The celebrated seaport town of Dover is situated in the eastern part of the county. It stands in a pleasant valley, and the only one about this coast where water is admitted inwards of the cliff, which is very high, and has a beautiful and picturesque appearance. The castle is situated on a hill, which rises with a bold and abrupt ascent to the northward of the town; and the venerable and famous fortress still seems to bid defiance to its Gallic neighbours, though the total change of the art of war since its erection has very much reduced its consequence as a fortified station. The banks of the small river Dour, which runs through the valley, are covered with the pleasant villages of Charlton, Buckland, and River. The river Dour passes through great part of the town, enters the harbour, and from thence empties itself into the sea.

Dover is supposed to derive its name from the British word Dwfyrrha, which signifies a steep place; whence the Saxons called it Dorfa, and Antoninus, in his Itinerary, Dubris. The Watling Street, one of the ancient Roman roads which crossed the kingdom, goes over Barham downs (where it may be readily traced), straight to Canterbury.

The town of Dover, when viewed from the adjacent heights, has a romantic and interesting appearance. It consists chiefly of three long streets, which extend in contrary directions, and meet at one point in the centre. Interspersed in different parts of the town are many respectable domestic buildings.

Dover was anciently walled in, and had 10 gates, a proof of its former opulence and splendour.— Eastbrook-gate stood under the East Cliff, near Mansfield-corner. Towards the southwest was St. Helen's-gate. Near the bridge, the Postern, or Fisher's-gate. Towards the south opened Butcher-gate. Towards the southwest was Snargate, and nearer to the Pier was Severus's-gate, said to have been built by the Roman Emperor Severus. On the lower side of the hill, on the west part, was Adrian's gate, afterwards called Upwall. Common-gate, or Cow-gate, led to a common; where the cows belonging to the town were driven. St. Martin's, called also Monk's-gate, and Postern-gate, led towards the hill. Biggen-gate, which took its name from the street which ends there, was formerly called North-gate. The whole of these gates are now removed, the last being taken down in 1776.

Dover was the first of the Cinque Ports incorporated by charter; which charter was granted by King Edward I. In the 17th of Edward II., this town was divided into twenty-one wards, each of which was charged with one ship for the King's use, and on that account each had the privilege of a licensed packet-boat, to convey goods and passengers from this port to France. In the reign of Edward III., it was further enacted, that "all merchants, travellers, and pilgrims, going to the Continent, should not go from any other place than Dover." The present civil jurisdiction of the town consists of a mayor, twelve jurats, and thirty-six common-councilmen. The last charter was granted by King Charles the Second.

The famous and magnificent Castle of Dover is situated on the summit of a stupendous cliff, on the north side of the town and harbour. The rock on which it is placed presents, towards the sea, a perpendicular precipice, three hundred and twenty feet high from its basis on the shore. The foundation of this building has been vulgarly attributed to Julius Caesar, but rational history does not afford the least confirmation of such a conjecture. There can, however, be little doubt but that the site of the castle was once a British hill-fortress; and that tradition may possibly be correct, which describes Arviragus as having fortified himself here, when he refused to pay the tribute imposed by Caesar. We have unquestionable authority for believing that the site was afterwards adopted by the Romans for purposes of defence. On a close investigation we may still perceive the outline of the Roman camp, which, in this instance, partook of a customary deviation, according to the nature of the ground, and inclines to the form of the oval, rather than to that of the square.

There are several reasons why the hill at Dover was fixed upon by the Romans for a camp, on their first settling on our island. The garrison could not only defend the small works cast up here against a superior force, but it could command the harbour for receiving a reinforcement from the continent, or securing a retreat to it, if necessary, by the assistance of their ships. It is therefore probable that Aulus Plautius, in the reign of the Emperor Claudius, fixed his colony of veterans here, before forts were built in the interior parts of the country. If this conjecture be admitted, the foundation of Dover Castle may be dated, or so much of the ground plan as appears to be Roman work, between the years of Christ 43 and 49.

As the Romans seemed now determined upon the conquest of Britain, and were obliged frequently to cross and recross the sea, it was found necessary to erect a light house upon the high lands on each side the channel. The advantages of having such a guide to a safe harbour, protected by their friends, were too great to be overlooked; for, without it, they would have been exposed to frequent shipwrecks, by coming upon the coast in the dark, and also have been liable to sudden attacks from the natives.

It may be concluded, from these reasons, that the octagonal building at the west end of the church was originally designed for a Roman light house and watch tower; and antiquaries suppose it to have been erected by Agricola. Its foundation is in a bed of clay, a method which the Roman masons frequently practised. The tiles are of the usual thickness of Roman tiles, but of different dimensions, and some of them appear to have been cast in a mould peculiar to the manufacturers at this place. The tiles in that course which is nearest to the ground, on the eastern aspect of the building, are on one side full of winding grooves, with four hemispherical knobs nearly equidistant from each angle; but what is most singular in the form of these tiles is their having a projection on the narrower end, of about one inch and three quarters, and an inch nd a half in width, with a space left of the same dimensions at each angle of the opposite end, so that, by reversing the tiles when laid in the wall, the projecting part might drop into the space like a half dovetail, which rendered it impossible for them to slip from each other. The ground has been raised several feet since the first building of this tower; the form of it without is octagonal, but it is square within; and the sides of the square and of the octagon are each about fourteen feet. The thickness of the wall in the lower part is ten feet. On the east side is an arched doorway, about six feet wide; and on the interior of the other three sides were Roman arches, and narrow spaces for windows, about thirteen feet six inches high, and nearly four feet wide.— The semicircular arches are lurned with Roman tiles, intermixed with pieces of a stalactitical concretion, cut wedge-shaped, about four times the thickness of the tiles, and placed alternately with them.

Though it may be difficult to say whether this tower was ever used by the Romans as a place of defence, there can be little doubt of its having been applied to that purpose by the Normans. The masonry on each side of the openings within the building is very different from the original work; and the spaces left in the wall for what we now call the windows, are much wider at the bottom than the old arch on the top. If they were intended at first only to give light, they were afterwards converted to loopholes, which were left almost close under the arch; and there were steps from the bottom to ascend to them, as appears by the present slopings in the wall. The arch over the original entrance, on the east side, is about six feet wide, and is still perfect. The other arches, which are damaged, have suffered more from violence, and an idle curiosity in breaking off pieces of the materials to try their hardness, than either by age or the effects of the weather.

This tower has been cased over, probably in the reign of Henry V., Sir Thomas Erpingham being then constable of the castle, whose arms (two bars and a canton) are placed on a stone upon the north side of it. The casing is dropping off, which again exposes the old work to the weather, and the whole building is in a lamentable state of dilapidation.

A Church was founded within the walls of the castle, and some fanciful writers have ascribed the foundation to King Lucius, who is said to have reigned in Kent and Sussex, between the years of Christ one hundred and thirty-one, and one hundred and thirty-seven. Whatever may be the fact as to a Christian edifice having been founded here in the second century, the remains of the building are certainly of a much later date, although numerous Roman bricks are worked up in the walls, and particularly in those of the tower.— This building has long been desecrated, and is now used as a receptacle for coats.

In this fabric several personages of family and rank have been interred; among them was Sir Robert Ashton, Knt. who was Constable of Dover Castle, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, an Admiral of the fleet, Chief Justice of Ireland, Lord Treasurer, and one of the executors to the will of Edward the third. He was descended from the Ashtons, of Ashton under Line, in Lancashire. Here also were buried Lieutenant Governor William Copeldike, who died in the reign of Henry the eighth; and Henry Howard, Earl of Northampton, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, who died in 1614, and whose body and monument were afterwards removed to the hospital, called Norfolk College, which this nobleman had founded at Greenwich. It has been said of this Earl, that "he was the most learned among the nobility, and the most noble among the learned." The ground on the southward of the church, is the general place of burial for the soldiers who die in the garrison. Formerly there were three chaplains to this Castle; and, on account of the antiquity and dignity of the place, they were permitted to wear the habits of prebends. The first said mass to the governor at the high altar; the second, to the marshal-men and officers at the altar of the Virgin Mary; and the third, to the soldiers at the north end of the chapel of relics. In the time of Henry the eighth, these chaplains were reduced to one; and though the church has long been in ruins, and the performance of divine worship discontinued, the ancient salary is still paid.

It is believed that the Saxons, at a very early period, made themselves masters of the Castle of Dover. In the reign of Edward the Confessor, the powerful Earl Godwin was governor of this fortress, and he is said to have strengthened it by additional works. The great quarrel between him and King Edward, which produced such important national consequences, arose from a dispute in the town of Dover, between the inhabitants and Eustace, Earl of Bologne, who had married the King's sister. On this occasion, Earl Godwin was commanded to take vengeance on the townsmen for their supposed indecorous behaviour towards this foreign nobleman; but the haughty Godwin refused, and protestations of open hostility between himself and his sovereign were the immediate consequence.

The importance of Dover Castle was well known to the Normans, in the earliest stage of their encroachment on this island. Shortly after the battle of Hastings, William the Conqueror hastened to this spot, and meeting with some opposition, he not only put the governor and lieutenant to death, but is believed to have destroyed the town by fire.

The castle, in its present state, consists of an immense congeries of almost every kind of fortification which the art of war has contrived to render a situation impregnable, though its consequence has been materially lessened since the use of cannon; the hills towards the west being much higher even than the keep itself. The buildings occupy nearly the whole summit of that high eminence, which bounds the southeastern side of the deep valley, in which the town of Dover is placed. In general terms, this castle may be described as consisting of two courts defended by deep and broad dry ditches; from which have been made communications with the inner towers, by means of subterraneous passages. The lower court is surrounded by an irregular wall, except on the side towards the sea; which wall is called the curtain, and is flanked, at unequal distances, by numerous towers of different shapes and ages. The oldest is said to have been built by Earl Godwin, and still bears his name, although this, as well as most of the other lowers, has been much altered at different times.

William the Conqueror knew the weak parts of the castle; and, thinking it of too much consequence to him to suffer it to be retaken by any neglect or surprise, he appointed Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, (his brother, whom he created Earl of Kent,) justiciary of England, and governor of Dover Castle, with a strong garrison, to defend it for him against any attack that might be made upon it. This proud and avaricious prelate falling into disgrace, John de Fiennes, a trusty Norman, and one the Conqueror could confide in, was appointed governor of the fortification; and had lands given him, which he held of the crown, to secure and defend the works. This worthy knight, heing willing to prove himself deserving of the favours conferred upon him by his sovereign, proceeded to discharge the important trust with great skill and diligence. It was by his order, and under his inspection, the exterior wall was additionally fortified, and continued down to the very edge of the high perpendicular cliff. As he did not think himself alone equal to the task, he selected eight tried and approved Norman warriors to assist him in superintending and expediting the work. The names of these commanders were, William de Albrancis, Fulbert de Dover, William de Arsic, Galfridus Peveril, William Maminot, Robert de Port, Robert or Hugh Crevequer, and Adan Fitzwilliam. These had among them one hundred and twelve knight's fees, and were not only obliged to find a number of soldiers in proportion to the knight's fees they held of the crown, but were bound by the nature of their tenure each to build a tower for the defence of the castle, and for his own particular residence.

The most remarkable of these towers at present are: first, Chilham, or Caldescot Tower, the third from the edge of the cliff. This was built by Fulbert de Lucy, whose family came over from Normandy with William the Conqueror; and he being selected by John de Fiennes, to assist him in defending the castle, he changed his name for Dover. But the tower was named after the manor, and they who held Chilham were obliged to keep it in repair. Caldescot succeeding to the command here, the tower was afterwards called by his name. In the front of this building is a house for an officer under the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, called the Bodar of Dover Castle, who has power from the Lord Warden to take within his peculiar jurisdiction, crown and other debtors, and to keep them in custody in a prison within Chilham tower.

The next tower of note is Fiennes, or New Gate, also called the Constable's Tower, still used as the governor's apartments.—This building, which is raised upon the site of one more ancient, is said to be after the design of Gundulph, who introduced the high portal, and secured the passage with drawbridges, portcullises, and massy gates.

It would have been much easier to have forced a passage through the walls of the castle than through this archway, which was defended by two portcullises and two gates; and when the bridge was drawn up, it might be considered as another gate, there being projections in the arch to support it.

The residence of the constable, or governor, of the castle was in the apartments of this tower after the Norman conquest; and it was here that he heard and settled all disputes and controversies relative to the pay and the regulations of the garrison. The portez generally stands at the door of a room under the arch on the left hand going into the castle, to invite travellers to see the ancient keys of the castle, and some other articles of no great curiosity, which are kept there. They have an old horn, of which the tradition is, that it was used by the Romans, at the building of the castle, to give notice to the workmen by the sounding of it, when to begin or leave their work. It was an ancient custom with the feudal lords, for the sentinel to sound a horn as a signal at the gates of the castles upon their estates; this no doubt was one of the horns used by the sentinels here to give notice of the approach of strangers, or to convey during the night, from post to post, any alarm or other notice. About this tower are modern barracks for the soldiery.

Crevequer, Craville, or Earl of Norfolk's Tower, was built by one of the associated captains, and is situated opposite the north entrance into the quadrangle of the keep. By this tower there is a subterraneous passage, leading to a vault, defended by a moat and drawbridge; and of such spacious dimensions, that a considerable number both of horse and foot might be concealed in it. Besides the moat, which is of a prodigious depth, but is dry, this vault is also defended by a kind of round tower.

The tower in the ditch, and the adjoining subterraneous works, are supposed by some to have been built by Hubert de Burgh, while the castle was besieged by the Dauphin, in the reign of King John; this does not appear practicable, as it cannot be supposed that the assailants would have suffered the besieged to have carried on such a work, when they could have so easily prevented them. If Hubert de Burgh raised this tower and the barbican, it must have been in the interval of the Dauphin's quitting the siege and returning to it again. It appears highly probable that Hubert de Burgh might have erected them, when it is considered how indefatigable he was in fortifying and defending this castle for his sovereign.

In the angle opposite to Crevequer's tower is an advanced work, called the barbican.

The next in succession is termed FitzWilliam's, or St. John's tower. Adam Fitzwilliam, from whom this tower derives its first name, attended William Duke of Normandy into England; and, for his valour in the memorable battle of Hastings (where Harold King of England was slain) the Conqueror gave him his scarf from his own arm. There was anciently a noble and spacious sally-port from this tower: the entrance to it in the castle was in the Saxon ditch, on the right hand : and this, like the subterraneous work at Crevequer's tower, was originally intended not for foot only, but for cavalry. In this passage, under ground, there was a gate and portcullis. The sally-port was continued from the back of the tower across the ditch between the two walls, which were arched over. An arch was turned in the mason's work in the ditch, which, whilst it supported the side walls, left a passage through from one side to the other; and above, between the two walls, the pass appears to have been made good by a draw bridge between the tower and the bank, on the opposite side of the ditch. This bridge was necessary to stop the progress of an enemy, in case they had forced the work beyond it. In that part of the sally-port which is in the high ground beyond the ditch, there was a large gate, which moved upon two pivots, fixed in sockets in the wall, and was hoisted up by a pully fixed in the top of the arch: by slackening the gate suddenly the weight of it would have driven every thing before it, if there had been any resistance made by the enemy in a close pursuit.

Averanche's, or Maunsel's tower, standing in an angle formed by the curtain wall, is one of the noblest remains of the Norman towers in the castle. It was called Averanche's from the governor, or constable, of that name. Maunsel, who succeeded Averanche in the command of this castle, was Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports in the reign of Henry III.

This tower appears to have been built entirely for defence. The first floor was a kind of vault, arched with stone, open in front; and in the wall, which is very thick, was a passage, ascended by stone steps, in which passage the archers might stand, one above another, and command the ditch on each side of the building through the loop holes, as well as the approaches to it, from each side of the curtain. By this gallery, or passage, they ascended to the top of the first vault, and came out upon a platform over it, which was also partly surrounded by a wall, but not nearly so thick as that below. From this platform there is a circular staircase of stone, leading to the top of the tower. Exactly over the passage, in the wall below, was another passage, covered with an arch supported by piers; opposite the interval between each pier, were loop holes in the walls of the tower which commanded the ditch; and near the end of the passage, there was a machicolation in the wall for pouring out scalding water, burning sand, melted lead, and other destructive ingredients, upon the heads of the assailants.

Gatton tower was kept in repair by the Copleys, lords of the manor of Gatton.

Veville, or Pincester's tower, is so called from its different commanders of those names.

Earl Godwin's tower was first built by Earl Godwin, about the time of Canute the Great, or Edward the Confessor. At the hack of the tower was a postern, through which was a way under ground, that came into the castle upon the vallum which joined the Roman and Saxon work.— Stephen Pincester is said to have led his reinforcement, which enabled Hubert de Burgh to withstand the Dauphin, in the reign of King John,, through this sally-port.

The Upper Court, like the Lower one, is surrounded by a strong wall, and various towers. On the eastern side are three towers, named after Gilbert de Maminot, marshal of this castle in the time of William the Conqueror. Near the entrance termed Palace Gate, is Suffolk's Tower, a stately fabric, so called from De la Poie, duke of Suffolk, in the reign of Edward IV. Almost adjoining, is the old Arsenal tower; and further on was the King's kitchen, and other offices for the use of the court. All this side has now a modern aspect, the back part having been cased over, and the front hidden by barracks, erected in the year 1745.

The noble structure called the Keep, or Palace Tower, stands near the centre of this upper court. We are informed by several historians, upon the authority of a nameless chronicle in Norman French, that Henry II. about the year of Christ 1153, the year in which he came from Normandy for the relief of Wallingford Castle, and immediately preceding his succession to the throne, rebuilt this keep or palace, and enclosed it with a new wall. There was certainly a wall round this part of the Saxon work previous to that king's reign; but, as to the keep in the centre of the quadrangle, it will be difficult to determine, either from history or the masonry, when, and whether by William or Henry the First, or by whom it was first erected, as it underwent so many repairs in different and distant periods of time. This noble tower is built after the system invented by Gundulph, Bishop of Rochester, who was employed by William the Conqueror in making designs for castles, and in superintending their erection. The present entrance is on the south, but the original entrance was on the east side; and it opened by a magnificent portal, now blocked up, into the grand apartments, which (as was usual in castles of an early date) were in the third story. The staircase, besides other defences, was guarded by three strong gates at different heights, and had two vestibules. The rooms are in general large and lofty, but have little else to recommend them to the taste of modern times. By the first vestibule on the right hand going up, is a room which was probably designed for the warden of the first gate. Opposite to this is another, adorned on every side with beautiful arches, richly embellished with zigzag and other work; this, it is likely, was the chapel. The artist has been more lavish of his skill in these arches than in those over the door, and on the side of the wall in the vestibule. Though they are the true semicircular arch, it is much to be doubted whether they are the work of a Saxon artist. Above this room is another, richly ornamented in a similar manner. Beneath the chapel and the first vestibule, was the dungeon for prisoners. Several persons of distinction have been confined here at different times, but it is now only made use of as a prison for soldiers, when they are under close confinement. There are galleries built in the walls of the Keep, with loopholes to annoy the besiegers; and they are so contrived, that it would have been next to impossible for assailants to hurt the besieged in any of the rooms, by shooting at them. The second floor was intended for the use of the garrison; and that on the ground for stores. The window on the left-hand, when we enter the keep at the door fronting the first flight of steps, is a convincing proof of the care our ancestors took to prevent an arrow shot in at a loop hole from reaching to the room, so as to do any execution in it. The wall being 18 feet thick, it gave them an opportunity of turning a sloping arch from the top of the aperture, in such a manner that the height of the opening in the wall, within the room, might not exceed that of the bottom of the window, or loophole. This being considerably above the ground, their warriors ascended to it by a flight of stone steps in the wall; and, as the arch over their heads was turned to answer the ascent or descent of the steps, an arrow, shot in at the aperture with the least elevation, could never pass the thickness of the wall without striking some part of the arch. In the north angle of the keep, it is said there is a well, which is now arched over; and it, probably, was this well which Harold, before his advancement to the throne, promised, upon his oath, to deliver up with the castle to William Duke of Normandy. There are, however, no less than four wells within the ancient Saxon lines of castrametation; each of which is about 370 feet in depth.

The new works recently formed for the defence of this important fortress, consist of different batteries, furnished with a very formidable train of artillery, casemates dug in the solid chalk rock, magazines, covered ways, and various subterranean communications and apartments for soldiery: the latter are sufficiently capacious for the accommodation of about 2000 men, and, with their inhabitants, form a very curious spectacle: light and air are conveyed into them by well-like apertures cut in the chalk, and by other openings carried through to the face of the cliffs. A new road has also been made, under the direction of the Board of Ordnance, from the town to the top of the hill, (where it unites with the Deal road) in a direction to be commanded by the batteries, the old one having become so hollow, as to protect the approaches of an enemy. A branch from this road turns to the right nearly opposite Gatton Tower, and enters the castle by a new bridge and gate.

Dover Castle attracted the attention of the leaders of each party, in most of our civil commotions; and while one endeavoured to keep, the other strove as much to obtain possession of it. So lately as the time of Charles the First, it was attempted and taken by surprise by a few men in the night. One Drake a merchant, who was in opposition to the king, and a zealous partisan for the cause in which he was embarked, formed a plan to seize the garrison; and the 1st of August, 1642, about midnight, was the time fixed upon to put it into execution. Every thing being prepared for the attempt, he, with ten or twelve armed men, by the assistance of ropes and scaling ladders, reached the top of the high cliff undiscovered. Drake was well acquainted with this part of the castle, and knew that it was left unguarded, as it was thought inaccessible from the side next the sea : having reached the summit unmolested, they immediately proceeded to the post where the sentinel was placed, and, after securing or killing him, they threw open the gates; and the garrison, being few in number, and in the confusion of the night, concluding he had a strong party with him, the officer on command surrendered up the castle to them. Drake immediately dispatched a messenger to Canterbury with the news of his success, and the Earl of Warwick being there, he sent 120 men to guard and defend the castle.

Near the edge of the cliff there is a beautiful piece of brass ordnance, 24 feet long, which was cast at Utrecht in 1544, and is called Queen Elizabeth's pocket pistol. It is curiously ornamented with figures in bas relief, and carries a twelve-pound shot. It is said to have been a present from the states of Holland to the queen. Upon the breech of the gun are the following lines in old Dutch." Breeck sevretal mure ende wal Bin ic geheten; Doer berch en dal boert minen bal Van mi gesmeten." Which may be thus translated : "O'er hill and dale I throw my ball; Breaker my name, of mound and wall." Like other royal castles, that of Dover was formerly extra-judicial; but, as several of the ancient franchises are either lost or disused, the civil power has of late years been exercised within its limits, independent of any control from the Lord Warden. The Earl of Liverpool at present exercises the office of constable; but his lordship makes no other than an official use of his residence in the castle.

Since the commencement of the last war with France, the heights on the western side of Dover have been strongly fortified, agreeably to the modern system, and a new military road leading to them made. This fortified position assists in completing the line from the castle to Shakspeare's cliff. The works are of a stupendous character, and require but a moderate garrison, while they are calculated to shelter a vast army. The other fortifications are Archcliff fort, at the extremity of the pier; and Amherst battery, at the north pier-head. The lines which connect the fortifications of the western heights extend from the Eastern Redoubt to the Sally-port west of Archcliff fort. The military hospital is a spacious brick building, recently erected, on the west side of the town.

In the reign of King Henry VII. Dover Harbour attracted the serious notice of government, and accordingly great sums were expended for its improvement. It was found, however, that all which had been done would not answer the end proposed, without the building of a pier to seaward; and one was constructed in the reign of Henry VIII. composed of two rows of main posts, and great piles, which were let into holes hewn in the rock underneath, and some were shod with iron, and driven down into the main chalk, and fastened together with iron bands and bolts. The bottom was laid with great rocks of stone, and the whole was filled up with beach-stones, chalk, &c. Previous to the reign of Queen Elizabeth, this noble work had fallen to decay, and the harbour was again nearly choaked up. An act was therefore passed for giving towards the repair of the harbour a certain tonnage from every vessel above twenty tons burden passing by it, which then amounted to 10001. per annum. After many different trials, a safe harbour was at length formed, with a pier and different walls and sluices.

During the whole of the reign of Queen Elizabeth, the improvement of the harbour continued without intermission, and several more acts were passed for that purpose; but the future preservation of it was owing to the charter of incorporation granted by King James I. which charter names eleven commissioners, and incorporates them by the title of the "Warden and Assistants of the Port and Harbour of Dover." It also directs, that the lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, the lieutenant of Dover Castle, and the mayor of Dover for the time being, shall always be the principal. And the king granted to them his waste ground, or beach, commonly called the pier or harbour ground, as it lay without Southgate, or Snargate, the rents of which are now of a considerable yearly value.

Under the direction of the corporation, the works and improvements of the harbour have been carried on, and acts of parliament have been obtained in almost every succeeding reign, to give the greater force to their proceedings. In the course of the 18th century, several jetties were erected towards the east, to prevent the encroachments of the sea; and although the strong southwest winds, so frequent at Dover, throw up large quantities of beach at the month of the harbour, the sluices have been so constructed, that, with the aid of the backwater, they often clear it in one tide. Still the harbour is capable of great improvement; and when we consider the important benefits which it is capable of producing in times of hostility with the northern powers, when numerous ships of war are stationed in the Downs, it must appear surprising that this haven has not been sufficiently improved to admit of its becoming a station for some part of the royal navy.

There are, at present, but two churches in Dover, which are respectively dedicated to St. Mary and St. James.

St. Mary's church is that most worthy of attention, and is said to have been built by the prior and convent of St. Martin's, in the year 1216; but the architectural character of parts of the edifice would appear to relate to a more ancient date. The building consists of a nave and aisles, with a tower at the west end. The west front is of Norman architecture, as are the three first arches, and their supporting columns, on each side the nave. The other arches are of the pointed order; but most of the pillars are large and massive. At the eastern extremity of the high chancel are the seats for the mayor and jurats; and here the mayor is now chosen, and the barons in parliament for the town and port constantly elected.

There was a faculty granted to the churchwardens in 1683, to remove the magistrates' seats from the east end of the church to the north side, or any other part of it more convenient, and for the more decent and commodious placing the communion table: in consequence of which these seats were removed, and so placed, but they continued there no longer than 1689, when by several orders of vestry, they were removed back again to the spot on which they at present remain.

There are many monuments and memorials in this church and churchyard. Among them are the following: A small monument in the church for the celebrated Charles Churchill, who was buried in the old churchyard of St. Martin; and a small stone, with a memorial, for Samuel Foote, the comedian, who died at the Ship Inn, and had a grave dug for him in this church; but was afterwards carried to London to be interred.

St. James's Church is situated in the northeast part of the town, near the foot of the Castle-hill, close to the road to Deal. It belonged anciently to the castle of Dover, and in it the courts of chancery and admiralty, and lode manage for the Cinque Ports have been usually holden. It is called by Kilburne, in his Survey, St. James the Apostle, alias St. James of Warden-Doune. Leland, in his Itinerary, says, it was called St. James of Radby, or more likely Rodeby, a statione navum. The church has a square tower at the west end, having a ring of five bells in it. It is exempt from the jurisdiction of the archdeacon. This is au irregular structure, possessing little architectural beauty. But the interior displays some traces of the Norman style, and is preserved with great cleanliness and, care. Amongst the monuments must be noticed those of the father and grandfather of the celebrated Lord Chancellor Hardwicke.

A Free School was established here in 1771, by John Trevennion, Esq. member of parliament for Dover. A charity School was also founded in 1789, in which forty-five boys and thirty-four girls are educated and supported by voluntary contribution. A school for gratuitous education has likewise been instituted by Sir John Jackson, Bart, one of the present representatives in parliament for Dover, in which about 200 boys receive the benefit of instruction.

The Town Hall is situated in the Market Place, and in that building the sessions for the town .and liberties are holden. The hall is ornamented with several good portraits, and a well-placed print of the embarkation of Henry VIII. for France.

The natural and acquired attractions of this town have rendered it of some celebrity as a watering place; and the invalid will here find desirable accommodations for warm and cold sea-bathing. A theatre and assembly-room have been erected, for the gratification of visitors intent on gayer pursuits. But the great traffic of Dover consists in the advantages which it possesses, as the seaport affording most ready facilities to a communication with France. Numerous packets are employed, during times of peace, in the conveyance of passengers between the two coasts. With a leading wind, these sometimes reach Calais in three hours; and the passage has been performed in two hours and forty minutes. The perpetual change of society caused by this ingress and egress of voyagers, so dissimilar in rank, language, and habits, may be truly said to afford at once amusement to the visitant merely intent on relaxation, and subject for reflection to the philosophical student of human manners. In consequence of the multitudinous passengers and sojourners in times of peace, the inns of this town are very numerous, and are calculated for the reception of all classes, from the prince to the wind-bound seaman. It is almost superfluous to observe, that no English port feels more severely the evils inflicted by the scourge of war than this, which presents the nearest point of communication with the shore of our Gallic neighbours.

Dover has two weekly markets, viz. on Wednesday and Saturday; the latter being the principal. There is an annual fair, which-begins on the 22nd day of November, and continues three market days.

According to the returns under the Population Act, in 1811, the town of Dover then contained 1845 houses, and 9074 inhabitants.

There was anciently, at the entrance of the town from London, a religious hospital, or Maison Dieu, founded by Hubert de Burgh, the great justiciary of England, early in the reign of Henry the Third. After the dissolution of religious houses, it was converted by Queen Mary into a victualling office for supplying the royal navy in the Downs, and on this coast; and is at present used for the same purpose. Opposite the Maison Dieu are the remains of a priory, dedicated to St. Martin. Great part of the buildings are still in existence, but have been long converted into a farming establishment.

At the pier was a small chapel built by a foreign nobleman, whose life was there preserved after shipwreck, and by him dedicated to St. Mary, and afterwards called the Lady of Pity's Chapel.

Beyond Dover southward, leading to Folkstone, is a bold and high cliff, which is thus beautifully described by Shakspeare, in his tragedy of King Lear : "There is a cliff whose high and bending head Looks fearfully on the confused deep. How dizzy 'tis to cast one's eye so low! The crows and choughs that wing the midway air Seem scarce so gross as beetles. Halfway down Hangs one that gathers samphire; dreadful trade ! Methinks he seems no bigger than his head. The fishermen that walk, upon the beach Appear like mice; and yon tall anchoring bark Diminished to her cock; her cock a buoy, Almost too small for sight. The murmuring surge, That on the unnumber'd idle pebbles chafes, Cannot be heard so high. I'll look no more, Lest my brain turn, and the deficient sight, Topple down headlong." Though this cliff may not in our days be strictly said to answer the above description, as the sea is constantly undermining it, by means of which large fragments frequently fall down, yet it is of tremendous height, and cannot fail to excite the admiration and astonishment of such as are not accustomed to objects of this kind.

About two miles north west from Dover, are the remains of Bradsole, or St. Radigunc's Abbey, founded for monks of the Premonstratensian order, about the year 1191. It was dedicated to St. Mary, and St. Radigund, and its revenues, upon the dissolution, were valued at 98l. 9s. 2d. per annum.

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DOVER is a seaport, parliamentary and municipal borough, premier Cinque Port, a garrison town, and the head of a union, and also of a county court district, situated on the small river Dour, and is by road 71 miles from London, 16 south-east from Canterbury, 46 east from Maidstone, 21 east from Ashford, 46 east from Tonbridge, 6 north-east from Folkestone, 9 south-west from Deal, 27 south from Margate, 23 south from Ramsgate, and about 3 miles south-west from the South Foreland, in the Eastern division of the county, Bewsborough hundred, lathe of St. Augustine, Wingham petty sessional division, rural deanery of Dover and archdeaconry and diocese of Canterbury. The South Eastern and Chatham Railway Company has three stations at Dover-one at the Priory on the Folkestone road and terminal stations (town and harbour) in Beach and Strond streets, with branches to the Admiralty Pier. Both termini are 78 miles from London. The South Eastern and Chatham railway proceeds along the coast towards Folkestone by tunnels under Arch cliff, the Shakespeare cliff (1,331 yards long) (half a mile south-west from Dover), and under Abbott’s cliff (1,940 yards in length), and the Martello tunnel (766 yards) near Folkestone. From Deal to Dover a Tegular service of trains is run. The town stands in a deep valley or depression in the chalk hills which forms the bed of the river Dour, anciently called “Dubris,” and is continued for some miles into the interior. The Roman road, Watling street, which passed over the Barham Downs to Canterbury, in its course towards the western, part of the kingdom, commenced here, and another road runs to Richborough. Dover seems, from its name, to have been of British origin, but in the Roman period it was a town called “Portus Dubris”; it suffered the usual vicissitudes of seaport towns by siege and invasion, from the time of the Danes down to that of Henry VIII.; its natural situation has always given it importance and it has formed for centuries the principal port of departure from this island to the continent. Dover is a Cinque Port and comprises, as members, the corporate towns of Faversham, Folkestone and Margate and the parishes of Birchington, Ville of Wood, St. Peter’s and Ringwould. The town of Dover contains within its parliamentary and municipal boundaries, which are co-extensive, the parishes of St. Mary the Virgin and St. James the Apostle, nearly the whole of Charlton and Buckland, parts of Hougham and Guston, and East Cliffe and Dover Castle. Under the provisions of the “Local Government Act, 1894,” and by Order, No. 33,921 of the Local Government Board, the whole of these, with the exception of Dover Castle, have been consolidated into one civil parish, named the parish of Dover. The borough returned two members to Parliament until the passing of the “Redistribution of Seats Act, 1885” (48 and 49 Vict. c. 23), by which the number was reduced to one.

The town was first incorporated by Edward I., but this charter is believed to have been surrendered to Charles II. and a new charter granted in 1684.

The Corporation now consists of a mayor, 6 aldermen and eighteen councillors. The town is divided into three wards-Castle Ward, Town Ward, Pier Ward. The borough has a commission of the Peace. Quarter sessions are held for the town and liberties in the Town Hall. A court of Admiralty of the Cinque Ports, Dover, Hastings, Sandwich, Rye, Romney and Hythe is also held here. Part of the jurisdiction of the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports was, however, abolished by the Act 18 & 19 Vict. cap. 48.

Dover as a bathing place has the advantage of a fine beach with a steep shore, thus at once placing the bathing machine in a convenient depth of water; on the Marine parade is an establishment for supplying warm and cold baths. The residences on the East cliff, Marine parade, Waterloo crescent and Esplanade, form, in connection with others, a continuous range of buildings, extending a distance of nearly a mile, while Bench street and King street afford a spacious carriage way from the beach to the market.

In 1894 extensive improvements were carried out on the sea front. The sea defences west of the masonry groin are under the Harbour Board, but east of it under the Corporation.

The Promenade Pier, constructed at a cost of about £28,000, and opened 22 May, 1893, is the property of a company; the total length from the Esplanade to the head is 900 feet, the general width being 30 feet, and at the head 100 feet; on the west side is an independent wooden landing-stage 150 feet long by 15 feet wide, for the convenience of the passenger steamers. A pavilion, 50 ft. by 100 ft. with refreshment rooms, lighted by electricity, and holding 800 persons, was erected in 1901. Concerts are held daily during the season and occasionally at other times.

The limits of the port and harbour of Dover were defined March 3, 1848, and re-limited Feb. 7, 1882, under the “Customs Consolidation Act, 1876,” to extend from Copt Point (limit of the port of Folkestone), to Sandown Castle (limit of the port of Ramsgate). Fishing boats and their implements to be distinguished by the letters D. R.

The number of Foreign steam vessels that entered the tons burden, and, together with the extensive harbour works, is under the supervision of the Dover Harbour Board; the inner dock was enlarged and deepened and re-opened for traffic in July, 1874, and in 1893 works for the extension of the outer or commercial harbour were begun, the foundation stone being laid by H.M. King Edward VII, when Prince of Wales, 20 July, in that year. The first portion of the work is now (1902) completed, and comprises a pier, known as the “Prince of Wales” pier, and 2,910 feet long; the inner portion of 1,260 feet, consists of an open iron viaduct, the remainder being constructed of solid masonry; there is a depth at this pier at low water varying from 25 feet to 35 feet. The “Prince of Wales” pier was constructed from the designs and under the superintendence of the engineers, Messrs. Coode, Son & Matthews; Sin John Jackson Limited being the contractors. This pier was taken over by the Dover Harbour Board, May, 1902. The Admiralty Pier, begun in 1847, and completed at a cost of £1,000,000, for the purpose of forming a harbour of refuge, extends 1,550 feet in the sea, and has three landing places on the east and two on the west side, available for ships of large tonnage. The control of this pier was transferred to the Dover Harbour Board 1 April, 1892. The Admiralty Harbour, Dover, is intended eventually to be an extension of the existing Admiralty Pier for a distance of 2,000 feet, and about one-third of this work is now (1902) completed; a similar portion of the eastern arm has also been completed; this portion when finished will project about 3,300 feet into the sea, commencing about 4,000 feet eastward of the Castle Jetty, the fore-shore between the Castle Jetty and the east arm being reclaimed for a width of about 250 feet; there is also to fee a south breakwater about 4,000 feet long, occupying the space between the east arm and the Admiralty Pier extension, with an entrance at each end in about seven fathoms at low water. These constructions will form a harbour of about 600 acres in extent, exclusive of the Commercial Harbour now also in progress. The works were authorised under the “Naval Works Act of 1896,” Major H. Pilkington C.B., R.E. of the Admiralty, 47 Victoria street, Westminster, being civil engineer-in-chief, and Messrs. Coode, Son & Matthews, of 9 Victoria street, Westminster, chief engineers; the offices at Dover being 23 East Cliff. The contract was let toward the end of 1807 to Messrs. S. Pearson and Son Limited, of 10 Victoria street, Westminster, and the estimated cost is £3,500,000.

Dover is the seat of a large post office establishment and of the packet service for Calais and Ostend. The foreign service is performed by the boats of the Belgian Royal Mail Service and the South Eastern and Chatham Railway Company; it is also a great telegraph station, holds considerable rank as a port, and is the grand pilot station of the Cinque Ports, with 80 attached pilots, who are employed in the Channel service under the regulations of the Trinity House.

The Custom House, near the harbour, was built in 1836 and much business in passing baggage is done here; a large quantity of the luggage of passengers is, however, carried through, and cleared in London. The amount of Customs revenue collected in 1901 was £66,759.

Trade of the town.-The following shows the value of the principal articles imported in 1901:-Baskets and basketware, £47,087; embroidery and needlework, £347,158; fancy goods, £34,041; leather gloves, £82,814; lace of all kinds, £1,385,035; manufactured silk, £1,401,507; thrown and spun silk, £76,252; skins and furs, £23,885; woollen goods, £3,026,620; woollen yam, £471,064; watches and parts thereof, £1,179,018; jewellery, £42,555; gold leaf, £95,342; platinum, £210,732; wine, £510,170; sawn wood of all sorts, £73,756; total value of all imports, £9,912,259.

The exports of British and Irish produce in 1901 include apparel, £156,150; silk goods, £50,784; silk yarn, £42,232; woollen and worsted piece goods, £96,680; machinery and mill work, £46,671; total of all articles, £2,181,396.

The exports of Foreign and Colonial merchandise consisted of ornamental feathers, £58,455; furs, £63,438; fur goods, £102,607; lace, £28,066; sheep and lambs wool, £1.258,497; woollen stuffs, £35,255; wine, £44,860; platinum, £28,000; total value of all exports, £1,721,921.

The number of British sailing vessels that entered the port with cargoes, including their repeated voyages, was 46 of 5,731 tonnage, and 46 Foreign, of 9,253 tons.

The number of British steam vessels that entered the port with cargoes, including their repeated voyages, was 903 of 240,004 tons, and of Foreign 1,193 of 491,100 tonnage. The number cleared was 745 British, 185,473 tons, and Foreign, 1,210 cleared of 473,672 tonnage.

The number of British steam vessels that entered the port in 1901 in ballast was 320 of 93,483 tons, and Foreign 32.81 of 115,841 tonnage. The number cleared was 484 British, 146,849 tons, and Foreign 300 of 135,623 tonnage.

Of the total sailing and steam vessels that entered the port with cargoes and in ballast, 1,559 came from France and 1,192 from Belgium.

In the general coasting trade 791 sailing vessels of 75,206 tons entered the port in 1901 with cargoes and 150 cleared of 14,652 tonnage. In addition 270 steam vessels entered of 72,920 tons, and 86 cleared of 29,263 tonnage.

The number of sailing and steam vessels registered under Part I of the “Merchant Shipping Act, 1894,” as belonging to the port, December 31,1901, was 317 of 2,313 tons.

The number of fishing boats registered under Part IV of the “Merchant Shipping Act, 1894,” as belonging to the port, December 31, 1901, was 26, employing 80 men and boys.

The Post Office Submarine Telegraphs steamer, “Alert,” is stationed here in readiness to repair any of their cables in the Channel and North Sea.

The town is supplied with water by the Town Council, the works being on the Castle hill; the supply, obtained from deep wells in the chalk, is pumped into two reservoirs, having a total capacity of 1,500,000 gallons, and giving a high and low supply on the constant service system; the water is remarkably pure and free from all traces of organic matter. The town is well drained. The borough is lighted with gas by a company incorporated in the year 1822, from works erected in 1860 at Buckland.

A company has been formed for the purpose of lighting the town by electricity, and works begun in 1894 have been erected at the rear of Park street, and electric arc lamps extend from East cliff to the Esplanade, and from the sea front along the main thoroughfares. For the public lighting the Corporation has contracted to pay the company £650 per annum. The Electric Tramways, established in September 1897, extend from the South Eastern Railway Station, to Buckland and Maxton, the total length being 3 ¼ miles.

There were anciently here a greas many churches and ecclesiastical establishments, most of which are now demolished.

The parish church of St. Mary the Virgin, Cannon street, is of flint, and has a tower with spire containing a clock and 3 bells. Portions of the fabric are of Anglo-Saxon, Norman and Early English date; there is a memorial tablet to Samuel Foote, the comedian, who died here 20 October, 1777. The church was restored and enlarged in 1843, at a cost of £7,000, and affords 1,650 sittings, 1,200 being free. The registers date from the year 1557; the two oldest registers have been curiously restored. The living is a vicarage, net yearly value £343, in the gift of trustees, and held since 1900 by the Rev. Henry Bartram M.A. of Worcester College, Oxford, hon. canon of Canterbury, proctor in convocation, rural dean of Dover and surrogate.

The modern church of St. James, in Maison Dieu road, is in the Decorated style, and was erected at a cost of £12,000; it has a tower with spire containing 6 bells, and affords 1,400 sittings, about 700 being free. The register dates from the year 1594. The living is a rectory, net yearly value £350, with residence, in the gift of the Archbishop of Canterbury, and held since 1885 by the Rev. Algernon Howell Smith M.A. of Caius College, Cambridge.

The old church of St. James the Apostle, St. James's street, formery the parish church, but now a chapel of ease, is an ancient structure of rough flints, in the Norman and Early English styles, and has a low tower containing one bell. The church was restored in 1869.

Holy Trinity is an ecclesiastical district formed in 1835 out of the parishes of St. James and St. Mary. The church, erected in 1835, at a cost of £7,973, is in the Gothic style, and has a bell cot containing one bell; there are several stained windows, and about 1,000 sittings. The registers date from the year 1854. The living is a vicarage, net yearly value about £300, with residence, in the gift of the Archbishop of Canterbury, and held since by the Rev. Henry James Daniell B.A. of Oxford.

The church of St. Andrew, Buckland, originally built by the monks of St. Martin’s Priory, Dover, probably as early as 1135, is of stone, and has a turret containing 3 bells. The church was restored and re-seated in 1851, and in 1880 the nave was lengthened; in order to accomplish this the ancient yew tree, said to be 1,200 years old, had to be transplanted; and it now stands in a position similar to that it originally occupied outside the west door of the old church, having been moved a distance of 56 feet; there are 500 sittings. The register dates from the year 1577. The living is a vicarage, net yearly value £280, with residence, in the gift of the Archbishop of Canterbury, and held since 1874 by the Rev. Turberville Evans M.A. of Exeter College, Oxford, and chaplain of Dover Union.

The church of SS. Peter and Paul, Charlton, erected at a cost of over £13,000, and consecrated in 1893, is a cruciform edifice of stone in the Early English style, and has a central fleche with one bell; all the windows are stained; there are 700 sittings. The register dates from the year 1564, but is imperfect in the earlier years. The living is a rectory, net yearly value £268, with residence, in the gift of Keble College, Oxford, and held since 1889 by the Rev. Sidney Faithhorn Green M.A. of Trinity College, Cambridge.

The ecclesiastical district of St. Bartholomew was formed 18 December, 1877, from Charlton parish: the church, in the London road, is of stone in the Early English style: the east and west windows and others are stained, and there are 760 sittings. The register dates from the year 1870. The living is a vicarage, net yearly value £150, with residence, in the gift of Keble College, Oxford, and held since 1892 by the Rev. Edmund George Lionel Mowbray M.A of New College, Oxford.

Christ Church is an ecclesiastical parish, formed in 1844 from the parish of Hougham: the church, in Folkestone road, within the borough of Dover and built in 1844, is of Kentish rag, in the Early English style, and has a turret containing one bell: in 1894 a new chancel was erected, at a, cost of £1,050, and stained windows have been presented: in 1898 the south porch was altered to form a baptistery in memory of the late C. K. Worsfold esq. at a cost of £80: there are about 1,250 sittings, 500 of which are free. The register dates from the year 1844. The living is a vicarage, net yearly value £160, with residence, in the gift of trustees, and held since 1894 by the Rev. William Hugh Falloon B.A. of Christ’s College, Cambridge.

The Catholic Church, in Maison Dieu road, dedicated to St. Paul, was erected in 1868, at a cost of about £3,500, and has about 450 sittings.

St. John’s Mariners’ Church (Free Church of England), Blenheim square, has 550 sittings.

Salem Baptist chapel, Biggin street, was erected in 1839, and has 700 sittings. There is a Congregational chapel in Queen street, founded in 1644, seating 400, and one in Russell street, erected in 1838, with 540 seats.

There are also Unitarian and Wesleyan chapels, Friends’ meeting house, and a Jews’ synagogue.

St. Mary’s cemetery, formed in 1835, ml the slope of the hill, has a mortuary chapel; there is another cemetery of 9 acres for St. Mary’s on Copt hill, consecrated in 1870, with two mortuary chapels; both cemeteries are under the control of a burial board of 9 members.

Charlton cemetery, of about 10 acres, with two mortuary chapels, was consecrated in 1872.

St. James’ cemetery, in Charlton and covering 8 acres, was consecrated in 1860, and has two mortuary chapels.

Buckland burial ground of 5 acres, has 1 mortuary chapel.

Each of the three preceding cemeteries is under the control of a burial board of 9 members.

The Town Hall, High street, opened in July, 1883, by T.R.H. the Duke and Duchess of Connaught, is a building of flint with Bath stone dressings, erected at a cost of about £18,000, from the designs of the late Mr. Burges, architect, and contains an assembly room, called the “Connaught Hall,” holding 1,500 persons, besides offices for officials of the corporation. The rooms throughout are richly decorated and there is a collection of valuable pictures and of old armour and arms. The Corporation regalia include a jewelled badge of office, worn by the mayor, and presented to the town in 1898 by Sir H. B. Poland Q.C. a former recorder. The Maison Dieu, a structure rich in historical associations, adjoining the Town hall, was used on Oct. 30, 1902, as the place of assembly of the “Court-of Brotherhood and Guestling” of the Cinque Ports, at which there were deputies of the several” members of the Cinque Ports,” who, after going through a quaint ceremonial, moved an address to King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra on their coronation; this is only the third occasion of this ceremony in 327 years.

The Museum, erected by the Corporation in 1849, contains a good collection of curiosities in natural history, science and art, the birds forming a prominent feature in the collection; it has been enriched by specimens of the archaeology and natural history of the county, the former presented by the late Rev. William Vallance, of Sittingbourne, and the latter by Dr. Plomley, of Maidstone; an additional room was erected in 1890, and contains a loan collection of works of art from the South Kensington Museum. A wing for mammalia was added in 1901; a large proportion of this collection having been presented by the Hon. Walter Rothschild.

There are five clubs:-The Royal Cinque Ports Yacht Club on the Marine parade, The Dover Club, The Granville Club, The Dover Carlton Club and the Dover Institute.

The Dover Municipal School of Art, Science and Technology, and secondary school for boys and girls, conducted in connection with the Board of Education, South Kensington, has been removed from Northampton street to the new Municipal buildings in Ladywell, in Tear of the Town Hall. Public baths for men and women have also been erected by the Corporation on the same site, and the Corporation have acquired the Sea Baths on the Marine Parade, and other facilities for the promotion of bathing on the sea shore.

Dover has considerable trade in the supply of shipping and in the interchange of commodities with foreign vessels: there are seed crushing mills and two extensive flour mills: both timber and grain are largely imported.

The market for meat and butter, which is well supplied, is held under the Museum buildings on Saturday and for fish and greengrocery daily.

In Snargate street are the wine cellars formerly used by Messrs. Court and Co.; these are excavated in the solid rock, and are very extensive.

There are several excellent hotels, of which the principal are the Lord Warden, the Burlington, The Grand, The Shakespeare, The Esplanade, and the King’s Head.

The principal temperance hotels are the Belle Vue, which has tea gardens attached, the Shaftesbury and the Gordon.

The Dover Proprietary Library and Reading Room is in Granville gardens.

There are branches in the town of The National Provincial Bank of England Limited, The London and County Banking Co. Limited, the Capital and Counties Bant Limited, and Lloyd’s Bank Limited.

In Camden square is a monument to the officers and men of the 1st battalion 60th Rifles (King’s Royal Rifle-Corps) who fell in India during the mutiny of 1857.

The Royal Victoria Hospital, High street, established under the name of the Dover Public Dispensary in 1828, now (1901) contains 40 beds. In 1901 the out-patients numbered about 4,000 and the in-patients 414. An operating theatre and lift, out-patients department and isolation block are now (1902) in course of construction, and will cost about £8,000. The hospital is supported by voluntary contributions.

The Dover Infectious Diseases Hospital, Tower Hamlets, belonging to the Corporation, was established in 1871, for the treatment of persons suffering or recovering from infectious diseases, and contains 80 beds.

The National Sailors’ Home and Refuge for shipwrecked sailors of every nation, in Blenheim square, erected in 1853, has a free reading room and library; since the opening 868 wrecked crews consisting of 6,917 men of various nations have been sheltered here, and the endowment fund has been augmented by several legacies: in front of the Home is a Russian mortar, taken at Hango, Finland, and presented to the Home by Admiral Sir W. H. Hall K.C.B. and the officers and crew of H.M. ship “Blenheim.”

The Gordon Boys’ Orphanage, in St. James street, was founded in 1885, by Lieut. Thomas Blackman for lads from 8 to 16 years of age who have lost one or both parents, and at present (June 1902) contains 104 lads. It is supported by voluntary contributions and small payments and collections. Boys are received from all parts of the United Kingdom, and are trained for the army, navy and civil life. Some 500 have been received since the opening; this institution is under Royal Patronage, and has the special interest of Gen. Gordon’s sisters. The Victoria Seaside Orphans’ Rest was founded in 1882 by Lieut. Thomas Blackman, for the purpose of giving a change of air and scene to boys and girls from homes and industrial schools and to poor children from the Metropolis and its environs; it is also supported by voluntary contributions.

The Dover Soldiers’ Home, in Snargate street, consists of reading, recreation and bed rooms, for the use of noncommissioned officers and soldiers of the garrison.

There are 35 almshouses, founded in 1824, for aged persons belonging to the borough; the yearly income of the charity is now about £300, derived from ground rents, nominal Tents of the almshouses, Tents of lands, and dividends on Consols belonging to the charity.

There are also almshouses founded by the late Mrs. Susan Gorely, and erected in the year 1877 for 20 aged persons, each of whom receives 3 s. 6d. weekly.

The charities belonging to St. James’ parish, amount to about £15 yearly.

The charities belonging to St. Mary’s are in the hands of the Charity Commissioners.

The priory of St. Martin was founded in 1130 by Archbishop Corboyle and in 1149 by his successor, Theobald, as a settlement for Austin Canons from Merton, but was ultimately occupied by the Benedictines of Christ church: the Early Decorated gateway, refectory and Early English guest house, are now occupied by Dover College.

The Public Park, 22 ½ acres in extent, opened by T.R.H. the Duke and Duchess of Connaught in July, 1883, is situated on the north side of the town and commands a fine view of the Dour Valley and the Channel. It is leased from the War Department by the Corporation for a term of 99 years, dating from 1892.

Dover is the head-quarters of the South Eastern Military district (5th division, 2nd Army Corps), comprising the County of Sussex and that portion of the County of Kent which is bounded by the west and north boundary of the Cranbrook, the north-west boundary of the Ashford, and the Western boundary of the Horne petty sessional division. The barracks, on the Western Heights, above the town, were considerably enlarged in 1886, and communicate with the town by a curious shaft, consisting of three spiral flights of 140 steps each, and a straight staircase of 59 more steps, as well as by the military road Bear Christ Church and the road by Archcliffe Fort: in 1892 a building was erected in the Folkestone road, near to the Priory station (S. E. & C. R.) for the concentration of ordnance stores.

Dover is also the head-quarters of B Troop, Royal East Kent Imperial Yeomanry (Duke of Connaught’s) (Mounted Rifles), the 1st Cinque Ports Royal Garrison Artillery (Volunteers), and Nos. 1, 2 & 3 Companies of the Battalion, the 1st Volunteer Battalion, East Kent Regiment (The Puffs) and the K Co. of the Battalion.

Dover Castle, originally a Roman fortress, has gradually arisen from Anglo-Saxon and Norman work and has always been regarded as one of the principal defences of the country; it contains a garrison, and is situated on a cliff more than 300 feet high, occupying about 35 acres of ground. The pharos, or light tower, one of the most ancient portions of the structure, is manifestly of Roman workmanship, and was originally octagonal and about 14 paces across inside, the walls being not less than 10 feet thick at the base and 40 in height. The towers are numerous and have been built at different times, some of them being Norman; and in the centre of the upper court is the massive keep or palace tower. In the Governor’s apartments are portraits of several of the Lords Warden of the Cinque Ports. From the castle a fine view is obtained over the neighbouring part of Kent. 'Queen Elizabeth’s “Pocket pistol,” which stands here, is a cannon, 24 feet long, presented to that queen by the States of Holland, The ancient church of St. Mary, within the castle precincts and adjoining the pharos, now used as the garrison church, is generally believed to be a Romano-British work: it was restored by the late Sir G. Gilbert Scott knt. R.A. and is a building of Tough flint and brick in the Norman and Early English styles, consisting of chancel, nave, transepts and a central square tower: the interior is fitted with open benches and has some Perpendicular work and an early carved stone font. The church is open to the public, services being conducted by the chaplains to the forces. The net value of the chaplaincy being £370.

Fort Burgoyne, an extensive modern work to the north forms the real line of defence on that side.

Archcliffe Fort, at the west end of the town, was built in 1508. Moat’s Bulwark is under the Castle Cliff and was built by Henry VIII.: immediately in front of it is the Guildford Battery, now mounted only with guns of small calibre, which remain only for ornamental purposes. Batteries with heavy guns have been formed on the cliffs above, a little to the westward, and also on the Western Heights, over Snargate street, commanding the entire bay.

Shakespeare’s Cliff, to the south-west of Dover, is a mass of chalk, about 350 feet above sea level, which has been tunnelled through for nearly three-quarters of a mile for the railway from Folkestone, which, before reaching Dover from here, passes over a lofty viaduct crossing a creek: here is the shaft of the Channel tunnel works, sunk with the view of demonstrating the practicability of constructing a tunnel between the English and French coasts, and a few yards distant are some experimental borings, made in order to test the theory of the existence of a substantial coal seam in this neighbourhood; the results attained confirmed this theory, and in 1894, a shaft was sunk for further exploration, and the work is being continued; the borings passed through 1,157 feet before reaching the coal strata, the thickest seam found being 4 feet.

The area of the civil parish is 1602 acres of land, 20 of water, 4 of tidal water and 73 of foreshore; assessable value, £188,377.

Included in the population of the civil parish was 947 in the Grand Shaft Barracks; 415 in South Front Barracks; 652 in the Citadel Barracks; 154 in the Military Hospital; 31 in the Military Prison, and 352 in other Military establishments and 32 officials; 485 inmates in the workhouse; 35 in the Hospital and Dispensary; 37 in the Infectious Diseases Hospital, and 865 on board vessels and barges.

The population of the municipal wards in 1901 was.-Castle Ward, 23,245; Pier Ward, 3,549, and Town Ward, 15,000; total, 41,794.

The population of the ecclesiastical parishes in 1901 was:-St. Mary the Virgin 5,141; St. James the Apostle, 3,736; St. Mary in the Castle, 839; Holy Trinity, 3,736; St. Andrew, Buckland, 8,211; SS. Peter and Paul, Charlton, 4,810; St. Bartholomew, Charlton, 4,133; Christ Church, Hougham, 9,738.

The area of the parliamentary borough is 1,236 acres; the population in 1901 was 39,536; the number of electors in 1902 was 6,444.

The area of Dover Castle parish is 34 acres; assessable value, £2,100; the population in 1901 was 1,136, including 826 in Dover Castle Barracks.

Petty Sessions are held on the third thursday in each month & fourth thursday in September at 2 p.m. also on other days as occasion may require.

Borough Petty Sessions are held at the Sessions House every monday & friday, at 11 & every day at the same hour for the hearing of police charges.

MILITARY

South-Eastern District.

5th Division, 2nd Army Corps.

Including the County of Sussex & that portion of the County of Kent which is bounded by the west and north boundary of the Cranbrook, the north-west boundary of the Ashford, & the western boundary of the Home petty sessional divisions.

DOVER UNION

Board day, thursday, fortnightly at the workhouse, Buckland, at 11 a.m..

Dover Union comprises the following parishes, viz.:-Alkham, Capel-le-Ferne, Coldred, Dover, Denton, Dover Castle, East Langdon, Guston, Hougham Without, Lydden, Oxney, Poulton, Ringwould, River, St. Margaret-at-Cliffe, Sibertswold, Temple Ewell, West Cliffe, West Langdon, Whitfield & Wootton. The population of the Union in 1901 was 48,942; area, 29,067 acres; rateable value (1901) was £226,044.

Workhouse, Buckland, a building of brick for 632 inmates.

PLACES OF WORSHIP, with times of services

St. Mary’s Church, Cannon street, Rev. Canon Bartram M.A. vicar; Rev. Seymour Harry Rendall M.A. Rev. George Shepheard Bird M.A. & Rev. C. T. Armstrong M.A. curates; 11 a.m. 3 & 6.30 p.m.; daily 10 a.m. & 5 p.m.; wed. & fri. 12 noon.

Christ Church, Folkestone, road, Rev. William Hugh Falloon B.A. vicar; Rev. Arthur Jepson & Rev. Herbert Fretwell Newton B.A. curates; 11 a.m. & 3.15 & 6.30 p.m.; thurs. 7.30 p.m.

Holy Trinity, Strond street, Rev. Henry James Daniell B.A. vicar; Rev. William Owen, curate; 8 & 11 a.m. & 3 (for the young) & 6.30 p.m.; daily, 8.45 a.m. & 4.45 & 7.45 p.m.; thurs. 7 p.m.

St. Andrew’s, Buckland, Rev. Turberville Evans M.A. vicar; Rev. Albert Edward Hall, curate; 8 & 11 a.m. 3 & 6.30 p.m.; daily, 9.30 a.m. & 7 p.m.; fri. 7.30 & sat. 5.

St. Bartholomew, London road, Rev. Edmund George Lionel Mowbray M.A. vicar; Rev. Walter Francis Jameson M.A. & Rev. Thomas William Wright B.A. curates; 7, 8, 10.30 & 11.15 a.m. & 3 & 6.30 p.m.; daily, 7.30 & 8.10 a.m. & 6 p.m.; wed. 7 & 7.40 a.m. & 8 p.m.

St. James’, Maison Dieu road, Rev. Algernon Howell Smith M.A. rector; Rev. Beresford Edward Wigram M.A. Rev. Walter Reginald Scott B.A. curates; 11 а.m. & 3.30 & 6.30 p.m.; thurs. 7 p.m.

St. James’ (Old) Church, St. James’ street, Rev. Algernon Howell Smith M.A. rector; 11 a.m.. & 6.30 p.m.; fri. 11.30 a.m.

SS. Peter & Paul Church, Charlton, Rev. Sidney Faithhorn Green M.A. rector; 8 & 11 a.m. 12 noon & 3.30 & 6.30 p.m.; week days, 7.30 a.m. & 6 p.m.; also wed. & fri. 12.30 & 7.30 p.m.

St. John’s (Mariners’) (Church of England Unattached), Blenheim square, Rev. John Richard Martins; 11 a.m. & 6.30 p.m.; mon. & wed. 7 p.m.

St. Mary’s Garrison Church, Dover Castle (military); 11 a.m. & 6.30 p.m.

Military, at the Western Heights; 10.30 a.m. & 6.30 p.m.

Sailors’ Bethel & Rest, Northampton street, George Butcher, missionary; 11 a.m. & 6.30 p.m.; wed. thurs. & sat. 7 p.m.

St. Paul’s Catholic, Maison Dieu road, Rev. Nicholas Vincent Broder, Rev. E. O’Gara O.S.B. & Rev. P. E. Ryan D.D. priests; 8, 9 & 11 a.m.; mass, vespers, sermon & benediction, 6.30 p.m.; holidays of obligation, mass 8 & 10 a.m.; benediction 6.30 p.m.; wed. & fri. benediction, 6.30 p.m.

Jews’ Synagogue, Northampton street, Rev. Isidore Barnstein, rabbi; sat. 9 a.m.

Friends' Meeting House, Queen street; 11 a.m. & 6.30 p.m.

Baptist, Commercial quay, Rev. William Allen Dale; 11 а.m. & 6.30 p.m.; wed. 7 p.m.

Baptist (Salem), Biggin street, Rev. Elijah John Edwards; 11 a.m. & 6.30 p.m.; mon. & thurs. 7.50 p.m.

Brethren, Lawson Hall, Market street; 100 a.m. & 6.30 p.m.; thurs. 8 p.m.

Christadelphian Hall, Northampton street; 6.30 p.m. sundays only.

Congregational, Russell street, Rev. Frank Philip Basden; Rev. Charles Edward Chandler, assistant; 11 a.m.. & 6.30 p.m.; wed. 8 p.m.

Congregational (Zion), Queen street, Rev. Frank Philip Basden; 11 a.m. & 6.30 p.m.; thurs. 7.30 p.m.

Gospel Mission Hall, Durham hill, ministers various; 6.30 p.m.; wed. 7.30 p.m.

Harbour Works Nawy Mission, Welington Hall, Thomas Cloverley, missionary, Snargate street; 11 a.m. & 6.30 p.m.; wed. 7.30 p.m.

Plymouth Brethren, Union Hall, Ladywell place; 11 a.m. 2 & 6 p.m.; mon. & wed. 8 p.m.

Primitive Methodist, Dover & Deal Circuit, Rev. Isaac Dorricott & Rev. George W. Wellbum B.A.; Rev. Robt. Taylor, supernumerary. Chapels, London road, 11 a.m. & 6.30 p.m.; wed. 7.30 p.m.; Maxton, 11 a.m.; tues. 6.30 p.m.; Belgrave road, 11 a.m. & 6.30 p.m.; thurs. 7.30 p.m.

Salvation Army, Priory road.; 10 a.m. & 3 & 6.30 p.m.; daily, 8 p.m.

Unitarian, Adrian street; Rev. Samuel Burrows, 11 a.m. & 6.30 p.m.

Wesleyan, Dover Circuit; Rev. Wm. Gibson (supt.) & Rev. W. J. Gregory Bestall; Rev. William Bond, supernumerary. Chapels, Snargate street, 11 a.m. & 6.30 p.m.; wed. 7 p.m.; Buckland, 11 a.m. & 6.30 p.m; thurs. 7 p.m.; Tower Hamlets, 3.15 & 6.30 p.m.; Hougham, 2.30 & 6 p.m.; thurs. 7; Guston, 6 p.m.; thurs. 7 p.m.; Shepherdswell, 10.30 a.m. & 6 p.m.; tues. 7 p.m.; Alkham, 2.30 & 6 p.m.; wed. 7 p.m.; River, 2.30 & 6.30 p.m.; wed. 7 p.m.; Lydden, 6 p.m.; tues. 7 p.m.

COLLEGES & SCHOOLS

Dover College, founded in 1870 & situated in a close of about 4 acres of land on the west side of the town, near the Priory station, occupies the site of & incorporates the remains of the buildings of the Benedictine Priory; the college hall, originally the refectory of the priory, is a beautiful specimen of Norman work, c. 1130, with an ancient mured painting of the “Last Supper”; the chapel, of Late Norman date, anciently the guest house, consists of a nave & north aisle & turret containing a clock & bell, & at the east end an apse, erected in 1882 at the cost of Dr. Astley, who also presented the organ, choir stalls & pulpit; the gate house, later in style than the chapel, c. 1320, & now the college library, was restored in 1880; the restoration was carried out by the late Mr. G. E. Street R.A. in 1881; the modern buildings consist of three boarding houses, occupied by the head & senior assistant masters, an excellent block of class rooms, erected in 1897, a gymnasium, science laboratory, sanatorium, carpenters’ workshops & fives courts; the large playfield, situated at a short distance from the college, has been levelled & forms a cricket field; there are boarding houses for 150 boys & the total number is about 200; the education given is of the same character as that offered by our best public schools. A junior school was opened in 1893 for boys of from 7 to 13 years of age; the building, well situated on a hill side, on the Folkstone road, is a short distance from the College Close & is available for 30 boarders. The Marquis of Salisbury K.G. is president & Sir Wollaston Knocker C.B. town clerk of Dover, hon. sec.; Rev. William Cookworthy Compton M.A. headmaster; Rev. J. E. Hilditch B.A. chaplain; Rev. A. H. Stevens M.A., Mus.Bac. precentor; Rev. Thomas Trist Carlyon M.A., A. E. Wynne M.A. & W. S. Lee M.A. (house masters) & E. H. Montauban M.A. (junior school); Rev. A. H. Stevens M.A. W. H. Pendlebury M.A., W. S. Lee M.A., B. F. Hall M.A., H. Bryan M.A., A. T. Warren M.A., F H. Symonds B.A., A. T. Keen (junior school); C. L. Ford B.A., M. C. Cooper B.A., E. W. Barclay R.A.M., W. H. East & P. E. Kingsford, assistant masters; H. Martin, sergeant-instructor of fencing & gymnastics.

Dover High School for Girls (Girls’ Public Day School Co. Limited), Maison Dieu road, for 160 pupils, is a structure of red brick, erected in 1888 at a cost of £3,419.

Municipal School of Art, Science & Technology & Secondary School for Boys & Girls, Ladywell, founded in 1870, Sir W. Knocker C.B. town clerk.

Dover National (boys) (Higher Grade & Lower), Queen street, built in 1820, for 850 boys; average attendance, 620; (girls & infants) Princes street, for 234 girls & as many infants; average atendance, 234 girls & 218 infants.

Christ Church National, Military road (boys), built in 1882, for 240 boys; average attendance, 230; mixed (girls & infants), built in 1842, for 365 children; average attendance, 320.

Christ Church (infants), Belgrave road, built in 1894, for 273 children; average attendance, 187.

Charlton National, Granville street (boys), built in 1878, for 250 boys; average attendance, 200; (girls’ & infants) Frith road, built in 1884, & enlarged in 1897, for 300 children; average attendance, 210.

Holy Trinity, Elizabeth street, built in 1867, for 625 children; average attendance, 130 boys, 165 girls & 190 infants.

Buckland, Barton road, built in 1897, for 420 boys, average attendance, 404.

St. Andrew’s, London road, Buckland, built in 1859, & enlarged in 1883, & further enlarged in 1898, for 425 girls & 340 infants; average attendance, 250 girls & 209 infants.

St. Bartholomew’s (boys), Widred road, built in 1880—1, & enlarged in 1887 for 292 boys; average attendance, 257; (girls & infants) Tower street, for 240 girls & 192 infants; average attendance, girls 221, infants 197.

St. James’, St. James’ street, built in 1849, for 200 boys, 161 girls & 136 infants; average attendance, boys 134, girls 130 & infants 122.

St. Mary’s (infants), Chapel place, built in 1870, for 100 children; average attendance, 67.

Catholic, Maison Dieu road (mixed & infants), for 250 children; average attendance, 190.