15 



walls or embankments had been made to reclaim parts of the 

 marsh ; and in later times the course of the river Stour had been 

 embanked some furlong or so wide on each side of the river. 

 And we may note the effect has been to raise the soil between the 

 banks some four feet or more, higher than the land behind the 

 walls. And other parts that have been protected by early embank- 

 ments are consequently now the lowest lands in the levels. 



While the river has been lengthening its course by numerous 

 windings, the mouth of the river has been constantly removed to a 

 greater distance by other causes, chiefly from the tidal currents 

 (which in this case have been in greater foixe from a Southern 

 direction) forming shore drifts or shingle banks, and sand hills, 

 pushing the mouth of the river more and more to the North. 

 These two causes combined, have excluded the sea from its former 

 occupancy of marshes, for the tide takes a considerable time to 

 flow up a river, and when from this cause the flood in the river is 

 at its highest eight or ten miles inland, the tide will have fallen 

 some two hours or more at the mouth, where the water will be 

 flowing out, while inland it will be flowing in. 



We find from the history of Richborough that it was at this 

 place the Romans found an excellent harbour, " the Rutupian," 

 described as tranquil water, and the chief landing place from the 

 Continent, before Sandwich had usurped its place ; and in Danish 

 times the hostile fleets sailed into this estuary, and out into the 

 Tharai's on the IN^orth at the Reculvers. All historical evidences 

 point to the mouth of the Wantsum being between Stonar and 

 Sandwich. And the beach at Stonar proves to be an accumulation 

 of prehistoric date, and had travelled from North to South from 

 Pegwell Bay, and was formerly continuous from the one to the 

 other, so that the exit of the waters from the Wantsum must 

 always, within the historic period, have been by this way. 



In the histories of Kent, Hasted, and every one that has 

 written on the subject, has ignored this fact, and pictured the 

 Wantsum estuary as having a wide mouth, extending from Deal to 

 Pegwell, which could not have been the case. 



Canon Scott Robertson suggests that Stonar was the ancient 

 Luenderwick, and existed centuries before Sandwich. Roman and 

 Saxon remains have been found there. The entrance to the 

 Wantsum must at this place have been nearly one and a half 

 furlongs wide, and the town stood at an elevation of 10 to 11 feet 

 above ordnance datum level. That the sea in the time of the 

 Romans did not occupy all the place now covei'ed by sand hills, is 

 evident from the fact that Roman remains have been found in and 

 below the sand hills some distance North of Deal, near the rifle 

 butts there. In a Paper read before the Royal Archaeological 



