St Margaret's Bay, and the Roman Roads from Richborough to Dover and Canterbury

; FIG. 1. ( 35 ) ST. MARGARET'S BAY, AND THE ROMAN ROADS FROM RICHBOROUGH TO DOVER AND CANTERBURY. BY CECIL KNOX. IN 1769 Andrews, Dury and Herbert pubhshed theh: map of Kent—on a scale of 2 i n . = l mile. A photograph of a part of this map is given in Eig. 1. There are at least three matters on this map which, I think, call for comment. I. ST. MARGARET'S BAY. An aerial photograph of the bay is shown in Eig. 2. As Eig. 1 is on such a small scale, Fig. 3 is given on the same scale as Andrews' map. It shows a delightful httle harbour at high tide similar to Lulworth Cove. Local tradition knows nothing of this harbour. But it seems incredible that Andrews invented it. The map was produced under the patronage of the Lord Warden (Earl of Holdernesse) and other local notables. It is absurd to suppose that this harbour, with its pier, landing-stage and " Sea Gate, Right Angles with Calais ", could have been placed on the map if it had no existence. It seems, however, that within thirty years of the production of this map the harbour had disappeared. Fig. i is taken from the Admiralty Chart No. 738, " Deal to South Foreland ", by Graeme Spence, 1795. We may take it for granted that on such a chart the rocks shown at low water are correctly marked. When the chalk cliffs rose from these rocks there must have been some such harbour as that shown on Andrews' map. From the look of the grass-grown cliffs it is probable that the landward side of the bay is Yery much the same now as it was 150 years ago. This enables us to compare Andrews' map with the present Ordnance Survey, so as to give us some idea of the rate of coast erosion at this point. It is obvious that such chalk 36 ST. MARGARET'S BAY, promontories as those forming the Sea Gate could not survive many winter storms, but there seems to have been unusually rapid erosion at that time. Having enlarged Andrews' harbour to a 6-in. scale, and compared it with the 6-in. O.S. (1906) (Fig. 5), it is found that for a length of one mile, during the period 1769-1906, the cliff edge receded, on an average, about 300 feet, say two feet per annum. This is on the supposition that Andrews' map is reasonably correct. The rate of erosion is, of course, nothing like that now, but then the coast-line has become smoothed and straightened out, whereas in 1769 it appears to have been indented with bays and headlands. What the rate of erosion was before that date we do not know, but 1,800 years earlier St. Margaret's Bay must have been a very useful harbour. This harbour was formed by the submersion of the valley which we see descending from the lighthouse in Fig. 2, in a north-easterly direction. As it nears the shore it becomes steeper and narrower, being flanked by considerable cliffs where it enters the sea. It seems, then, probable that in Roman times the harbour was narrow, and enclosed by cliffs. On August 26th, 55 B.O., Caesar, waiting for his transports to come up, anchored—according to Rice Holmes—off the South Foreland. "The formation of the ground", Caesar tells us, " was peculiar, the sea being so closely walled in by narrowing cliffs (montibus angustis) that it was possible to throw a missile from the ground above on to the shore." This seems to be entirely in keeping with the suggested harbour. It is interesting to note that the local branch of the Pilgrims' Way continues through Canterbury as far as Studall, in a direction making straight for this harbour. II. THE ROMAN ROAD TO DOVER. Next, returning to Andrews' map, let us see what he makes of the Roman road from Wodensborough to Dover. We find that nearly alt the road is marked on the map, but so faintly that they have been inked in on the photograph Gatefa Jingle nritJi Calais FIG. 3. \ FIG. 4. Gate