Working with the author Dr Wright and the publisher Archaeopress, to get the publication launched, and also in preparing the talks and lecture tour.
Book Cover
Bryan Faussett, F.S.A. (1720-1776) of Heppington House, Nackington, near Canterbury, was a vicar, antiquary, genealogist and revolutionary archaeologist.
In a decade of excavating some 700 Anglo-Saxon barrows around east Kent, using methods of excavation and recording two hundred years ahead of his time, he accumulated what would be at the time of his death the world’s most stupendous collection of seventh-century jewellery and artefacts, crowned by the magnificent Kingston brooch.
He also researched and wrote up his many years of work into Kentish pedigrees, and also of monumental inscriptions in about 150 churches around the Diocese of Canterbury.
His life is the model of a Georgian antiquary and scholar, enormously enhanced and coloured by his personal correspondence and household accounts which he maintained throughout his married life.
In a decade of excavating some 700 Anglo-Saxon barrows around east Kent, using methods of excavation and recording two hundred years ahead of his time, he accumulated what would be at the time of his death the world’s most stupendous collection of seventh-century jewellery and artefacts, crowned by the magnificent Kingston brooch.
He also researched and wrote up his many years of work into Kentish pedigrees, and also of monumental inscriptions in about 150 churches around the Diocese of Canterbury.
His life is the model of a Georgian antiquary and scholar, enormously enhanced and coloured by his personal correspondence and household accounts which he maintained throughout his married life.
Review - Oxford University Press Journals,
Journal of the History of Collections, vol 28, no 3, July 2016
Bryan Faussett (1720–1776) is characterized in this volume as ‘a quintessentially Georgian cleric and antiquary whose extraordinary archaeological career and collections are modestly well known . . . but deserve far greater national recognition.’ The idea that such a person could indeed be claimed to have had an ‘archaeological career’ might immediately seem anachronistic, but in Faussett’s case there are extenuating factors.
The sheer scale of the field campaigns carried out by Faussett in the Anglo-Saxon cemeteries of Kent make present-day researches seem positively tentative: no one opens 308 graves in eighteen days without a well-developed sense of purpose, even if his activities display many of the methodological shortcomings that would continue to mark excavating practice over the following century. What distinguishes Faussett’s work is the care he took in registering his individual discoveries, recording their associations, preparing detailed drawings of the finds and preserving them together in such a way that, eighty years after his death, a proto- archaeologist from a more enlightened age, Charles Roach Smith (1806–1890) could publish them all, grave by grave, in a densely illustrated volume titled Inventorium Sepulchrale (1856).
That volume remains a fitting monument to Faussett’s pioneering work, even if its potential claim to be the first systematic excavation report was usurped by another Kentish clerical excavator, James Douglas (1753–1819), whose Nenia Britannica – again extensively illustrated, grave- group by grave-group, with aquatints prepared by the author himself – had appeared in 1793. Between them, these two works are acknowledged as embodying the first steps taken in Britain towards one of the cardinal requirements of modern archaeology, namely that the results should be published at a level of detail that provides others with the means not only to learn from them but to reinterpret their findings in light of new discoveries. Faussett lacked even the means to recognize that the cemeteries producing his material belonged to the Anglo-Saxon period, judging them instead (on the basis of many residual Roman artefacts) to be ‘a common burying place of Romans . . . but also, if not chiefly, of Romans Britonized, and Britons Romanized’, but such was the quality of his records that Roach Smith (with the advantage of further discoveries, including those made by Douglas) was able to reassign them with confidence to the sixth and seventh centuries where they mostly belonged.
With the fruits of a great deal of archival research, David Wright here places Faussett and his work in a coherent historical context and establishes his place within the antiquarian landscape of the mid-eighteenth century. The eventful later history of the collections is also charted – from their ‘rediscovery’ still in the hands of the Faussett family two generations after excavation by Roach Smith in 1841, their offer at Roach Smith’s suggestion to the British Museum and their imperious rejection by the trustees (against strong public opinion) in 1853, their purchase by Joseph Mayer of Liverpool a year later for his own museum (grandly renamed the Museum of National and Foreign Antiquities in their honor), their transfer to Liverpool city council in 1867, their partial destruction by the Luftwaffe in 1941, to the online publication of a complete inventory of the finds and transcriptions of all the field notebooks (plus photographs, x-rays, analyses, etc.) as a resource for further research in 2007, with the title Novum Inventorium Sepulchrale (http://inventorium.arch. ox.ac.uk/). The reputations of Douglas, Roach Smith and Mayer have all benefited in the past from bio- graphical treatments: it is fitting that the life and work of Bryan Faussett, hitherto a more shadowy figure, has now been accorded the degree of attention they richly deserve, so that he too may enjoy the full the recognition he was felt to have been denied.
That volume remains a fitting monument to Faussett’s pioneering work, even if its potential claim to be the first systematic excavation report was usurped by another Kentish clerical excavator, James Douglas (1753–1819), whose Nenia Britannica – again extensively illustrated, grave- group by grave-group, with aquatints prepared by the author himself – had appeared in 1793. Between them, these two works are acknowledged as embodying the first steps taken in Britain towards one of the cardinal requirements of modern archaeology, namely that the results should be published at a level of detail that provides others with the means not only to learn from them but to reinterpret their findings in light of new discoveries. Faussett lacked even the means to recognize that the cemeteries producing his material belonged to the Anglo-Saxon period, judging them instead (on the basis of many residual Roman artefacts) to be ‘a common burying place of Romans . . . but also, if not chiefly, of Romans Britonized, and Britons Romanized’, but such was the quality of his records that Roach Smith (with the advantage of further discoveries, including those made by Douglas) was able to reassign them with confidence to the sixth and seventh centuries where they mostly belonged.
With the fruits of a great deal of archival research, David Wright here places Faussett and his work in a coherent historical context and establishes his place within the antiquarian landscape of the mid-eighteenth century. The eventful later history of the collections is also charted – from their ‘rediscovery’ still in the hands of the Faussett family two generations after excavation by Roach Smith in 1841, their offer at Roach Smith’s suggestion to the British Museum and their imperious rejection by the trustees (against strong public opinion) in 1853, their purchase by Joseph Mayer of Liverpool a year later for his own museum (grandly renamed the Museum of National and Foreign Antiquities in their honor), their transfer to Liverpool city council in 1867, their partial destruction by the Luftwaffe in 1941, to the online publication of a complete inventory of the finds and transcriptions of all the field notebooks (plus photographs, x-rays, analyses, etc.) as a resource for further research in 2007, with the title Novum Inventorium Sepulchrale (http://inventorium.arch. ox.ac.uk/). The reputations of Douglas, Roach Smith and Mayer have all benefited in the past from bio- graphical treatments: it is fitting that the life and work of Bryan Faussett, hitherto a more shadowy figure, has now been accorded the degree of attention they richly deserve, so that he too may enjoy the full the recognition he was felt to have been denied.
Review - British Archaeology. March / April Issue 2016. Reviewer: Sam Lucy
This is very much a biography, but sections of it will hold considerable interest for archaeologists, particularly those with an interest in the early medieval period. Bryan Faussett (1720-76) was clearly a complex man with many antiquarian interests. He is famed for his excavations of Anglo-Saxon cemeteries in Kent (though he famously interpreted them as the burials of “Britons Romanized” or ‘Romans Britonized”), later published by Charles Roach Smith as the Inventorium Sepulchrale of 1856. This book is based on thorough research using a variety of sources including Faussett’s personal correspondence and household records, and is fascinating for providing detailed context for this period of the history of archaeology. The chapter on Anglo-Saxon death and burial is rather outdated in its approach, and was probably not needed, but this should not be allowed to detract from the value of the book as a whole.
Review - Archaeologia Cantiana. 2016 Vol. 137. Reviewer: Elizabeth Edwards
In November 1853 Edward Hawkins, vice-president of the Society of Antiquaries, said of Bryan Faussett (1720-76) whose collection was the subject of negotiations for its acquisition by the British Museum:
[Faussett] opened about eight hundred Anglo-Saxon graves in about eight or nine parishes in Kent. The contents of each grave were minutely recorded; every object capable of preservation was carefully secured, and drawings made… Perhaps so instructive a collection was never formed. It does not consist of rare, valuable or beautiful objects, picked up or purchased from dealers at various times and in various places, with little or no record, or perhaps false records of the discovery; but it consists of all the objects found in all the graves of a particular district…(p. 229)
Despite this recommendation the British Museum rejected Faussett’s collection which was acquired by the ‘assiduous collector’, Joseph Mayer, and taken to Liverpool. It was therefore in Lancashire that the first public displays and discussion of his work took place rather than in London or his home county of Kent. David Wright’s book, published with the support of the Allen Grove Local History Fund, brings Faussett back to Kent and raises his profile as one of the most influential antiquarians for the nascent archaeological discipline of the nineteenth century.
This study is much more than a biography, but the biography of Faussett runs through the whole volume, and there is detailed family history to be found in the opening and closing chapters, as well as fairly frequent references to his somewhat burdensome relatives throughout. For the keen local, family historian this provides a fascinating insight into mid- to late eighteenth century Kentish gentry life with domestic finances, building works and family matters carefully researched and reproduced. These sections are augmented by the vicissitudes of Faussett’s career as a Church of England priest, moving from his first post in Shropshire back to Kent to become curate in various parishes south of Canterbury, finally becoming rector at Monk’s Horton while remaining perpetual curate at Nackington.
One of the attractions of this book is that the content of the chapters allows them to be read as a separate articles; for example chapter 11 deals with Faussett’s house at Heppington in Nackington, the first recorded occupation of which was in 1183, but rebuilds took place over the centuries and when Faussett’s father acquired the property, through marriage, in 1710 he also rebuilt it. His ten year old son, Bryan, recorded the old house in drawings which foretold his eye for, and interest in, detail and recording. The house, in its latest guise, was finally demolished in 1969. Chapter 2 is another good essay. ‘A World of Antiquarianism’, in which Wright produces an exemplary argument on the nature of antiquarianism and history, which should be recommended to all students of local and regional history. And chapter 13 deals with ‘Three Pioneers’, James Douglas, William Cunnington and Richard Colt Hoare, all of whom, working after Fausset, further developed archaeological method. Along the way we meet other important contributors to eighteenth/nineteenth century antiquarian/archaeological research: William Stukeley, General Pitt-Rivers, and perhaps most importantly for the Faussett story, Charles Roach Smith. Wright has put each of these and many more such as Edward Jacob and Edward Hasted into the full context of Faussett’s life, work and legacy.
However, the core of this closely researched and detailed study is the chapters devoted to Faussett’s work as an antiquarian, the term ‘archaeologist’ was not use in the eighteenth century. Faussett’s first experience of an excavation was when he was only ten, watching Cromwell Mortimer dig treasures at Chartham Down and his enthusiasm never waned thereafter. His first two ‘campaigns’, were excavations at Tremworth Down, Crundale and Guilton Town, Ash, recorded in Chapter 5, when Faussett developed his characteristic collection and recording of every find, stimulating his thoughts on the origin, nature and rationale of burials. ‘The Summit of a Career’, chapter 8, is the very heart of this study and details the rich excavation of several hundred graves at Kingston Down between 1767 and 1773. The most notable find was the Kingston Brooch (AD 610-20) which is now held by the National Museums, Liverpool, and the clear reproduction of Faussett’s sketch and description (p.122) makes evident the value, to later archaeologists, of his work as a collector and recorder of finds, many of which would have gone the way of so much else under the plough. But Wright, like Faussett gives due recognition to all the collection.
David Wright has produced an impressive and comprehensive study of the complex life and work of an eighteenth century antiquary. And, although at times there are odd and unexplained jumps between topics, and the addition of some maps would have been useful, this is a beautifully written and presented book and the quality and appropriateness of the illustrations to the text is excellent.
[Faussett] opened about eight hundred Anglo-Saxon graves in about eight or nine parishes in Kent. The contents of each grave were minutely recorded; every object capable of preservation was carefully secured, and drawings made… Perhaps so instructive a collection was never formed. It does not consist of rare, valuable or beautiful objects, picked up or purchased from dealers at various times and in various places, with little or no record, or perhaps false records of the discovery; but it consists of all the objects found in all the graves of a particular district…(p. 229)
Despite this recommendation the British Museum rejected Faussett’s collection which was acquired by the ‘assiduous collector’, Joseph Mayer, and taken to Liverpool. It was therefore in Lancashire that the first public displays and discussion of his work took place rather than in London or his home county of Kent. David Wright’s book, published with the support of the Allen Grove Local History Fund, brings Faussett back to Kent and raises his profile as one of the most influential antiquarians for the nascent archaeological discipline of the nineteenth century.
This study is much more than a biography, but the biography of Faussett runs through the whole volume, and there is detailed family history to be found in the opening and closing chapters, as well as fairly frequent references to his somewhat burdensome relatives throughout. For the keen local, family historian this provides a fascinating insight into mid- to late eighteenth century Kentish gentry life with domestic finances, building works and family matters carefully researched and reproduced. These sections are augmented by the vicissitudes of Faussett’s career as a Church of England priest, moving from his first post in Shropshire back to Kent to become curate in various parishes south of Canterbury, finally becoming rector at Monk’s Horton while remaining perpetual curate at Nackington.
One of the attractions of this book is that the content of the chapters allows them to be read as a separate articles; for example chapter 11 deals with Faussett’s house at Heppington in Nackington, the first recorded occupation of which was in 1183, but rebuilds took place over the centuries and when Faussett’s father acquired the property, through marriage, in 1710 he also rebuilt it. His ten year old son, Bryan, recorded the old house in drawings which foretold his eye for, and interest in, detail and recording. The house, in its latest guise, was finally demolished in 1969. Chapter 2 is another good essay. ‘A World of Antiquarianism’, in which Wright produces an exemplary argument on the nature of antiquarianism and history, which should be recommended to all students of local and regional history. And chapter 13 deals with ‘Three Pioneers’, James Douglas, William Cunnington and Richard Colt Hoare, all of whom, working after Fausset, further developed archaeological method. Along the way we meet other important contributors to eighteenth/nineteenth century antiquarian/archaeological research: William Stukeley, General Pitt-Rivers, and perhaps most importantly for the Faussett story, Charles Roach Smith. Wright has put each of these and many more such as Edward Jacob and Edward Hasted into the full context of Faussett’s life, work and legacy.
However, the core of this closely researched and detailed study is the chapters devoted to Faussett’s work as an antiquarian, the term ‘archaeologist’ was not use in the eighteenth century. Faussett’s first experience of an excavation was when he was only ten, watching Cromwell Mortimer dig treasures at Chartham Down and his enthusiasm never waned thereafter. His first two ‘campaigns’, were excavations at Tremworth Down, Crundale and Guilton Town, Ash, recorded in Chapter 5, when Faussett developed his characteristic collection and recording of every find, stimulating his thoughts on the origin, nature and rationale of burials. ‘The Summit of a Career’, chapter 8, is the very heart of this study and details the rich excavation of several hundred graves at Kingston Down between 1767 and 1773. The most notable find was the Kingston Brooch (AD 610-20) which is now held by the National Museums, Liverpool, and the clear reproduction of Faussett’s sketch and description (p.122) makes evident the value, to later archaeologists, of his work as a collector and recorder of finds, many of which would have gone the way of so much else under the plough. But Wright, like Faussett gives due recognition to all the collection.
David Wright has produced an impressive and comprehensive study of the complex life and work of an eighteenth century antiquary. And, although at times there are odd and unexplained jumps between topics, and the addition of some maps would have been useful, this is a beautifully written and presented book and the quality and appropriateness of the illustrations to the text is excellent.
