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Courtly kiss in Court Street
Time travellers regaled visitors to the town centre on Sunday with stories of their past. Henry VIII was looking for wife No 7. King Stephen was looking for his bones (clue: try the parish church or, better still, the creek). Charles II was looking for (and found) the carrot-topped Mrs Trowts for a kiss in Court Street. The merchant Henry Hatch was there, too, with his wife Joan. (This was way before she took on the town’s worthies over his will). Two alleged witches cried their innocence, and young Will Shakespeare chatted to Thomas Arden’s servants, which gave him a great idea for a new play …

From the chair

Ann Furedi

I know I’m not the only one horrified by the news headlines about the concentration of development plans in the east of Swale – that is, Faversham.

The headlines, arising from a meeting of Swale Council’s planning and transport policy working group, are shouty and alarmist, yet when you scour the reports for details it is all very unclear.

Local plans are not yet published and it is not yet clear how the new government’s decisions to redesignate greenfield sites and fast-track planning applications will work in practice.

It’s hard to walk through town without seeing campaign posters opposing the Duchy of Cornwall’s development near Brenley Corner, but it’s depressingly clear that this is only one piece of a sprawling jigsaw of development.

The Faversham Society has been criticised for not positioning itself in the vanguard of opposition to the duchy development and why we have been slow to respond to a library’s-worth of documents and comments. I’d like to be clear about why this is.

As background, members should be clear that our basic position is that we are opposed to all large-scale developments around our town. Our medieval heritage is unique and needs to be celebrated, not obliterated.

Open Faversham, which finished last weekend, was a marvellous showcase of our history and how our current town has evolved around this. This, of course, does not mean we are opposed to growth and the incorporation of new housing, commerce and industry.

We want to continue the traditions of young people staying local and close to their families and that means they need places to live and work.

But there is a world of difference between developments that are planned for the betterment of our lives as locals, and developments that are planned to meet targets dreamt up by those who know little or nothing of our heritage and culture, and who care little or nothing about the way our town works.

However, now it gets more complicated.

First, there is the world of realpolitik. If we need to accept some development, what is the least damaging option?

Second, for the Faversham Society, there are two important matters: we need to work within in our defined charitable objects, and we have to be proportionate in the way we use our resources. The first means we need principally to concern ourselves with the developments’ impact on our town rather than on the environment more generally.

That means that we must neither downgrade the work of the Fleur museum, which celebrates the heritage that brings us all together, nor the Visitor Information Centre, which guides and educates our visitors and residents, nor the bookshop that raises the funds to do this.

Third, we are a volunteer organisation that is limited to what our volunteers can do. We can do only what we have the capacity and, crucially, the expertise to do.

A complication is our need to review and rebuild our environment and planning committee, which no longer benefits from the amazing energy of Harold Goodwin in the chair.

Finally, we also need to bear in mind that the Faversham Society is a very broad church of opinions that seeks to include all who agree with our objectives. But that does not mean we can assume we share a common “obvious” position.

In the bookshop, for example, we have volunteers who are supporters of campaigns against the duchy development and volunteers who think that the duchy development will enhance the town. We have volunteers who support the government that insists on this housing expansion, and volunteers who lean towards the Green Party and to Reform and everything in between.

Right now, we can – and will – raise our concerns about the impact of developments on the integrity of our town, and our community. And we will do so in a way that shows that we welcome newcomers that join our town. This is not a matter of old against new.

We will take advice from those experts who are scrutinising the planning applications as to the effect the developments will have and respond to precise issues when we know what they are.

And, as promised at the society’s AGM, we are planning a meeting for all Faversham Society members in mid-October, when it should be clear where national and local government are driving developments. I’ve always been told I should never play poker; I don’t have the face for it and I can’t keep my cards close to my chest. I prefer cards to be face up and on the table. That would be the purpose of a members meeting – a frank and honest airing of views, and a consideration of possibilities and challenges. We will confirm a date and venue as soon as possible.

CONTACT ANN

LEIGH ALLISON

Thirteen time travellers set off around Market Place on Sunday, as one of the final celebrations of Open Faversham.

They represented royal visitors King Henry VIII, King Charles II and King Stephen and, before he was famous, one Will Shakespeare.

Henry and Joan Hatch (before his will caused a legal tussle) wandered Court Street with John Ward (a pirate who allegedly inspired Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean).

Less happily, Joane Williford and Elizabeth Harris, two Faversham women accused of witchcraft, pleaded in chains to be freed from injustice. History records that they were not, but hanged nearby. A stone under the guildhall now records those appalling times.

Mrs Trowts, a red-haired beauty, was also in full pomp outside her home, 23 Court Street. Standing nearby was a bashful Charles II, a close friend of her husband Captain John Trowts, a royalist supporter when Charles was in exile. Shortly after his restoration in 1660, the Merrie Monarch visited the captain, who was by then the town mayor.

Mrs T, however, had not been warned and was busy baking in the kitchen. “The discomfited lady hastily took off her apron and wiped the flour from her hands, but the gallant Charles put her at her ease by ignoring the flour and giving her a hearty kiss,” one historian records.

If you’d like to be involved next year, when we aim to be bigger and better, get in touch with me at the address below

membership@favershamsociety.org

A Sheps engine in trouble

STEPHEN RAYNER

Here is another photograph from the John Coulter archive that is being donated to the Faversham Society. John, a sub-editor and former councillor, died in June and left a wealth of historical documents and photographs.

I can make some observations about the photograph. I don’t know, for example, the type of traction engine (can anybody enlighten me?) but I do know that it was made by Aveling and Porter (note the rampant Kent horse on the front).

It has come to grief outside the large building in East Street, now called Abbey House, which was once a working men’s club. A horse and cart trots by, quite perkily and probably rather smugly, seeing a new-fangled mode of transport in trouble. Children, probably from the nearby district school, pose gleefully for the camera.

The date is 13 June, 1914 – two months before the outbreak of the First World War and the caption says the engine belongs to Shepherd Neame.

I can therefore see two reasons why it may have been kept in John’s family: John’s father, Ted, was a long-standing employee of Sheps, having started there in 1923, at the age of 16. He retired as company secretary in the 1980s. And Ted’s father, William was, among other things, steward of the club.

That’s all I can say. Any more?

Your garden on show

LEIGH ALLISON

We want your garden! Planning has started for next year’s Open Gardens and we are hoping for it to be bigger and better than ever in 2025.

It will be running as part of the National Gardens Scheme raising money for many charities, including the Faversham Society and the Abbey Physic Garden.

Members of the committee have been out doing leaflet drops around the town, but we can’t peek at everyone’s garden!

So, if you love your garden and there is access to it other than through your house, please think about joining in with this lovely day.

Get in touch with us at this address for a chat: favershamopengardens@gmail.com.

Evidence of witchcraft

THE EDITOR

Why were people so afraid of witches in the Tudor period? Beliefs of the everyday people in that era are difficult for us to understand now.

Nonetheless, the perceived threats of maleficium – malignant witchcraft – seemed very real to the populace and on 29 September, 1645, three unfortunate Faversham women were hanged as witches in Faversham Market Place.

To mark this anniversary, we have invited archaeologist Wayne Perkins to give us an illustrated talk about ritual protection marks and ritual practices.

Using the archaeological evidence, Wayne will discuss some of the ways people tried to protect themselves and their homes. The threat of lightning strikes, spontaneous fires and the invasion of the house by the witch’s familiar animal were all perceived threats common to the average householder.

Do you live in an old house and have you found any witch bottles buried under the floor? Or spotted ritual protection marks or graffiti carved into the beams of your home? Bring along photographs (or the real thing) and Wayne will be able to share his expert knowledge with you after the talk.

It promises to be a fascinating evening, so make sure you book your tickets early before they go on general sale.

His talk, Witchcraft In Kent: The Archaeological Evidence, will be held in the Assembly Rooms, Preston Street, at 7.30pm on Saturday, 28 September. Entrance is free for Faversham Society members and £5 for non-members.

You can book online at the address below or in person at the Visitor Information Centre, 12 Market Place.

www.favershamsociety.org/live-events

We still need a mapmaker

THE EDITOR

For the past couple of years we have been producing new books relating to the history of Faversham and they’ve been very well received by locals and visitors alike.

We have some exciting new projects lined up for 2025 and need help from someone who can draw up digital maps.

Can you help? Please contact us at the address below

membership@favershamsociety.org

Faversham expands its Wikipedia presence

JANE SECKER

The Faversham Society hosted its third Wikipedia editathon at the Umbrella Centre in Court Street as part of Open Faversham.

The project aims to improve the information about Faversham on Wikipedia. As one of the 10th most visited websites, it’s vital that the pages are accurate.

The society is also rich in collections and knowledge among our members – and these can really improve the website. Once again we welcomed Richard Nevell from Wikimedia UK to run the training sessions.

This time Chris Wootton and I used the session to highlight some of the fantastic (and lesser known) Faversham Papers that served as an inspiration for attendees who might be looking for content to add to Wikipedia.

After the training session, we toured the Fleur museum, to inspire people to identify new Wikipedia content.

The colourful rectangles that can bring us the story of life

PETER QUINCE

A man came into the Fleur Bookshop the other day and, instead of browsing or approaching the desk with a query, he simply sat in the corner at the front of the shop with what I thought was a white shoebox perched on his lap.

He was angled away from me, so I wasn’t quite sure what he was doing, except that he was meticulously sorting through things. On his face was a look of great concentration. A harmless enough activity, so naturally I let him get on with it and dealt with other customers.

He remained on that chair for well over an hour. I couldn’t quite make out what he was sorting through – some little trinkets, perhaps? But he seemed quite contented, so I left him alone, assuming that he would come over to the desk at some point. The contents of that shoebox must have escaped my usually hawk-like attention.

After an hour’s concentration on the alleged shoebox, the man came over to the counter clutching a thick pack of cards in his hand; not playing cards, but postcards. All the postcards, as far as I could see, were pretty old examples, “vintage” you might say. We were charging three for a pound and he had 60 or so, which would relieve him of £20, of course. He seemed very happy with the deal; I’m sure we were, too.

As is the case with many customers who are not in a hurry, he was happy to engage in conversation about his hobby, or “obsession”, as some might call it. I asked him how long he’d been collecting postcards. “Many years,” he replied.

He travels all over the place, visiting bookshops, charity shops, and market stalls at events such as the Hop Festival, seeking out suitable examples. I was fascinated. I further asked him what criteria he used to select postcards.

“I like most of all the old pre-First World War postcards,” he replied. “You don’t come across many of those. You know, black and white or sepia-coloured. And I like postcards which have been written and sent, with the stamps and the date displayed. Some of the messages you wouldn’t believe. Of course many are blanks, but I prefer them with eye-catching messages on.”

I can sympathise with this postcard aficionado because I too, many years ago, collected them along with stamps and, believe it or not, bottle tops. When my father died, my sister and I sorted through all his and my mother’s belongings. I came across a biscuit tin containing a wodge of postcards, many tied with elastic bands that had perished and almost disintegrated.

Those postcards, well-preserved family history, had been lovingly and meticulously stored. One in particular I recognised; it was a postcard I had sent to my parents from California when, as a student, I criss-crossed the United States. It mentioned visiting a rodeo and buying a pair of cowboy boots. It felt weird holding and reading this little rectangle, seeing my own handwriting of 50 years ago. A little fragment of the past resurrected. I still have that postcard, along with a few others I treasure; it is another one of those links with my parents.

Before he left the bookshop with his haul of 60 vintage postcards (I don’t recall espying any saucy seaside ones) the customer said he would be back for another trawl through our stock if, in the meantime we acquire any more that are to his taste. He’d give it a few months. I remarked to this gentleman that people rarely sent postcards these days, for the same reason that not many people write letters by, hand.

Technology – emails and texts have replaced the habit of sticking a few words of greeting on a small rectangle of card with a suitable illustration on the other side, affixing a stamp and dropping it in one of those old-fashioned red things called a postbox. Thank goodness birthday cards are still posted!

I still write letters to people by hand and, whenever I’m in a seaside town I can’t help peeking at one or two of those saucy postcards. Only fleetingly, though!

Of course, if the Fleur Bookshop ever acquired such salacious examples of the art, I’m sure we would weed them out in the interests of good taste. And the customer with the showbox, he would shun saucy seaside postcards, wouldn’t
 he? Although we both might just have a peep …