ANTIQUARIAN PAPERS OF REV. CANON SYDNEY WILLIAMS WHEATLEY

DE53/1

[1684], 1811-1950

fonds

Sydney Williams Wheatley was born in Edinburgh in 1869. He was vicar of St. Margaret's parish, Rochester, from 1915 until 1947 but besides his pastoral work in this period he was active as an archaeologist, historian and genealogist, publishing much material in parish, diocesan and archaeological periodicals, and also supplying associates and enquirers with the results of his research informally. Wheatley joined the Kent Archaeological Society in 1912 and served on its Council 1922-1948, contributing many articles to the society's periodical 'Archaeologia Cantiana'. For twenty years from 1926 he was editor of the Rochester 'Diocesan Chronicle'. He was a member of Rochester City Council's Museum Committee and in 1922 was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London. Wheatley was also variously Chaplain to the 1st Battalion Royal West Kent Volunteers, 1903, Chaplain to the High Sheriff of Kent, 1904, Head Special Constable, Hever Section, 1915, president of the local district branch of the Historical Association, c.1931, and Honorary Canon (from 1908) and Assistant Librarian of Rochester Cathedral. He died in 1951.

The collection was originally found in a disorganised state and so the records have been arranged according to the subjects they relate to most.