+ Swonscombe 

 Church. 



Schaoi» 



A HISTORY OF KENT 



Selling : Pfrry Wood. — A ' camp ' hill is mentioned in Petrie's 

 list,' and local tradition recalls it, but now the only earthwork visible in 

 this wood is a circular mount with slight fosse round, very like the 

 work at Wouldham, the mount rising 12 to i 5 ft. in height. In old 

 time it may have been a small, defended look-out, as it is in a position 

 suited for the purpose, but in modern days has been converted into 

 what is locally known as the ' Pulpit,' by the erection of a wooden 

 structure on its summit. 



Sheppey Castle. — See Queenborough. 



SwANScoMBE : Sweyn's Camp.' — Antiquaries have told of Swans- 

 combe as the landing-place of Sweyn, King of Denmark, and associated 



this small fortress with his en- 

 campment. Though we know 

 of no evidence to disprove this 

 association, save that no work in 

 England known to be of Danish 

 origin is similar, we would assign 

 its construction to a later period. 

 It is, however, likely that there 

 is some foundation for the tradi- 

 tion that Sweyn landed and win- 

 tered his navy at Swanscombe ; 

 the valley below the fortress and 

 north-east, protected by the hills, 

 had in those days sufficient water 

 to accommodate thelight-draught 

 war vessels of the Danes, whilst 

 the entry in the Domesday Book 

 affords supporting evidence by 

 *•, writing ' Swinescamp ' as the 



name of the place. 

 2 i* d>-eJ '. Sweyn's Camp is almost 



r^- I TCrr. ^/fife f^\ circular in form, 60 by 54 ft., 

 defended by a rampart with an 

 outer fosse, the rampart doubtless 

 once much higher than it now 

 is, and the fosse correspondingly 

 deeper. 



The spot selected for the construction of the fortress is on a 

 tongue of land about 225 ft. above sea-level, projecting from the hill 

 ground, which extends to the south and south-west for some miles ; it 

 commands the north generally, including the river Thames and the 

 south coast of Essex.' 



The entrenchments and their immediate neighbourhood being 







Sweyn's Camp, Swanscombe. 



■ Juh. Cant. (1880) xiii. 



' Variously known as Sweyn's Camp, Mount or Fort. 

 ' Trees now obstruct the view northwards. 

 410 



