Registered Charity No. 297736

THE IRREGULAR The Newsletter of the Romney Marsh Research Trust

No. 22 October 2003

This last year has been a challenging one for the Trust. Dorothy Beck’s retirement as Membership Secretary and Events Organiser has resulted in certain changes, not least that David Williams has now taken on the role of both Membership Secretary and Treasurer, and we are very grateful that he has done so. However, the Trust is still without an Events Organiser. If anyone would like to take on this post then David, Margaret Bird or I would be delighted to hear from him or her. Alternatively, if anyone feels that he or she would be happy to organise an event, lead a walk, or get involved, please would get in touch with one of us or Ray Huson, the Members’ Representative. In addition, I should be delighted to hear from anyone who would like to take on the post of Secretary to the Trust, either from this November or at some stage before November 2004. It is an interesting job but I feel it is now time I handed it on to someone else because my commitments in are growing.

On behalf of you I should like to thank Jill Eddison and Paul Stupples of Liverpool University for leading a field trip in May to look at the Wainway. Unfortunately I was unable to be there but I have heard it was a very successful and enjoyable day. Hopefully we shall soon see the results of Jill’s many years of work on the Wainway in print, which I am sure you will all find extremely interesting.

2003 has also seen the development of the Small Ports Project. I know several of you are now actively engaged in researching the Appledore area and a larger group have taken part in a number of walks and progress meetings. Dr Helen Clarke, Gill Draper, Beryl Coatts and Liz Owen have very generously led these events, and Dorothy and Robert Beck have also greatly contributed to the successful start of this venture. If anyone else would like to join the group please see the insert for further details.

This edition contains two reports concerning Trust projects. One concerns a new and exciting venture into the production of a web site about the development of Romney Marsh, which it is hoped will be of interest to existing members but also more widely, to schools, colleges, universities and the general public. Hopefully some of you saw it at the lecture given by Dr Andy Plater, Dr Antony Long and Dr Martyn Waller as part of the Rye Festival. The other concerns Dr Paula Simpson’s continuing work on tithe disputes associated with Romney Marsh during the Middle Ages and

1 early modern period. This is a fascinating subject that has important implications for trying to understand the economic and social tensions on the marsh over time.

The first report in this edition concerns the large-scale geomorphological projects concerning and Rye. These English Heritage funded projects are important for the study of Romney Marsh, and for marshland more generally.

Finally I should like to remind you about the AGM which will take place at Winchelsea and will be followed by a lecture by David Martin (see insert for details). This should be a fascinating and I look forward to seeing many of you there. Sheila Sweetinburgh Secretary The Dungeness and Rye Projects

Introduction Last year two major interdisciplinary research projects commenced which aim to greatly improve our understanding of the evolution of the Port of Rye and the Dungeness Foreland. The projects obtained funding in excess of £300,000 from English Heritage, via the Aggregate Levy Sustainability Fund, and will run for 18 months. Principal members of the project team are drawn from the universities of Durham, Kingston and Liverpool, a further key aspect of the work will be carried out at Aberystwyth, and both projects are to be completed in association with the Romney Marsh Research Trust. Both projects began with an intensive period of fieldwork running for about 10 weeks from November 2002 – one of the wettest on record in the southeast – to finish just as the country ground to a halt in the blizzards of mid January.

A commitment to disseminate the results of the work to Trust members and other non-specialists via field trips, newsletters, lectures and leaflets is an integral part of both projects. This short report aims to start this process by summarising the rationale and approach to the project and will hopefully complement the lecture given as part of the Rye Festival in September 2003.

2 Dungeness Project The Dungeness project aims to discover more precisely, and in more detail than previously possible, how, and importantly, when, the gravel of Dungeness accumulated. In addition, the marsh sediments that are found within the gravel, such as the Wicks, South Brooks and Denge Marsh, and the natural pits (e.g. Muddymore, Wickmaryholm), will be examined in order to determine their relationship with the gravel that they both overlie and abut.

Fig. 1 Deep-drilling rig used to core through gravels and recover sand samples for OSL dating. The project began with an extensive drilling programme of 12 deep boreholes sunk through the gravel and into the sands and muds below to depths of up to 15 metres (Fig.1). The boreholes followed a roughly west to east line in order to sample each of the major exposed gravel deposits from Broomhill Farm, through the Ranges, and on to Greatstone and Dungeness Power Station. The work was carried out by a commercial drilling firm and was technically (and physically) very demanding due to the nature of the gravel.

3 The object of the deep drilling was two-fold. Firstly, the changing nature of the gravel (size, shape, proportion of finer sediment) was recorded and quantified as drilling progressed with something like 30 tonnes of gravel described and sieved over the two months. Secondly, sample cores were recovered from the beach sands that underlie the gravel. Using a technique known as optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating it will be possible to determine when these sands were deposited, how quickly they accumulated, and when the period of sand deposition came to an end and the gravel arrived in the area. A series of palaeo-shoreline maps will be created which trace the arrival of the gravel, and marsh sediments, over the last few thousand years from the oldest deposits in Broomhill to the youngest gravel close to the modern shoreline near the power station. These maps will be set within the historical and archaeological context already well established for the area.

Sampling of the marsh sediments and natural pits was also completed and a series of sample cores recovered for laboratory analysis, which is now well underway. This detailed analysis will include changes in particle size, sedimentary layering (tidal rhythmites), and magnetic and chemical properties of the sediments both through time (vertically through the cores) at each site and across Dungeness from site to site. The microfossil content of the sediments will also be examined and interpreted to provide further evidence of the nature of the environment in which these sediments were deposited. A novel approach to dating this material has also been employed and this relies on changes in the position of the magnetic north pole of the Earth through time. These changes are recorded by the iron containing minerals within the sediments and may prove valuable in establishing a timeframe for deposition of the marsh sediments between the gravel where other approaches such as carbon 14 (radiocarbon) cannot be used.

Microfossil studies at the Dungeness open pits have already provided one significant discovery. Organic lake muds recovered from Muddymore Pit contain high frequencies of hemp pollen (Cannabis sativa). This almost certainly reflects the use of this site as a hemp-retting pit, possibly by the people of Lydd. Through this process hemp stems would have been placed to soak in the pit, and the softened fibres removed later to make rope.

4 Rye Project The stability of sand and gravel ‘barrier’ beaches has been (and continues to be) a key control over the evolution and occupation of the Romney Marsh coastal lowlands. In the Rye Bay area breaching of the shingle barrier, and changes to the coastline resulting from the re-working and re- alignment of beach sediments, played a pivotal role in the growth and demise of first Winchelsea and then Rye as major ports in southern . The aim of the Rye project is to investigate the landscape evolution, archaeology, and history of the port of Rye over the last 3000 years with particular emphasis placed on changes in the physical landscape driven by the development of gravel beaches. The history of land reclamation and the construction and maintenance of sea defence works will also be covered as part of the project.

Over the last 3000 years the most dramatic environmental change affecting the valleys and marshlands of Rye Bay is undoubtedly the phase of marine inundation that ended peat development in these locations. The timing of this event has so far proved difficult to ascertain, due largely to erosion of the top of the peat bed during marine flooding. In many locations this has resulted in the timeframe covering the terrestrial-marine transition being removed from the environmental archive. Phase 1 of the project began in November 2002 with the objective of providing accurate dates for the transition from peat formation to marine sedimentation. This involved the use of hand-operated coring equipment (soil auger and gouge) to search for fieldsites where the boundary between the peat bed and overlying marine clays/silts appeared to be intact (non-erosive). This is indicated by a gradual transition, as opposed to a sharp contact, between the two sediment units in question. In total over 100 boreholes were cored at locations across Pett Level, in the lower Brede valley, along the line of Cadborough Cliff, and at East Guldeford, with 8 cores retained for laboratory analysis. Microfossil studies (analysis of fossil pollen and spore content) were carried out to confirm the continuity of sedimentation across sediment boundaries, and samples from the top of the peat were submitted to the Scientific Dating Section at English Heritage for radiocarbon dating (carbon-14 age-estimation). The results from these radiocarbon analyses are expected in October 2003.

5 In addition to the evidence provided by areas subject to direct marine inundation, information on landscape evolution and coastal stability in the Rye Bay area may be accessible through the study of ‘residual’ or near- surface peat beds. These reflect sites where peat is found close to the level of the modern ground surface. In some cases peat may still be actively forming, allowing a unique opportunity to study vegetation history in the recent past (historical period). In March 2003 work began to identify and evaluate residual peats in the Tillingham, Rother, and Pannel valleys. Two sites near Peasmarsh and Rye Foreign were identified as holding suitable potential for further study. Stratigraphic survey (hand coring) at both sites was undertaken to describe and record the sediments present, and material removed for pollen analysis and radiocarbon dating. These analyses are ongoing at the time of writing.

The 13th century breakdown of barrier beaches across Rye Bay resulted in the development of an extensive tidal inlet (estuary) around Rye, the destruction of Old Winchelsea and relocation of this settlement to Iham Hill. Phases 2 and 3 of the Rye project aim to study evidence for changes to the coastal landscape during the post-breach period (AD 1250-1800). So far this work has involved a comprehensive stratigraphic and topographic survey of old shore lines (beach ridges) near Camber Castle, and extensive coring, particle size, and microfossil analysis of laminated (layered) tidal sediments which now fill a major former tidal inlet (the lower Wainway) east of Rye Harbour. Similar field and laboratory studies are also being undertaken on sediments recovered from a harbour/tidal creek system along Station Road at Winchelsea, an area known locally as the ‘White Fleet’ (Fig. 2). Analysis of aerial photographs of the Rye Bay region (beginning in September 2003) should add further detail to these studies by allowing identification of topographic land features associated with the changing position of the coastline (ancient sea walls, drainage ditches, beaches, etc.). Digitised output from the aerial photographs will eventually form part of a GIS (Geographical Information System) package. Other likely elements to be included in the GIS are the location and details of all boreholes and radiocarbon dates, reconstructed shorelines, landscape classification based on soil type and morphology, and ecological habitats at the Rye Harbour Nature Reserve.

6

Fig. 2 Percussion-driven piston coring kit in operation near Moneypenny Farm. This equipment was used to recover one-metre long continuous core sections of laminated tidal sediments (rhythmites) for laboratory analysis. Microfossil analysis Analysis of microscopic fossils (microfossils) preserved in unconsolidated sediments (e.g. peat, lake mud, and estuarine and marine clay) is a key element in any investigation aimed at reconstructing past environmental conditions. Environmental reconstruction through the use of microfossils relies heavily upon the ‘principle of uniformitarianism’. This assumes that the parameters governing the modern distribution of living organisms (such as climate, soils, water chemistry, etc.) have not changed over time; in other words, that ‘the present is the key to the past’. Identifying and counting microfossils extracted from sediments allows us to build up a picture of the environment as it was during the lifetime of the plant or animal represented by the fossil.

Three types of microfossil are being analysed as part of the Dungeness and Rye research projects; pollen, diatoms, and foraminifera.

Analysis of fossil pollen and spores is the principle technique used in studies of vegetation history. Pollen grains (Fig. 3) possess a durable outer coat made of a substance known called ‘sporopollenin’, which allows them to become preserved in a variety of different sediments.

7

Fig. 3 Pollen grain of Alnus glutinosa (alder), a common microfossil found in peat across Romney Marsh

The unique shape and surface patterning of the grains enables their identification. Pollen grains extracted from sediment can be used to determine how plant communities at any location have changed over time. This can often provide us with indirect information on former soils, climate, and prehistoric human activity.

Diatoms are single -celled algae that are protected from their surrounding environment by a siliceous shell called a ‘frustule’. In coastal locations the distribution of different diatom species is controlled primarily by water salinity, although other factors such as pH can also be important. For this reason, diatoms are very powerful indicators of fluctuations in estuarine/marine conditions and are used extensively in studies concerning sea-level change.

Foraminifera are single -celled marine animals that live in a shell or ‘test’. Some species have a calcium carbonate test, whilst other species build their shell from silt particles taken from the surrounding sediment. The former are termed ‘calcitic’ species, whilst the latter are known as ‘agglutinated’ species. Foraminifera live in brackish or marine water and can be good indicators of water salinity.

Conclusions The initial period of fieldwork has been followed by an extensive phase of laboratory analysis. The preliminary results of this work are now becoming available. The aim of this short piece has been to set the scene for

8 forthcoming publications, lectures, and field days that will be used to disseminate the findings of these two major research projects.

Damien Laidler (University of Durham), Ed Schofield (Kingston University) & Paul Stupples (University of Liverpool)

TRUST PROJECT REPORTS

Romney Marsh on the Web Work is underway at the University of Liverpool to establish a web-based resource of geomorphological, archaeological and historical data on Romney Marsh and its environs for public access and education. The programme is funded through the RMRT, with financial support from the Colyer-Fergusson Charitable Trust. The primary output of the project will be a data archive of thematic datasets accessible through a geographic information framework, thus enabling wider dissemination of the data currently found in the RMRT Conference Monographs and the numerous papers that have made their way into the academic literature. In addition, the web site will also offer access to the wealth of data currently being acquired through the English Heritage-funded research programmes on the Late Holocene landscape histories of Rye Bay and Dungeness. A series of palaeogeographic maps will be produced for the Romney Marsh region, which may then be interrogated for the purposes of conservation significance from geomorphological, archaeological and historical perspectives.

The web-based resource will also include an educational component, not only to enable students to develop their knowledge base and IT skills, but to undertake exercises based on data processing and interpretation. These exercises focus on the evolution and landscape history of the Romney Marsh region, illustrating how coastal landforms develop in response to sea-level and climate change, and how humans have both influenced and responded to changes in their environment.

Given the one year’s duration of the project, work being undertaken by Simon Turner and Andy Plater is concerned primarily with the landscape history of Romney Marsh from a geomorphological perspective. Work in

9 progress on the data archive can currently be accessed at http://pcwww.liv.ac.uk/%7Esdturner/introduction/index.htm Simon would also be very grateful to receive any interesting memories or stories you may have relating to the landscape of Romney Marsh or simply life on the Marsh during the 20th Century, particularly around the times of WWI, the inter-War period, WWII and the post-War era. Please e-mail anything you have to offer as a Word document to Simon at [email protected] - for which you will receive full acknowledgment on the web site.

Dr Andy Plater & Dr Simon Turner (University of Liverpool)

Tithe Litigation on Romney Marsh, 1371-1600

This essay describes the incidence of disputes over tithe on the Romney Marsh. It builds on an earlier study of litigation during the sixteenth century1 through examination of pre-1500 material made possible with the support of a grant from the Romney Marsh Research Trust. The findings reveal peaks and nadirs of activity, but also an overall rise in the incidence of dispute throughout the period. Most notable is the continuity of dispute in this marshland area of . This suggests strong local traditions of conflict and the longevity of much dispute, as well as the influence of economic pressures on a regional economy.

Introduction In the period 1501-1600, litigation over tithe in the ecclesiastical courts at Canterbury rose steadily.2 From relatively low levels of dispute at the beginning of the century, by the 1590s an average of 116 disputes per year were being entered in the Consistory and Archdeacon’s Courts. This was an almost three-fold rise in the number of disputes in the diocese over the course of the century.

The Romney Marsh (along with the Isle of Thanet) has been identified as an area with significantly high levels of dispute throughout the sixteenth century.3 The evidence of a petition presented to the Crown by Romney Marsh clergy in

1 Simpson, P., ‘Custom and Conflict: Disputes over Tithe in the Diocese of Canterbury, 1501-1600’, PhD University of Kent at Canterbury (1997). 2 Simpson, P., ‘Custom and Conflict’, pp. 126-39. 3 Simpson, P., Custom and Conflict’, p. 154.

10 1636 suggests, furthermore, that the issue of tithe also remained a sensitive one well into the seventeenth century.4 An examination of the records prior to 1500 has enabled some further preliminary observations about the nature and duration of dispute on the Romney Marsh.

This study is based on the act books of the ecclesiastical courts for the diocese of Canterbury. For the period 1501-1600 there is an almost complete set of act books for both the Consistory and Archdeacon’s Courts. Before the sixteenth century, however, survival is less good. Twenty volumes for the Consistory Court are extant dating from 1372, but there are only three volumes from the archdeacon’s court.5 It is an advantage for this study, therefore, that many of the parishes on Romney Marsh were ‘exempt’ from the Archdeacon’s jurisdiction; plaintiffs from these parishes only had recourse to the Consistory Court. Details relating to all tithe disputes have been extracted from the court books and entered into a computer database prior to analysis. These details include the month and year of the entry, the name, status, occupation and parish of both the plaintiff and the defendant.

Incidence of Tithe Disputes 1371-1600 For the purposes of this study, Romney Marsh is defined as the 12 parishes of , , , Hope, , , , , , , and . These are the 12 parishes whose incumbents signed the petition of 1636.

Together the 12 Romney Marsh parishes studied exhibited a rising incidence in the number of disputes over tithe in the period up to the mid-1560s. Thereafter the numbers fell away slightly, but were again climbing towards the end of the century. As with the profile of tithe litigation for all parishes in the diocese,6 the pattern is one of peaks and nadirs of activity. This is illustrated in Fig. 1.

Noticeable peaks of activity occur between 1548 and 1552 and in the early 1560s. The highest number of disputes instigated in any one year was 21 in 1565. By the end of the sixteenth century, the number of disputes was again approaching this level with 63 disputes entered between 1597 and 1600. High

4 See Simpson, ‘Custom and Conflict’, Appendix 4.8. 5 There are gaps in the records for the Consistory Court for 1376-84, 1399-1415, 1423- 28 and 1436-52. 6 Simpson, P., ‘Custom and Conflict’, Figure 4.1, p.128.

11 numbers of disputes instigated in particular years can often, though, be attributed to the actions of particular individuals. Eleven of the 21 disputes instigated in 1565, for example, were brought by Simon Rucke, farmer of the vicarage of New Romney and of the rectory of St Mary in the Marsh.

25

20

15

10 Number of Disputes

5

0 1371 1381 1391 1401 1411 1421 1431 1441 1451 1461 1471 1481 1491 1501 1511 1521 1531 1541 1551 1561 1571 1581 1591 Year Fig. 1 Tithe Disputes on Romney Marsh

Of the 272 parishes in the diocese of Canterbury considered in this study, the 12 Romney Marsh parishes constitute less than five per cent of the total number. The fact then that plaintiffs from Romney Marsh instigated over ten per cent of the disputes in 59 of the 163 years for which there is data is quite remarkable. Put another way, Romney Marsh plaintiffs instigated 693 disputes out of the total of 7465 in the period considered (just over nine per cent). Finally, considered together with all of the other parishes in the diocese over the entire period, three of the Romney Marsh parishes are among the top five with the highest incidence of dispute. Ivychurch is first with a total of 118 disputes, New Romney is third with 107 and Ruckinge is fourth with 104.7

The Longevity of Dispute During the sixteenth century about ten percent of cases proceeded through to the stage where depositions were taken from witnesses.8 The qualitative material that this evidence provides reveals that tithe disputes could be long-

7 The other 9 parishes experienced the following number of disputes: St Mary in the Marsh (60), Warehorne (60), Burmarsh (46), Hope (43), Dymchurch (39), Snargate (36), Brenzett (25), Snave (23) and Old Romney (17). 8 Simpson, P., ‘Custom and Conflict’, 149-152.

12 running and that those involved were prepared to pursue disagreements and evidence over many years. Often disputes over rates or methods of tithing or over a particular piece of land would resurface from generation to generation.9

The long time period studied in this instance has permitted the examination of family names to see whether there is any continuity of dispute through different generations of the same family. Many family names from the Romney Marsh parishes occur repeatedly as defendants in tithe suits. Sometimes there are up to 80 years between the instigation of the cases. Members of the Alane/Allen family of New Romney, for example, were cited in suits in 1472 and 1581; of the Brodenap/Brodnape family of Burmarsh in 1467 and 1551; of the Brokhill family of New Romney in 1464 and 1504; of the Sede family of New Romney in 1476 and 1544; and of the Whatman family of Old Romney in 1420 and 1471. If the consideration is extended to look at family names across the whole of the Marsh then there are many more instances. Members of the Strogell family, for example, living in Warehorne, New Romney and Snargate were involved in disputes instigated in 1466, 1477, 1480, 1562, 1563, 1591 and 1597; and members of the Symon/Symond family of Ruckinge and New Romney were defendants in suits in 1467, 1469, 1473, 1551, and 1552.10 The implication of these findings is that some disputes may have been extremely long-standing and that resistance to tithe payment may have been continued by successive generations of the same family. As noted, these disputes may have related to especially contentious areas of land or rights, but they could also imply the unresolved nature of many disputes that took place. Matters were seldom laid to rest and could very readily resurface, particularly in times of economic distress.

9 Simpson, P., ‘Custom and Conflict’, pp. 32-56 especially p. 44. 10 Other examples include Baker: New Romney, Old Romney and St Mary in the Marsh, 1508, 1552, 1557, 1560 and 1599; Durbarn: New Romney and Ivychurch, 1462, 1512, 1579, 1586, and 1588; Epps: Old Romney and New Romney, 1504 etc. 1600; Hever: Old Romney and Ivychurch, 1463 and 1551; Horne: Burmarsh and Dymchurch, 1419 and 1474; Newland: Ivychurch and Dymchurch, 1470, 1474 and 1573; Palmer: New Romney and Ruckinge, 1416, 1417 and 1552; Rolfe: New Romney and Snargate,1463 and 1600; Stuppeney: Ivychurch and New Romney, 1464, 1470 and 1554; Weldishe/Weldysh: Hope and Ruckinge, 1481, 1595 and 1597; White/Whyte of Warehorne, Burmarsh, Ivychurch and Ruckinge, 1477, 1551, 1556, 1588, 1597, 1599, and 1600.

13 Economic Factors Shifts in agricultural practice and land use may then have been reflected in the incidence of tithe disputes. Agrarian changes, which in the sixteenth century occasioned an increased pressure on resources at a time of rising prices, may have also have stimulated tithe litigation on the Romney Marsh. More especially, tithes which had been commuted to a fixed payment would have decreased significantly in value as the century progressed. In an area in which there was very little arable, the economic effect of this would have been very significant. Many later disputes on the Marsh focused on attempts to collect a commuted tithe on barren cattle, that is, on working beasts. Interestingly, these cases coincided chronologically. In 1587 cases were brought by three different plaintiffs seeking to claim the tithe in the parishes of Ivychurch, Brenzett and .11 Another highly significant case, which also addressed the issue of the tithe of barren cattle in the parish of Burmarsh, was that of Lane versus Cheeseman in 1598. Much later, the decision pertaining to this case appears to have constituted a precedent in the negotiations following the petition presented in 1636. By this date the value of commuted tithe had depreciated to levels which the clergy maintained would not support them Postscript This essay has made some preliminary observations about the incidence of tithe disputes on the Romney Marsh over a period of roughly 230 years. It observes that the overall level of dispute in court rose throughout the period and that the Marsh experienced particularly high levels of conflict. It reveals that the nature of much of this dispute was long running and considers briefly the influence of economic factors. The longevity of dispute revealed has important implications for future study. The prolonged duration of the period of dispute is reflected in the long-running character of the disputes themselves. Study of dispute over tithe also highlights the nature of collective memory; the way in which ‘forgotten’ events found reiteration in times of crisis. This observation itself raises the question of whether it is really possible to point to the final resolution of conflict in the courtroom or within communities. The continuum of dispute reveals quite convincingly that matters, even between generations, were very rarely laid to rest and that moments of crisis often allowed grievance to resurface and experience renewed exploration.

Dr Paula Simpson

11 Peerson versus Swaynslands (1587); Borne versus Thirbarne (1587); Merricke versus White (1587).

14

15 ADMINISTRATION

Hon. Secretary Hon. Treasurer & Membership Dr. Sheila Sweetinburgh Secretary 11 Caledon Terrace, David Williams Canterbury Red Court, Woodland Rise Kent CT1 3JS Seal, Sevenoaks Kent TN15 0JB Members’ Representative email: [email protected] Ray Huson 3 Bodsham Crescent Fund Raiser Bearsted Margaret Bird Maidstone 10 East Street, Kent ME15 8NL Rye, Tel: 01622 735005 East Sussex TN31 7JY

TRUSTEES Professor Michael Tooley; Professor David Killingray; Dr. Richard Smith; Sarah Pearson; Richard Stogden