packaging can emit damaging chemicals that are detrimental to their contents. In light of this, the prints have been decanted and placed into individual sleeves made from polypropylene, a high clarity, chemically inert plastic. To facilitate ease of storage, the sleeved photographs will be arranged in clamshell binders made from an acid and lignin-free card. There are also a number of large-format production photographs, ranging in size from approximately A3 to A2. Received as several assorted bundles of un- labelled images, they have now been identified and inscribed in chinagraph pencil, ready to be sleeved. The actions outlined above are examples of preventative conservation: a group of non-invasive measures which can be implemented at scale to reduce the impact of environmental factors on collections. By exercising this level of control we can mitigate the onset of de- terioration and avoid the need for invasive remedial conservation in the future. In recent months we have had to adapt our working practices in light of the global pandemic but continue to make good progress in preparing this collection for public release. Until then, you can visit www.kentopera.org.uk to view a recently-released documentary about the company and discover more about its extraordinary involvement in the British Opera scene.

A scene from Kent Opera’s production of Chinese Opera. Catalogue Transfer Project: Update on phase 2 progress Helen Wicker, Archive Service Officer Despite having had limited access to our collections for the past three months, the archivists’ work on phase 2 of the Catalogue Transfer Project has continued apace. Regular readers of this newsletter will know that the Catalogue Transfer Project commenced in 2017 with the aim of improving accessibility to our collections and preparing for the implementation of online document ordering. Phase 2 of the project has involved checking all of the catalogues entered on Calm (nearly 3500) for errors and inconsistencies that could mean that record entries don’t appear online or in the correct sequence, which would make them unorderable. That could mean something simple like renumbering reference num- bers to make records sort in order, or a lot of head-scratching to unpick muddles created by previous catalogue imports! Some collections can be checked and corrected in minutes, whilst others take hours or even days to resolve all of their structural issues. Likewise, brief document descriptions or abbreviations that made sense in our paper catalogues need to be expanded or amended to make them easier to understand and suitable for keyword searching. It is painstaking work but we’re making good progress, and with the help of the Archive Collections Officers who have been updating the location information in our strongrooms and uploading the data, revised catalogues are being added to our website weekly. During lockdown I have worked through most of the remaining unofficial catalogues (collections that were donated or deposited by private individuals). We had over 1000 unchecked catalogues at the start of lockdown, and there are now about 325 catalogues left to work through. I am also starting to look ahead to phase 3 of the project, which will involve addressing technical issues sur- rounding how the barcodes on the archive boxes in our strongroom are attached to the catalogue entries. Hopefully we will be able to share more news on this next stage of the project in the autumn edition of our newsletter.

Kent Archives’ Monday Lunchtime History Talks During the Coronavirus Restrictions

In the spring edition of Archives@kent we promised an update on our talks programme. Owing to the on- going pandemic, we are still unable to confirm that any live talks will take place this year. However, we can give notice of two upcoming virtual presentations. On 27 July Dr Tony Pratley will speak about ‘The Ton- bridge Spitfire Fund Campaign of 1940’, and on 24 August Dr Mark Bateson looks at the some of the sys- tems of authentication and validation hard wired into ancient documents. These talks will be made available via links on our Lunchtime Talks webpage. If you haven’t visited that page for a while, you will also find we have added a number of talks by previous speakers. There is material recorded for virtual consumption since the lockdown, such as Jenny Godfrey on Kent Suffragettes, and our VE Day Anniversary commemoration. There are also several talks originally delivered in our search room last year, and now made available again via YouTube. So, if you missed James Lloyd or Liz Finn in the flesh, here’s your chance to catch up!

Kent History and Library Centre, James Whatman Way, Maidstone, ME14 1LQ Telephone: 03000 420673 If you have any comments regarding this newsletter please contact: [email protected]