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The Society continues to flourish and there are many activities upon which to report, both past and present.

Lectures

Our next meeting will take place on April 6th at Hendon Central Library, when Mr. Money will be talking about two Iron-age hill forts in the Tonbridge area.

AGM

The Annual General Meeting this year will take place on the 18th May ay 8.15 p.m. at St. Mary’s Church House, Church End, Hendon. We hope this occasion will be a members’ evening and provide refreshments.

Outing

There will be a coach trip to the Chilterns on 24th April and members wishing to go on this trip should contact Miss E. Dowling for details. This is an experiment and is being specially organised for our Society by Mr. Paul Carter of the Greater London Industrial Archaeology Society. This trip is guaranteed to be most enjoyable and will be more or less a “mystery” trip. Don’t forget to support this event and telephone or write to Miss E. Dowling.

Workshop evening

On March 2nd, 90 people attended the Workshop evening when we were hosts to the Greater London Industrial Archaeological Society. Speakers were Mr. Bruce Henry who gave a talk on his collection of mineral water bottles, Miss Gillian Riley who gave a talk on ”Towards a National Lettering Collection”; Mrs. Grafton Green gave an account of brick making in Harrow Weald 300 years ago, and Mr. E. Sammes gave an account of milestones in Barnet. After a short break during which the audience looked at exhibits, Mr. M. Robbins wound up the evening with a short lecture on “Is Industry a fit subject for Archaeology?” We hope this type of evening will become an annual occurrence.

The Tenth Anniversary Birthday Party

This was held on Saturday 6th March at 166 Station Road, Hendon, NW4. Those of you who were present already know of the social success of the evening and it is with great pleasure that we learned later of the financial success as well. About 40 people were present and it was indeed a pleasure to see so many people supporting a social evening such as this – which was the first of its kind. One of the highlights of the evening was the cutting of the cake by Councillor Mrs. B. Freedman, one of our Vice Presidents.

Mr Wookey, a well-known founder member of the Society, showed slides of various places he had visited all over the world. This was turned into a competition for the correct answers, which was won by Mrs. Corlet. Altogether the verdict was – a very successful evening and Councillor B. Jarman made a point of thanking the members of the committee who had helped and contributed towards the work.

Booklet Publication

The Treasurer would like to thank those members who have kindly lent money towards the publication of a booklet by the Society. The booklet is now in the hands of the publishers and will be ready shortly.

Subscriptions

March 31st is the end of our financial year. If any members have not yet paid their subscription, please send them to Mrs. Isaaman.

The Battle of Barnet Quincentenary Exhibition

This will be opened by Lady Lenanton on April 10th at 3.00 p.m. The exhibition will be held at the Council Chambers, Wood Street, Barnet from April 10th-30th inclusive. It is open from 10.00 a.m. – 7.00 p.m. on weekdays and 2.00 p.m. – 6.00 p.m. on Sundays. Admission is free. The brochure published by the Society has just been published containing articles on the battle, medieval warfare, history of the borough, etc., and copies (price 3/- or 15p) may be obtained from Mrs. Grafton Green.

The actual exhibition will include armour from the period, i.e. the 15th century, and many other historical items some of which have been lent by the Tower of London.

There will be a refreshment marquee behind the exhibition, with snacks and light refreshments, a bookstall on which amongst other literature will be the Society’s Occasional Paper No. 1 on the Chroniclers of the Battle of Barnet and coloured slides, one of them taken by our archivist, Mr. E. Sammes.

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Brockley Hill Finds

The finds from the digs at Brockley Hill, near Stanmore, the Roman pottery kiln-site of Sulloniacae are now being catalogued and re-studied at Hampstead Garden Suburb Institute by interested members of the Society on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month (including Easter Tuesday). It is hoped soon to start Saturday afternoon work at Church Farm Museum.

Church End, Hendon, NW4

Recording is being done both photographically and by filling in street survey forms. Members interested in helping with either the street survey or the pottery sessions are asked to get in touch with Mrs. Grafton Green.

The Conference of London Archaeologists

This will take place in the Livery Hall of Guildhall on March 27th. Doors open at 2.00 p.m. to allow a chance to see the many exhibits (HADAS will be represented this year); talks begin at 2.30 p.m. Tickets (including tea) for members of LAMAS 25p; non-members 40p, obtainable from Mrs. Grafton Green.

Speakers will include Harvey Sheldon on excavations at London Bridge; Graham Dawson on a Delft-war kiln at Montagu Close, Southwark; Peter Drewitt on excavations in Croydon Old Town; Philip Dixon on the Tudor Palace at Greenwich. Three of these four have talked to our Society in recent years, Mr. Dixon in January last.

After tea, Dr. John Alexander will talk about the aims of RESCUE, the new archaeological society which has been formed to try and save threatened sites all over the country.

The Finchley Society

This is the probable name of a historical society formed recently in Finchley by Miss Jean Scott, GLC councillor of the London Borough of Barnet, with the objects of recording worthwhile buildings, open spaces, tress, etc. in the old parish of Finchley. The second meeting will be held on Friday March 26th at the old Parish Hall of St. Mary’s Church, Church End, Finchley, N3 at 8.00 p.m. Finchley members of HADAS may be interested in joining – subscription will be 30p until the end of 1971.

Green Shield Stamps

These and Pink stamps are still being collected by the Society, and if members have any to spare, they should be sent to Mrs. Isaaman.

Volunteer Speakers

If any members have an interest in any aspect of archaeology and would like to gice a short talk about it at the Annual General Meeting on 18th May (mentioned earlier in this Newsletter) they may get in touch with Miss E. Dowling. As it will only be possible to accommodate two or three people to speak during the evening, it will be a matter of “first come, first served”.

Forthcoming Courses

A good follow-up to our very popular Industrial Archaeology evening with GLIAS on March 2nd would be to join the course of six lectures on Industrial Archaeology being organised by the London University Extra Mural Department on Tuesdays, starting April 27th. Time – 7.00 p.m. Place – Extra Mural Centre, Tavistock Square, London WC1. Further details from Extra Mural Department, 7, Rigdmount Street, WC1

The lectures on “The Romans in the West” will go on for a second year next winter, starting Wednesday 6th October at Hendon Technical College. A few new students can still be admitted. As a result of this success, WEA are organising a Hendon Branch – the inaugural meeting will be in Lecture Theatre A18 at Hendon Technical College on March 31st 1971 at 7.30 p.m. All are welcome.

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On behalf of the Society, the Editor hopes all our members have a |prosperous New Year. At the moment, there are numerous lectures and exhibitions in the offing and I hope that the ones mentioned will interest members.

Lectures

Firstly the Society’s lectures. On January 5th, 30 people braved the cold to come and hear a talk by Mr. Philip Dixon on “Greenwich Tudor Palace”. We hope to see as many members as possible, plus friends on February 2nd when Dr. Michael Day will be speaking on The emergence of Man.

As one of the Winter Lectures in the Barnet Libraries, Mr. Peter Marsden from the Guildhall Museum is giving a talk on Recent Discoveries in Roman and Medieval London. This will be held on Wednesday 7th February at North Finchley Library.

Brockley Hill Finds

Arrangements to move this material to new storage places in Church Farm Museum and Hampstead Garden Suburb have been held up but it is hoped that they will be completed soon. When this has been done, the Society can go ahead with plans to work on the material. The days allotted for this are:-

i) the second and fourth Tuesday in each month; 7.30-9.30 p.m. at Hampstead Garden Suburb Institute,

ii) Saturday afternoons at 2.30-5.00 p.m. at Church Farm Museum.

Those members who have already volunteered to help will be informed as soon as work is ready to start. More volunteers will be very welcome, so if you can help, please send the Secretary your name.

St. Mary’s Churchyard, Hendon

Recording of inscriptions on the tombstones was carried out on five weekends before Christmas. The area between the footpath and Church Terrace has now been fully recorded and work is now being done on the area north of the church. The recording hopes to be continued as soon as the weather is a bit warmer. Willing recorders will meet on Sundays at 2.30 p.m. in the churchyard. They are advised to warp up well, because to put it mildly, the whole area is very cold and damp.

Conference of London Archaeologists

This annual event, organised by the London & Middlesex Archaeological Society, will take place in the Livery Hall of the Guildhall on March 27th 1971. There are four or five talks during the afternoon on recent excavations in the London area; an excellent tea; and a chance to look round some of the stands showing work of local Societies. This year, HADAS has obtained exhibition space and we hope that many members may decide to attend. For further details, please write to Mr Roy Canham at the London Museum, Kensington Palace, W8.

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Museum Charges

Members will no doubt have read in the National Press of the Government’s plan to introduce admission charges for all major museums and galleries, e.g. the British Museum, the South Kensington Museums and the National Portrait Gallery. A campaign to organise opposition to this plan has been started and is already supported by many well-known and reputable organisations and individuals. Our Society has been asked for its support and the Committee has agreed to give it, feeling that the aims of the campaign will have the sympathy of the majority of the members.

Action which can be taken both by the Society and any member who wishes to act individually includes writing to local M.P.s and to Lord Eccles; writing to the local press; and signing the Campaign’s petition forms, to be presented at the House of Commons at the end of the month.

Church Farm House Museum

An exhibition about the life and work of Sir William Chambers (1726-1796) the Architect and his partner, Thomas Collins of Woodhouse is on show at the Museum from January 9th to February 7th 1971. This pair were responsible for the building of houses in Berners Street, Marylebone, and the 18th century Woodhouse (now Woodhouse School) which was reconstructed in 1860.

From February 13th to March 21st 1971, there will be an exhibition on Medieval Villagers and Modern Citizens.

London Museum

“Time off in 1870” is the title of a display of leisurely diversions in Victorian times. The exhibition closes on April 30th 1971.

The Victoria and Albert

Closely connect to the above exhibition is the V & A ‘What the children like’. A large collection of children’s books, toys and games are on display, which have been donated to the nation by Mrs. Anne and Fernand G. Renier. This closes on February 14th 1971.

There is also a chance until January 31st to see “Postcards 1870-1920”. Here you can see examples of early greetings cards, which could be sent for one halfpenny; the exhibition is in Room 38a on the Restaurant corridor.

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10 years old

This year, the Society is ten years old. The first entry in the HADAS Minute Book is dated May 4th 1961. It reports, among other things, a membership on 25, with 17 members already paid up.

What better way to celebrate achieving double figures than to launch out on a totally new venture? HADAS now enjoying a membership of nearly six times that of 1961, is about to produce its own publications something that most local organisations consider to be he final accolade of success.

As past newsletters have mentioned, HADAS has from the outset participated in (indeed, we initiated) the plans for commemorating the 500th anniversary of the Batlle of Barnet next April. At the Quincentenary Exhibition from April 10-30, there will be a bookstall. This provides a golden chance for launching the first HADAS booklet on some subject connected with the battle. The 5,000 word booklet wil cost between £30 and £40 to produce. We feel sure that every HADAS member will want to buy one. There is a further way in which some members may care to help the Society. This is by underwriting part of the initial cost of publication.

If you would like to be associated with this new venture, will you to lend the Society £3 for one year, less if you can not manage so much, towards the printing costs? If the publication is a success, the whole loan will of course be returned to you; if it makes a loss, the return will only be proportionate. Anyone prepared to act as a guarantor should contact Mrs. Isaaman.

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Despite the fact that Winter is upon us, and that Christmas will soon be here, Society activities are more numerous than ever, so let’s start with …..

Lectures

For future lectures, we are sending printed reminder cards to all members, the first being for the December 1st lecture by Mr. Sammes.

On November 6th, Mr Rutherford Davis gave an interesting talk about deserted Medieval Villages in Hertfordshire (and elsewhere!). He showed that overpopulation and poor agricultural practices were partly responsible for the drastic effects leading to the disappearance of villages

Wrotham Park survey (from Newsletter 6)

This took place during two weekends in October, by kind permission of Lady Elizabeth Byng. A mortuary chapel was built by Edward IV after the Battle of Barnet near the graves of the men-at-arms. The object of the exercise was to find the foundations of the building. Preliminary work on the traverse readings shows one area which may be worth further investigation. In other words, this story will be continued….

Brent Lodge, Nether Street, Finchley

The trial dig mentioned in our last newsletter duly took place, and despite the small area available for excavation, five trial trenches were opened, investigated, and backfilled during one weekend. The site had been a garden/allotments for 150 years, and there was considerable soil disturbance. The object was to find the foundations of a house known to have been standing in 1612 and demolished c. 1807.

Even though it was unstratified, enough pottery was found, dateable to the first half of the 17th century, to suggest that the site of the house was near, probably to the east. Pottery found included the whole base of a tyg, slipware, combed ware and bellarmine. An interesting early field drain was found, consisting of tiles of croquet-hoop shape laid on a flat base plate. One tiling pipe was marked “Drain”, an indication that it could be dated to the period when bricks were taxed and pipes for drainage were tax-free.

Next year, it is hoped to extend the excavation to the east, with the co-operation of one of the nearby residents.

St Mary’s Churchyard

The Society has already begun to record the most interesting graves in this historic churchyard. The Parish authorities welcomed the suggestion that we should do this, and asked us to provide a duplicate record for the parish. The Society of Genealogists is also interested, so we have promised to let them have a list of recorded graves.

Sixteen volunteers turned up, despite a bitter autumn wind, to help with the first session on November 8th. We have started by recording all tombs dated before 1850, and only interesting ones after that date. Recording will go on during the winter on fine Sunday afternoons, starting at 2.30 p.m. More volunteers will always be welcome, and anyone interested can get further details from the Secretary. As a Sunday afternoon occupation, this may seem to the uninitiated somewhat macabre – but once you start, it has a considerable fascination.

The survey will be done in two parts: first the churchyard research; second, the neat copying of notes taken “in the field” on to an index. Mrs. Worby and Miss Fear have already kindly offered to do part of the copying, but are there any other members who would be prepared, in their own time, to do some copying, either in a neat hand or by typewriter? If so, please contact the Secretary.

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Brockley Hill Finds

Digging began at Brockley Hill (Sulloniacae, a Roman Pottery-Kiln site) before the last war and went on, at intervals, until 1954. The finds from these excavations have for many years been stored in the roof annexe of the Hendon Central Library. For over a year, we have been trying to obtain permission to move this material to more accessible storage, where the pottery could be worked on, and studied. Some from the later excavations is still unwashed, unmarked or uncatalogued.

Although the best finds have already been published in various volumes of the Transactions of the London and Middlesex Archaeological Society, much work still needs to be done on the large accumulation of finds from this site. Hopefully, it will be possible to hold an exhibition of part of the material at some later date, now that we have permission from LAMAS to catalogue the finds.

In the future, the finds will be stored in the “cellar” or old dairy of the [[Church Farm Museum]] and the Hampstead Garden Institute, by courtesy of the Central Library authorities and Mr. J. de F. Enderby respectively. Facilities for working on the finds are available at both places. All members are invited to help. Those who already have some experience in dealing with Roman pottery will be particularly welcome, but please do not feel that a lack of knowledge will prevent you from helping. We plan to work at Church Farm Museum on most Saturday afternoons: and to have a pottery session at H.G.S. Institute, if one can be arranged, every alternate second and fourth Tuesday from 7:30 p.m. to 9.30 p.m. Please ring or write to the Secretary and let her know if you are interested and when you would like to help.

Wanted – A Representative

Would you like free membership to the London and Middlesex Archaeological Society for a year? We need a representative for the Society to attend the meetings of LAMAS, since we are entitled to send one voting member to all LAMAS lectures, meetings and visits. LAMAS meetings are held on one Friday each month at 6.30 p.m. at the Bishopsgate Institute. Next month’s lecture, on December 11th, is on London Bridge from Roman times till today. Visits are on Saturdays. There is one to Sutton Hoo Ship Burial at the British Museum on 16th January, 1971.

If you are interested, please ring Mrs. Grafton Green – she will supply a copy of the programme and any other details needed.

63 say YES

Thanks for the good response to the questionnaire. From the information we received, we will try to cater for the varied interests in the Society

All that remains now is for me to wish everyone A HAPPY CHRISTMAS and GOOD LUCK IN THE NEW YEAR.

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Issue No. 5, it is difficult to know which of the many items should get pride of place, however, here goes : –

Dates for your diary

Outing. The last outing of the season will be on Saturday September 19th to Burghley House, Stamford, Lincs. This house was built by William Cecil, 1st Lord Burghley about 1556. It has been the home of the Cecils and Exeters for over 400 years. Please make a special effort to come since it is expected that this is the last outing which Miss D. P. Hill will be running for the Society.

Field Work and possible Trial Dig – Aug 8-9 & 15-16th A resistivity survey of the site of BRENT LODGE, Nether Street, Finchley is to be carried out on Saturday & Sunday August 8th-9th. This site has a documented history going back to 1448. It is hoped that traces of buildings earlier than the recent ones may be found by some means.

This is an opportunity to learn about resistivity surveying. It should be noted that only a limited number can work at any one time. Work starts at 10 a.m. on both days, no cafe near to hand! Further details from Mrs. B. G. Green or Mr. Sammes.

Manor House, Finchley It is proposed to carry out a similar exercise on the following weekend in the Convent grounds. For this reason, it will be necessary to restrict numbers. At the same time, it is hoped to put a trial trench across the edge of what may have been a moat. This latter is not in the grounds of the convent but in that of Finchley Cricket Club, opposite. Further details from Mrs. Green or Miss J. Digby.

Lecture The first lecture of the winter season will be on Tuesday, October 6th at the Central Library at 8.15 p.m. It will be on the Battle of Barnet, and will be given by Miss N. B. Honeybourne, MA FSA. It was due to HADAS initiative that a committee was formed about a year ago to plan the Quincentenary celebrations of the Battle in April next year.

It is hoped that members will play a big part in arranging and staffing the exhibition of relics of the Battle to be held in the Council Chambers, Wood Street, Barnet from April 10th-30th 1971. Miss Honeybourne’s lecture will undoubtedly give potential helpers a good background of information.

Another HADAS Exhibit

The Society has accepted an invitation to stage an exhibit on its work at the annual Horticultural show at the Methodist Hall, The Burroughs, on September 12th. We hope to illustrate : –

(a) Material from the digs at Church End, Copt Hall Fields and Tenterden.

(b) Industrial Archaeology – the exhibit used at the GLIAS AGM will be on show.

(c) Roman Hendon. Squadron Leader Rideal has kindly agreed to lend the urn found in Sunny Gardens Road. This will be its first public showing. Members of the Society saw it at one of our winter meetings. We are also trying to borrow some Brockley Hill material for the occasion.

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(d) Clay Tobacco Pipes as a number of them have been sent to the Society from various parts of the Borough, for study, we are working on a special exhibit. It is hoped to include an actual demonstration of pipe moulding. Any members who have found clay pipes (especially bowls), in the Borough, should inform the Secretary (Mrs. B. Grafton Green), giving details of the find-spot and if the pipes can be lent for exhibition.

(e) Chance finds. It is hoped to include a section on chance finds in the Borough, in the hope of encouraging the public to report interesting finds.

All members are invited to participate in the work connected with this exhibition. If you would like to help now with the early research, or with arranging and mounting the exhibits; or if you can spare a short time to act as steward between 1.30 p.m. and 6 p.m. on September 12th, please let the Secretary know. If not, PLEASE give the Society your support by coming along and seeing the exhibition, which opens to the public at 3.15 p.m. on September 12th.

Hendon Roman Road

The report of the various digs carried out by the Society in 1967-8 on the postulated line of Road No. 167 will be published in the December 1970 issue of the transactions of the L.M.A.S.. It is very detailed and of considerable local interest. The report will be available separately. Members wishing to obtain a copy or copies should write to Brian Robertson. It is expected that the report which is about 25 pages long and is illustrated, will cost about 7 or 8 shillings.

Autumn WEA Course

Fourteen members indicated their interest in the suggested WEA lectures this autumn (see last Newsletter). Ideas suggested for the main theme of the lectures were varied, but the majority was clearly interested in the beginnings of Middle Eastern civilisation – Western Asia, the Aegean and Egypt. The WEA were delighted with the response of HADAS members, and booked the Central Library for Thursdays, the most popular evening. Then alas, the snags appeared. WEA could not find a Middle Eastern lecturer of University standard. Instead the suggested a course to be taken by Mrs. Margaret Roxan – an excellent lecturer – on the Romans in the west, covering Roman sites in Germany, Gaul, Spain, Britain and North Africa. It then transpired that Mrs. Roxan could do only Wednesday evenings. The WEA found that on Wednesdays, the Central Library was fully booked. So now at last, the details of the course are clear, and here they are :-

At Hendon Technical College, (about 50 yards from Central Library) starting on Wednesday 7th October, for ten Wednesday evenings before Christmas and 12 after, from 7.30 p.m. to 9.30 p.m. for a fee of Å“2 (because it is a double course, nit the one-term job we first suggested) there will be a course of lectures, lavishly illustrated by slides and given by Mrs. Margaret Roxan on “The Romans in the West”. Middle Eastern parallels will be discussed and the lectures will include many sites that members who holiday on the continent will already know.

We hope that all those who originally expressed interest will enrol, and will enjoy the course. Also that any other members and friends will join. And for those who feel disappointed that the course is nit devoted to Middle Eastern archaeology, we are told that Hendon’s interest in this subject has been clearly brought to the notice of the extra-Mural Department of London University; and that they will do their damnedest as soon as possible to meet the demand.

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Greater London Industrial Archaeology Society

This Society held its first AGM at the Institute of Archaeology on July 4th. After 15 months of existence, it was able to report a membership of 135, plus 8 affiliated institutional members, and a balance in hand of Å“40 (mainly the result of sales of the booklet “Industrial Monuments of Greater London”). In his report on the year’s activity, Hon. Sec. Paul Carter particularly mentioned the recording work done in Barnet during the last 9 months by HADAS.

Some interesting industrial archaeology exhibits were on show in the vestibule, on such subjects as the work of the London Underground Railway Society; the industrial monuments of the gas industry (the recording of which, with the change-over to North Sea gas, become particularly important); the recording of windmills around London; and the use of applied lettering in street names, inscriptions, plaques, etc. HADAS, the only local society represented, put on an exhibit that had been admirably planned right down to the last drawing pin by Edward Sammes, who was largely responsible for executing it. He was helped by Philippa Bernard (who provided beautifully-lettered captions) and Jeremy Clynes, Rolf Hanson and William Morris, who assisted on the research side. The material for this exhibit will be retained for use at other exhibitions in which HADAS is asked to participate.

The AGM closed with a talk by L. T. C. Rolt and a film on Brunel’s Great Eastern – most appropriate on the very day when another of Brunel’s great iron ships, the Great Britain, came home up the Avon to Bristol after her epic voyage from the Falklands.

Situations Vacant

The Research committee would be pleased to hear from anyone interested in locating the Buildings on the Boroughs’ list of scheduled buildings and plotting them on a map. Several people could work together on this project.

Vacancy No. 2. An editor for this Newsletter is required. At present, this is being done in turn by members of the Committee.

If you can help in either of these, please contact the Secretary.

Stamp Collectors Corner

RAF Hullavington Museum Cover No. 14 To commemorate the 6th World Aerobatic Championships, which are being held in this country for the first time, RAF Hullavington is sponsoring a Museum cover. It will depict the Siskin aircraft and franked with the Alcock and Brown commemorative stamp. This will be postmarked with a special BFPO 1117 handstamp on July 13th 1970, the opening day of the championships. All covers will be flown aerobatically in a British Team aircraft and will be suitably cacheted. Covers fully serviced 5/- each can be ordered from: Squadron Leader J. F. Harris, RAF Hullavington. P.O. and cheques payable to PSI RAF Hullavington. All profits will be donated to the RAF Museum Appeal Fund.

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Glass in London

An exhibition to show the part that glass has played in the life of London is at the London Museum, Kensington Palace W8 until 31st August. A souvenir booklet is on sale

Paintings at Kenwood

The GLC is staging an exhibition of paintings by George Lambert (1700-1765), at Kenwood until 31st August. Weekdays 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sundays 2-7 p.m.

Dickens Centenary

There is an exhibition at Dickens House, 48 Doughty Street, Bloomsbury, open until 12th September. The British Museum has a show until Sept. 13th and at the V & A Museum till Sept. 20th.

Stop Press

It is hoped to organise a resistivity survey later in the season in the Cedars Close area. Further deatils later, contact Rolf Hanson.

Archive Notes

L.M.A.S. is now more commonly known as LAMAS, the London & Middlesex Archaeological Society.