equally to the towns and harbours of old Winchelsea, Pevensey, and Wissant across the sea, all well known to have been ports of great repute in the middle ages, and especially to the last, which is now only represented by a stream , which I stepped across this autumn with ease. But to ascertain the true force of these objections we must enquire into the nature of the change the coastline has undergone, and I think it will be found they are formidable only in appearance ;-- and first with regard to the absence of traces of the ancient town, we must bear in mind that our hills and intermediate valleys once stretched far out to sea ward . The long parallel reefs, to which we give the name of the Castle Rocks, and similar ledges along the shore, formed the bases of cliffs -- it may be within the historic period. This is no mere conjecture, for the remains of trees and hedges are even now continually met with when the tide is out. Again the burial place and remains of the Tower, discovered by Mr. Ross, are at the extremity of the East cliff; but, to suppose that the bones of the dead were deposited at the very edge of the cliff, would be to suppose that they were deposited where the very object of burial would be defeated. The cliff, therefore, must have extended not only much further to the south, but also much further to the west; and the Bourne valley may at a remote period have converged towards the other.[1] At the present time -
- ↑ This would account for the westerly direction which the Bourne formerly took along John Street and George Street, which is quite an exception to the usual course of our streams.
