1862.] KEN^T.r^iii Bpgr,4,i^Y^.a 175 



The grand discovery of this very agreeable excursion was 

 Ve7-bascum t/Mp8iform^^ af^fsiC^,^^i^^?i^d:j d.nuo^^ced in these pages. 

 See Vol. V. p. 362, N.S..:.', ','.' ,,,,^ ,,,,, ^;. ^ :• u 



A few reflections on the past ,an4 present condition of Romae^i 

 Marsh will conclude this rather long articlcoiolsd ^8;taioq owT 



Mr. John Russell Smith, in his ' Bibliotheca 'Cantiana,' in ^hich' 

 he enumerates and briefly describes all works on the topography 

 and antiquities of Kent, from the earliest I'eeords to the year 

 1837, informs his readers that the best work on this part of the 

 county is Sir William Dugdale's ' History of Embanking and 

 Drayning,' a work which embraces all the drainage operations 

 in England up to his time, the middle of the seventeenth century. 

 It may be inferred that the history of the Kentish Fens is not 

 very extensive, and that of Romney Marsh still less, ira gworiBV io 



In the 'Saxon Chronicle,^ the earliest historical doctiment^bf 

 England, perhaps of modern Europe, and in the subsequent 

 chronicles posterior to the Anglo-Saxon, Danish, and Norman 

 periods, there are several statements which show that in these 

 remote times this district was of far greater importance than it is 

 in modern times. Moh-moo bna ,8'wobB9m bduunh-ih'N 



In those early days this locality, all but tmknowh'exdept 'b;^" 

 graziers and sportsmen, was regarded by our kings as the bul- 

 wark of the realm. The Cinque Ports then furnished the entire 

 English navy ; and as a recompence for theii' services in war were 

 entitled to certain immunities and privileges whick are now 

 obsolete and forgotten. The name alone survives. , :\i / ,7 ut ui • 



The five ports (Cinque Ports) were Hastings, Romney^ Hythe,' ■ 

 Dover, and Sandwich, and with each of these several other con- 

 tiguous ports were associated ; with Romney, for example. Prom- 

 hill, Lede (Lydd), East Weston, Dengemareys (Dungeness), Old 

 Rumney. West Hythe was united with Hythe. With the ex- 

 ception of Dover and Sandwich, the most important members 

 of the Cinque Ports were either in Romn,ey .Marsh. ,cer at.its- two- 

 extremities on the East and on the Westvi-i In.Rlq grdl .sm/jodfi'iii 



In King Edw^ard I.'s reign Rumney contributed four ships 

 of Tyar, Lydde seven, Ilythe five. There is no ship now in Rum- 

 ney, Marsh, and it does, not possess a single harbom". In fair 

 weather a ship might unload or load at Dymchurebf -a; jplacei; 

 unknown i|)^ the, plden times. .- :;'i [':i'r\'-' 



}iythp]Bf^^/JJJ^va,xl^\J^Q,^tl%:^^^ of a period and 



