Thirty four BACAS members attended the AGM on 14 February 2019.
Director of Archaeology
The 2019 Clive Peacock Memorial Award, given annually to the Member who is considered to have made an important contribution to the Society went to Robin Holley, BACAS Director of Archaeology.
Unfortunately, Robin was unable to be at the AGM. At a later date, the Chairman, Henry Lowe, will present Robin with two books by Guy de la Bédoyère : Dominia and Roman Britain: A New History.
At the start of the meeting there were three presentations on society projects during the past year. John Withey told us about investigations of the medieval archway in his own garden. Fiona Medland spoke on the search for a mystery enclosure near Temple Cloud and John Oswin gave a summary of geophysics at Laverton and Lansdown.
The Committee proposed the motion: “Subscriptions will run from 12 months from the date of first joining or renewal, and the Constitution amended accordingly.” The Membership Secretary, Laurence Chadd, explained that the current system of memberships running from 1 January to 31 December caused anomalies for people joining halfway through the year. This motion would simplify matters. He would start applying the change from the beginning of 2020. The motion was passed without opposition.
Lawrie Scott (Hon. Treasurer) told the AGM that the financial position continued to improve. There had been an increase in membership income of £1297. The position would be even better if more members consented to Gift Aid. Lectures income was up by £211, but excursions income had decreased by £123. Donations amounted to £1060, and he thanked the donors. We had received a £5,000 grant for excavation at Durley Hill from the Association for Roman Archaeology. Ignoring the latter, the result was a surplus of £2,839 compared to the previous year’s surplus of £1,332. The reserves stood at £9,584 (excluding the ARA’s grant). However, the Treasurer pointed out that our equipment was aging with most of it being over ten years old. A replacement programme was needed.
Elections were held for the Society’s officers. Lawrie Scott was standing down as Treasurer, and so was Les Hayes, Director of Operations. Roger Underhill was elected Treasurer, and John Knapper as Director of Operations. Les is staying on the committee as Excursions Co-ordinator. A full list is on the Committee page.