Robin Goodfellow (Tomten)

Midwinter’s nightly frost is hard —
Brightly the stars are beaming;
Fast asleep is the lonely Yard,
All, at midnight, are dreaming.
Clear is the moon, and the snow-drifts shine,
Glistening white, on fir and pine,
Covers on rooflets making.
None but Robin is waking.

Grey, he stands by the byre-door,
Grey, in the snow appearing;
Looks, as ever he did before,
Up, at the moonlight peering;
Looks at the wood, where the pine and fir
Stand round the farm, and never stir;
Broods on an unavailing
Riddle, forever failing;

Runs his hand through his hair and beard —
Gravely, his head a-shaking —
»Harder riddle I never heard,
Vainly, my head I’m breaking.» —
Chasing, then, as his wont for aye,
Such unsolvable things away,
Robin trips, without hustling,
Now, about duty bustling.

Goes to the larder and tool-house fine,
Every padlock trying —
See! by moonlight, in stalls, the kine,
Dreaming of summer, are lying;
Heedless of harness and whip and team,
Pollë, stabled, has, too, a dream:
Manger and crib, all over,
Fill with sweet-smelling clover.

Robin goes to the lambs and sheep —
See! they are all a-dreaming!
Goes to the hens, where the cock will sleep,
Perched, with vanity teeming;
Karo, in kennel, so brave and hale,
Wakes up and gladly wags his tail;
Karo, he knows his brother-
Watchman, they love each other.

Lastly, Robin will steal to see
The masterfolks, loved so dearly;
Long have they liked his industry,
Now, they honour him, clearly;
Stealing on tiptoe, soon he nears
Nursery cots, the little dears;
None must grudge him the pleasure;
This is his greatest treasure.

Thus he has seen them, sire and son,
Endless numbers of races;
Whence are they coming, one by one,
All the slumbering faces?
Mortals succeeding mortals, there,
Flourished, and aged, and went — but where?
Oh, this riddle, revolving,
He will never cease solving!

Robin goes to the hay-shed loft,
There, is his haunt and hollow,
Deep in the sweet-smelling hay, aloft,
Near the nest of the swallow;
Empty, now, is the swallow’s nest,
But when spring is in blossom drest,
She for home will be yearning,
Will, with her mate, be returning.

Then she’ll twitter, and sing, and chat
Much of her airy travel,
Nothing, though, of the riddle that
Robin can never unravel.
Through a chink in the hay-shed wall,
Lustrous moonbeams on Robin fall,
There, on his beard, they’re blinking,
Robin’s brooding and thinking.

Mute is the wold, is nature all,
Life is so frozen and dreary;
From afar, but the rapids’ call,
Murmuring, sounds so weary.
Robin listens, half in a dream,
Fancies he hears the vital stream,
Wonders whither it’s going,
Whence its waters are flowing.

Midwinter’s nightly frost is hard —
Brightly the stars are beaming.
Fast asleep is the lonely Yard,
All till morn will be dreaming.
Faint is the moon; and the snow-drifts shine,
Glistening white on fir and pine,
Covers on rooflets making.
None but Robin is waking.

(Viktor Rydberg, 1881, in translation by Anna Krook)

Archive News - November 2021

Each month I aim to present the community with updates on the Lossenham Project archive to provide evidence of activities which occurred in the past. They tell stories, document people and identity, and are valuable sources of information for research. Archives are our recorded memory and form an important part of our community, cultural official and unofficial history. Here I start to report on different strands of the Lossenham Project archives, as well as an update on recent book purchases.

Lossenham Project – Wills Group Archive

The Wills group took up the opportunity to hold a face-to-face meeting in October, led by Dr Sheila Sweetinburgh. This past year has seen the members of this group download PCC Wills from the National Archives, and create a list of these wills for Newenden and surrounding parishes in Kent and Sussex. These records are Prerogative Court of Canterbury (PCC) wills made between 1384 and 12 January 1858. They are the copies of the original probates written into volumes by clerks at the church courts. Until, 12 January 1858, all wills had to be proved by the church and other courts. The PCC was the most important of these courts dealing with relatively wealthy individuals living mainly in the south of England and most of Wales. What information do the records contain? The information found in wills includes the following:

  • where they lived
  • name of person responsible for carrying out the wishes (executor)
  • date of will
  • witnesses to the will
  • chief beneficiaries

Dr Sheila Sweetinburgh has regularly blogged on the progress of the Wills group, and gathering information from the wills is only the first part of the process. This project wants to use the wills, and then other sources, to gain a better understanding of Lossenham Priory, Newenden and the parishes around, and it is also a great opportunity to undertake original research into a largely untapped area. A summary of individual presentations and areas of interest can be found via her blog post: https://blogs.canterbury.ac.uk/kenthistory/maritime-kent-festival-lectures-and-lossenham-wills-group-more-riches/

Archive Visits

Special Collections, Templeman Library, University of Kent

Karen Brayshaw, Special Collections and Archives Manager at the University of Kent cordially invited me to visit the impressive archives at the Canterbury campus– to look at 16th century maps of Kent which are yet to be catalogued.  People and communities can access the collections in many different ways, and Special Collections and  Archives are committed to understanding the needs of  users and developing a variety of services to meet their requirements. This includes services for people who visit collections in the Special Collections and Archives Reading Room, and people who engage with content online locally, nationally and internationally.    For the Lossenham Project this is service which can be used by its community for research purposes.  The collection contains a Kent history catalogue of publications.  On my last visit I was able to reference the second edition of Camden’s Britannia, a folio edition of 1637 – the second print in English, and I was honoured, and excited to do so. Details of the collections are available on line, as is the guidance of how you can visit the Special Collections at the Templeman Library, here is a link to the website and collections available:  https://archive.kent.ac.uk

  I am hoping to be a regular visitor, so as a member of the Lossenham Community, if you cannot make it to Canterbury, I can offer my services in helping you locate/ research matters of interest – just send your request to archivist@janusfoundation.org

Newenden Census Surveyed

At the last Lossenham Project History Group meeting, Alan Tyler, kindly presented a summary of his work on the census materials for Newenden from 1841 to 1911 and the 1939 register. His initial findings found that the population varied within this small parish over time - gender balance saw an increase in female to male, but the number of households stayed roughly the same. Most records were from Newenden, some from parishes to north and west, but little from marshland parishes. The diversity of occupation was dominated by agricultural labourers and domestic service, some scholars, and evidence of contacts beyond the region, for example, Welsh cattle dealers. Alan has all the downloaded records and his analysis has been archived as resource for the Lossenham Project, and are available upon request from the archive.

Book Library Update

There have been a number of new additions to the book library. A description of those most relevant books related to the Lossenham Project are listed below:

Somber, W The Antiquities of Canterbury, 1703. This publication is bound in two parts: I. Survey of that Ancient City with the Suburbs and Cathedral etc. II. Cantuaria Sacra, Antiquities of Cathedral, Metropolitan Church, Archbishopric, Christ- Church Priory etc.

Fisher, T The Kentish Traveller's Companion, 1776. This book is a descriptive view of the towns, villages, remarkable buildings, and antiquities, situated in or near the road from London to Margate, Dover, and Canterbury illustrated with a correct map of the road, on a scale of one inch to a mile and a table of distances in Kent.

Harris, J The History of Kent in Five Parts, London, 1719.

The series contains:

I. An Exact Topography and Description of the County.

II. The Civil History of Kent.

III. The Ecclesiastical History of Kent

Lambarde, W Perambulation of the County of Kent, 1570.

‘Conteyning the description, Hystorie, and Customes of that Shyre. Collected and written (for the most part) in the yeare 1570’, by William Lambard

Verstegan, Richard A Restitution of Decayed Intelligence, 1605.

The content concerns the most noble and renowmed English nation. Dedicated unto the Kings most excellent Maiestie.

Cozens, Zechariah A Tour Through the Isle of Thanet, 1793.

The author provides a tour through the Isle of Thanet and some other parts of east Kent; including a particular description of the churches in that extensive district; and copies of the Monumental Inscriptions.

Dunkin, Alfred John The History of Kent, Primeval Period, Vol 1, 1856.

Bound with selections from The Archaeological Mine, a collection of ancient nuggets, relating to the County of Kent.

Monasticon Favershamiense in agro Cantiano, 1671.

A survey of the monastery of Faversham in the County of Kent wherein its barony and right to sit in parliament is discovered, together with its ancient and modern estate described.

The Charter of Romney-Marsh, 1686.

The laws and customs of Romney-Marsh: framed and contrived by the venerable justice, Henry de Bathe. Very useful for all professors of the law, and also for all lords of towns, and other land- holders within Romney-Marsh, Bedford-Level, and all other marshes, fenns, and sea-borders. Contains 76 pages.

Archive Book Reviews

Maritime Kent Through the Ages – Gateway to the Sea, 2021

Bligh, S; Edwards, E & Sweetinburgh (eds).

I provide the synopsis for this publication here:

“Kent, with its long coastline and its important geopolitical position close to London and continental Europe, and on major trading routes between Britain and the wider world, has had a very significant maritime history. This book covers a wide range of topics relating to that history from the earliest times to the present day. It sets Kent's varied coastline and waters in their geological and geographical context, showing how erosion and sediment deposition have contributed to the changing nature of maritime activities and populations. It examines Kent's strategic role in the defence of the country with the development and redevelopment of coastal defences, including four naval dockyards. It goes on to consider the supporting industries which grew up around the coastline, those which supplied raw materials and agricultural products from the county's hinterland, and its wider national and international trading links. It also discusses the diverse coastal communities of Kent and how they have changed in response to the demands of defence, trade, and changing population and migration patterns”

Source: Blackwell’s online.

This publication was generously donated by Dr Sheila Sweetinburgh.

Limen. A biography of the East Sussex Rother, 2001.

Cardwell, T

This publication has particularly caught my eye – for it is a publication which charts the history of the Rother river, previously named Limen. The Limen, its Roman name used also for the small bay into which it flowed…the Latin word, ‘Limen’ means ‘threshold’ or entrance. Cardwell explains this is not a big river, but its location is significant in relation to the visitors of the late Stone Age, invasions by Romans, Saxons, Danes and Normans from the Middle Age to the Napoleonic era - the French threat from the sea could never be ignored. The publication also covers its landscape and river course with 33 colour photographs charting the journey along the Rother, the Wealden Iron industry and the relationship between the river and its human servants. Cardwell describes this book as an ‘expression of reverence for a living and enduring feature of a beautiful landscape in which we are privileged to pass our relatively brief lives’.

Please do not hesitate to contact me with suggestions for the archives, or with any questions you may have.

Jason Mazzocchi archivist@janusfoundation.org

Newenden in 1573

By Alan Tyler

In 1573, some 25 years after the suppression of the Friary at Lossenham, Matthew Parker, Archbishop of Canterbury 1559-75, ordered a visitation of the Kent parishes in the diocese. These covered not only the condition of the church but, in a number of cases, details of the clergy and the 'carryings on' of the parishioners. Newenden is included in the Decanat de Charinge as are the neighbouring parishes of Ebony and Tenterden (Jenkins 1911, 311).

Compertum est [It has been found] there Steple is at Reparacons [in need of repair] and they are nowe a mendinge of hytt, and the parsonage Barne is also at Reparacons, But our parson is not yett able to repayre the same.

  • Item they have not theire ordinary Sermons and our parson sayth he can gett non to preache.
  • Item Lawrence Smyth theire Laste parson did fell downe one Ewe [yew] tree, which was a defence unto there churche and chauncell. Also they felde yewe to the Reparacons of the churche, one Joh Newman hath strypped of wood thereof when he was churche warden, and will not comme to Accommpte therefore.
  • Item Mary Raynsforth the wiefe of one Willmus Raynsforth for that she is a Raylor and scolde and a Sower of discorde betwene her neyghbours.
  • Item John a Ry, a Lyterman, doth Lyve a parte from his wiefe.
  • Item John Braintforth is vehemently suspected with one Usula Davyer the wiefe of Hughe Davyer, whiche one Isacke Pellam of the parishe of Stone hath kept In his howse suspeciusly, And hath kepte suspicius Rule in his howse with one Anne stone with kepinge of her in his howse.

Although not mentioned by name the parson of Newenden in1573 was John Tunbridge/Tonbridge who was inducted in 1572 and buried 4 November 1609 at Newenden

St Peter's Church was clearly having problems with the steeple, long before those referred to in Newsletter 5 (Nilson 2021,7). That it was referred to as a steeple, rather than a tower, also suggests that alterations had been made to the structure prior to its collapse in or about 1693.

The John a Rye reported as living apart from his wife is almost certainly the same troublesome person identified by Åke (2013,52-53). That John a Rye was a Lighterman, no doubt working, perhaps owning, boats on the Rother also helps to explain why he is mentioned as 'active' at various places along the river between Newenden and Rye.

Incidentally, his wife Joan, widow of John A. Reye, was buried at Newenden 16 April 1592.

Jenkins, C. (1911) An unpublished record of Archbishop Parker’s visitation of 1573, Archaeol. Cantiana, XXIX, 270-318

Nilson, Å. (2013) Essays on Early Newenden

Nilson, Å. (March 2021) A church of many towers, Lossenham Newsletter 5

A report from the 72nd Sachsensymposion

Making places, making lives: Landscape and settlement in coastal wetlands

Between 9th to 12th October, I attended this conference, held jointly in the city of Alkmaar and town of Castricum, in North Holland. I’ve been a member of the Internationales Sachsensymposion, an annual gathering of academics who specialise in the study of the first millennium AD in northern Europe, for many years. These gatherings are always interesting and enriching; they provide an opportunity to see landscapes hitherto known only from maps, and meet fellow researchers, putting faces to, and becoming friends with, names that would otherwise be known only from bibliographies. There is usually a strong British contingent present, but this year I was the only English person present, due to the uncertainty over international travel arrangements caused by the pandemic.

This year’s symposium, which had been postponed from last year (again, because of the pandemic), held a great deal of relevance for our ongoing work on the Lossenham Project, and the study of the Rother valley and levels. Like the Rother valley and Romney Marsh, North Holland is an extremely dynamic (and often fluid) landscape, whose geography and history has been dominated over millennia by changes in sea level, climate, and the courses of river systems. Thus, I noted many points of relevance in the presentations. ‘Millennia of coastal dynamics: A new series of palaeo-geographical maps of the province of North Holland’, a paper by Peter Vos and Rob van Eerden, was of particular interest. This showcased a series of new maps, drawing on the latest available evidence, that reconstruct the extremely complex changes in the coastline and islands of North Holland over three millennia, providing snapshots at 500 and 250 BC, and AD 100, 500, 800 and 1250. These maps were the product of thousands of hours of painstaking research and allow us a clear picture of the shifting landscape of this low-lying region over time; they will be of immense use to researchers for decades to come. I hope that in due course our own work on the Lossenham project will allow us to refine the maps we can present of the Rother Valley and its relationship with the marshes and coastline to the east and south-east.

One thing that struck me about the new Dutch maps was that they do not show a simple progression of land reclamation over time. Rather, the picture is much more complex, with areas becoming inundated, or becoming dry, in response to various environmental changes over time. In particular, the map for the thirteenth century showed many newly inundated areas compared to the earlier maps. This was, apparently, due to great storms breaching coastal sand dunes and other defences. This is pretty much what happened in our region from the mid-1200’s onwards, culminating in the total destruction of Old Winchelsea, hitherto one of the most important ports on the south coast, in 1287. It was a clear reminder, if one were needed, that the British coast is only one side of the story, and that what happens on the other side of the Channel, or indeed the North Sea, is inextricably connected to, and part of, Britain’s past. That is what makes international networks such as the Sachsensymposion just as important and valuable as they ever were to understanding our shared European heritage.

Andrew Richardson

Archaeological Update

This will be only a brief note from me this month, as I’m writing this from my hotel room in Alkmaar, in the Netherlands, and must shortly head out to attend the opening lecture of the 72nd Sachsensymposion, an annual (apart from 2020) gathering of archaeologists and historians who specialise in the study of Northern Europe in the first millennium AD. The theme of this year’s conference, ‘Making places, making lives: Landscape and settlement in coastal wetlands’, promises to chime well with the developing research questions of the Lossenham Project.

Building 1 at Lossenham Friary Yesterday, Friday 8th October, saw the completion of recording for this year in three of the trenches we had opened on the site of Lossenham Friary. Trenches 2 and 3 have now been backfilled, to protect the fragile building remains that they had exposed. Trench 1, to the south-east, has not been backfilled, but will be provided with a protective cover for the Winter. The plan next Spring is to expand this trench to further expose the building (Building 1) that it had revealed. It now seems likely that this large structure, with thick buttressed walls of sandstone, which runs along the south side of the cloister, is in fact the Priory church of St Mary. It had been suggested that this might have been the refectory, since churches were usually (but not always) positioned to the north of the cloister range. However, the discovery of several graves immediately south of, and parallel to, Building 1, now strongly suggests that this is the church. Its location to the south of the cloister range is probably a result of the local topography; this is by far the most prominent position on the site, overlooking a south facing slope leading down to the Rother. Situating the church here meant there would have been an unobstructed view of it across a wide area, and it seems likely this was the intention. Next year, we aim to reveal much more of this important structure.

Glazed Floor Tiles In the last newsletter, I wrote about the glazed floor tiles that we had been finding at the Friary. I noted that although we had several types, all were plain, and that we had not yet discovered any decorated examples. No sooner had last month’s newsletter appeared, than this was out of date, as several fragments of decorated floor tiles were unearthed. All are incomplete, but none seem to match designs known from the Carmelite Friary at Aylesford. Clearly, however, Lossenham was sufficiently wealthy to have been provided with a floor or floors of decorated tiles; we look forward to finding more examples as the excavation of the site progresses.

Andrew Richardson