Sandwich 1000-1520: The History of the Completest Medieval Town in England

This page presents a summary of Sarah Pearson's original research article. The full article, given as the RMRT spring lecture in March 2009, is available for download above.

Strategic Location and Early Development

Before the end of the Middle Ages, Thanet was an island separated from the rest of Kent by the Wantsum Channel. At its east end lay a large natural harbour, used from Viking times onwards to gather fleets of ships. Sandwich commanded the narrow way into the River Stour, which was the main shipping route to Canterbury and the north coast of Kent, including London, avoiding the dangerous North Foreland. In 1023, Cnut gave rights to various tolls in Sandwich to Christ Church Priory, Canterbury.

The highest point in Sandwich (c.7m above sea level) on the east side was occupied by a royal site, later incorporating a castle, with St Clement's church to its west. The church, documented by c.1050 but possibly earlier, commanded the narrow strait through which ships had to pass. At the time of Edward the Confessor there were 307 inhabited dwellings; by 1086 there were 386 or more, indicating rapid growth and suggesting a population of around 2000. By the end of the eleventh century, the town occupied the whole area it does today, with St Peter's church in the centre and Christ Church Priory's administrative centre at the far west end.

Twelfth-Century Prosperity

The twelfth-century churches of St Mary's and St Clement's show connections to Canterbury Cathedral work, indicating the wealth and importance of the town and port. St Mary's, with aisles and a central tower, shows similarities to Prior Wibert's work at Canterbury Cathedral from the 1150s. St Clement's tower also shows comparisons to Canterbury Cathedral work of the 1160s. These churches are the primary material remains suggesting Sandwich's prosperity during this period. By the twelfth century, the town center was moving westwards, with the Fishmarket (Market Street) growing in importance.

Peak Population and Building Activity

By 1300, the population may have reached a peak of 5000 souls (approximately 1000 households). Sandwich was the first Cinque Port to have a written custumal (1301), and the town courts were held in St Peter's church. The first surviving stone houses were constructed during the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries, followed by the earliest surviving timber buildings, all located near the waterfront in the center of town.

The earliest timber-framed houses were built before the 1340s. One house (No. 39 Strand Street) has been tree-ring dated to 1334. These large merchants' houses, with open halls behind three-storey front ranges, compare with fourteenth-century merchants' houses in Southampton and other important towns, indicating that Sandwich was still a port of national importance at this time.

Defences

Earthen ramparts were built in the first half of the fourteenth century, rather late compared to other towns. During the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453), the castle and its surrounding land became the national embarkation point for armies bound for France. Two gates survive on the waterfront: Fisher Gate (late fourteenth century) and Davis Gate, now known as the Barbican (fifteenth century, reinforced in the early sixteenth).

Decline and Paradoxical Building

The population was halved by the plague of 1348-50, dropping from c.5000 to c.2500 inhabitants. However, many new domestic buildings were built in the mid to late fifteenth century, despite the town's declining fortunes. The fifteenth century saw the development of specialized buildings including inns, shops, and warehouses. The Bull Inn, owned by the town and used for civic functions, is the only fifteenth-century inn known to survive.

By the late fifteenth century, the town faced serious challenges. The growth of London and the silting of the haven and Wantsum waterways meant that international trade had gone. The population diminished from 500 households in 1471, to 380 in 1513, and to only 290 by 1560. As the population contracted, people moved into the center of town, abandoning outer areas.

Why Building Continued During Decline

Despite declining prosperity, building activity continued. This paradox can be explained by several factors: inhabitants still had confidence in the future; survivors of the Black Death and subsequent epidemics were individually better off than their forebears; and there was increasing materialism throughout the country during the fifteenth century, with people demanding better wages, food, possessions, and more durable houses. The inhabitants of Sandwich shared this growing prosperity and exhibited the same rising patterns of consumption as their fellows elsewhere, even as the town's overall economic status declined.

Conclusion

Sarah Pearson's research demonstrates how buildings can elucidate aspects of Sandwich's history. The early churches reveal the developing topography and the town's wealth by the twelfth century. Shortly before the Black Death, the stone and timber houses of Sandwich stand comparison with those built in larger and more famous towns across England. Despite the silting of the waterways and economic decline, many new houses were built in the late-medieval period, providing insights into the wide range of late-medieval society through the size, types, and distribution of houses combined with documentary evidence.