Notes relating to the history of the city of Rochester.
Notes about the history of the Anglo-Saxon city.
This file contains a collection of 55 charters relating to property in and around the city, dating from between c. 1120 and c. 1230. When I first put it together, several years ago, I expected it might form an appendix in a book that I thought of writing. The idea was that the book would focus on the city in the narrowest sense of the word, shifting emphasis away from those grand features of the medieval townscape – bridge, cathedral, castle – which tend to attract most attention. Unhappily I could never decide quite what the book should say. Some of the details had an interest of their own; but I did not see how to assemble them to make a bigger picture. Time has passed, and I no longer have any thought of writing that book. But I post this file here nevertheless, in the hope that it may save somebody else some work. Apologies for the absence of an index. The second file, intended as an introduction to the first one, contains some notes on the manuscript material in question. (In particular, I would recommend reading the section which deals with the adventures of the dean and chapter’s muniments between 1649 and 1664.)
Notes on the three earliest royal charters granted to the citizens of Rochester – a charter of Henric II which does not survive, and two charters of Henric III which both survive as duplicate originals in the city’s archive.
Commentary on the entries in the great rolls of the exchequer, 1185–1280, relating to the farm of the city of Rochester.
Excerpts from the great rolls of the exchequer, 1185–1280, relating to the farm of the city of Rochester.
A list of the keepers of the city and castle of Rochester, 1280–1419. Throughout this period, Rochester was governed by a keeper or warden, who was appointed for life and answered only to the king.
Notes on the strengthening of the city’s defences undertaken at the king’s expense in 1225–6. This is when a ‘great ditch’ was dug ‘around the city’.
Notes on the reconstruction of the city’s defences begun in 1397, but discontinued soon afterwards. This is when the surviving east wall was built.
This is my third attempt (my last attempt also, I am sure) to make sense of the archaeological evidence on the south side of the city – the side, that is, where the defences of the city intersected with the boundary walls of the priory. I think I have finally seen my way to a satisfactory conclusion. The second file contains transcripts of the relevant documents.
A plan of the monastic precinct, in the shape that I suggest it had circ. 1344, just before the monks volunteered to refortify their corner of the city. (Some of the modern buildings are marked in red; their distribution can be taken to bear a partial resemblance to that of the medieval buildings.)
Notes about Stukeley’s drawing of an exposed stretch of the Roman wall, shown to him (it seems) by Dr. Thorpe.
Some newspaper reports of archaeological discoveries made at Rochester in 1861.