Page:The Saxon Cathedral at Canterbury and The Saxon Saints Buried Therein.djvu/27

DUROVERNUM. CANTWARABYRIG this marsh the road from the city's north gate led past Coldharbour to the islet on the Stour, Stour-ey, where the road bifurcates, its northern branch passing direct to Reculver. Its eastern branch, called the Dun Street, goes over the hill to the ferry, ford, or wading-place at Sarre for the Isle of Thanet and thence over the Downs looking away southwards to the Roman landing place or wharf on the Wantsume, called Watchester (now. Minster). Thence it passes on to the high land at the eastern part of the island to the sea at Ruimsgate (the gate of Richborough Isle), now Ramsgate, where was an outpost or Look-Out not far from "the Cantium " (the North Foreland) of Ptolemy.

At the time under consideration, the north gate of the city is supposed to have occupied the spot where the south-west porch of the Cathedral now stands, and the Reculver and Thanet Road passed over where in later years Lanfranc built the western towers of the early Norman Church. Such was the marshy character of the ground at this spot that at times of flood it must have become a dangerous slough or bog, for when, in the early years of the nineteenth century, Lanfranc's north-west tower was taken down, and foundations were dug for the new tower, built to match its fellow on the south, the skeleton of a man and two bullocks were discovered in an upright position not many feet below the surface, they evidently having been overwhelmed whilst crossing this portion of the road over the marsh, and sinking into the bog.

It was hereabouts that these Early Christians built their church. Its position probably occupied what is now the middle third of the present nave of the Cathedral, and was, presumably, of sufficient distance from the edge of the marsh to allow of reasonable stability being given to the building. That the site was considered suitable and