16 



chalk pit. near Thanington Chnrch, and here we 

 can see exposed a portion of the gravel and water- 

 worn stones, wh.ch were possibly depos.ted when 

 The river flowed at a higher level ; and which has 

 been broaght about by the water Pe'-™l''tmS 

 throu-b, dTssolving the chalk, and allowing the 

 travel to fall in. Then, if we cross the alluvia 

 deposits at Tuutcrd. and chmb the escarpment 

 known as the A.B.C. steps, we get rather a fine 

 vfew looking towards Chartbam. while in facing 

 Canterbury we see the City in the river valley. It 

 was here that I attempted to calculate the 

 quantity of material which the Stour is carrying 

 down. I estimated that about 9.792 cubic feet ot 

 water passed down every minute I took a gallonof 

 water, evaporated it, and found it contained four- 

 teen grains ot both soluble and insoluble matter. 

 To sum ip this gives us the total of about 71 tons 

 of material being carried into the city, oj" J*^ -^y 

 to the sea, every twenty-four hours. Hence the 

 secret of how our river valley has been carved by 

 the mi-hty forces of Nature. I mentioned a 

 whileago, that rivers, having adjusted their slopes 

 tend to raise their beds, and going back to runtord 

 for a moment.and, looking in the direction of I anter- 

 bury one will see the trouble which Canterbury 

 has had to contend with until these last few years 

 bv flooding. No doubt that before man interfered 

 with the river these floodings were constant at 

 Tvery increased rainfall; when the whole alluvia 

 deposit would be flooded, depositing the materials 

 whijh the biickmakers are using to-day. Ihen we 

 learn that the ancient name of Canterbury was 

 Durovernum, meaning the stronghold of the 

 swamp, and at that time when Canterbury was 

 nothino- more than a mere cluster of huts, built ot 

 roucrh poles ot pine on a platform of logs, our river 

 was'the source of a good deal of their flooding 

 and acted no doubt as a safeguard against fire and 

 enemies Besides, we learn that huge pine trees 

 wer^driven into the soil on which the foundations 

 of the Cathedral were laid. Looking across Can- 

 terbury from Tyler Hill gives one some idea of 

 the oulntity of material which has been earned 

 away from where our City now stands. From Can- 

 terbury the river meanders through the alluvial 

 deposit to Sturry, on to the ancient port of Ford- 

 wich but before entering into the historic 

 evidence of the Stour below Fordw.ch, I 

 will briefly trace the course of a tributary^ 

 Perhaps many are more familiar with the 

 portion of the Lesser Stour which flows through 

 Bridge and Patrixbourne, or rather used to How, 

 for at present it is a dry course. Yet many may 

 remember it some years ago and have watched 

 the speckled trout in the water from one ot the 

 bridges, making a very enjoyable scene. Ihia 

 interesting water course is intermittent, flowing 

 in the same direction as the main river another 

 relic of the primeval water courses which ran 

 from the upheaved Weald. We might pick it up 

 near Barham by the " Black Kobin " public-house, 

 althou<»h its source is many miles further up, near 

 Lyminge. Here, during its flowing periods, it is 

 quite a lively stream, and was forded here by con- 

 veyances going to Barham. Now, as ■* has not 

 floied for some few years the course bas teen 

 filled in, and if it were not for the bridge at the 



side it might he entirely forgotten. The old 

 course travels on towards BishoDsbourne, 

 throu.'h bourne Park, leaving the once 

 beautiful lake quite dry, through Bridge, where 

 very many remember the deep valley, at the 

 bottom of which Bridge picturestiuely hes, then 

 on to Patrixbourne, to Bekesbourue, where, near 

 the chuich. it crosses the railway. This is the 

 last of the dry course, because at a i'stance ot 

 about two hundred yards, near the ruins of Well 

 Chapel, in the shelter of some trees, is a spring, 

 which starts a stream for the remainder of its 

 iourney I might mention that in Norman days 

 the river was tidal near Bekesbourne, no doubt 

 covering the alluvial deposit which extends from 

 hereto the Wantsum, while Bekesbourne itself 

 was then an associate of the Cinque Ports, i ol- 

 lowin" the stream through Littlebourne, we find 

 the alluvial deposits becoming wider, and at W icK- 

 hambreaux we have a last look at the Lesser Stour. 

 BevondSeaton Mill flows the river through the . 

 marshy lands, being joined a bit fuither on by a 

 rather important tributary from Wingham, which 

 I mu^t not enter into tvnight, and which finally 

 io us the main St„ur in the bed ot the Wantsum. 

 Across country again, and back to Fordwich. and 

 one may see by the side of the Stour emblems of 

 ^te former character, one m th- shape of the old 

 Town Hall. We are now approaching the portion ot 

 our river which has undergone the greatest change 

 duiin.' historic times, for no doubt when Fordwich 

 was the port of Canterbury, the sea covered the 

 wide expanse of marshes beyor^d. The silting up 

 of the Wantsum.caudcg the inlet to narrow down, 

 brou>'ht Fordwich to its present position. 1 tbinK 

 that the primaeval Stour flowed in the same general 

 direction as the Stour does to-day. Winding about 

 in the bed of the ancient iclet until we near 

 Grove Ferry, we have now got beyond the challr, 

 the strata of which has run down to the 

 river level or perhaps below it. and we find the 

 escarpment here composed ot London clay, from 

 the top of which we c»n see the wide expanse of 

 marsh laud that was entirely covered with tidal 

 waves until within historic days. ItJ'^^f ^"'^' 

 St Nicholas that the Stour joined the Wantsum. 

 It was between the two places ot Sarre and Stour- 

 mouth,where,in early history,two terry boats were 

 continually employed. Later we hear of it being 

 fordable at low tide. Then on it winds its way to- 

 Kichborough Castle, on to Sandwich, and yet on 

 for another nine miles. Mr. Hammond has k ndly 

 lent a map which shows how the mouth of the 

 ri-.er has been driven north during several 

 centuries, and the power responsible for this is^ 

 the Eastward Drift, which seems to be a combina- 

 tion of the forces of the flood tides, meeting in the 

 Channel and the prevalence of south-west winds, 

 which at all favourable times take up the move- 

 Ible substances in the bed of the Channel and 

 scatter them on our south-east coast ; pebbles 

 betng deposited first, and sand being held longer 

 carried further up-it is this sand being depos.ted 

 which has driven the mouth of our river north. 



At the conclusion of the lecture a hearty vote 

 of thanks was passed to Mr. Buckingham on the 

 proposition of Captain MacDak.n, seconded by 

 Mr. W. P. Mann. 



