Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 2.djvu/397

Rh KENT. 389 KENT. in 109", are about 10 miles in length, and from 3 to 4 in breadth, and are traversed by a channel navi- gable for small vessels, called the " Swashway." Between the north-western extremity of the Goodwin Sands and the shore is another sandbank, about a miles in length, called the Brake. The Downs are about 8 miles long and G wide. To the N. of and contiguous to the above are the Small Downs, which are sheltered by the Brake, as the Downs are by the Goodwin Sands. Off Margate are the Margate Sands, between which and the mainland are Margate Roads. Kent is a hilly county. The chalk range of the North Downs enters the county near Wes- tcrham, and runs eastward. The principal hills in this range are Hollingbourn Hill, 616 feet high, between the Medway and the Stour ; Paddlesworth Hill, 6-42 feet high, near Folkestone ; Folkestone Hill, 575 feet high ; and Dover Castle Hill, 400 feet high. The width of the chalk formation varies from 3 to G miles. The dis- trict lying between the chalk formation and the estuary of the Thames is occupied partly by plastic clay, and partly by London clay. The land between the estuaries cf the Thames and the Medway, the Isle of Grain, and the Isle of Sheppey, belongs to the latter formation. Shooter's Hill, 446 feet high, is an insulated mass of London clay. S. of the North Downs, and skirting the chalk, is a strip of marl and green sand, from 2 to 7 miles in width : the greensand contains limestone, which is quarried near Maidstone, and is used for the purposes of roadmaking, building, and limemaking. A consider- able quantity is exported to the West Indies, where it is used for refining sugar. The southern slope of this formation, the most elevated points of which rise to a height of from 600 to 800 feet, is called the " Ragstono Range " of hills. The next parallel belt through the middle of the county is the Weald clay, forming the nucleus of the district of the Weald of the S.E. of England. The Weald was formerly an immense forest, frequented only by deer and hogs. The Weald clay is succeeded by the ironsand, which, down to tho end of the 17th century, was in great request ; but the substitu- tion of coal for billetwood has caused the manufacture of iron to bo transferred to other parts of the country, where fuel and iron-ore are more abundant. Kent has numerous rivers. The northern boundary of the county is formed by the Thames, -which affords a grand channel of communication between that side of the county, the metropolis, and other parts. Tho Ravensbourne rises on Keston Common, and flows northward, past Bromley and Lewisham, into the Thames near Deptford. It supplies Deptford and Greenwich with water, and turns everal mills. Its length is 10 miles. The Darent, or Dart, rises in Squcrries Park, near Westerham, and runs parallel to tho North Downs as far as River Head, near Sevenoaks, where it turns to tho N., and flows through a pass in the Downs by Otford, Shoreham, Famingham, and Suttou to Dartford, and, after receiving the Cray, falls into tho Thames. The Cray, famous for trout, rises near Orpington. Tho Medway rises on the northern border of Sussex, between East Grinstead and Crawley, and flows eastward, entering Kent near Ashurst ; at Penshurst it receives the Eden ; thence it flows by Tunbridgo to Yalding, where it receives the Tees and the Beult. Tho Tees rises in Sussex, and flows by Lamberhurst. The Beult rises in the Weald, near Sha- doxhurst, and flows north-westward to Yalding. From Y'ulding the Medway flows northward past Maidstone, Aylesford, Rochester, Strood, and Chatham, and falls into the Thames at Sheerness. The length of the course of the Medway is 60 miles, 40 of which are navigable. The tide flows up to Maidstone Bridge. The Stour has tranches, the Greater and the Lesser Stour. The ,ii;T Stour rises near Lenham, flows to Ashford, n: it is joined by another stream; thence it proceeds north-eastward by Canterbury to Sarre, where it divides into two branches, one of which falls into the Thames
 * Reculver, and the other into Pegwell Bay, below

Sandwich : these two branches separate Thanet from tho mainland. The Lesser Stour rises near Lymingc, flows past Klham and Burham, where it sometimes becomes VOL. II. dry, and flows into that arm of the Greater Stour which falls into Pegwell Bay. The channel which is formed by tho Stour, and was formerly called Wantsume Channel, was anciently 3 or 4 miles wide. Both the Greater and the Lesser Stour contain excellent trout. The Rother rises in Sussex, and after forming the boundary of Kent, re-enters the former county, and finally falls into tho sea at New Romney. In tho reign of Edward I. this river forsook its ancient channel, and formed a new one by Rye and Winchelsea. The principal canal in the county is the Royal Military canal, which runs along the borders of Romney Marsh, from Hythe to the Rother. Tho climate of Kent is mild and genial. The soil consists of gravel, chalk, and clay, and the alluvial soils along the Thames and Medway, and in Romney Marsh, which are very rich. In the chalk district are extensive sheep-downs. The soil of tho Isle of Thanet, by a skilful application of manure, has been rendered very productive. The principal crops raised are wheat, oats, barley, rye, and canary and radish seed. Large quan- tities of hops arc produced, about 50,000 acres being planted annually. Fruit and vegetables are very abun- dant of the former tho principal are apples, pears, plums, filberts, &c. ; and of the latter, peas, asparagus, &c.: these are generally sent to the London markets. Kent is well wooded, producing much oak, beech, hop-poles, and billet- wood. The principal manufactures of Kent are paper, ribbons, calico, linen, woollen cloths, bricks, tiles, pottery, cement, lime, and gunpowder. The county contains many mineral springs, the most remarkable being those of Tunbridge Wells and neighbourhood. Kent is divided into 5 lathes, which are as follows : Sutton-at-Hone lathe, comprising the western extremity of tho county, and including 10 hundreds ; Aylesford lathe, on the western side, coterminous with Sutton-at- Hono lathe, including 15 hundreds ; Scray lathe, on the western side, coterminous with Aylesford lathe, includ- ing 14 hundreds; St. Augustine's lathe, comprising tho north-eastern part of the county, and containing 14 hundreds ; Shepway lathe, comprising tho south-eastern part, and including 19 hundreds. Kent is partly in the diocese of Canterbury, partly in 'that of London, and partly in that of Rochester. That portion of the county which is in tho dioccso of Rochester constitutes the archdeaconry of Rochester. The county is under the jurisdiction of a lord-lieutenant and sheriff: several parts, however, have their separate liberties viz. the county of the city of Canterbury, the city of Rochester, tho borough of Maidstone, the liberty of Romney Marsh, comprehending tho hundreds of Langport, St. Martin, Poutney, and Worth, and part of those of Ncwchurch, Alvesbridge, and Street, and of the barony of Bircholt, under the jurisdiction of bailiffs and jurats, and the liberty of the Cinque Ports. For political purposes Kent is divided into two parts East Kent and West Kent, each division returning two members ; besides these, Canterbury, Rochester, the Cinque Ports of Dover and Sandwich, and the boroughs of Greenwich and Maidstone, return two each, and tho Cinque Port of Hytho and tho borough of Chatham return one each. The greater part of Kent is in tho Home Circuit ; that portion of it lying within 10 miles radius of London is (in criminal matters) in the jurisdiction of the Central Criminal Court. The assizes for the county are hold at Maidstone. The county is divided by the Poor-law Commissioners into 27 unions : the management of the poor of the city of Canterbury, however, is under a local act. The most remarkable antiquities in the county arc Roman camps at Ospringe, Barbara, Trenworth, Bon- ning, and Folkestone, besides which are tumuli at Woodnesborough, Shottington, Liminge, Chartham, Shebbertswold, Sutton Valence, Julabcr's Grave. At Addington are the remains of a Druid circle. The prin- cipal Roman road through tho county was Watling Street, running from Canterbury to London. Of monas- tic remains the most important are St. Augustine's, at Canterbury, Lcsncs, Faversham, Reculver, Mailing, West Langdon, and Bradsole. There are remains of priories at Aylesford, Horton, Folkestone, Bliston, and 3 D