Chronicles (1 of 6): The Description of BritaineHolinshed, Raphael
History
Chronicles (1 of 6): The Description of Britaine
Holinshed, Raphael
Great Britain -- History -- To 1485; Great Britain -- History -- Tudors, 1485-1603
There are other little brookes which fall into the Stoure, whereof
Leland speaketh, as Fishpoole becke that ariseth in Stonehirst wood, and
meeteth with it foure miles from Canturburie: another beginneth at
Chislet, and goeth into the Stoure gut, which sometime inclosed Thanet,
as Leland saith: the third issueth out of the ground at Northburne
(where Eadbert of Kent sometime past held his palace) and runneth to
Sandwich hauen, as the said authour reporteth: and the fourth called
Bridgewater that riseth by S. Marie Burne church, and going by Bishops
Burne, meeteth with Canturburie water at Stourmouth: also Wiham that
riseth aboue Wiham short of Adsam, and falleth into Bridgewater at
Dudmill, or Wenderton: and the third namelesse, which riseth short of
Wodensburgh (a towne wherein Hengist & the Saxons honored their grand
idoll Woden, or Othine) and goeth by Staple to Wingam: but sith they are
obscure I will not touch them here. From hence passing by the Goodwine,
a plot verie perilous for sea-faring men (sometime firme land, that is,
vntill the tenth of the conquerours sonne, whose name was William Rufus,
and wherein a great part of the inheritance of erle Goodwine in time
past was knowne to lie) but escaping it with ease, we came at length to
[Sidenote: Dour.]
Douer. In all which voiage we found no streame, by reason of the cliffes
that inuiron the said coast. Howbeit vpon the south side of Douer, there
is a pretie fresh riuer, whose head ariseth at Erwell, not passing foure
miles from the sea, and of some is called Dour, which in the British
toong is a common name for waters, as is also the old British word Auon
for the greatest riuers, into whose mouthes or falles shippes might find
safe entrance; and therefore such are in my time called hauens, a new
word growen by an aspiration added to the old: the Scots call it Auen.
But more of this else-where, sith I am now onelie to speake of Dour,
wherof it is likelie that the towne & castell of Douer did sometime take
the name. From hence we go toward the Camber (omitting peraduenture here
and there sundrie small creeks void of backwater by the waie)
[Sidenote: Rother.]
whereabouts the Rother a noble riuer falleth into the sea. This Rother
separateth Sussex from Kent, and hath his head in Sussex, not farre from
Argas hill néere to Waterden forrest, and from thence directeth his
course vnto Rotherfield. After this it goeth to Ethlingham or
Hitchingham, and so foorth by Newendon vnto Mattham ferrie, where it
diuideth it selfe in such wise, that one branch thereof goeth to
Appledoure (where is a castell sometime builded by the Danes, in the
time of Alfred, as they did erect another at Middleton, and the third at
[Sidenote: Bilie.]
Beamflete) and at this towne, where it méeteth the Bilie that riseth
about Bilsington, the other by Iden, so that it includeth a fine parcell
of ground called Oxneie, which in time past was reputed as a parcell of
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