17 



Chislet ti chalk ridge underlines the alluvium at no great depth, 

 and is met with at the bottom of the ditches. The evidences then 

 are against the Wantsum estuary having been of any great depth. 

 And probably the deepest part was confined to the narrow channel 

 pictured in the map in the author's Essay on Caesar's Landing 

 Place.* 



In respect to the Northern mouth of the estuary, it would 

 seem that in Bede's time one of the ford able places he mentioned 

 in the Wantsum was at Sarre, and it appears to have been one of 

 the chief approaches to Thanet by the mainland for many years 

 after. In a map of Thanet, attributed to Thomas Elmhan, 

 A.D., 1414, prefixed to his history of St. Augustine's Abbey, the 

 Island appears separated from the mainland by a continuous stream, 

 and he depicts some Monks crossing the ferry at Sarre. And it 

 appears that when an Act of Parliament sanctioned the erection of 

 a bridge at Sarre ferry, a.d. 1485, the ferry boat could still be used 

 for about one hour at spring high flood tides. It seems probable 

 from this that this outlet of the Stour's waters had been a narrow 

 and shallow spot for some years past. We have chiefly to do with 

 the River Stour, but it is necessary to mention these facts as 

 bearing on the probable state of the water in early times. A creek 

 or bay existed ^STorth of Sarre, that allowed the tide to flow up as 

 high as this spot at spring high tides. But the waters that ran 

 North of Sarre, are mentioned by Bede as the Genlade. The 

 Genlade then received the water of the valley now called the 

 Nethergong, close by Chislet. So the two rivers of the Wantsum 

 and Genlade are collectively to be considered as the water parting 

 of Thanet and the mainland. And there must have been con- 

 sequently a narrow part that separated these at low water and 

 neap tides. This shallow part of the estuary is apparent from the 

 name given to St. Nicholas (at Wade). 



St. Nicholas in Thanet being a dependant of Eeculver, like 

 Sarre (or All Saints), and at stated periods they had to put in their 

 appearance at the Mother Church at Eeculver, hence arose the 

 term a/ Wade. 



What would be the effect of a tidal connection between the 

 North mouth of the estuary by Reculver, and the Southern mouth 

 near Sandwich ? 



Going back to the earliest historical period, there must have 

 been a flow and reflux of the waters in the estuary, consequent on 

 the difference in the tidal constants between Deal or Ramsgate and 

 Reculver, which, according to the present state of the tides, must 

 have caused some of the flood tides to enter by Stonar and flow 



* Royal Archjeological Institute, 1875, Canterbury Congress. 



