Descriptive Sketches of Rochester, Chatham, and their vicinities, including the ancient British Watling Street; the Pilgrims' Road Chapel, etc

Front matter

NOTICE. These Sketches having considerably exceeded the limits originally contemplated, the price of each copy to non-sub scribers will be Four Shillings, to subscribers tbey will be delivered, at the subscribed price, of Half-a-crown. DESCRIPTIVE SKETCHES oj KOCHESTEB, CHATHAM, AND THEIE VICINITIES, INCLUDING THE ANCIENT BRITISH WATLING STEEET ; THE PILGRIMS' ROAD CHAPEL; THE ANCIENT CITY WALLS, &o. BY JAMES PHIPPEN. " Bocks receive their doome according to the reader's capacity."— Camden. ROCHESTER: PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR, 8, UPPER CLARENCE PLACE. JIDCCCLXII. LONDON PRINTED BY WILLIAM OSTELt, HART STREET, BLOOMSBURY. PEEFACE, But little need be said by way of introduction to these Sketches, and that little merely explanatory of the motives which induced me to offer them to the public. It is nearly ninety years since an admirable " History of Rochester/' was published, which is generally acknow ledged to have been written by the eminent antiquary, the Rev. S. Denne.

The great lapse of time since the appearance of that work has naturally caused changes, and elicited a better acquaintance with subjects of antiquity. About three years ago, a County Archæological Society was formed, and, from the well-known acquirements of the gentleman who acted as honorary secretary, it was naturally expected that much would be accomplished towards enlightening us upon many points that were obscure. But that gentleman appears not to have been properly supported by the local committees appointed, many of whom were better prepared to receive information than to impart it. Archæological Societies, indeed, have not supplied to the towns they have visited, guides to their antiquities and to those of their neighbourhoods — in formation so much required by intelligent visitors, and by those residents who wish to know something of the history of the place they live in, and that of the neighbouring locality.

My object in these pages has been to point out where antiquarian matter may be found, — such as has been investigated, and such as hitherto has been almost or quite VI