47 



this route, as far as North mouth, was technically within the 

 liberty of Sandwich. Sir Stephen de Pencestte, Lord-warden 

 of the Cinque Ports (1269), made an official perambulation of 

 the boundaries. The vein ran thus: — "First beginning at the 

 Stone Cross, at the west part of the town, near the causeway or 

 common road between Sandwich and Ash, which cross is within 

 the liberty ; and from thence, going along close by the river-side, 

 to Northmouth, everywhere by the line of high-water mark, at 

 spring-tide ; and then returning along the other margin of the 

 river on the opposite side, through Sarr and Boxley in Thanet, 

 to the shore at the passage, directly against the cross of Henne- 

 bergh ;* and from that cross straight on the opposite side to the 

 sea ; and thence along the sea-shore to Stonore, including the 

 whole town of Stonore and the marshes within Henebergh, 

 which are within the precinct of the liberty of the aforesaid ; 

 and on the other side of the river crossing over Pepesness, 

 and thence to a stream that runs into the river called the Gest- 

 ling, by the Thief Downs, where persons condemned within the 

 liberty are buried alive ; and so going along that stream to a marsh 

 called Holberg, belonging to the lord of Poldre."f This sketch 

 of the perambulation of the boundaries within the jurisdiction 

 of the Cinque Ports, which boundary extended to high-waiet 

 jnark which formed the boundary, would give us a fair idea of 

 the water-way of the Stour towards the port of Sandwich in the 

 13th century if w'e could identify all the places there mentioned. 



I have examined with much care the marshes between Sand- 

 wich and Reculver, with a view of tracing any spots, mounds, 

 or walls mentioned by the early writers of this neighbourhood ; 

 and I communicated numerous notes to the late honorary 

 secretary of the Kent Archseological Society, in the year 1866, 

 in connection with the account of the Castrum at Richborough, 

 a notice of which you will find in VIII. vol. of the Kent 

 Archaeological Society's proceedings, but the former of these 

 notes were not published. I also sent to Canon Scott Robert- 

 son further notes on these marshes in 1879 in connection with 

 Richborough and Ebbs-fleet, and notes on the marshes near 

 Reculver 1878 on the same subject, neither of which were 

 published. The hon. secretary of the Society has, however, 

 published his own views on the subject in the XII. vol. of the 

 proceedings of our Kent Archaeological Society, which appears 

 under the head of "Thanet Insulation," some of which 

 opinions I cannot endorse. Cannot Scott Robertson bases 

 his opinions entirely on documentary evidence ; whereas I have 

 sought for proofs in support of the documentary evidence in 

 the nature of the marsh soil and its surroundings, 



In the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle it is stated (A.D. 1029) — 

 " This year King Canute came to England, and as soon as 



* Boxley Priory had possessions in Woodnesboro. 

 tNot far from Stonar— Boys' "Sandwich," 636. 



