An update by Dr Sheila Sweetinburgh featured at the Centre for Kent History and Heritage blog of the Canterbury Christ Church University website.

Link

An update by Dr Sheila Sweetinburgh featured at the Centre for Kent History and Heritage blog of the Canterbury Christ Church University website.

Link

The Kent Archaeological Society is resuming its investigation into the Prehistoric landscape at Lees Court Estate in 2024.

Useful web links for reading and research on the rich history of maritime Kent.

Dave Batchelor and Paul Damon of the Sandwich Medieval Trust give an update on a fascinating project to build a replica of a medieval ship.

Excavations of the 19th and 20th-century defenses of Chatham Dockyard at The Lower Lines, Brompton feature in a new Canterbury Archaeological Trust report by James Holman and Peter Kendall.

An interview with an archaeologist on the recent dig at Lees Court Estate near Badlesmere where seasonal excavations since 2018 have revealed clues to a prehistoric burial landscape.

Starting in the 2023 project season, the Kent Archaeological Society has begun to record excavations and collections with 3D photogrammetry and laser scanning. Models are made available online via the Sketchfab platform and the Society website.

Excavations for the 2023 project season will commence on Tuesday 11th April 2023 and end on Saturday 27th May 2023.

Fred Birkbeck shares news of upcoming publications resulting from prizes and Society events.

Recently published findings from the excavations of the Kent Archaeological Rescue Unit in Gravesend in 1989 draw attention to the discovery of a riverside Romano-British settlement over an area of at least 5 acres, a road extending inland, and a possible Roman military site.

Clive Holden’s report is the culmination of his two years research into the military history of Maidstone in the Second World War and the plans for its defence.

Dr Steve Willis of the University of Kent provides an update on a fieldwork grant awarded in 2019 to enable students from the university to attend a training dig in Lincolnshire.

Reports from the "Hoo Peninsula Historic Landscape Project" are currently available to download online, via the Historic England website.

British History Online provides a digital version of "A history of the County of Kent: volume 2", originally published in 1926. This volume deals with the religious houses of Kent, including accounts of the early history of Canterbury and Rochester cathedrals.

I came across this video (slightly dated) on the weekend where the London and Surrey 'Earth Mysteries' groups have a day trip around some of the Kentish prehistoric sites. Particularly of interest to me was the visit to Chestnuts. (I believe that site is currently inaccessible, being on private land.) The video prompted me to take my own little day trip to to find the Chiding Stone.

For a short period of time the Oxford Dictionary of Family Names has made its database available for free. "This huge, new dictionary is the ultimate reference work on family names of the UK, covering English, Scottish, Welsh, Irish, Cornish, and immigrant surnames. It includes every surname that currently has more than 100 bearers, and those that had more than 20 bearers in the 1881 census."

The National Archives are making digital records available on their website free of charge for as long as our Kew site is closed to visitors. Registered users will be able to order and download up to ten items at a time, to a maximum of 50 items over 30 days. The limits are there to try and help manage the demand for content and ensure the availability of our digital services for everyone.

The Council for British Archaeology are bringing together free resources to help anyone engaged in archaeology, whether you are an organisation looking for practical help, or are looking for content to keep you or your family entertained at home.