131 



of Dungeness, 12 miles eastward of the present mouth. Camden, 

 after treating of Hastings, says ; — 



" Hence the shore retires backwards and is followed inwards, 

 being full of windings and creeks, within which stands Winchelsea, 

 built in the time of King Edward I., when a more ancient town of the 

 same name was quite swallowed up by the raging of the tempestuous 

 ocean, in the year 1250, at which time the face of the earth, both here 

 and in the adjoining coast, was much altered." 



Shortly after this storm, and before the town of Winchelsea had 

 recovered from the injuries it had received, another storm occurred 

 which was described in a Latin memorandum found by Jeakes amongst 

 the Rye records, and thus translated : — 



" Be it remembered, that in the year of our Lord, 1287, in the 

 even of St. Agath, the Virgin, was the town of Winchelsea drowned 

 and all the lands between Climesden and the Vocher of Hithe. The 

 same year was such plenty of corn throughout all the countries of 

 England, Scotland, and Wales, that a quarter of wheat was sold for 

 two shillings." 



In the year 1292 Pope Nicholas the Fourth granted the tenths 

 of all the ecclesiastical benefices in England to Edward L for six 

 years for defraying the cost of an expedition to the Holy Land, and a 

 complete valuation was accordingly made. About the year 1340 the 

 ninths of wool, &c., were granted to Edward IIL A careful enquiry 

 was made in each parish, and the returns afforded a complete record 

 of what changes had occurred since Pope Nicholas's Taxation. These 

 enquiries were called " Nonarum Inquisitiones.'^ From this source we 

 learnt that between the years 1292 and 1340 no less than 5,500 acres 

 in this County were submerged by the sea ! The Nonas return for 

 1340 for Brighton (made 1341) says : — 



" It' dicunt qd ix ps pdca no respondet nc attinge potest ad taxam 

 ecclie pdce p eo qd xl acr' tre submis sunt p mare imppetuu que valuer 

 p annu xl.s,'' 

 which might be thus translated : — 



" The same (the jurors) say that the 9th part aforesaid cannot 

 answer nor attain to the taxation of the church aforesaid, for that 40 

 acres of land are submerged by the sea for ever, which were worth 

 per annum 40s." 



The return for Hove stated that 150 acres of land were submerged 



