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The Romney Marsh is a sparsely-populated wetland area in the counties of Kent and East Sussex in the south-east of England. A wetland is an area of Land consisting of Soil that is Saturated with Moisture, such as a Swamp, Marsh, or Bog KENT (1400 AM) is a Radio station broadcasting a Adult Standards/MOR format East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland It covers about 100 square miles (260 km²).

St Mary in the Marsh in Romney Marsh
St Mary in the Marsh in Romney Marsh

Contents

Quotations

Areas of the Romney Marsh

Romney Marsh is flat and low-lying, with parts below sea-level. William Camden ( 2 May 1551 &ndash 9 November 1623) was an English Antiquarian and historian The Ingoldsby Legends are a collection of myths legends Ghost stories and poetry supposedly written by Thomas Ingoldsby of Tappington Manor actually a Richard Harris Barham ( December 6, 1788 &ndash June 17, 1845) was an English novelist humorous poet and priest in the Church Snargate is a village near New Romney in Kent, England. It consists of several areas:

The River Rother

View across the marsh from Rye
View across the marsh from Rye

The River Rother today flows into the sea below Rye; but until 1287 its mouth lay between Romney and Lydd. New Romney is a small town in Kent, England, on the edge of Romney Marsh an area of flat rich agricultural land reclaimed from the sea See Appledore for other places with the same name Appledore is a Village and Civil parish in the Ashford District East Guldeford is a village and Civil parish in the Rother District of East Sussex, England. The small town of Rye, in East Sussex, England, stands at the confluence of two rivers although in medieval times as an important member of the Cinque Ports Denge is a former Royal Air Force site near Dungeness, in Kent, England. Lydd is a Town in Kent, England, lying on the Romney Marsh. It is one of the larger towns on the Marsh and the most southerly town in Kent Isle of Oxney is the name given to an area in Kent, England. In the 13th century the island was part of the coastline bordering what is now the Romney Marsh This article concerns the town in the United Kingdom For the town in Victoria Australia see Winchelsea Victoria. There is also a River Rother in West Sussex The River Rother (originally named “ Limen ” at 35 miles (56km is a New Romney is a small town in Kent, England, on the edge of Romney Marsh an area of flat rich agricultural land reclaimed from the sea Lydd is a Town in Kent, England, lying on the Romney Marsh. It is one of the larger towns on the Marsh and the most southerly town in Kent It was tidal far upstream, almost to Bodiam. Bodiam is a small village and Civil parish in East Sussex, England in the valley of the River Rother near to the Sussex villages of The river mouth was wide with a huge lagoon making Rye a port at its western end. A lagoon is a body of comparatively shallow salt or Brackish water separated from the deeper Sea by a shallow or exposed sandbank, coral That lagoon lay behind a large island, which now makes up a large part of the Denge Marsh, on which stood the ports of Lydd and the old Winchelsea. This article concerns the town in the United Kingdom For the town in Victoria Australia see Winchelsea Victoria. All these ports were members of the Cinque Ports. Cinque Ports is also the name of a 1703 Galleon (ship The Confederation of Cinque Ports (sɪŋk pɔrts is a historic series of coastal

Reclamation

The Romney Marsh has been gradually built up over the centuries.

The most significant feature of the Marsh is the Rhee wall (Rhee is a word for river), forming a prominent ridge. This feature was extended in three stages from Appledore to New Romney in the 13th century as a waterway. Sluices controlled the flow of water, which was then released to flush silt from the harbour at New Romney. Ultimately the battle was lost, the harbour silted up and New Romney declined in importance, however, the Rhee kept part of the old port open until the 15th century.

The wall at Dymchurch was built around the same time, storms had breached the shingle barrier, which had protected it until that time. Dymchurch is a village and Civil parish in the Shepway District of Kent, England.

It is a common fallacy that both these structures were built by the Romans.

The Marsh became the property of the Priory of Canterbury in the 9th century, who granted the first tenancy on the land to a man called Baldwin, sometime between 1152 and 1167, for "as much land as Baldwin himself can enclose and drain against the sea"; Baldwin's Sewer (drainage ditch) remains in use. A priory is a House of men or women under religious vows headed by a Prior or prioress Canterbury ( ˈkæntəbɹ̩i is a City in eastern Kent in the South East region of England. The 9th century is the period from 801 to 900 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. The marsh has since become covered by a dense network of drainage ditches and once supported large farming communities. These watercourses are maintained and managed for sustainable water levels by the Romney Marsh Area Internal Drainage Board[1]

Romney Marsh is adjacent to the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), which is less developed than many other areas in Kent and Sussex. An Internal Drainage Board (IDB is a type of Operating authority which occur in areas of special Drainage need in England and Wales with permissive powers The Weald (wɪəld is the name given to a physiographic area in south-east England situated between the parallel Chalk Escarpments of the North An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB is an area of countryside with significant landscape value in England, Wales or Northern Ireland The decline in sheep prices meant that even the local stock (sold around the world for breeding for over two centuries) became unsustainable. Turfing had always been a lesser practice due to the grassland kept short by the sheep reared upon it, but farms are increasing in size to compensate for the decline in sustainable livestock farming. Sod or turf is grass and the part of the Soil beneath it held together by the Roots or a piece of this material Livestock is the term used to refer (singularly or plurally to a Domesticated Animal intentionally reared in an agricultural setting to produce such as Food Some view this as unsustainable due to the damage to soil ecology of the Marsh. The only other alternative, since 1946, has been for farmers to turn to arable farming, changing the landscape from a patchwork of small family farms to a few extensive arable production units.

Windfarm

A windfarm will be developed at a site called Little Cheyne Court near Camber. A wind farm is a group of Wind turbines in the same location used for production of electric power Camber is a village and Civil parish in the English county of East Sussex, three miles (4 It will be built by N-power renewables and cost around £50m. The 26, 116 m towers (380 ft), will be distributed over an area of 4 km² and will generate a proportion of the district's electricity needs. - The site has proved controversial, opposed by parish, district and county councils, the local MP and other groups as detrimental to the visual appearance of the Marsh[1] and a threat to wildlife. However, they were overruled by Central Government, and first turbines are now due for erection in May 2008[2]. The DTI indicated that a significant number of local people submitted comments in favour of the project, whilst a consistent 70-80% of the UK public support windfarms [3]. The Department of Trade and Industry was a United Kingdom government department which was disbanded with the announcement of the creation of the Department for Business Local campaigners still oppose the development, attracting accusations of "rural nimbyism" and being under the "sinister" influence of the nuclear lobby [4]. The latest legal challenge to the scheme, based on UK wildlife protection legislation, will be heard on June 20 2007 [5]. Conversely campaigners for the siting attract accusations of "professional" self-interest (see the History page of this article), and of hiding behind the truism that obviously renewable energy is beneficial.

The issue is one of siting, not whether or not windfarms are a good idea.

- The RSPB [6], CPRE [7] and English Nature [8] all objected the the use of this particular site as a windfarm on environmental grounds. The proximity of the site to the internationally important RSPB reserve and the land's status as an SSSI were particularly controversial.

(Readers are referred to the Discussion page of this article for differing versions, and also to the Discussion page. )

Romney Marsh sheep

The economy and landscape of Romney Marsh in the 19th Century was dominated by sheep. Improved methods of pasture management and husbandry meant the marsh could sustain a stock density greater than anywhere else in the world. The Romney Marsh sheep became one of the most successful and important breeds of sheep. Their main characteristic is an ability to feed in wet situations; they are considered to be more resistant to foot rot and internal parasites than any other breed. Romney sheep have been exported globally, in particular to Australia, to where they were first exported in 1872. The Romney, formerly called the Romney Marsh or the Kent sheep is a "long-wool" sheep recognized as a breed in England by 1800 For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics.

Malaria

From 1564 the health of the marsh population suffered from malaria, then known as ague or marsh fever, which caused high mortality rates until the 1730s. Malaria is a vector -borne Infectious disease caused by Protozoan Parasites It is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions including It remained a major problem until the completion of the Royal Military Canal in 1806, which greatly improved the drainage of the area. The Royal Military Canal is a canal running for 28 miles between Seabrook near Folkestone and Cliff End near Hastings, following the old cliff line bordering

This disease probably arrived here as soon as the weather became warm enough after the end of the ice age, around or before the time of the Roman occupation. The strain responsible was most probably Plasmodium vivax as records and texts describe agues or fevers at three or four day intervals. Plasmodium vivax is a Protozoal Parasite and a human Pathogen. Prior Anselm, of nearby Canterbury, records in 1070s and 1080s a case which has every appearance of malaria. [2]

With five indigenous mosquitoes capable of being hosts for the malarial parasite, it is only the Anopheles atroparvus species which breeds in sufficient numbers here to be act as an efficient vector. Anopheles is a Genus of Mosquito ( Culicidae) There are approximately 400 Anopheles species of which 30-40 transmit five different However, P. vivax likes brackish waters and with the recreation the old coastal wetlands coming into favour, this could expand the a future malarial parasite host reserve still further. Therefore, together with this and the average temperatures in England increasing again, it may be possible to see English malaria successfully re-establish in the marshes once more. [3]

Communications

Roads

A view along the A259 just outside Brookland, Kent
A view along the A259 just outside Brookland, Kent

Roads across the Marsh have always been narrow and winding. The A259 is a major Road in England, running along the south coast with part of the A259 running almost parallel to the A27 road. Brookland is a village and Civil parish in the Shepway district of Kent, England, about five miles west of New Romney. This is partly because of the hundreds of sewers and smaller drainage ditches, and because the grazing land is far more important than the roads. The lack of road signs and few villages can make navigating across the marsh very confusing for the unwary. Several minor roads have no finger posts at junctions at all and at others, it is possible to find two or three lanes apparently leading to the same village!

Many of these lanes are built on the remains of enclosures used to 'in' the Marsh. There is a dramatic section near Brookland, where a lane linking the Woolpack pub to Lydd is perched 2 or 3 m above the surrounding farmland, on the 'Hook' wall. Brookland is a village and Civil parish in the Shepway district of Kent, England, about five miles west of New Romney. Lydd is a Town in Kent, England, lying on the Romney Marsh. It is one of the larger towns on the Marsh and the most southerly town in Kent The section of road between Brenzett and Lydd Lane end is built on the Rhee wall, a medieval canal that brought water from higher up the river Rother. Brenzett is a village and Civil parish in the Shepway Distrct of Kent, England. There is also a River Rother in West Sussex The River Rother (originally named “ Limen ” at 35 miles (56km is a

The main road is the A259 from Rye, which is narrow and winding to Brookland and Brenzett, where it splits in two. The A259 is a major Road in England, running along the south coast with part of the A259 running almost parallel to the A27 road. The small town of Rye, in East Sussex, England, stands at the confluence of two rivers although in medieval times as an important member of the Cinque Ports One arm (excellent all the way) becomes the A2070 and runs parallel to the railway to link the Marsh to Hamstreet, Ashford and the wider world. List of A roads beginning with 2 in Great Britain starting south of the River Thames and east of the A3. Hamstreet is a village in Kent, in south-east England. The village is located some six miles south of Ashford on the A2070, the main The town of Ashford lies on the River Great Stour, M20 motorway, South Eastern Main Line and High Speed 1 railways in the borough of Ashford The other - still the A259 is only good as far as the junction with Lydd Lane (B2075), and leads to New Romney, Dymchurch, Hythe and eventually, Folkestone. New Romney is a small town in Kent, England, on the edge of Romney Marsh an area of flat rich agricultural land reclaimed from the sea Dymchurch is a village and Civil parish in the Shepway District of Kent, England. Hythe (haɪð or haithe) is a small coastal market town on the edge of Romney Marsh, in the District of Shepway (derived from Sheep Way on the south coast Folkestone (ˈfoʊkstən is a resort town on the south coast of Kent, England, traditionally known as "The Garden Coast"

The best way to see the Marsh is on a cycle, the almost flat terrain, the narrow almost deserted lanes, make it ideal for family jaunts. National cycle route 2 passes through the area, the section between Rye and Lydd is mostly off road, it then uses quiet lanes from Lydd to Hythe, where it possible to cycle along the sea wall to Folkestone and ultimately (off road) to reach Dover.

Railways

The main line railway known as the Marsh Link Line is the Ashford to Hastings line, with stations at Hamstreet, Appledore, Rye, and Winchelsea. The town of Ashford lies on the River Great Stour, M20 motorway, South Eastern Main Line and High Speed 1 railways in the borough of Ashford Hastings is a town on the coast of East Sussex in England; it is also the administrative centre for the Borough of the same name Hamstreet is a village in Kent, in south-east England. The village is located some six miles south of Ashford on the A2070, the main See Appledore for other places with the same name Appledore is a Village and Civil parish in the Ashford District This article concerns the town in the United Kingdom For the town in Victoria Australia see Winchelsea Victoria. The one-time branch to New Romney from Appledore (its small offshoot to Dungeness closed in 1937) was closed to passenger traffic in 1967. It was possible to travel directly from Dungeness to London, the 2hour journey time was quicker than by road and rail today. The line is still in place about a mile short of Dungeness and is used to transfer waste from the Nuclear power plant.

The Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway has been operating along the Romney Marsh coast since 1927. The Romney Hythe & Dymchurch Railway is a gauge Light railway in Kent, England.

Walks

The Saxon Shore Way starts at Gravesend, Kent and traces the coast as it was in Roman times as far as Hastings, East Sussex, 163 miles (262 km) in total, crossing the Marsh. Coastline The Saxon Shore Way starts at Gravesend, Kent and traces the Coast as it was in Roman times (note the changed coastline Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, on the south bank of the Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex. KENT (1400 AM) is a Radio station broadcasting a Adult Standards/MOR format The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial Hastings is a town on the coast of East Sussex in England; it is also the administrative centre for the Borough of the same name East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the

The Marsh in war

Throughout its history, the proximity of the marsh to the European mainland has meant that the areas has been in the front line whenever invasion has threatened. In AD 892 one such invasion was successful. The Danish fleet of 250 ships sailed right into the Rother and took the fortress at Appledore (allegedly built by King Arthur), which they destroyed. See Appledore for other places with the same name Appledore is a Village and Civil parish in the Ashford District

The Cinque Ports

The importance of the Cinque Ports was in their strategic situation opposite the narrowest part of the English Channel. Cinque Ports is also the name of a 1703 Galleon (ship The Confederation of Cinque Ports (sɪŋk pɔrts is a historic series of coastal Within the Romney Marsh, Romney and Hythe were two of the ports; Rye and Winchelsea were later added as “Antient Towns”.

Royal Military Canal

The Royal Military Canal stretches for 28 miles hugging the old cliff line that borders the Romney Marsh from Hythe in the north east to Cliff End in the south west. The Royal Military Canal is a canal running for 28 miles between Seabrook near Folkestone and Cliff End near Hastings, following the old cliff line bordering It was completed in April 1809.

The Martello Towers

Martello Towers are fortifications that were built by the British Army for coastal defence during the nineteenth century. Martello towers (or simply Martellos) are small defensive forts built in several countries of the British Empire during the 19th century from the time Seventy-four towers were built along the south coast; Tower 1 was at Folkestone, overlooking the harbour, and Tower 74 guarded the beach at Seaford in East Sussex. East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the They were built between 1805 and 1808.

Military Training

There are two military establishments on the Marsh: the Hythe and Lydd Ranges. The latter has a large danger area marked on maps south of Lydd towards the sea.

"Lost villages" of the Marsh

These lost communities on the Marsh are further instances of the modern decline of the rural communities, except that these probably occurred over the centuries. In 1348, for example, many villages were hit by the Black Death. The Black Death, or the Black Plague, was one of the deadliest Pandemics in human history widely thought to have been caused by a bacterium named Yersinia

The villages, shown below with the modern Ordnance Survey map information on Sheet 189, were:

Smuggling

The flat, almost empty landscape made for a smuggler's paradise throughout the 17th, 18th and into the 19th centuries. Smuggling, also known as trafficking, is the clandestine transportation of goods or persons past a point where prohibited such as out of a building into a Prison The traffic was two-way, since wool was also smuggled to the Continent.

The Victorians made smugglers into romantic anti-heroes; in truth they were unscrupulous villains. Culture The Victorian fascination with novelty resulted in a deep interest in the relationship between modernity and cultural continuities The two main gangs on the Marsh were the Owlers and The Aldington Gang, known also as The Blues. Aldington was the stronghold of The Aldington Gang, a band of Smugglers roaming the Romney Marshes and Shores of Kent.

Literary associations

Romney Marsh has a distinguished literary history. Three who specifically used the marsh as settings for their works were E.F. Benson, author of the Mapp and Lucia novels; Russell Thorndike, author of the Doctor Syn novels; and the children's writer Monica Edwards, author of the Romney Marsh books in which Rye Harbour becomes "Westling", Rye is renamed "Dunsford" and Winchelsea is known as "Winklesea". Edward Frederic Benson ( July 24, 1867 &ndash February 29, 1940) was an English Novelist, Biographer, Memoirist The Reverend Doctor Christopher Syn is the smuggler Hero of a series of novels by Russell Thorndike.

Many other well-known writers have been associated with the area: Henry James, H.G. Wells, Joseph Conrad, Stephen Crane, Radclyffe Hall, Noel Coward, Edith Nesbit, Rumer Godden, and Conrad Aiken. Henry James, OM ( –) son of theologian Henry James Sr, brother of the philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James Herbert George Wells (21 September 1866 &ndash 13 August 1946 He was an outspoken socialist and a pacifist, his later works becoming increasingly political Joseph Conrad (born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski, 3 December 1857 – 3 August 1924 was a Polish-born English novelist Stephen Crane (November 1 1871 &ndash June 5 1900 was an American novelist short story writer poet and journalist Radclyffe Hall (August 12 1880 - October 7 1943 (born Marguerite Radclyffe-Hall) was an English poet and author of eight novels including the Lesbian classic Sir Noël Peirce Coward ( 16 December 1899 26 March 1973) was an English Actor, Playwright Edith Nesbit (married name Edith Bland; 15 August 1858 - 4 May 1924) was an English author and poet whose children's Margaret Rumer Godden OBE ( December 10 1907 &ndash November 8 1998) was an English Author of over 60 books Conrad Potter Aiken (August 5 1889 &ndash August 17 1973 was a Pulitzer Prize -winning American novelist and poet born in Savannah Georgia, whose work includes Rudyard Kipling and his Smugglers' Song are famous. Joseph Rudyard Kipling (30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936 was an English Author and poet

See also

References

  1. ^ Romney Marsh Area Internal Drainage Board Website Accessed 2008-05-26
  2. ^ ‘A doctor in the house’? The context for Anselm of Canterbury’s interest in medicine with reference to a probable case of malaria. The Geology of Great Britain is hugely varied and complex and gives rise to the wide variety of landscapes found across the islands Journal of Medieval History Volume 30, Issue 3, September 2004, Pages 245-261
  3. ^ Chin T; Welsby; P D (2004). Malaria in the UK: past, present, and future. History of medicine. Postgraduate Medical Journal 2004;80:663-666. Accessed 2007-08-14

External links

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The Kent Wildlife Trust is one of the largest of the wildlife trust organisations covering the county of Kent, England.
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