240 THE DOVER ROAD 



broke out, and wheat in 1915 was up to 52^. lOcZ., and 

 barley 345. 7d. The course of prices, 1916-1921, was : 



Prices during the Great War very reasonably agitated 

 the community, but in the period of the Napoleonic 

 wars wheat rose to its highest recorded price : 1265. 6^. 

 in 1812 ; that is, thirty-one shilhngs and twopence a 

 quarter dearer than ever it has been in our own times. 

 Barley, on the contrary, was very much dearer in 1920 

 than ever it had been ; for the top price then was 

 405. 5d. above the former highest : 685. 6d. in 1801. 



The road now grows suburban to Dover, and the 

 valley commences to open out toward the sea. Where 

 the Dour flows, all the vegetation is luxuriant, and there 

 are lovely ponds decked with water-liUes beside the 

 Grabble meadows, below the highway to the right and 

 near the prettily named village of River ; but as the 

 hills rise on either hand they grow barren again and 

 stretch for miles right and left. One green spot amid 

 these eternal chalky undulations lies off to the right. 

 This is Saint Radigund's Abbey, sometimes called by 

 two aliases, either " Kearsney " or " Bradsole " Abbey. 

 The first is the legitimate name, the others are given by 

 its neighbourhood and by the wide (or " broad ") pond 

 (or " sole ") that stood beside the ruins. Little is left 

 of the old abbey but a gatehouse and some beautiful 

 stone-and-flint diapered walls, built into an old farm- 

 stead ; but, although so little remains, what there is left 

 deserves a visit from either architect or artist. Through 

 this valley came King John on that shameful day when, 

 having previously made an informal submission to 

 Pandulf the Papal Legate in the Templars' house at 

 Ewell, he proceeded to formally ratify the gift of 



