The 1566 survey of the Kent coast

THE 1566 SURVEY OF THE KENT COAST J.M. GIBSON During 1564 and 1565 numerous complaints from the French and Spanish ambassadors prompted the Privy Council to adopt measures to control piracy along the English coast. On 14 November, 1564, the Council sent an open letter to mayors, sheriffs, and justices of the peace directing that ships be fitted out 'for the repressing and apprehending of pirattes haunting the seas between Silley and the port of Bristowe.' 1 Apprehension of several pirates and restoration of stolen goods notwithstanding, the English agression continued, and on 12 August, 1565, the Spanish ambassador again objected to 'sundrie spoyles and piracies committed vppon dyvers of his masters subiectes as well at the Thamys mouth as in other places vppon the coastes of this Realme. '2 This time the Privy Council wrote to William Lord Cobham, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, on 16 August 'that the Queen's Majestie is daylye importunately complained vnto by the french and Spanyshe Embassadours resident here of spoiles commytted by englishe pirattes vpon the Kinges their masters subiectes vpon the Narrow Seas, and be as is vehemently to be suspectid, harborid victuallid and maineteynyd by some dwelling in the V portes whereunto his Lordship is required in her majesties name to have espetiall regard, and yf any of the said pyrattes shall happen to come into any porte or creke of his rule, to gyve order that he may be stayed and committed to safe warde.'3 Meeting again on 29 August, the Privy Council sought further advice from Doctor Dale, Deputy Judge of the Admiralty, and on 8 November, 1565, issued orders for licensing of all ships and inspection of all cargoes.4 Commissioners were appointed for every coastal county of 1 PRO, Privy Council Register, PC2, vol. 9, 122. 2 Ibid., 217. 3 Ibid., 221. 4 Ibid., 260-70. Another copy of the commission, dated 6 October, 1565, appears in PRO, SP12, vol. 37, ff 147-52. 341 J.M. GIBSON England and Wales to survey 'all portes crekes and landinge places within that shire,' to conduct a census of the number of householders, the number of ships and boats in each place, and the number of men employed as mariners or fishermen, and to certify the results to the Council. About half of the returns of this survey appear among the State Papers Domestic of Elizabeth between 9 December, 1565, and 8 February, 1566,5 but the Council register, which no doubt recorded the full results, is missing from 31 December, 1565, to 8 October, 1566. Until recently the return for Kent was also missing, and the only evidence for the census in Kent was a letter from Lord Cobham, Thomas Wotton, Thomas Scott, and Humfrey Hales to the Privy Council on 5 November, 1565, certifying that deputies had been appointed for Sandwich, Faversham, and Milton-next-Sittingbourne and promising that in due course 'we will then advertiz your good Lordshippes of owr holle doynges. ' 6 Recently discovered in a miscellaneous manuscript in the British Library,7 the Kent return surveys the Kent coast from Hythe to Dartford, including ports on the Medway, giving the number of houses and people lacking habitation, the names of all landing places, the number of ships with their tonnage, the number of men employed on the ships, and the authorities responsible for each port. Interesting for its record of Kent's response to the piracy problem, the return is valuable now primarily for its measure of Kent's maritime industry in the eighth year of Elizabeth's reign. Of the 293 ships and boats counted in the survey, the tonnage is listed for 268.8 Forty-seven of those, or nearly one in five, weighed just one tonne; 176, or nearly two in three, weighed ten tonnes or less; and 233 (86 per cent) weighed s Returns for the following counties appear in PRO, SP12, vol. 36: Norfolk (Item 8), Dorset (Item 9), Southampton (Item 14), Lincoln (Item 23), Isle of Wight (Item 27), Sussex rapes of Pevensey and Hastings (Item 28), Merioneth (Item 30); and in SP12, vol. 37: Cardiganshire (Item I), Radnorshire (Item 6), Sussex rapes of Lewes and Bramber (Item 11), Sussex rapes of Chichester and Arundel (Item 12), Suffolk (Item 17), Essex (Item 22), Carnarvon (Item 23), Carmarthen (Item 27), and Flintshire (Item 29). 6 PRO, SP12, vol. 37, f. 177r. The·seven commissioners for Kent, all Justices of the Peace, were Sir William Brooke, Lord Cobham and Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports; Sir Thomas Cotton; Thomas Wotton, Sheriff of Kent in 1558 and 1578 and Custos Rotulorum 1562-87; Sir Thomas Scott of Scot's Hall, Sheriff of Kent in 1576 and Knight of the Shire in 1572 and 1586; Humfrey Hales of Canterbury; William Cromer, MP for Hythe in 1571 and Sheriff of Kent 1577; and John Tufton. 1 BL, Stowe MS 570, ff 216-19. On the pages which follow the return is transcribed as it appears in the manuscript with expanded abbreviations indicated by italics. s The manuscript gives no tonnage breakdown for the 25 'shippes and boates of all sortes onlye for fishinge' at Folkestone. 342 Number of 160 150 140 130 120 110 100 90 80 70 60 so 40 30 20 10 ships THE 1566 SURVEY OF THE KENT COAST 0 J...------------=====-------.,=:======-- Tonnage 0-10 11-20 21-30 31-40 41-50 51-60 61-70 71-80 81-90 91-100 101-110 111-120 of ships 20 tonnes or less. Only 17 ships, less than 7 per cent, weighed 40 tonnes or above; and only two of those, less than 1 per cent of all Kent ships, weighed more than 100 tonnes. The graph above illustrates this concentration of the Kent fleet at the lower end of the spectrum. This statistical picture of the Kent fleet consisting predominantly of small boats is further reinforced by the purpose of the fleet listed in the survey. Of the 20 ports and landing places, 15 listed fishing as the sole or partial employment of their fleet: Hythe; Folkestone; Dover; Sandwich; Ramsgate; Broadstairs; Margate; Whitstable, Swalecliffe, 343 J.M. GIBSON and Herne; Faversham; Queenborough; Milton; Upchurch; Halstow; Gillingham; and Rochester. Among those that relied entirely on fishing, for example, Broadstairs had eight boats ranging from two to 12 tonnes, Ramsgate had 14 boats ranging from three to 16 tonnes, and Milton had 26 boats ranging from one tonne to 20 tonnes. Other ports listed carriage of coal, grain, or other things from port to port as providing some or all of their employment, Dartford and Rainham subsisting entirely on carriage; S andwich, Margate, Queenborough, Upchurch, and Halstow also listing fishing. Even these vessels, however, were typically small. For example, Dartford's seven ships devoted to 'cariage from dartforde to London and so backe againe' ranged only from three to 15 tonnes. The 14 boats at Halstow ranged from one tonne to 7 tonnes, and the 12 boats at Upchurch one tonne to 14 tonnes. Only five ports - Dover, Sandwich, Faversham, Rochester, and Maidstone - gave trade of merchandise as occupying part or all of their fleet. Apart from four sea-fishing crayers at Hythe, each weighing 60 tonnes, all of the Kent ships, 40 tonnes or above, came from these five ports. Rochester and Favershm each had one. Maidstone had two occupied in trade on the Medway. Sandwich, where repeated appeals to the Crown throughout the reigns of Elizabeth, James I, and Charles I failed to save the harbour from silting up, had only one 40-tonne ship devoted to trade. The remainder of the Kent fleet, 40 tonnes or above, were all anchored at Dover: four crayers at 40 tonnes, one at 41, one at 43, and two sea-going ships at 101 tonnes and 120 tonnes. In addition to the revealing statistics in the survey on the tonnage and the purpose of each ship and boat, the ratio of seamen to the number of householders at each port also reinforces the picture of Kent's maritime industry consisting mainly of fishing in small boats. Overall the return reported 2,771 houses in the 20 ports surveyed and 924 masters, mariners, and fishermen serving on the ships, making an overall ratio of one seaman to every three houses. The breakdown of these totals in the chart below, however, shows a marked difference in the ratio from port to port.9 Apart from the fishing town of Hythe, which had four seamen to every three houses, the ancient towns of Kent all registered a surprisingly low ratio of mariners to households: Maidstone and Dartford 1 in 13, Faversham 1 in 8, Sandwich 1 in 7, Rochester 1 in 5. Even Dover, which boasted the biggest ships in the county, came only midway in the chart with one seaman for every three houses. In these 9 Only 17 ports give statistics for both mariners and houses. 344 THE 1566 SURVEY OF THE KENT COAST Port Seamen Houses Ratio Ramsgate 70 25 1 : 0.36 Queenborough 45 23 1 : 0.51 Hythe 160 122 1 : 0.76 Halstow 21 24 1 : 1.14 Whitstable, Swalecliffe, and Herne 60 93 1 : 1.55 Folkestone 70 120 1 : 1.71 Margate 60 108 1: 1.80 Broadstairs 40 98 1 : 2.45 Dover 130 358 1 : 2.75 Upchurch 14 40 1: 2.86 Rochester 27 144 1 : 5.33 Milton 24 130 I: 5.41 Rainham 12 80 I: 6.66 Sandwich 62 420 I: 6.77 Faversham 50 380 1 : 7.60 Dartford 14 182 I : 13.00 Maidstone 22 294 I: 13.36 towns, where one might reasonably expect to find the busiest ports, the largest number of mariners, and the greatest maritime activity, the actual number of mariners and the ratio of mariners to households were the lowest. In the economy of these Kent towns the maritime industry accounted for only a small fraction of the employ ment. In contrast, the highest ratio of mariners to households occurred in the small fishing villages along the north Kent coast - Ramsgate, Broadstairs, Margate, Whitstable, and Swalecliffe - and in the Medway estuary - Queenborough, Halstow, and Upchurch. Ramsgate, for example, registered almost three fishermen per household, and Queenborough almost two per household. In these villages almost the entire economy must have depended on maritime activity, but it was precisely those villages whose ships registered the lowest tonnage. Neither Ramsgate nor Queenborough, for example, had a ship heavier than 16 tonnes. Overall, then, the 1566 survey of 'portes crekes and landinge places' reveals a Kent fleet consisting overwhelmingly of small boats, 20 tonnes or less, employed almost exclusively in fishing, and concentrated in the small fishing villages rather than in the head ports and limbs of the Cinque Ports. 345 f.216r Hithe Hithe hathe houses J 1-------- 122 Persons Lackinge proper habitaconsl 1-10 Creekes or Landinge places J 1----- 2 th'one called the haven within the Libertie th'other called the stade without the Libertie A Custumer Comptroller and Searchers, their authoritie seuerall Hithe hathe .3. Crayers .30. Tonne I .4. Crayers .60. I .8. Shotters .15. 18 Tramelers. 5. Persons belonginge to these Crayers and other boates for the most pfilte occupied in fishinge .160. Folkstone Folkstone hathe of houses I 1---------- .120. of men 120. whereof of fishermen It----- .70 of shippes and boates of all sortes onlye for fishinge 11-- .25. Dover Dover hathe houses I 1--------- .358 voyde for Lacke of inhabitantes I .19. of shippes of Crayers } 20 The first I f---120 the secondel 1-.101. the thirde I I-.43. the fowerthe I I-.41. the fifte I <----40 the sixte 11----40 the seventhe I 1--40 the eight I I-40 the ninghte I I-33. the tenthe 11- 25 the eleven the 11-25 the twelvethe 11- 20 the xiijth 11--19. the xiiijth 11-.18 the xvth 11---.17 the xvjth I I-- . I 7 the xvijth 11--- .16 the xviijth 11-.15. the xixth I f--. 10. the xxth I 1---- .4. 346 A Maior a Custumer Comptroller and Searcher authorities not ioynt but seuerall. Tonne f.216v Members of this towne and porte. Maior Iurat􀁀 Custom!l!'. Comptroller & Searcher their authoritie is not ioynt but seufilall Persons occupied in and about the trade of merchanndise and fishinge in their shippes }. 130. Landinge places A Landinge place called Kingedowne Brodestaire in the parishe of St. Peter in the Isle of Thanet. Margate peere in the parishe of St. Iohn in the said Isle. A Landinge place in Birchington in the same Isle. Sandwiche Sandwiche hathe houses I 1------ 420. Persons Lackinge proper habitacone I 1--7. 1 40 2 36 3 24 4 22 5 20 6 20 7 20 hoyes shippes 8 18 Tonne and Crayers. 17. 9 16 10 16 11 16 12 14 13 10 14 10 15 10 16 10 17 6 Men appertaininge about merchanndise Cole and fishinge I 1------- .62. 347 f.217r Ramsgte in St Lawrence in the Isle of Thenet houses I 1--------- .25. Vnder the gouemment of the towne and porte of Sandwich Boate and other vessels If---- } ·14 I 2 3456 789 10 11 12 13 14 16 16 12 12 12 10 88 555 333 Tonne Men appertaininge to these boates for cariage of } 7 0 cole and fishinge I 1----------- Brodestaire in the parishe of St. Peter in the Isle of Thenet Brodestaire hathe houses I f---- 98 vnder the gouernment of the Mai or and Iurates of Dover . Boates and other vessels I 2 3 }8 1 6 78 12 12 10 88 222 Tonne persons appertaininge vnto these boates onelye } 40 occupied in the trade of fishinge I t----- Margate in the parishe of St. John in the Isle of Thenet Margate hathe houses I >--------- 108 persones lackinge proper habitacone I 8 Boates and other } vessells l!:􀀄􀀅 :􀀆 !.of 11-:􀀄51. !.of 11- 4 8.of I 1- 1. vnder the gouernment of the porte of Dover of the Maior and Iurates Tonne persones belonginge to the boates occupied in } carryinge of graines and fishinge I 1------ GO. f.217v vnder the gouemment of the Maior and Iurates of Dover. Birchington in the Isle of Thenet Birchington hathe houses \ , ___ 42 It hathe neyther shippe nor boate. Whitstable, Swacliffe & Heron Landinge places vnder the Archbishoppe of Canterburie and duchesse of Somerset Lodinge and unlodinge by their authoritie. Catches, mongers and hilterlinges.19 A mnior Iurates Custumer Comptroller nnd Searcher their authoritie seueral and not ioynte Shippes or vessels .18. Whitstable parishes hathe houses I I----82 Swaclif pl!rishe hathe houses I 1---- ll The p,!lrishe and porte of Heron hathe no houses. no person lackinge proper habitacon. I 18 1 16 3 10 3 8 I 7 Tonne 1 6 7 7 I 4 1 3 persones occupyed in the trade of fishingel I- 60 Feuersham ffeu􀁺sham hathe houses \ 1------ 380 no persones lackinge proper habitacone. 1 I I 1 I 3 I 2 2 3 2 ----45 ----35 ----28 ----25 18 16 12 10 8 6 5 Tonne persones occupied in merchanndise and fishinge I f---------.50. Quinborough in the Isle of Sheppeye A Maior, Burgesses, Custumer Comptroller, and Searcher, their authoritie as before. Quinboroughe hathe houses 11- 23. persons lackinge habitacon I 1----1 A keye and Landinge place to the same proper. f.218r Boates and shippes persons occupied in Caryinge thinges from porte to porte, and fishinge I>------ } .4S. Middelton next Sittingborne Middelton hath houses I 1------------ 130 persones lackinge habitacone I 6 ffower landinge places th'one called ffludde keye appertaininge to Henrie Cheynye Knighte Whitlockes keye. Raynoldes keye. Hamons keye appertaininge to Thomas Heywarde Shippes or vessels .26. 3----20 3 16 1 12 2 10 2 8 1 6 1 5 2 4 4 3 3 2 5 1 Tonne A Portryeve Custumer Comptroller and Searcher their authoritie as before Tonne a pece persones occupied in the trade of fishinge I 1-------- 24 Sittingborne porte hathe houses I 1------------ 88 persones lackinge habitacone 5 Two keyes Crowne keye and Holdredge house keye appertaininge to Raphe Michell. Shippes and Boates 350 Tonne f.218v Vpchurche Vpchurche hathe houses I <-------- 40 persones Lackinge habitacon I 3 Shippomd hoate, 121 ;---- :;1 persones occupied in Caryinge thinges from porte to porte and in fishinge I >--------------- Halstowe. Halstowe hathe houses I >------- 24 One keye called Halstowe keye apertaininge to All Sowles Colledge Boaternd sbippes 14 ll----persones occupyed in Caryinge from porte to porte and fishinge 11------------- .21. Raneham Raneham hathe houses I t--------- 80. Three keyes: the common keye: Blowers keye appertaininge to John Tofton the younger. Hastinge keye appertaininge to Henrie Laurence and therof Geffreye Empson. 1----- 1----- 2----- 1----- 2----- Shippes and Boates .13. 1 ----- 1 ----- 3----- 1----- 35 10854 2d 2 Id 1 persones occupyed in caryinge thinges from porte to porte .12. Gillingham hathe fower keys called Twydall, Milfleete deane meade ende and Begger hide. 351 } .14 Tonne Tonne Tonne f.219r 1 ----20 1 9 2 8 Shippes and boates 27 1 7 1 5 2 4 1 2 1 1 d 17 1 Tonne persones occupied in the trade of fishinge I 1-------- .43 Rochester Rochester hathe houses J 1--------- .144. ffower keys called the towne keye, the wateringe place, the towne ditche and Strowde keye belonginge to the maior and Aldermen I2 􀁠1 1 _;􀁡1 Shippes and boates 6 10 6 2 Maier Aldermen Customer Comptroller and Searcher of the Customs house Tonne persones occupyed in mfilchanndise and fishinge I 1----- .27 Maidstone 1-----294 Maidstone hathe houses ffower Landinge places 294 Shippo.md hoyo, .5. r ========!􀀂 I Maier and Aldermen Tonne persones occupied wholie in the trade of merchandise I 1---22. Dartforde Dartforde hathe houses I 1--------- . 182 persones Lackinge habitacon , ________ .6 ffower Landinge places . I. Thomas Walsingham as Stewarde of the towne of dertforde .2. Mr Astleye as keper of the queenes house of dartforde .3. John Bire .4. the Wardens of the the Bridge of Rochester. 352 Landinge Licensed by Thomas Walsingham as Stewarde of the towne f.219v s,;.,,..,, """' .,. Il Tonne persones appertaininge for Cariage from dartforde to London and so backe againe [ 1------- } ·14 The nomber of The houses in the townes portes and parishes aforesaid ( h d } except t e porte an pan.s h es .2771. of Gillingham aforesaid I '-------- The shippes Crayers hoyes mongers hilterlinges and boates C---l appertaining evnto the townes portes and parishes ( except the port & parishe of Birchington I .293. appertaininge to the shippes .924. Masters mariners & fishermen Crayers, hoyes, mongers } hilterlinges and boates / 1---------- This Certificate was made the .18. daye ofMarche anno domini. .1565. by the Commissioners whose names followe. William Cobham T.Cotton T. Wotton T. Scotte Humfreye Hales Wm Cromer John Tufton 353