45 



together. I had lost ray copy of his book and only had it 

 returned to me on Wednesday last. I can assure any 

 person taking an interest in these matters that the book will 

 repay a careful perusal. As a member of the Council of the 

 Kent Arcbcelogical Society I have obtained the loan of 

 their excellent map for a few days, and have therefore 

 exhibited it on these walls. You will be aware that the 

 two most important features in my subject are the rivers 

 Medway and Stour, to the latter, viz. the Stour, you will 

 most of you claim acquaintance, and to its sources I 

 propose more particularly to allude, as it rises and discharges 

 itself at the Eastern division of the county, to which you 

 profess more particularly to confine yourselves. From this 

 river the town in which we are met takes it name. Hasted 

 says it was called formerly the Eshet until the junction of 

 its two branches at Ashford, which in Doomsday is called 

 Estefort and Essetisford, and in the will of Sir John Faggo, 

 in 1395, it retains the name of E-shetysforde, or the ford of 

 the Eshet, which ford was plainly seen at the site of the 

 present bridge during some recent excavations, and several 

 relics of antiquity were then discovered. Whether the two 

 names of Eshet and Stour have a common derivation, I 

 am unable to trace, but the town is still called Eshford 

 by many the rural population, which I consider a traditional 

 corruption of the ancient name. The sunken way by 

 which you will recollect we approach the ford from Willes- 

 borough, shows how many generations have trod in the 

 same path, and like indications near all the other entrances 

 show that for centuries and probably for thousands of years 

 Ashford has been the focus of intercommunication and the 

 nucleus of the district. The river Stour reaches Ashford 

 by two opposite streams or branches, both, together with 

 their numberless arms, rising in what I call the Ashford 

 Hasin ; one rises near Lcnham Church, the other near 

 I'ostling Church. I consider myself justified in giving the 

 name of the Ashford Basin to this district, out of which 

 the Stour takes its rise. You may perceive that Dr. Parke 

 calls it the Ashford Vale, a term synonimous wilh "Uasin." 



