Page:Notes on the churches in the counties of Kent, Sussex, and Surrey.djvu/147

Rh for the severe loss they had sustained. The chronicler adds, that the town was so utterly ruined, it was never afterwards rebuilt; only the bare spot was pointed out to passers-by as the site of a very noble city. Camden deems Newenden the scene of these occurrences, saying, that Andredecester remained thus desolate, till, temp. K. Edward I, certain Carmelite Friars erected there a monastery at the cost of Sir Tho. Albuger (at Losenham, the knight's own residence, Monast.), whence a town sprung up, which was called Newenden—that is, the New Town in the Valley. However, the quotation from (D.B.) in the early part of this Note clearly proves, that Newenden, first, bore that appellation, and, secondly, was a place of consideration, at the period of the Survey, or about 160 years previous to the period, assigned by Camden for the origin of both the name and the importance of the locality; consequently his entire statement and his theory appear but "the baseless fabric of a vision."

Eastward from Losenham House, at the extremity of the upland portion of that estate, where it subsides into level meadows, is a spot called "the Castle," manifestly the site of a fortification; (which was destroyed by the Danes, A.D. 892. Kilburne.) The traces of a ditch, inclosing a high mound, which we may presume to have been the keep, together with much more space, were very distinct about twenty years ago, and are so now, I am informed. But previous to that date cultivation had altered the appearance of the remains, even within my own recollection. The extract below (from 215 of Harris's History of Kent, published about A.D. 1720) shows, that the indications of the ancient fortification were at that period very considerable:—

"Castle Toll: this is a raised piece of land, containing, I guess, about eighteen or twenty acres of land; on the east side it hath the remains of a deep ditch and bank, which seems to have gone quite round it. Near this Toll towards the north-north-east