Romney Marsh - A Brief History

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The story of the Marsh began towards the end of the Ice Age, when receding ice and rising

water levels formed a large estuary and several rivers on the southeast coast of Britain. The estuary contained a number of small islands. The earliest archaeological evidence of human habitation on Romney Marsh dates from the Bronze Age and has been found in locations that had previously been islands.

During the Roman period many parts of the Marsh were beginning to be subjected to

reclamation. This allowed for the utilisation of the newly reclaimed land and the settlement of small populations, such as those at Dymchurch and St. Mary’s Bay. Over the subsequent centuries fishing villages and ports began to emerge. Eventually this would lead to larger towns such as New Romney, Hythe, Rye and Winchelsea being established.

One such town is Old Romney. Vetus Rumellenum, as it was known during the Roman period, became an important and strategic port - this mainly due to its location along the Northern edge of the River Rother, which at this time ran through Romney Marsh and into the Rother Valley and the Isle of Oxney and Tenterden beyond. The mouth of the estuary stretched from Romney Marsh in the North to Winchelsea in the South, making it one of the largest estuaries in England. There were also several inhabited islands situated within the estuary, notably Lydd and Midley.

Old Romney also played a significant role during the run up to the Battle of Hastings in 1066, when three ships, which were part of William the Conqueror’s invasion fleet, mistakenly sailed up the estuary and into the port of Romney. They were subsequently captured, and the crews were put to death. Among them was William’s soothsayer.

Within a few days of battle, William delivered swift retribution and vengeance upon Romney, massacring the inhabitants and burning the port to the ground.

These towns were to become major strategic areas vital to the defence of England. In 1155

Henry II granted a royal charter, leading to the formation of the Cinque Ports. Cinque, being Old French for five, referred to the ports of Sandwich, Dover, Hythe, New Romney and

Hastings. Rye and Winchelsea were named in the charter as ‘Ancient Townes’.

In the late 12th Century a process known as inning and the first drainage ditches begin to

emerge. The earliest commercial exploitation of this process was begun by Thomas Becket in 1160, whilst he was still Chancellor, just prior to his appointment as Archbishop of Canterbury.  He had been gifted most of the area of Romney Marsh by Henry II, and was determined to make it viable. His drainage and reclamation started in the area which now lies just opposite and below Old Romney.

The area remained largely unchanged until the late 13th century, when in February of 1287, a huge storm ripped through the channel and devastated the ports of New Romney and

Winchelsea. New Romney silted up and the rivers that connected more inland settlements to the coast ceased to exist completely. As well as completely altering the landscape of the Romney Marsh area forever, the storm left Rye on top of an inland cliff and Winchelsea was lost forever to the sea. The number of lives lost during the storm, which apparently lasted for around 8 hours, is unknown.

The rugged beauty of Romney Marsh masks an intriguing and mysterious heritage, filled with evidence of Romans, Vikings, Saxons, Normans, smugglers, Nazi spies and many more

colourful characters. “The Marsh”, as we locals refer to it, (although the area is made up of

three marshes: Walland Marsh, Denge Marsh and Romney Marsh) has played an important part of England’s history since the times of Julius Caesar.

The greatest and most significant testament to those past inhabitants can be found in the parish churches. Within the walls of every church are clues to a forgotten past, a past that was once carried on the shoulders of Kings, Archbishops, murderous pirates and scheming politicians.  They also serve as monuments to the ordinary people, if such a thing ever existed in these parts, being sometimes the only evidence that they were ever here.

Christopher Cole, 2024

Romney Marsh based archaeologist, historian, author and Director of Aldington & Romney

Archaeology.