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
