Rye Castle Museum

By Tarquin & Biddy Cole

This article not only tells about the pottery business in Rye but gives an insight into other aspects of the town’s history and the people who have lived and worked here

Until 2002 there was a gift shop called the The Merrythought near  the Church door at the top of Lion Street which had a relationship of some 75 years with Belle Vue Potteries.  There is still a gift shop on the corner, now called Forget-Me-Not,  but the pottery connection no longer exists.  

 Origins: The Whites

A characterful near-neighbour of The Merrythought was Ernest Apps, a greengrocer living a  few doors below in Lion Street.  He was born there in 1927, of even more charcterful parents.  According to Ernest,  Mr. & Mrs. Percy White were already in residence when he was born, but the year when the business was either purchased or founded by the Whites is as yet unknown. Searches in the annual publication, Deacon’s Alamanac, Directory and Yearbook for Rye, do not produce any references,  even under 72, Church Square,  that can be recognised. Ve Webb, the last owner of the gift shop, whose family also owned Simon the Pieman, next door but one, confirmed that her mother believd that the Merrythought was trading in the 1920′s, with the Whites as owners. No Rye Pottery sales records survive for Edith Mitchell’s tenure of the Pottery on her own (1920 -1930), before she sold it to Geroge Ellis and his daughter, Ella Mills, but it may be presumed that this gift shop was already being supplied.

The very first entry in the Belle Vue account books for ‘P. White Esq., Church Square’ was July 6th 1931. ‘To Goods £3.3s.4d’. This was Invoice No. 4 on page 3, so there were at least three previous invoices, but page 1& 2 are missing and invoice numbers were not always used, so there may have been more. It is not until May 1935 that the ledger is actually marked ‘P. White, Merrythought’. Ella Mills bequeathed both ledger and invoice books for the period 1931-1940 to Wally & Jack Cole, but unfortunately these are now incomplete. The Ella Mills Invoice Book runs from June 9th 1936 to July 20th.1940 and the ledger from 1931 to July 8th 1940. This takes one only to page 20; the remainder of the book was carried on by the post war Pottery, first by Wally tidily and then by others in an increasingly scruffy and disjointed way — a complete contrast to the neat and exact records kept by Ella!

Percy White’s wife ran the gift shop, whilst he managed the antiques business further down the street called Delves & Son opposite The George Hotel, which he gradually upgraded from a ‘boot and shoe warehouse, via antique furniture emporium and old china store’ in 1919 to ‘Dealer in Antiques’ in 1929 and perhaps even to something more discerning! The Belle Vue Pottery had few account customers, but the Merrythought was one of them, taking 25% of the invoiced production. Hopware, lustre and green glazed miniatures as well as the Sussex Pig, were all  items invoiced to the shop. This has to have been an important part of the gift shop’s turnover, so it is no wonder that Percy White took such trouble to have the business re-opened after the war.

What is strange is that, having taken so much trouble to get Rye Pottery restarted, the Whites then sold their business in June 1950 to a Mrs Jarvis, who lived with a lady companion in Winchelsea. These ladies seem to have been a source of much relished local gossip. Mrs Jarvis sold it again in 1951 to a spinster called Olive Holmes, a quiet and precise lady, who was able to live neatly in the extremely tiny flat above the shop.

The Coles

Percy White did not include any of the old stock of Sussex pigs, lustre or hopware in the sale, preferring to salt this safely away; he then sold his other business, Delves Antiques, a year or two later. Percy White with Stuart Prebble,  a local estate agent,- were the moving forces in establishing a Rotary Club in Rye and they recruited Wally Cole to be the Founding Secretary; Jack Cole was a Rotarian in Beckenham, and he had advised Wally that it would be good for the Pottery for him to do so. Wally obtained a lot of enjoyment from Rotary over the years. The newly renamed Rye Pottery did very well out of the  relationship with The Merrythought under Olive Holmes, whose account opens Feb.21st. 1950, taking over the last few invoices of the Whites. She in turn retired, possibly due to deteriorating health, and the account was closed on 16th January 1956. The Merrythought had been offered to Rye Pottery for £3000 by Miss Holmes in the latter half of the 1950s. The Coles, previously leaseholders of the Ferry Road premises, had only just purchased the freehold of Belle Vue House and Pottery from Rye Borough Council and so were unable to take up this offer, although they would  dearly have liked to secure the retail mark up on the large percentage of their production sold by  The Merrythought. A postcard of the period shows the whole of the main shop window filled with Rye Pottery.

Competition

The strong relationship was tested in a way that was totally unexpected, when a request to become a stockist was received from a newly arrived family who started a gift shop called Artina, half a dozen shops further down Lion Street. The change of ownership at The Merrythought was probably seen as an opportunity to obtain the main agency for Rye Pottery within the town. The Pottery replied that unfortunately, they would be unable to supply them, as it would affect the sales at the existing Merrythought outlet so close by: a normal trade practice in fact, and it was thought important not to jeopardise a successful relationship– whoever the new owners might be.

The response was totally unexpected — a threat to start their own pottery here in Rye, which in due course they did, taking one of the most talented ex-apprentices, David Sharp, newly returned to the Pottery from National Service and restive, as a partner to help get it going. This added to the confusion of identity, which was probably intentional as the original name chosen for this new venture was Rye Art Pottery – a name used by the Mitchells at BelleVue in the early years of the century – until a solicitor’s letters caused a change of name. 

This is not to imply that The Merrythought was the only outlet within the town, but it was the principal outlet. There was normally at least one other in the main High Street — Deacons initially, who in the early years of the 20th century advertised that they ‘sold the famous Sussex Rustic Ware’; followed by Adams or Gouldens in the 50’s & 60’s, and latterly Penny Royal during the Denny family’s ownership. Sometimes there were several, but it was always rather a problem to the Pottery and caused some rancour amongst the contenders. It was Pottery policy to try and ensure that there was never just a monopoly outlet within the town.

The Dixons

 The new Merrythought owners were John and Margaret Dixon, who moved from Cambridge, where Margaret had worked for, and was highly regarded by, Joshua Taylor, a small departmental store, where the Managing Director, Kenneth Taylor, was both a Rye Pottery stockist and a collector of Wally’s own studio pots. John Dixon had family connections with Hastings, so would have known Rye from his youth. He was delicate, often not well and had been a choral scholar at Kings College, so both Dixons already knew all about Rye and Rye Pottery. To begin with they lived in the tiny flat above the shop, but as they settled and prospered they bought a cottage in Northiam, commuted to work and used the flat as a stockroom.

The use of the flat as a stockroom was an enormous bonus for Rye Pottery. The Merrythought had always had a problem with Rye Pottery stock, which was available in the winter, but unsaleable, and in short supply in the summer when visitors appeared again and trade was brisk. David Morris, who became manager at Rye Pottery in the early 1960s, persuaded the Dixons that it would be worthwhile to build up regular stocks in the winter to cover this loss of profitability. To encourage this he arranged to deliver their stock, something that the older generation had thought totally unnecessary. Sometimes there was so much stock there that it would have been almost impossible for even a mouse to spend the night in the flat.!

This was of course a great benefit to the Pottery, who always had a terrible period between Christmas and early summer, when they were only making for stock, trusting that orders would remove the stockpile. This produced a cash crisis in the Spring every single year. When Wally and Eileen told John and Margaret Dixon that they would probably have to close in the 1970s throughout the dreadful strike and powercut-ridden years, which exacerbated the annual problems, the Dixons paid for unmade stock in advance to keep the pottery solvent.

Somehow, though, those in Ferry Road grudged The Merrythought the retail profit margin; an attitude that they had managed to communicate to all the pottery offshoots started by ex-employees. It seemed to the potters that all that happened after all the graft and sweat of manufacture was for the retailer to just put it on their shelves and double their money. Somehow the expense and expertise of running a retail shop was lost on them all. No allowance was ever made for capital tied up in prime retail positions, rents, wages, stock purchases and lines that didn’t sell, let alone a profit margin! The concession that the Pottery made for ‘this enormous favour’ was to produce lines that were exclusive to The Merrythought. In particular, bulk ‘Studio’ was regularly made in either bowl or vase mixed shapes, priced per dozen for a given size. These were a very mixed bag, some lovely and others very mundane, but they sold very well, so fulfilling their purpose. There were also lines made exclusively for them, such as the rather dull floral tableware pattern in Rye Yellow and Blue Green.

Rye Pottery also produced special displays to fill the window from time to time with pieces not made for anyone else. An example of this was a display of one-off signed pieces by Wally and Tarquin, and June Woolley for the Queen’s Visit to Rye in 1966.

The junior Coles stopped these Studio lines as soon as they took over, because the standard was so uneven and uncontrollable. They were not as strapped for cash as the parents at that time, because Ceramic Consultants/ Rye Tiles had survived the appalling period in the 1970s more successfully due largely to the winning of a Design Award in 1974, with all the resultant publicity and orders. There is no doubt that without John and Margaret Dixon’s support, Rye Pottery would have ceased to exist before Biddy and Tarquin finally took over from the exhausted Wally and Eileen on Wally’s 65th birthday on 2lst January 1978.

The next Coles generation and the Barnes

Almost as the changeover from senior to junior Coles took place, the Dixons decided to retire and sold the business in the Spring of 1978. The Dixons moved to Chichester, where John became a guide in the cathedral and worked part time in a solicitor’s office. This was a severe blow to the Pottery, because that first winter the new Merrythought owners no longer wanted to carry this extra stock, so the Coles had lost the cushion of paid stock orders to fund the wages, let alone afford the capital to introduce some new badly needed designs to the existing ranges.

 The new owners were Beryl and Roy Barnes, for whom it was the intermediate stage between retirement and old age. Roy had been Chief Fire Officer for Essex and was an expert in the control of oil fires. From time to time he was still called away to assist with difficult flues. Probably their interest in dinghy sailing had drawn them to Rye. The remarkably young age of such retirements with a good index-linked pension meant that they were free of the sort of financial worries that beset many or us, and certainly those at the Pottery! Because of the incomprehension of the situation in Ferry Road it was never a comfortable relationship.  The Barnes put a lot of energy into developing the shop and searched amongst the items made at Rye Pottery for items that would produce new profit centres. Roy talked a lot about ‘Marketing’ and ‘Product’ and anything further from the rather arty and scruffy Rye Pottery outfit can hardly be imagined!

An example of this new approach to ‘merchandising’ was when The Merrythought started to market House Plaques, which Roy knew several of the potteries in Rye made, as well as Rye Pottery. A serious effort was made to try and rationalize sizes, designs, colours and delivery times to take out as many of the complications as possible, and they took a lot of orders for plaques. Friction soon developed when orders would be taken, perhaps at the weekend, when the Pottery was closed and things could not be checked, for difficult subjects and designs, or wildly over optimistic delivery dates were quoted. Roy was quite sure that the Pottery was being inefficient, which it probably was, but also difficult and obstructive, which it wasn’t. ‘Marketing’ in this context was a joke. When the artist and head paintress June Woolley, who painted all the plaques, was off work for six months with a back operation, meaning no plaques were made, Roy Barnes was furious as The Merrythought had to stop selling house plaques. Unfortunately Beryl Barnes developed cancer and died after a relatively short illness. Roy carried on for a while, but his heart wasn’t in it; perhaps the shop had been something that his wife had wanted to do rather than him ?

The Webbs

Roy  sold it to Ve and Mike Webb, who had run The Simon the Pieman cafe two doors away. It too, was a halfway stage to retirement for them; a gift shop being much less demanding than anything connected with serving food! Ve ran the shop with the help of Mrs Beatrice Bishop, a French lady who had worked there part time and as cover for days off since the early Dixon years. Mike Webb devoted his energies to managing their land at Icklesham. They had been an occasional Pottery customer previously, ordering honey-glazed ginger jars with Simon the Pieman in black lettering on the lid, presumably full of the  fudge for which the cafe had been famous for many years. They were long term enthusiasts of Rye Pottery, both the pre- and post-war output. This was probably the most easy and relaxed relationship with the Pottery since the departure of Olive Holmes. The Merrythought was no longer the dominant customer and the figures, mostly The Canterbury Tales,  now only filled the side window. Ve Webb ran the business for almost fifteen years before it was sold. The years passed without any serious stresses in the relationship and one was surprised that they had been there so long.

Rye Pottery missed the passing of this little outlet with a big sales punch, but it came as no surprise and its demise was no longer fatal for survival. The rather charming Rye Pottery name plaque with a jester has since been removed and all that is now left at the premises of 72 Church Square is a small wrought iron sign which used to read Rye Pottery but now with the word pottery blacked out, leaving a totally meaningless reference to any passer by.

Rye: Defender of the Southeast Coast

Rye has been involved in the defence of the coast and English Channel throughout its history. This has generally been in response to a particular event or crisis and it usually involved naval activities and ferrying soldiers to various theatres of war.

The town began to be seriously defended from the C12th onwards.   The tower now known as the Ypres Tower was built in the mid C13th. It was at this time that the English crown and the dukedom of Normandy–which had been one and the same–began to separate.

16th century

In 1542 Camber Castle began to be built by order of Henry VIII, and in 1541 it had already been arranged that it would be armed with the necessary artillery and a captain. Later, between 1557 and 1559, Rye bought guns and overhauled the town’s ordnance. In 1588 a Watch was appointed in Rye in order to forestall the Armada and again the town was well stocked with munitions. In 1657 foot soldiers were quartered in Rye. They were men of Colonel Robert Gibbons Regiment.

Wars with France

August 1779 saw the creation of a local armed force in response to the wars with France and Spain, and a member of the Lamb family received a commission and money from the Council to raise company for Rye.

The troops were billeted firstly at the Strand and later in a camp at the top of Rye Hill, where the Memorial Care Centre now stands.    The picture is a copy of a 1779 pen and ink sketch of the camp which housed  Commander General Stopes’ 13th Regiment.  This company was disbanded in 1783.

With the beginning of the Revolutionary Wars with France in October 1794, William Pitt, as Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, decided to strengthen the defenses along this coast. This included creating; the Cinque Ports Fencible Cavalry, which lasted until 1814; Rye’s First Volunteer Infantry Company 1794 – 1802; and the Troop of Gentlemen and Yeomanry Corps.

The first phase of the wars with France ended with the Peace of Amiens in 1802.   But the war with France started again in May 1803 and the era of the Napoleonic Wars began. By now Pitt had resigned as Prime Minister but was still the Lord Warden. He raised three Infantry Battalions and Rye was in the Third Battalion and became first, second and third of its ten companies. The Third Battalion Cinque Ports Volunteer Corps was re-formed in 1803 and lasted until 1806. A Rye Battery of Artillary was also raised by Pitt in 1804 and probably lasted until 1814. The Third Battalion Cinque Ports Volunteers did not like being disbanded in 1806 and within three months re-formed themselves and lasted until 1808.

There were two barracks on Rye Hill and two batteries, one in the Gungarden ( South East Battery ) and one on West Cliff orGreen  ( South West Battery ). Amongst the Regiments stationed at Rye were the 43rd Regiment of Foot and the East Kent Militia.

It was at this time that the Military Canal was constructed, linking Pett Level and Hythe, and the Martello Towers  built along the coast.

Defenses in Victorian Times

In 1859 there was another scare , this time from Napoleon III, although there was no real substance to it. A Volunteer Rye Corps was formed in May 1859 to be called the Rye District Company. This became a joint company with Tenterden in December 1859, but was disbanded in 1860.

Above - Sergeant Edward Batcheler, Cinque Ports Volunteers c1865

 In the following year the government reorganised the 35th (Cinque Ports) Regiment of Rifle Volunteers into two battalions and the Rye subdivision became the Third Hastings Company in the First Cinque Ports Administrative Battalion. This later became the Ninth Rifles and lasted until 1876.

The Fourth Cinque Ports (Hastings & Rye ) Volunteer Artillery were formed in 1861 and called themselves the Rye Marine Cinque Ports Volunteer Artillery and they lasted until 1877, yet they continued to meet in Hastings with only two Rye members until 1891. In 1885 E Company First Cinque Ports Rifle Volunteers ( Brookfield’s Greys ) was commissioned and some of these men served in the Boer War ( 1899 – 1902 ). In 1909 the existing companies were  re-organised as the Territorials and served in the First World War.

World War I

   In 1901 the Sussex Imperial Yeomanry was formed and a Troop was raised in Rye and district. It maintained very close connections with Rye until 1904 and some men saw service in the First World War. It then became the Surrey Yeomanry and was converted to the Field Artillery and served in the Second World War.

In early 1911 the Veteran Reserve was created, later to be known as the National Reserve. A Rye Company was established and forty men served in the First World War.

Old Drill Hall

In 1912 a Drill Hall and Armoury was opened near the Windmill. When war broke out in 1914, 300 had volunteered out of a population of 4,000; conscription was introduced in 1916. 

The upper floor of the Monastery was turned into a hospital in 1915.

On April 17th 1917, three bombs were dropped from a Zeppelin but little damage was done. 144 names are recorded on the Rye War Memorial of those that died in this war.

World War II

In 1940, during the Second World War,  a Local Defence Volunteers was formed and it lasted unitl 1945. It was part of the 22nd Sussex Home Guard. Pill boxes, tank traps, and artillery batteries were set up around Rye. During the war 88 bombs and 200 incendiaries were dropped. Many buildings were destroyed and enemy action drastically changed the face of Rye, especially around the Ypres Tower and the Strand.

For  related articles click on  Invasion Coast and Maritime History at right.

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Members Evening :
Monday 5th October, 6 p.m.

All members–not just current Volunteers–are invited to join us at the East Street Museum at 6 p.m. on Monday, 4th October. You’ll learn more about plans for the coming months and projects you might enjoyhelping with. And you are bound to meet some people you’ll like but you haven’t met before. There will be a raffle and light refreshments. Do come.

 Smugglers of Kent and Sussex:
Tuesday 13th October, 7:30 p.m.

Local historian Geoff Hutchinson, one of our most popular speakes, looks at the colourful and dangerous history of smuggling on the South Coast.  You will learn (and laugh),    There will be refreshments and a raffle.

Discovery Day: Smuggling!
Saturday  24th October, 10-4 

How much does your family know about Smuggling in and around Rye?

• Why did the men of Rye and Winchelsea turn to smuggling? 
• What kinds of things were smuggled in—and out?
• What was ‘owling’?
• How did smugglers hide goods from the customs men?
• Why and when did smuggling decline?
• What smugglers’ gang used to congregate at the Mermaid Inn?

 Bring your children and grandchildren to the Rye Museum Discovery Day to learn and have fun:  Further details to come.      For an article on this site about Smuggling in Rye, click here.

 For more dates to put in your diary, check the Events and Talks pages.

 Women’s Tower Project

Since the launch of the Women’s Tower Project on 25th August,  those yellow forms for buying bricks, stones, castellations and other parts for the restoration of the Women’s Tower at the Ypres Castle have continued to come in.   Is yours among them?   Once the necessary repairs have been completed we hope to use this rare survival of a Women’s Tower to house displays showing the life of Rye’s women and children in the past.

The challenge  of  raising  the £74,000 needed to restore the tower is an immense one, but the launch evening–a beautiful one enjoyed by many Ryers–got the project off to an encouraging start and there have been some generous donations.   If you too would like to be part of this project and have not received a leaflet providing details and a form,  do visit either of the Rye Castle Museum sites or contact the Museum  (01797-226728 or info@ryemuseum.co)    You would have the satisfaction of knowing you had helped to save  a special building of our town so it can not only be used by Ryers but also  provide yet another attraction for visitors.

 Please scroll down to the bottom for news of another project you may wish to help with.: Rye Castle Museum website!

Museum of British Folklore

Did you miss Simon Costin’s talk or the chance to visit the  delightful folk-museum-in-a-caravan parked by the Ypres Tower last weekend?   Judging from both verbal and visitors’ book comments, those who came were convinced that a permanent Museum of British Folklore would be a Very Good Idea.   You an find out more at  www.museumofbritishfolklore.co.uk or by emailing Simon at scostin@dircon.co.uk 

And in November and December

Two Craft Fairs,  the Christmas Grotto… Do you see why more volunteers are always welcome?

Rye Castle Museum Website 

We’ve been busy re-organising and adding articles to the site www.ryemuseum.co.uk.  Just uploaded are articles on Romney Marsh, Rye Harbour,  Trades and Industries (Inns, Shipbuilding)  and more are on the way so keep checking.  … The possibilities are endless but we could use some help in getting articles ready to publish.  Could you help?

Here are three ways you might contribute:

As Typist.  We would especially like to find people who could key in existing content.  It’s easy: you register as a User, type and save your work as a Draft.  An editor then opens your draft, checks the formatting, inserts some illustrations and maybe a link or two to related pages or sites, and clicks Publish.  Think how fast we could develop the site with this kind of help!   A simple instruction sheet is available.

As Photographer/\Photo editor  Do you work with photos on the web?  Perhaps you use Photoshop? Besides a photographer or two we could use the expertise of anyone who could help us select, edit, resize and label photos and other illustrations for the Media Library within our site–the collection of images available to insert as illustrations for articles.

As Researcher/Information source/Writer  Do you know a lot about some aspect of Rye’s history?  A business, craft or industry?  A street or building?  A neighbouring village?  Rye in WWII?  Earlier military history?  Schools or leisure pursuits of times past?  Or would you like to research some topic?  Or, if you don’t want to write, what about being interviewed?

If you would like to know more about helping in any of these–or other–ways,  please contact us!

Unless stated otherwise all Talks begin at 7.30pm and are held at the Museum in East Street, Rye, on the second Tuesday of each month, with the exception of August. There are light refreshments at about 8.45 pm and admission is £1.50 for members of the Museum Association and £2.50 for guests. Everyone is welcome.

Tuesday, 13th October
Smugglers of Kent and Sussex
Local Historian Geoff Hutchinson looks at the colourful and dangerous history of smuggling on the South Coast.

Tuesday, 10th November
The Dregs of the People Remain: The Black Death and its Aftermath.
After the success of last year, Imogen Corrigan returns to take a fascinating look at the Black Death and how it influenced views of death and the afterlife.

Tuesday, 8th December
Ten Beds That Made History
Monica Janssens takes an intriguing look at ten beds important to history.

Saturday 9th January 2010
New Year Party
A fund raising event for members.   Details to follow.

Tuesday February 9^th  2010
Origin & History of Nursery Rhymes
Dr. John Reuther discusses the fascinating origins and history of nursery rhymes.

Tuesday 9^th March 2010
The Story of Rye  Royale
Historian and former mayor Jo Kirkham gives an illustrated overview of Rye’s long and eventful history.
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Tuesday 13^th April
Celebrating the Passing Seasons – the religious year in Pre-Reformation Rye
Dr. Graham Mayhew gives an illustrated talk on the lost culture of Rye at the end of the Middle Ages

Tuesday 27^th April
Circle of Friends: the story of John Allen, Samuel Jeakes and Philip Frith in Restoration Rye

Donna Bilak shares what she has discovered about  17th century people and events in Rye which researching for her PhD dissertation.

Tuesday 11^th May
“And so we raised the Mary Rose”
Albert Granville talks about his involvement with the raising of the Mary Rose and the artefacts they found.

Tuesday 8^th June
Arthurian Herbs, the Pre-Raphaelites and William Morris (Early Start 7pm)
Lin Saines returns after her fantastic talk last season on Rye Herbs to take a fascinating look at herbs connected with Arthurian legend, the Pre-Raphaelites and William Morris.
Includes a tasting session for willing participants!
PLEASE NOTE THE EARLY START

Tuesday 13^th July
Trip to the newly refurbished Bexhill Museum including tour
Join Rother District Curator, Julian Porter, on a tour of the new refurbishment of Bexhill Museum including the new Motoring Gallery and the Costume and Social History Gallery.
This will be an afternoon trip and details will follow nearer the time.

The shipwreck details and pictures are taken from Peter Marsden’s booklet The Historic Shipwrecks of South East England. The booklet is available from The Shipwreck Heritage Centre, Rock-a-Nore Road, Hastings, Sussex. TN34 3DW. Tel: 0142 4437452

Shipwrecks as History

Detail from Admiralty chart

One of the greatest known concentrations of historic sunken ships lies off the shore of south-east England, particularly where it borders the English Channel, one of the busiest seaways in the world. The enormous wealth of historical information preserved in these wrecks is incalculable, and they form part of the ’new frontier’ of archaeological exploration – underwater.
 

There are records of about a thousand ships having been swallowed by the Goodwin Sands off east Kent alone, and many of these will be well preserved since the geology of the region especially favours the preservation of shipwrecks, which are often buried in soft sands and silts. Wrecks as old as Roman and prehistoric times are known, but the bulk of discovered wrecks date from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.The detail from an Admiralty chart shows some of the known shipwrecks. 

Ships are the buildings of the sea, and it is by studying their surviving remains as wrecks that we can better understand and illustrate the history of mankind’s long association with the sea.

Detail from Steve Martin's Sussex Shipwreck poster

This is particularly so in the south-east region where there is an exceptional shoreline concentration of historic shipwrecks that can be visited by non-divers at suitable low tides. Between Camber in the east and Cuckmere Haven, just west of Beachy Head in the west,  there are preserved the substantial remains of large ships of the seventeenth, eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries. This range of age for ships visible at low tide has no known parallel in Britain, and may be unique in Europe.

Visitors can trace in at least seven wrecks extrthe development of ships from wood and sail to steel and engine. The extraordinary nature of this group is underlined by the fact that two of the three protected historic wreck sites that are visible at low tide in the whole of the British Isles lie in this area.
 

The Historic Shipwrecks of East Sussex

The historic shipwrecks of the last four centuries which have survived in the tidal zone of East Sussex, between Camber in the east and Cuckmere in the west, form a unique record of international seafaring history.

Until recently the sites were plundered for the valuables that they contain, but nowadays, with two of the shipwrecks protected by law as historic monuments, it is appreciated that they are as much worthy of preservation, research and display as are historic sites on land.
 

This group of maritime casualties may be unique in Europe, for nowhere else between the tides is such a concentration and range of age and variety known to exist, and it is hoped that in the future these parts of the tidal zone of East Sussex will be officially adopted as a conservation area.

The geology of the zone, which has been primarily responsible for the excellent state of preservation of the shipwrecks, is equally important and unusual for it provides a fascinating window on the coastline in the distant past. In particular it concentrates around the seventeenth- and eighteenth-century wrecks in the Hastings area, and includes the extensive remains of a now-submerged prehistoric forest 5000 years old, and rocks of about 120 million years old which contain important traces of dinosaurs.�
 

The Wreck of the Warship Anne 1690

The Anne was named after Princess Anne (1665-1714). Launched at Chatham in 1678, she was 150 feet long, 40 feet wide, armed with 70 guns, and was one of Samuel Pepys’ ‘standard’ warships, of which 30 were built.         

         Sketch of the ‘Anne’, circa 1685

On Monday 30th June 1690  the Anne, with her captain John Tyrell and 460 men went into battle against the superior French fleet as part of the Anglo-Dutch fleet under Lord Torrington. By 9.30 a.m. on that day the Anne was engaging the enemy, and the battle continued all day until 9 p.m. when the combined Anglo-Dutch fleet found itself so seriously damaged that it had to retreat eastwards to anchor. Several Dutch ships were lost, but of the English ships only the Anne had suffered extreme damage.

On Thursday, 3 July, the wind returned and the York reported that in the afternoon ‘it blew so hard we could not tow her so we took all the soldiers from them [i.e. the Anne] and then stood in between Farlee [i.e. Fairlight] and Winchelsea Castle, and run ashore the ship.’

The remains of the 'Anne', off Pett Level, 1984

After beaching the ship at high tide, the crew had to wait until the evening low tide before they could walk ashore. That evening Tyrrell wrote to the Admiralty: ’I lie within pistol shot, at high water, of the shore, and at low water one may walk round the ship. If the French fireships do not come in and burn me I hope to save her, though the water comes into her as the tide ebbs and flows.’

The 'Anne' at Pett Level in 1984

The French ships attacked Hastings and Rye on the next day, Saturday, 5 July, and that afternoon Tyrrell reluctantly decided to burn the Anne so that she could not be taken as a prize. Curiously, it was soon after this inconclusive stage in the battle, when the French were winning, that they sailed away back to France.

The burnt-out remains of the Anne faded from memory, though around Fairlight local people never forgot her name. She was photographed in 1913 and later, but in 1974 treasure-hunters took a mechanical excavator out to the ship at low tide and dug into her remains. 

In order to stop further vandalism she was that day protected as an historic monument, and ten years later the Ministry of Defence transferred her ownership to the Nautical Museums Trust, which also owns the Shipwreck Heritage Centre where the Anne’s story is told. 

The Wreck of the Amsterdam 1749

The Dutch East India Company ship Amsterdam, with 54 guns, has been entombed in the beach at Hastings since February, 1749. She was run ashore by a mutinous crew during a severe gale whilst on her maiden voyage from Amsterdam to Java.

There was good reason for the mutiny, for in two weeks disease had killed 50 of her complement of 335 and her rudder had been torn off.

Captain Willem Klump beached his ship between Hastings and Bexhill on 26th January, 1749, and the Mayor of Hastings took charge of the survivors and guarded the ship from plunderers.

When salvage eventually commenced, the ship was found to be sinking rapidly into the beach, and the cargo was inaccessible. 

Today two-thirds of the hull survives, with the keel about 30 feet (9 metres) deep in the beach, and inside is most of her cargo and the possessions of the people on board.

Bottle of wine from the Amsterdam

Discoveries in 1969 of bottles still full of wine, bronze guns and a great variety of other objects, drew attention to the wreck, and an archaeological and historical study followed.

The ship was found to be the only known well-preserved example of an East Indiaman in the world, and was definitely worthy of preservation.

In 1973 she was protected as an historic monument under a new law, and in 1975 a ‘Save the Amsterdam  Foundation’ was established in the Netherlands, to study how to excavate, raise and preserve the ship and its valuable contents, and return them to the city of Amsterdam.

 The Foundation decided to undertake the first archaeological excavation in 1984 by using a Dutch- British team of archaeologists and divers to uncover part of the lower gun deck. 

Although all discoveries will leave Britain for the Netherlands, the Foundation has offered to return a representative selection for permanent display in the Shipwreck Heritage Centre at Hastings.

by Brian Purdey

 Napoleonic Threat

An example of a very rare species arrived in the military district of Hastings and Rye in the early Spring of 1806 – a successful British General! In fact it is fair to say that at the time Sir Arthur Wellesley was the only really successful general officer that his country possessed and the posting to the coast of eastern Sussex of this phenomenon needs to be explained. Following the collapse of the Treaty of Amiens and resumption of hostilities with France, the southeast counties of England, and particularly Kent and Sussex, were once more in the front line facing a threatened invasion.

Coastal Defences around Rye and Hastings

In 1803 that great martial genius, Napoleon Bonaparte, soon to crown himself Emperor, had gathered a massive force ofd 130,000 men at Boulogne, together with 2,000 boats andthis Grand Army continued to grow throughout 1804. In Britain there waas some apprehension, though not the flight in panic of the population of the two counties described with such delight in the contemorary French press. Preparations for defence were undertaken, of course, and Bonaparte’s most implacable foe in Europe, William Pitt, Prime Minister and Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, was personally involved in much of the detail, often from his official residence at Walmer Castle. The Royal Military Canal, “Mr. Pitt’s Ditch”, was dug, stretching eventually from Hythe to Cliff End, Pett, and Martello Towers were erected – but not withquite the speed that the situation seemed to demand, and naval and military volunteers were raised to support the regular forces of the Crown.

The Commander in Chief, the “Grand old Duke of York” , visited Hastings in August 1804 accompanied by Sir John Moore, officer commanding the troops based from Shorncliffe to Dungeness and they saw the main threat to be a landing between Dungerness and Beachy Head. An interesting change in the pattern of military deplymentstook place as a result of this view. Earlier invasion scares in the 1790′s had found the full time professional soldiery quartered further east andto the west of this area, around Canterbury and Brighton, but now the rapidly raised and less well trained militia that had previously guarded Rye and Hastings were replaced by regiments of regulars who had some knowledge of the business of war.

Wellesley’s Brigade

It is not surprising, therefore, that, even after Nelson’s comprehensive destruction of the bulk of the sea power of France and her allies at Trafalgar in October 1805, the government should dispatch a general with a proven record of vixtory in India to this crucial section of the coastline. Wellesley’s force, to which he was appointed on the 25th of February 1806, was a mere brigade, however, and many friends questioned how the general, having led “armies of 40,000 men in the field, having received the thanks of Parliament for his victories and having been made a Knight of the Bath, could submit to be reduced to the command of a brigade if infantry?” Sir Arthur’s answer was typical of the man. “For this plain reason, I am a nimmukwallah as we say in the east, that is have ate the King’s salt and therefore I conceive it to be my duty to serve with unhesitating zeal and cheerfulness, when and wherever, the King or his government may think proper to employ me”

 A monthly Army List from 1806 indicates that Wellesley’s brigade was a strong one consisting of well over 5,000 men and since it was neither sound generalship, nor indeed good common sense to place such a body of troops engaged upon coastal defence in one small town, the regiments were based at various locations throughout the area. 1,000 men were in purpose built barracks at Bexhill, another 1,100 were in temporary buildings in Battle, 2,000 were camped at Silverhill, Robertsbridge, 900 occupied newly erected barracks at Halton in Hastings and 350 were stationed at Rye and Playden. These figures changed as their commander redeployed his soldiers for training and other purposesand the late Kenneth Clarke recorded thattwo barracks sited on Rye Hill at one point housed 800 infantry with 168 cavalry and 80 infantry respectively.

It is interesting to note that Sir Arthur’s troops at Halton were fortunate to be stationed in brand new accommodation. The ancient and decayed barracks at Bopeep had obligingly burtn down due to a chimney fire in 1804 and replacements were provided at a cost of £8,541-10-2 in October 1805.

Marriage

Wellesley established his headquarters in a lodging house in the High Street, Hastings, opposite the fine old Swan Hotel. His time actually living there must have been brief, since crossing to Dublin, he married on the 10th April at St George’s church in that city, Catherine Sarah Dorothea, third daughter of the 2nd Baron Longford. On their return, he and his bride set up home at Hastings House, a grand Palladian mansion adjacent to All Saints Church – later demolished by developers in the 1860′s to be replaced by Old Humphrey Avenue.

While “Kitty” , the new Lady Wellesley, busied herself in making a comfortable domestic environment for her beloved Arthur, the general himself exercised his mind with the problems fo effective counter measures to possible invasion andfurther found time to read papers on “Rye inundations and the military virtues of Winchelsea ( Camber ) Castle”.

MP for Rye

Other matters occupied him too. Early in the month of his marriage, he had been returned as Borough Member of Parliament for Rye, not becuasehe felt a desire for prolonged triumphs in that arena, but in order that he might defend his elder brother Richard, Marquis Wellesley, recently returned from India and facing the possibility of impeachment for his management of the post of Governor General. Philp Guedalla, in The Duke, (1931) describes Wellesley’s election in some detail: “The campaign was not exacting, since the Rye electors listened more closely to their proprietor than to any candidate. Their simple appetites appear in Wellesay’s accounts and totalled £367/17/6 (in food, wine and other expenses),

Light Relief

brigade had more than just a military effect upon the neighbourhood of Rye and Hastings. It will be recalled what influence the presence of the dashing had on the Bennet girls, in Pride and Prejudice especially Lydia. Balls were organised by the Hastings garrison, sometimes only concluding at 5am “when the company retired highly delighted with the elegance of the entertainment and the extreme politeness of the officers”, and special performances were requested at the local theatres. In July 1806, one of Sir Arthur’s colonels, Houghton of the 8th Foot, and the officers of the regiment asked that the “celebrated tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark”, be presented at the Theatre, Hastings, together – to afford light releif, no doubt, “the comic opera of the Poor Soldier”. This combined performance was for one night only, the theatre, adjoining the Hare and Hounds at Ore, reverting to what was, one imagines, the more popular fare of “Laugh when you can” and “Love laughs at Locksmiths”.

Royal Approval

The high point, in military terms of Wellesley’s service in Suissex was reached on the 10th of August 1806, when the Duke of York came to review the young major general’s command. He and his brother, the Duke of Cambridge, arrived from Hythe, towed along the Military Canal in a boat drawn by three horses. They were welcomed with a royal salute from the East battery of Captain Gill’s Cinque Port Artillary sited in the Gungarden. After spending two hours at the George, the royal Dukes inspected the forces, consisting of infantry, two troops of the 17th Light Dragoons and the 1st Somerset Militia. The Duke, pleased with the performance  of his troops, thanked Sir Arthur and proceeded via Cliff End to Hastings. There, according to some unsubstantiated sources, a banquet was held in honour of Wellesley. Be that as it may there seems little doubt the York and Cambridge took refreshment at the Swan Hotel and that Sir Arthur entertained them at Hastings House. The following day the royal pair departed to meet their elder brother at his favourite resort of Brighton.

Warden of the Cinque Ports

The general’s time at Rye and Hastings ended in December 1806, when he was posted to Deal, but his connections with the area were top be renewed when, in 1829, as Duke of Wellington, he was installed as Lord Warden of the CinquePorts. Even after his death in 1852, the force of his personality was still felt by the tow towns. The Mayor of Hastings, Thomas Hickes, on the announcement of the old soldier’s demise, journeyed to Rye, whose own Mayor, E.S.Banks, held the post of Speaker of the Cinque Ports that year, to suggest that a meeting should be convened to see that “every possible respect to the memory of the illustrious deceased ” be paid. Much to Mr. Hickes’ surprise, Mr. Banks declined to “give himself, any trouble in the matter”. “The Duke was a very good man, I dare say”, he added, “he is dead now, so why make any fuss? Let them bury him”.

Acting independently of the unconcerned Speaker, the Mayors of Hastings, Sandwich and New Romney waited on the Prime Minister, Lord Derby,and the eventual result was that a carriage for four persons, representing the Cinque Ports, was to be included in the funeral procession on November 18th. A meeting was held in Rye on October 28th to decide who should represent the Confederation and the shameless Mayor of Rye claimed the right to be one of the privileged four as the current Speaker. Perhaps, not surprisingly, the other Ports rejected this claim and the carriage that followed the great Duke on his final march contained the first citizens of Dover, Sandwich, New Romney and Hastings.

Iden Mote

By Richard Holmes

Beginnings

As historians believe that before the Norman Conquest there were no more than 400 parish churches in the whole of England, it does on the face of it seem unlikely that Udimore church was one of them. However, if there was a Saxon church in Udimore, it was probably wholly or partially destroyed in the autumn of 1066. When William sent armed parties out from his fortified base at Hastings, to devastate the countryside and bring back provisions for his men and horses, they were instructed to raid only the towns and villages that lay outside the territory of the Abbey of Fecamp. Within easy range of Hastings and not owned by Fecamp, Udimore was, therefore, probably a prime target. The sharp decline in its value at this time. and subsequent recovery (as recorded in the Domesday Book) supports this conjecture.

Norman Period

The “church and two acres of meadow” recorded in the Domesday Book 20 years later must refer, therefore, to either an original Saxon church, restored by the Normans, or to a new Norman foundation. The parts of the present structure which experts attribute to the Norman period, seem to date from the early 12th century, which suggests a second phase of building, some 40 years after the Conquest, forming the nucleus of the church as we know it today. In addition to the nave, which seems to have been about one third shorter than the present nave, there was probably a small semicircular apse, serving as a chancel.

Medieval Period

Early in the next century, probably around 1230, a major new building programme was put in hand. The capacity of the nave was augmented by replacing its south wall with an arcade of two arches, beyond which a south aisle was built. At about the same time, the earlier chancel was replaced by a spacious and beautifully proportioned Early English chancel, which has survived, with very few changes, to this day. The brackets of the new chancel arch were decorated with a striking dog-tooth pattern, and the capitals of the two arcade arches were carved with an elegant “stiff leaf design”.

Not long after this, both the new aisle and the nave were extended westwards, by the length of one further bay. This naturally involved the construction of a third arcade arch. It was a simpler structure, far less ornate than the other two. This is not surprising, for funds were no doubt scarce then, as they are today, and soon many more resources had to be found for the construction of the tower, the next major project. Signs of this extension can be clearly seen in the external masonry of the nave North wall, and in the two filled-in doorways nearby. There is an intriguing possible explanation for this. It was customary to locate a north door very near the font.
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 During baptisms , this door was opened wide, to allow the devil to escape from the newly-baptised person, for the north side of the churchyard was generally associated with the powers of evil. When the nave was extended, the font would have been moved further West, so the previous position of the door was no longer suitable.

As a result of these improvements, the building was now large and impressive enough for its role as the family church of the Echinghams, whose manor house, Court Lodge, stood nearby. As the family were on at least two occasions hosts to royalty, we can safely assume that both Edward I and Edward III attended Mass in the church, with their royal households , during their visits to Udimore.

14th Century

England went through difficult times in the 14th century, wars with France, economic problems and the disastrous Black Death. A declining population may well have been the reason for the decision to demolish the entire south aisle built in the previous century. All three arches of the nave arcade were filled in, creating a continuous south nave wall. New windows were set in the east and west bays of this wall, and a door in the central one, with a small porch to shelter it from the prevailing winds. Another theory to explain the disappearance of the south aisle is that its founda tions were inadequate to support this heavy structure in soil, which is to this day liable to become waterlogged after prolonged rainfall. So perhaps it simply collapsed.

18th Century

For the next six centuries, very few structural changes were made. In 1795 (a date recorded in the plasterwork) the height of the north wall of the nave was increased by some 4 ft. This seems to have been associated with structural work on the nave roof A musicians’ gallery was installed, also a three-decker pulpit and box pews. At about this time there seems to have been a need for a new font. Instead of having one carved in stone, as decreed by ancient ecclesiastical edict, the parish officials commissioned a wooden one, carefully painted to resemble stone on the outside and lead on the inside, thereby saving the parish considerable expense. This ingenious fake is still on show in the church today, though we have no record of whether the authorities ever detected it.

19th Century

During the 19th century, however, when many other parish churches underwent radical (and sometimes insensitive) restoration, Udimore church endured a different fate: it suffered from prolonged neglect. By the end of the century it had fallen into a state of severe disrepair . To quote a contemporary description,
“the walls were damp, the timbers rotten, the tower unsafe , the floor uneven and mean, the ceiling full of holes, the bells cracked, the windows broken and the font a sixpenny pudding basin.”

In 1896 Prebendary Frewer of Brede took over the parish. after a period of 27 years during which Udimore had no resident vicar. With the active support of the Patron of the Living, my grandfather, Alfred Holmes, he quickly set about putting things right. We can be extremely grateful to him that his restoration of the building was on the whole very sensitive and sympathetic to its distinctive architectural character.

In addition to extensive repairs to the fabric, to make the church weatherproof again, and the removal of the West gallery, the replacement of the dark old box pews with much simpler pews, lighter in colour, the main changes that he introduced were in the chancel. The style of this work was strongly influenced by his high churchmanship (he was a notable Tractarian). He directed the installation of an elaborate and ornate gradine-style high altar, which was replaced in 1955 by an ‘English” altar and dossal curtains. The only feature of his chancel scheme that remains to this day is the black and white marble paving of the floor and altar steps.

20th Century

His good work was carried on in 1906 by the next vicar, Revd Henry Williamson, during whose vicariate the central arch of the arcade was reopened, to give access to a large new porch, in effect reoccupying part of the space which had been lost when the old south aisle was removed. He also oversaw the installation in the north wall of the nave of three large new windows, similar in style to the original nine lancet windows of the chancel, and like them, glazed with clear glass. The absence of large areas of stained glass makes this a very light church, even on overcast days.

Iden Mote

The mote is situated in the parish of Iden about 3 miles from Rye, in a small shallow valley down which runs a small stream on its way to join the River Rother. In this valley Edmund de Passeley caused a basin to be excavated 460 feet square. On the north side the containing bank must have been entirely artificial, formed no doubt with the material dug from the centre basin.

In the centre of the excavation a rectangular island was left, levelled and raised artificially and to be occupied by the future castle. A sluice was probably provided at the northwest comer of the lake to regulate the level of the water. On the southwest comer throwing embankments across the stream formed two ponds. These ponds were intended as store ponds when the level of the water in the lake became low from any cause, as well as for the keeping of fish. Below the northern side of the retaining bank can still be traced a length of straight bank, which was probably the edge of a wharf abutting onto an artificially formed harbour.

Up to the 1930′s the stream leading to the wharf was quite navigable for small boats. On the west side of the castle side an outer court was formed by enclosing with two subsidiary moats a piece of land measuring 500 ft. by 150 ft. Owing to the eastern side of these moats having to be dug out of the rising side of the valley, the amount of excavation required was very great and the remains are impressive to this day. The similarity in the layout to the site of Bodiam Castle is clear. The same low lying situation, the same forming of an artificial lake instead of a moat and the same artificial island in the centre. A feature of Bodiam Castle, which is supposed to be unique, is the bridge of timber built to approach the castle gateway sideways from the west bank. The illustration on the license granted to Sir Edmund Passeley to embattle his man sion of La Mote by Edward II in 1318 shows that the idea was intended to be put into practice there, 70 years earlier.

The purpose of the building of the first moat castle was to protect the rear approach to Rye from French invaders. In 1460 the Manor of Mote passed by marriage to the Scott family from Smeeth in Kent, 1464. In 1481 the lake was reduced to a moat and the castle was rebuilt in the form of a fortified manor ho se. The main part of the work was the construction of a great tower housing, among other rooms, a new hall, chapel and a high chamber. Stone for the original castle had been transported from Caen but the rebuilt manor was mainly brick, made on site and stone from quarries from Eastbourne, Cranbrook and Fairlight. Timber was imported from the Corke Wood.

The Scott family remained in possession of the mansion for some 200 years until it was abandoned in the 1650′s. Stone from the ruins was used to construct ForstaI Farmhouse on the estate. In.500 years the castle had never heard a shot fired in anger.

From J H Cheney

This section deals not only with the long and fascinating history of Rye Harbour but also with the Nature Reserve of recent times.   If you are interested in a particular period or wish to jump to the Nature Reserve, use the navigation bar above.   If you would like to see everything available, simply scroll down.

History of Rye Harbour:   Beginnings  and Timeline

by Jo Kirkham

 Rye has always been a port, starting from the time when it was an island. The Roman iron production in the area was under the control of the Roman Fleet, Classis Britannica who exported it from here to the rest of Europe. A senior Cinque Port from the 12th Century, it was the home of the Royal Galleys from 1240, and has been a fishing, shipbuilding and trading port throughout 1000 years. It has also been very involved with pirating, smuggling and coastguard patrols.

Pirating ships, cargoes and their sailors for ransom was a lucrative source of income for the Town and a legitimate one in time of war, when Ryers were licensed by the Crown as Privateers.

A specialized lantern  used for secret communication is kept in the Museum.

Wool was sent out in return for luxury goods, including spirits, tobacco and tea. There were few convictions as the juries were local,  many buildings in Rye were modified with secret cupboards, panels and ‘hidey-holes’ for the contraband, and there were secret passages and ways through attics to enable the smugglers to escape capture.

Roman Times
No evidence has been found of  a Roman settlement  where Rye now stands but remains have been found at Playden. In Roman times the River Rother flowed into the sea at New Romney.

1189
By this date Henry II had conferred Cinque Ports status on Rye and Winchelsea as  ‘Limbs’ of Hastings and subsequently they became full members of the Confederation.

1287
Old Winchelsea, sited possibly where Camber is to-day, was destroyed by storms. The course of the River Rother altered  to nearly its present position.

1350
Edward III and the Black Prince fought the Spanish in Rye Bay.

1375
The Rother and the sea undercut cliffs and caused the eastern part of Rye to disappear. From this period until the twentieth century the main docking area was on the Strand and along the River Tillingham.

1377
The French plundered Rye and took  the Church bells.

1400’s
Rye was important for transporting fighting men to France during the Hundred Years War.

At the beginning of this century Rye was considered one of the finest of the Cinque Port harbours. Henry VIII demanded more armaments and cannon, and built  Camber Castle. Throughout Tudor times, as in Medieval times, Rye was important for the  storage and shipment of iron.

1550
An Act of Parliament was passed to try and stop harbour silting.

1573
Elizabeth I visited the town and stayed at Grene Hall, now the Old Custom House in Church Square.

1600’s
Continued silting of the harbour led to a further decline in the  importance of Rye as a port.

1720-23
Three Acts of Parliament set up a Harbour Commission, with Commissioners. The Harbour continued to silt up and the attempt to construct a new one lasted over  sixty  years The famous engineer John Smeaton was brought in toward the end of the struggle and the finished harbour was called–somewhat unfairly–Smeaton’s Harbour. It failed within three months, in 1787.  

1801
The Harbour at Rye Act authorised Tolls for maintaining the harbour at Rye.

1806
Rye Harbour became a separate village,

1808
The Royal Military Canal was completed as a protection against Napoleon’s
invasion. Throughout the nineteenth century there were constant battles between the landowners and the harbour authorities.

1813
Scot’s Float Sluice, on the Rother, was rebuilt despite protests from Rye.

1817
Ryers attacked and destroyed  the new river Brede dam which obstructed navigation.

1818
The Lord Chief Justice found in favour of Ryers re the Brede Dam.

1830
Rioters damaged Scots Float, but they were acquitted.

1833
Differences were resolved by another Harbour of Rye Act. A temporary nnlull ensued.

1835
An Eastern Jetty was built at the mouth of the Rother

1841
The Railway came to Rye

1882
Storms almost blocked the harbour;  this led to a decline in usage.

1893
  A dredger was bought with help from the Rother Commissioners, which led to the two interests co-operating to keep a clear river channel.

1917-18
Treasury gave a grant to keep the harbour open

1920-21
More storms caused problems with the river mouth.

1929
New schemes (Plat Taylor plans) were devised to improve the Harbour

1930
The Land Drainage Act was passed and Land Drainage Boards created nation-wide. The many old land drainage commissions were abolished and in the Rye area the Rother and Jury’s Gut Catchment Board also took over the operations of Rye Harbour and the sea defences.

1941-44
The Admiralty made improvements to the harbour and dredged its mouth

1950
The Kent River Board planned a drainage project including barrage

1951
The Sea Fish Industry Act imposed a duty to keep the harbour open for the fishing industry.

1962
The barrage plan was abandoned

1965�
Responsibility for the Harbour was transferred to Kent River Authority

1966
A plan to build 23 pumping stations in low lying areas to pump flood waters into the tidal river, independent of the tide level, was approved by the Ministry of Agriculture–which resulted in less silting.

1967
Alsford Wharf was constructed, bringing more harbour traffic.

1974
Responsibility for the Harbour was transferred to Southern Water Authority.

1976
New by-laws were enacted and a Harbour Advisory Committee formed to advise on policy.

1988
The Harbour Authority was made responsible for pilotage services.

1989
The Water Act transferred Harbour responsibility to the National Rivers Authority.

1993
A Five Year Plan  was enacted to improve harbour conditions and health and safety
and to provide more moorings.

1996
Responsibility for the Harbour was transferred to the Environment Agency Rye Bay Plan.

1998
A new five year management plan was developed in order to continue to improve the harbour. There are signs of an increase in commercial activity thanks to Rastrums, the new owners of Alsford’s Wharf. The fishing industry continues to thrive and pleasure craft numbers are being maintained in a competitive climate.

History of the  Romney Marshes

This series of articles

This series includes articles on various aspects of Romney March  history.  If you scroll down you will find pages  on  ‘the Fifth Continent’,  marsh formation and draining,  farming on the marsh, the Rhee Wall  and   also on Dungeness and its power station and lighthouses.   Next will come a feature on the Romney Marsh churches..  There will be more after that!

The Romney Marsh Research Trust

Much of the information is based on the work of the Romney Marsh Research Trust, and some articles have been provided by Jill Eddison.  The Trust supports the work of a team of archaeologists, historians and geographers who are working on the history of the Marsh.  It runs an annual programme of lectures, guided walks, and site visits for its members. For further information please apply to Terry Burke, Secretary Romney Marsh Research Trust, 41, Mermaid Street, Rye, Sussex. TN31 7EU ( 01797 – 224418 ) or E-Mail TerryBurke9@hotmail.com

A website devoted to Romney Marsh

 Did you know there is a whole website devoted to Romnay Marsh?  There are maps,  articles covering e.g. Man on the Marsh,  natural history, myths and legends…, recommended books….     Go to http://www.andrewleaning.com/index.php.