Volume 2

England's topographer, or a new and complete history of the county of Kent; from the earliest records to the present time, including every modern improvement. Embellished with a series of views from original drawings by Geo. Shepherd, H. Gastineau, &c. with historical, topographical, critical, & biographical delineations / By W. H. Ireland.

William Henry Ireland

Date:: 1828-1830

Credit: England's topographer, or a new and complete history of the county of Kent; from the earliest records to the present time, including every modern improvement. Embellished with a series of views from original drawings by Geo. Shepherd, H. Gastineau, &c. with historical, topographical, critical, & biographical delineations / By W. H. Ireland. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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their war chariots. The only probable conjecture therefore is, that they may have been of Pheenician origin, derived from Judea; or, if the first settlers in Kent were of northern original, their leader might have introduced this practice. The summit of the Castle hill at Dover, is formed by nature for a place of defence; the upper part may be considered a species of peninsula, as a deep valley exists on the south-west, and another to the north-east. At the time of Ceesar’s first arrival, the waves washed the foot of the perpendicular cliff fronting the sea, being, as previously remarked, about 320 feet above the level of low water mark. The most extensive and remarkable fortifications remaining on this elevated situation, are very far from being of equal anti- quity; and the monkish legend of Julius Cesar having built a fortress here, is totally void of foundation. Some time previous to the 49th year of the Christian era, Publius Ostorius Scapula, a Roman officer of consular dignity, built several forts in Britain, and this is said to be the first historical notice of Roman masonry in the kingdom, from which period we may date the commencement of Roman works as having existed on the Castle hill of Dover. The earliest fortification here was of no great dimension, but the groundwork and remaining ruins point out the hand of the Roman engineer and architect. The area occupied an enclosure of about 400 feet in length, and 140 feet in its greatest width ; which small fortress consti- tuted the whole work of the Romans at this place, and it would be a loss of labour to search for any other within the walls of this castle. The Romans having determined on the conquest of Britain, incessantly crossed and recrossed the channel; and, as the mariners had frequently to approach the shore during the night, a pharos or lighthouse, near a commodious bay, of course became most essential. Being, therefore, of such importance, as regarded the safety of land forces, and merchants following this expedition, a structure of this description, we may naturally conjecture, was built within the fortress of Dover castle, upon a similar plan with that at Boulogne. It is a singular fact, which has for ages escaped the prying eye of the antiquary, that the Roman masons built these walls with a stalactical concretion, instead of stone. It was formed under water, and they cut it into small blocks, about a foot in length, and seven inches in 1

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