Mediæval Military Architecture in England, Volume 2 (of 2)Clark, George Thomas
History
Mediæval Military Architecture in England, Volume 2 (of 2)
Clark, George Thomas
Architecture -- England; Architecture, Medieval; Military architecture
But though, on general grounds, a very remote antiquity may safely
be attributed to both town and fortress, it is difficult to find any
precise or special evidence on which to rest the claim. Here, as at
Durovernum or Canterbury, the Roman form indicates a British origin,
and, if the ancient name of the stream be indeed, as asserted, the
Dour, may well be derived from it, and the Castle Hill is just the
place upon which a British camp is likely to be found. The commerce
of the Britons, known to have been carried on with activity through
the Cornish ports and the Isle of Wight, has also been claimed for the
route through Dover. The actual present traces of British occupation
in this southern country are indeed very scanty, and confined to a few
names of rivers and hills, a very few of towns or villages, and to
occasional entrenchments upon high ground, and of an irregular outline.
The great roads, whatever their remote origin, in their present form
carry the stamp of Rome upon every mile of their course, and the
oldest known works in masonry are due to the same people, while the
general topography, all that relates to property and self-government,
hundreds, lathes, rapes and tythings, parish and hamlet, grange and
farm, and the crowd of bourns, dens, hams, hangers, hirsts, ings, tons,
wolds and worths point with overwhelming force to the English settlers.
Even the tenure in gavelkind, claimed as a British custom, and known in
Wales by the expressive name of “Randyr” or “partible” land, is by most
legal antiquaries regarded as Teutonic.
Although Cæsar does not mention Dover by name, there can be no doubt
that his fleet lay before it in August, B.C. 55, the period of his
first invasion of Britain. Dr. Guest has clearly demonstrated that
the Portus Icius whence he sailed was a small and now silted-up haven
between Cape Gris Nez, the Ician promontory, and Wissant, whence a ten
hours’ course brought him in the morning abreast of Dover. Here he
found the natives, in great numbers and armed, drawn up to oppose his
landing. He therefore anchored in Dover Wick, the roadstead east of the
town, to give time for his slower ships to arrive, and thence proceeded
to Deal, where he probably landed with two legions, or from eight
to ten thousand men. Dr. Guest has pointed out that the word Icius
coincides closely with the Irish name for the English Channel, “Muir
n’Icht,” “the Ician Sea,” “icht” being a form of “uch” or “ucha,” upper
in height, which plays so important a part in the names of places in
Wales and the north of Scotland. It was natural that the Channel should
be named from its most remarkable feature, and to this day its name in
Dutch is “De Hofden,” or “the heights.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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