The ancient Cinque Port of Sandwich
THE ANCIENT CINQUE PORT OF SANDWICH
E.W. PARKIN
It has been said that the history of Sandwich is the history of England;
indeed, for centuries it was the premier port of this country, and one
of its most ancient towns.
The Saxon Chronicle speaks of 'Lundenwic', referring to the
earliest settlement there, but by 664 we find the name 'Sandwic' used,
when Wilfred, Bishop of Northumberland '. . . landed happily and
pleasantly at Sandwic', on his way from France, after his consecration
there.1 Sandwic, as it was then spelled, - or the Latin equivalent
Sabulovicum, both mean the village or settlement on the sand, and
this is exactly what it was, having been built on the sandbank which at
that time jutted out into the large and sheltered haven separating
Thanet from the mainland of Kent.
A complete history of the town would indeed fill many volumes,
and a number of excellent authors have attempted this task, notably
William Boys, a one-time mayor of the town, who published Collections
for an History of Sandwich' in 1792.2
The purpose of this paper, while reminding ourselves very briefly
of its history, is to study the town itself, especially its ancient streets
and buildings, where every corner has a story to tell.
SANDWICH BEFORE THE NORMAN CONQUEST (Fig. 1)
Following the landing of the Jutes in Kent in 449, and afterwards by
Saxons and Angles in neighbouring counties, ships began to ply
1 Eddius Stephanus, The Life of Wilfred of Northumberland, vide Dorothy Gardiner,
Historic Haven, 2.
2 Also K.M.E. Murray, The Constitutional History of the Cinque Ports, Manchester,
1935. Dorothy Gardiner, Historic Haven, The Story of Sandwich, Derby, 1954. Helen
C. Bentwich, History of Sandwich, Deal, 1971.
189
E.W. PARKIN
1
Pre-Conquest Town
Fig. 1. Sandwich before the Norman Conquest.
190
THE ANCIENT CINQUE PORT OF SANDWICH
regularly between the Thames and the Continent, making use of the
wide haven between the Isle of Thanet to shelter, or to replenish
stores and water. Thus, we have a picture of huts and store-sheds
lining a small quay on the tip of the sandbank, facing the main
anchorage. The site of this settlement must now lie behind the
present line of Strand Street, where once stood the earliest quay,
before the waters silted, and narrowed into the small river we see
today.
The old word 'Strand' was used in Saxon times to indicate a
waterfront, and this applies also to the Strand in London, which, too,
was once a riverside walk before silting caused the Thames to become
narrower.
From this modest beginning, Sandwich grew rearwards into a small
pear-shaped town - virtually the old parish of St. Peter's, the narrow
streets of which still survive today.
To the visitor, these streets and alleys are bewildering, and it is
very easy to become lost. Igglesden, in his Saunter through Kent
remarks; 'These good Sandwichians love you so much that they have
laid out their town in the form of a maze, to keep you inside for all
time'!3 To understand the reason for this, one must imagine the first
line of huts and sheds on the tip of the sandbank having to allow gaps
at intervals for the passage of ox-carts proceeding inland. Walking
along Strand Street today, a visitor can still see these gaps as the
narrow side-streets - Three Kings Yard, Love Lane, Potter Street,
etc., all of which are only 3 m. (10 ft.) wide, and all curving round
into a south-easterly direction, towards what was then the only dry
passage to the mainland; for, at that time, the sea flowed right around
the west side of the town at high tide, and would do so today but for
the earth-walls built by the monks of Canterbury soon after the
Conquest. The land thus reclaimed is still marked on local Ordnance
maps as the North and South Poulders.
The buildings of early Sandwich were small by modern standards,
many standing on plots no more than 3 or 4 m. wide, (10-14 ft.),
which plots remain largely unaltered today. On counting these in the
ancient core of the town, and allowing for later buildings which
obviously occupy more than one plot, we find the number to be
around 307 - remarkably close to the Doomsday count of 312
inhabited houses '. . . in the time of King Edward'.
Sandwich was one of the five original 'Cinque Ports', founded
before the Conquest, which for centuries, in return for certain
privileges, gave 'Ship Service' to the King, each being assisted later
3 Charles Igglesden, A Saunter Through Kent, xix, 18, Ashford, 1926.
191
E.W. PARKIN
by several smaller ports or 'Limbs'. The venerable tradition of the
Cinque Ports," with some of its colourful ceremonies still survives,
and although now shorn of almost all its privileges, it is, next to the
monarchy, our oldest institution. Even today, the mayor, or a leading
citizen from Fordwich, Sarre, and Brightlingsea in Essex come to pay
in their 'Ship Monies' - dropped into the ancient Moot Horn held by
the Sandwich Town Sergeant. This contribution, which amounts to a
prescribed number of shillings, does not today even begin to pay for
the excellent banquet then served!
THE NORMAN BUILDINGS OF SANDWICH
The coming of the Normans made a big impact on the town, the
importance of the port being soon recognised. The Doomsday survey
shows that Sandwich was at the time the fourth largest town in the
kingdom, after London, Norwich and Ipswich.
The rights of the monks of Canterbury to port dues, given by King
Knut were duly recognised, and after the reclaiming of land on the
west side of the town, two new suburbs were added, St. Clement's on
the eastern side, and St. Mary's on the west. Both these parishes were
laid out with streets in a grid pattern, since largely lost after the
French raids of 1216 and 1457.
NORMAN BUILDINGS BEFORE THE FRENCH ATTACK OF 1216
Only the tower of St. Clement's, which survived the two French
attacks, and some stonework inside the west end of the church of St.
Mary, together with a few early stone cellars in the town, can be said
to date from the twelfth century.
THE TOWER OF ST. CLEMENT'S
This is claimed to be the finest Norman tower of any parish church in
England, except perhaps that at Tewkesbury. It has three tiers of
arcading all round its upper part, and at least one below the present
roof. It is of Caen stone, and its carving and mouldings are superb.
The stone doorway leading into the foot of the stair turret is
4 Said to have been initiated by Alfred the Great. The first documentary evidence of
a Cinque Ports Naval Force dates from Earl Godwin's revolt of 1052. (Anglo-Saxon
Chronicle (RS) ii 146 sq. 150-1.)
192
THE ANCIENT CINQUE PORT OF SANDWICH
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Fig. 2. Reconstruction of a Norman Merchant's House.
pre-Conquest in style, and is thought to have been executed by a
Saxon mason. The low outline of the original Norman roof can be
clearly seen inside the church on the west side of the tower.
THE CHURCH OF ST. MARY THE VIRGIN
This was originally a small cruciform Norman church, to which a
steeple was added later, but which fell down in 1448. It was damaged
in the French raids of 1216 and 1457, repaired, but badly damaged by
a severe earthquake in 1578, which, according to the town records
'dyd shake and cleave fower archies in St. Maries chirch'. It is not
surprising, therefore, that a second steeple collapsed in 1667, destroying
much of the centre of the building, so that today the church is
a remarkable hotch-potch of styles and patching, with wooden pillars
supporting the wide roof. Nevertheless, some Norman work still
remains inside the west end of the church, showing that the original
church was a fine one, and dateable to the first quarter of the twelfth
century.
193
E.W. PARKIN
PLATE I
Norman Merchant's House, Three Kings' Yard.
NORMAN BUILDINGS AFTER 1216
French forces under the Dauphin, summoned to assist the barons in
their struggle against the misrule of King John, landed in Thanet in
May 1216, and sacked the town of Sandwich. They returned early in
1217 and set the town on fire, but were decisively defeated in a great
sea battle off the town on St. Bartholomew's Day, August 24th, 1217.
It is said that afterwards, much of the town was rebuilt, and St.
Bartholomew's Hospital founded with treasure captured from the
French, and with monies paid for high-ranking hostages taken during
the battle. It is certain that the earliest remains of Norman dwellings
date from soon after these events. These were small 'hall-and-cellar'
buildings, constructed of flint and stone (Fig. 2), and lying in a line
behind the present timber-framed ones on the south side of Strand
Street. They once stood on the quayside, before the river narrowed,
and were obviously designed with defence in mind, for at that time,
Sandwich was an open town, and had no walls or gates.
THE SMALL STONE BUILDING IN THREE KINGS YARD (Plate I)
This now stands roofless, and was originally a Norman merchant's
194
THE ANCIENT CINQUE PORT OF SANDWICH
house built about 1230. It became for a time a chantry chapel,
becoming a ruin after the Reformation, later being converted back
into a house when Flemish refugees poured into Sandwich, as added
brickwork in it shows. Originally, it had an undercroft, above which
the owner lived in a hall which occupied two-thirds of this part,
behind which was a small retiring room or bedroom. The whole
building measured only 9.30 by 7.30 m. (30 ft. 6 in. by 24 ft.). The
undercroft had two very narrow loop windows on each side, an
entrance door at the north-west corner, and a circular stone stairway
at the south end, connecting with the room above. The hall had twin
lancet windows on each side, and the bedroom two single lancets.
The hall had a doorway at the north end, approached by outside
stairs, the upper floor being usually of stone flags, supported by
massive joists. Only the wealthiest had stone-vaulted undercrofts.
NO. 50 ST. PETER'S STREET
This lies directly behind the timber-framed corner house in Strand
Street, and like the building just described, had thick flint walls
measuring 0.60 m. (nearly 2 ft.). The street front is of later brick but,
if one views the house from the little garden at the rear, the twin
lancet windows of the erstwhile upper hall can be seen, as well as part
of the single lancet.
NO. 27 STRAND STREET
A little further along the street is no. 27, where on entering the
present shop, one finds at the rear a Gothic stone doorway leading
into a two-bay vaulted undercroft. The doorway is a wide one, 1.22
m: (4 ft.), where the rebate for the door, and the original heavy
pin-hinges still remain. This must have been the business store, or
shop of one of the wealthier merchants, perhaps a wine importer who
stored his casks here, and lived in the two rooms above. It is
intriguing to note that this, formerly an antique shop, has since
become a wine shop again.
NO. 39 STRAND STREET
A fourth undercroft lies behind no. 39 Strand Street, where several
steps lead down into it. This has inside it a pointed niche, and two
cellar windows, now blocked.
195
E.W. PARKIN
OTHER THIRTEENTH-CENTURY HOUSES
A number of fragments of buildings of this period may be found in
various parts of the town, notably behind the old Elizabethan
Grammar School near the western end of Strand Street, where in the
fine garden may be found walling and two doorways of the 'Stone
House', built c. 1220, which was the official residence of the monks of
Canterbury. This is mentioned in the Customs Records, now housed
among the Chapter archives at Lambeth Palace, and is described as
having a central hall with Gothic stone windows, a chapel at one end,
and a two-storey wing at the other. Under the hall there used to be a
cellar. This house was demolished in 1563, at which time it had been a
hospice known as St. Thomas House.
Inside the present Sandwich library in Market Street is preserved in
situ a fine lancet window of yet another stone house, while an
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Fig. 3. 'The Haven', Plan of the thirteenth-century fortified House.
196
THE ANCIENT CINQUE PORT OF SANDWICH
undercroft window may be seen in a wall in Quay Lane. Walling from
the period still stands behind no. 37 Strand Street, and between no. 3
Strand Street, and the Admiral Owen inn.
THE HAVEN
Another residence of very great interest, but now with only fragmentary
remains is to be found in the garden of the Haven in Harnet
Street (Fig. 3). A high wall here embraces the whole of the corner of
Guildecount Lane, on the Harnet Street side of which may be seen
part of a Gothic stone doorway, and some exceptionally fine flintwork.
The Bridewell Museum in Norwich claims to have the finest
flintwork in the country in its west wall, but upon examination,
although smaller in extent, the Sandwich example must surely show
superior workmanship. The flints are 'knapped', or chipped square,
and so accurately laid in straight courses, that it is almost impossible
to insert a knife between them.
The rectangular walled plot here was built in the first half of the
thirteenth century as a fortified courtyard dwelling, having its hall in
the north-west corner, and a chapel at the Harnet Street end, where
an aumbry may be found in the wall, but now covered with creeper.
Until earlier this century, a defence tower stood guarding the
north-west corner, while a gatehouse straddled Guildecount Lane,
where corbels, and flintwork, formerly showing on the end of the
house opposite, indicated where it stood.
Most of the present walling has been rebuilt from the rubble of the
ruins; for example, ashlar, or squared stones from the chapel may be
seen to form part of the walling in Harnet Street. Inside the garden,
however, there is still original walling on the north side, which is
easily recognised in that it has four courses of roughly-knapped flints
to one lacing course of imported yellow Flemish brick. This often was
brought back as ballast in the wool ships which traded with Europe.
This remarkable residence is believed to have been the home of the
Condy (or Cundy) family, who lived hereabouts at the time.5 They
were wealthy ship-owners, importers of wines, etc., chiefly from
France. The town records show that John, and later Peter Condy
were amongst the earliest mayors of Sandwich, who founded and
endowed the thirteenth-century chantry in the nearby church of St.
Mary, the town's earliest chantry.
All evidence indicates that this walled, courtyard residence was
5 CH. Fretten, unpublished manuscript. Notes giving a new list of early bailiffs.
197
E.W. PARKIN
PLATE II
Elizabethan Murals in the 'Long House'.
besieged, but vigorously defended during the great French attack of
August 1457, and largely reduced to rubble. In the original walling
still standing on the north side are several round holes, now
bricked-in, apparently made by cannon balls. The large pseudo-
Gothic openings in this wall were put in later.
'THE LONG HOUSE'
Another important thirteenth-century house was the 'Long House' in
Strand Street, of which the cellar still survives. This was built c. 1253
for John Pickenot, cellarer to Christ Church, Canterbury. It was
recorded as being 52 ft. long, which it still is, and to have been built of
stone with a tiled roof, in the centre of which was a louvre. It was no
doubt a Norman-style house, with a hall and two other rooms on the
first floor, but reduced to ruins in the 1457 French attack, left in that
state for at least a century, and finally rebuilt about 1570 as the very
interesting house we see today. It has an upper room with fine
Elizabethan frescoes (Plate II), a room with sixteenth-century panelling,
and a Georgian room. The original stone cellar still has a short
underground passage, now blocked, which once led out on to the
Monkenkey, a stone quay built by the monks of Canterbury in 1322
198
THE ANCIENT CINQUE PORT OF SANDWICH
at a cost of £26 16s. 6d, and excavated a few years ago by Messrs.
Southam and Trussler, who found it to be still largely intact.
Other important houses of this period formerly stood at the west
end of Strand Street, such as Bay Hall, and Packer's house, mentioned
in various records, but of which little is known.
A number of cellars in Sandwich must also date from this time, a
full survey of which might tell us much about the Norman town.
THE GREAT STORM OF 1287
One event which had a profound effect on Sandwich, and indeed on
the whole of the south-east coast, was the terrible storm of February
1287. It was described as '. . . that hideous tempest, when the sea
flowed twice without ebbing. . .', which did untold damage to towns
along the south coast. The harbour at New Romney was silted up,
and the River Rother, which formerly flowed into the sea there,
changed its course. Sandbanks appeared in front of the anchorage at
Hythe, while Dover was forced to rebuild its harbour.
At Sandwich, new sandbanks built up across the entrance to its fine
haven, pushing the exit nearer to Pegwell Bay. However, the harbour
continued to function, reaching the peak of its trade between 1377
and 1400, when there were 810 inhabited houses in the town, with an
estimated population of over 3000.
THE FORTIFICATIONS OF SANDWICH
As already mentioned, Sandwich was an open town before 1385,
relying on its stone Norman houses and also its churches for defence.
Its only fortification at that time was the 'King's Castle' situated on
the eastern side of the town, close to the Sandown road. Excavations
by the Canterbury Archaeological Trust in 1983 proved that it was of
the usual 'motte and bailey' construction with a small central keep
protected by ditches. The first documentary reference to it was in
1260, when it was a subsidiary of Dover Castle, and garrisoned from
there. The first recorded custodian was Hugh Helpeston, who was
installed in 1299.
The castle was demolished temp. Henry VIII, its stones being
taken by sea, and re-used in the building of Sandown, Deal and
Walmer Castles. Gunpowder was initially brought to Europe from
the Far East about 1289, and the first mention we have of the use of
cannon was by the Moors in Spain, in 1331. The implications of this
caused rulers everywhere to review their defence strategy, and in
199
E.W. PARKIN
1385, Richard II issued a royal order for enclosing and fortifying the
town of Sandwich, which works were commenced soon afterwards.6
The town wall was built behind the then quay with several small
access gates, one of which still survives with its 'squint' in a complete
section of the wall behind the house called St. Cuthbert's, in Strand
Street. Fragments of the wall may be seen elsewhere, especially along
the modern quay, where in the cellar of the Bell Hotel the base of the
wall and of one square tower may still be seen. The Fisher Gate on
the Quay is the only remaining fourteenth-century town gate, while
just beyond that was the 'Round House', of which part remains inside
a modern house. This was a guard tower, with a winding mechanism
for drawing up a heavy chain across the river.
The stone wall ended at the Sandown Gate, beyond which the
'Town Ditch' encircled the whole of the south side of the old town.
Here, above the water-filled moat, was a steep bank, surmounted by
a strong wooden palisade, and believed planted with a thorn thicket
hedge on the bank, for there are frequent notes in the town records of
the purchase of thorn bushes. The barbican was erected by Henry
VIII, on the site of the medieval David's Gate.
PELICAN HOUSE AND "THE ARSENAL'
Boys shows a small map of the town as it was in 1792, and on it is
marked 'The Arsenal', situated on Pelican Hill, now part of High
Street. A small powder magazine stood close to Seven Post Alley, of
which a few stones can still be seen. A little further along is the
strange flint building called Pelican House with its battlemented
front, believed to have been the ordnance store.
Although much altered in the eighteenth century, with added
windows, etc., an examination of the interior shows that it dates at
least from the early fourteenth century. The roof of part of the
northern half of the building is original and is the earliest collar purlin
roof known. It has straight tie-beams with low collars, supported by
raking struts, and evidence that it once had a central collar purlin
pegged to every collar. This was before crown-posts became fashionable.
In the thick flint wall at the rear are two deeply-splayed lancet
windows, now blocked. The whole building is, of course, now much
divided up, with most of the later features being Georgian. It is
interesting to note, however, that the town records of 1727 state that
in that year, 'Mr Dymar's comedians performed here', the first
mention of theatre in Sandwich.
6 Town Records, Springfield, Maidstone.
200
THE ANCIENT CINQUE PORT OF SANDWICH
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THE GREAT FRENCH FLOATING WALL
In the south of England there was often a threat of attack from the
French, when in 1383, a banished Englishman devised a great floating
timber wall, said to be 20 ft. high and 3,000 ft. long (6 m. by 914 m.),
with turrets at intervals. The idea was to float this slowly towards the
shore near Sandwich, giving shelter to ships behind it. It was such a
cumbersome scheme, however, that it was seen long before it could
approach these shores, giving ships of the Cinque Ports time to
assemble, and to capture it. It was finally drawn ashore, dismantled,
and the timbers used to strengthen the town's defences, particularly
in making 'The Bulwark', a large two-storeyed gun platform, subsequently
erected next to the Sandown Gate.
SANDWICH FROM 1385 TO 1500
The town, now feeling more secure behind its new defences, started
201
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Fig. 5. Section of no. 39 Strand Street.
THE ANCIENT CINQUE PORT OF SANDWICH
PLATE III
Crown-Post Roof of no. 39 Strand Street.
to build larger timber-framed houses, instead of the small stone
Norman dwellings (Fig. 4). A number of these may still be seen, the
best example being 'The Pilgrims' in Strand Street, which dates from
before 1400. As the river had by now become narrower, and the quay
wider, these houses were erected in front of the old line of small
Norman buildings, thus uniquely preserving so much of them.
'THE PILGRIMS', NOS. 39 AND 41 STRAND STREET (Plates III-IV and Fig. 5)
These two fine timber-framed buildings, at present a restaurant, were
restored in the 1920s by Lady Edward Pearson, who also restored the
'Old Weavers' in Strand Street, and the 'Old Drum' in Church Street
St. Mary's. Both nos. 39 and 41 have three floors on the street front
203
E.W. PARKIN
PLATE IV
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Nos. 39 and 41 Strand Street.
with two oversailing jetties, behind which each has a 'High Hall',
once open to the roof. The style of the crown-post in no. 39 indicates
that this house was built before 1400 (Plate III), while the soot-coated
roof timbers there prove that there was formerly an open hearth
below. Between the two buildings is a passage and a small courtyard
which gave access to the small Norman house behind, apparently in
use up to 1606, when its top part was cut down, and no. 39 extended
over it. At the same time, a floor was inserted in the old hall, and the
chimney and wide fireplace put in, which can still be seen today. The
fine, large window in the courtyard, typical of the early seventeenth
century, with the moulded doorway and heavy door are also contemporary.
Over the door is a small plaque with the initials F.B., a wine
barrel surmounted by a spray of leaves, and the date 1606 A.D. In
the glass of the window are two small coats of arms, one of the Solly
family, and the other of the Sollys impaled with that of the Septvans,
both old Sandwich families, of which there are still Sollys living in the
town.
204
THE ANCIENT CINQUE PORT OF SANDWICH
PLATE V
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