Printed and Published at the Dover Express Works. 1916.

TO BE FORMATTED

ANNALS OF DOVER.
SECTION TWO.
THE PORT OF DOVER
V. THE MAKING OF THE GREAT PENT.

In the twenty-fifth year of Queen Elizabeth's reign
steps were taken towards providing a harbour with sheltered
landing quays, the (Jueen granting for that purpose the dues
to be raised by exporting 30,000 quarters of wheat, 10,000
quarters of barley, and 4,000 tuns of beer; she also granted,
by Act of Parliament, for seven years, dues on all British
ships passing Dover, whether they used the harbour or not.

The financial part of the project having in that way
been settled, the Queen, in 1582, appointed a Commission
to carry out the works, consisting of Lord Cobham (the
Lord Warden), Sir Thomas Scott, Sir James Hales, Thomas
Wootton, Edward Boys, Thomas Andrews (Mayor of Dover),
Richard Barry (Lieutenant of the Castle), Henry Palmer,
Thomas Digges, Thomas Welford, and William Partridge,
Esquires. Mr. Thomas Diggs, who designed the works,
was an engineer of experience and ingenuity. He made a
variety of plans, the most ambitious of the set being a plan
to enclose the Bay from Archcliff up to the Mote Bulwark.
Finally, adopting a smaller area, he decided to use that
part of Henry VlIL's Pier, which had been finished, as the
south-western boundary of the Harbour. The extension of
the Pier which that King had commenced to build 1,400 feet
beyond the Black Bulwark was, when Diggs formed his
plans, quite useless, all under water, some part resthig on
solid chalk, and the other part on a very bad foundation.
It was proved by evidence taken at the High Admiral's
Inquiry " That the great rocks that were sunken by King
Henry VIII. do lie there, and are not removed by the
violence of the sea, but by the wearing of them, or looseness
of the ground under them, have sunk somewhat lower and
lower." The part of the pier near the shore was in fairly
good condition, but the harbour within it was choked up
with shingle. The problem to which Thomas Diggs devoted
himself was to so use the l)ack water of the river as to sluice
out that shingle and keep the harbour clear. He found
under the cliff above the harbour a pool of standing water
impounded by the shelf of beach, twelve feet at least higher



54 ' AMNALS OF DOVER

than the sea at low water. This pool he resolved to raise
higher by building walls, and to use the pent-up water to
scour the haven's mouth.

Nearly two years were spent in deciding how the work
should be done, and in convincing the Privy Council that
the work, when finished, would answer the purpose intended.
The first undertaker, named John True, proposed to build a
wall of stone, from the water-gate in Townwall Street down
to the stump of Henry Vlll.'s Pier, and, afterwards, to
divide off the upper part of the enclosure with a wall, con-
taining sluice gates ; but, before he had laid a single stone,
he was dismissed, owing to the great expense of h's methods
He had, meanwhile, prepared a large quantity of stone in a
quarry at Folkestone, which was left there.

Next came Ferdinando Poins, a Dutch engineer, skilled
in building embankments against the sea. He was strongly
supported by Mr. Thomas Andrews, the Mayor, and had
done important works on the embankments of the Thames
at Erith and Woolwich. His plan was to build the Pent
with earth walls, but as he could give no estimate of the
cost, nor of the time the work would occupy, he, too, was
dismissed.

Then two shii>buildcrs, named Pett and BalvCr, proposed
to enclose the Pent with wooden walls, but their plan would
have used up 7,000 tons of timber, and the cost would have
been enormous, so that was discarded.

Then Sir Thomas Scott proposed to enclose the Pent
un the Romney Marsh plan, and employ Marsh men, who
were expert in such work, promising that he would complete
the work effectually during one summer, and at a far less
cost than any one el.se had estimated. His proposal was
accepted, and he commenced to make the Penr on the 13th
day of May, 1583.

The plan of the work was a long wall starting from
the shore in front of the town (where the bottom of liver-
pool Street now is), and extending, like the string of a bow,
across the arc of the bay to a point where the Wellington
Bridge now is, the length of the Long Wall being i,q8o feet.
From its western end started, at a right angle, a wall extend-
ing to the shore, under the Western Heights Cliff, called the
Crosswall, 660 feet in length, on the site now occupied by
Union Street. The l(jng wall was 70 feet wide at the base,
and 40 feet to the top, and the Crosswall 90 feet at the



THE PO]RT OF DOVEft 95

base and 50 feet at the top, the cubic measurement of the
whole being 140,800 square yards. The material used was
chalk from the cliffs, earth from the adjoining fields, sludge
from Henry Vlll.'s choked-up harbour, the whole armed
and bound together, after the Romney dyke style, with
faggots, thorn and piles. The earth was obtained from two
and a half acres of land near Archcliff, and from a place
called Horsepool Sole, between Laureston Place and Ashen
Tree Lane. The chalk was obtained from the nearest cliffs,
so that a cart could bring about seventeen or eighteen loads
a day ; v.'hile of earth they could bring but about twelve.
The sludge was all obtained close at hand from about the
harbour.

The following narrative of the making of the Pent is
taken, somewhat abbreviated, from an article in Hollings-
hed's history, written by Mr. Reginald Scott: —

"On the 15th of Ma)', 1583, when carts, which, by proclamation
made one month before in divers market towns, were to come to begin
the works, there were 542 carts and 1,000 workmen attending them.
The carts and horses were so numerous that grazing ground as far
out as Shepherdswell was used to turn out the horses to feed on
nights and Sundays, for there was no Sunday work in making the
Pent. Owing to tlie muUitude of carts assembled, it was thought
meet to enter on the execution of both walls simultaneously, and to
divide the carts into two parts, Richard Barry, Esq., Lieutenant of
Dover Castle, undertaking the oversight of the Longwall, as Sir
Thomas Scott did the Crosswall, so that the one was Sir Thomas
Scott's wall, and the other the Lieutenant's wall ; and certainly they
might well be so termed in respect of the care and costs empkn'ed
upon them by those gentlemen. Sir Thomas Scott dwelt twelve
long Kentish miles from Dover, vet did he seldom fail to come from
his hou-;e to the beginning of his work every Monday morning while
the walls were in hand, and from that day until Saturtlay evening,
when he returned home, he came first to the walls and departed last.
He lay in one John Spritwell's house, who kept an inn in Dover
called the Oreyhound, and there did he, his followers, and servants,
together with Master Lieutena-nt and his company, receive their diet
at a dear hand, for, although the Castle stands within a quarter
of a mile of the work, yet was the Lieutenant's industry and charge
such that he and his servants did never return home from five
o'clock in the morning until after supper. Sir James Hales was the
Treasurer of the work; Sir Thomas Diggs, general surveyor; and
certain of the jurats of the town were, two at once, daily assigned
to be directors to see to the setting forth of the carts, not refusing their
allowance, which was eightpence per day. The carting was carried on
thus. There were eight men called guides, standing at eight several
stations, or places of danger, to guide and help the drivers distressed
with their cattle or carts, and to hasten them forward, and these
guides had eightpence the day. There attended also at the walls
eight men called untingers, to undo the tackle of the carts immediately



96



ANNALS OF DOVER



before the unloading thereof, and they were allowed eightpence the
day. Then were there also eight shelvers, who pulled down the carts
to the place where it was needful to unload, and these were chosen
of the strongest and nimblest men, having tenpence per day. There
were also eight tingers whose special office it was to lift up the carts
immediately after they were unloaded, and to make fast their tackle,
for the drivers hasted forth without making any stay, and these had
eightpence per day. The number of labourers who were to shovel
and lay even the earth, chalk and slecch when unloaded, was uncer-
tain ; the}- had trom sixjience to eightpence per day. A great many
Romney Marshmen were assigned to lay the sleech on the sides of the
walls ; they were called scauelmen, and they had twelvepence the day.
There were also beetlemen, who served to beat the sicech to the sides
of the walls, to break the great pieces of chalk laid on the walls, and
to work in the earth close together, having for their wages eight-
pence the day. Many marsh' men were appointed to arm the sides
of the walls after they were sleeched, and had twelvepence and some
lifteenpence the day. The arming was done in this manner.
Beginning at the foot of the wall, they laid down a row of faggots,
through every one of which they drove a needle or stake about iour
feet long, having a hole, called the eye, at the great end; then did they
edder it with thorne, and lastly drove a key, that is, a wooden wedge,
one foot and a half long, through the eye of the needle to keep down
the edder which held down the faggots. There was a purveyor
appointed to provide the faggot, thorne, needles, keys, etc, who
for his horse and himself was allowed every day he travelled 2S. Everv
cart wa.s filled over night, and in the morning at six o'clock they all
approached orderly to the place where the wall should be made. The
first driver was chosen to be a diligent person, and his cart to have a
good gelding, for as he led the dance so must they all follow. When
the first cart came nigh to the place where it should unload, one un-
tijiged it, and when the tail of the cart was turned to the water's side the
slielver jjlucked down the loa<l, the driver never staying, but going
forth for a new lead, the tinger running after him, pulls up the cart,
fastens the tackle, and then with all speed doeth likewise to another,
until the whole course of carts, usually about 200 at one place, being
unloaded. So favoured were the workers, that there was not lost in
all that summer, by means of foul weather, above 3J days ; and in
all this business not one person slain, and vet in almost every
action there was imminent danger, particularly in laying the sluice in
the Crosswall ; also, many times men in digging the chalk stood on the
clifiF and undermined it so, as sometimes a hundred loads fell down at
once from under their feet, and somtimes from above their heads; yet
all escaped without hurt, except two persons upon whom great chalk
rocks and much abundance of earth did fall, and )-et were recovered
without loss of life or limb. In the passage, also, of the carts,
if by chance either man or boy had fallen down amongst
them (as sometimes some did), the hill was so steep in places
and the carts so swift, that there could be no stay made, or
the carts would run over one another; and yet no great harm
happened in that way. A carL laden with earth passed over the
stomach of a driver, and yet he was not hurt at all thereby. And one
thing more is to be noted, this is, that in all this time, and amongst
all these people, there was never any tumult, fray, or falling out



TH£ POkT OF DOVER gy

to the disturbance of the works. They never ceased working the
whole day, saving that n o'clock before noon, as also at 6 o'clock
in the evening, there was a flag held up by the Sergeant of the town
on the top of a tower, and presently, on the sign given, was a general
shout made by the workers, and wheresoever a cart was at that in-
stant, empty or loaded, there it was left till i o'clock of the afternoon,
or 6 o'clock in the morning. But by the space of half an hour before
the " flag of liberty " was hung out, all the drivers entered into a song,
whereof the ditty was barbarous, and the note rustical, being delivered
by the continual voices of such a multitude, was very strange. The
words thereof were these : —

" O, Harry, hold up thy flag, 'tis eleven o'clock,

And a little, little, little, little past ;

My bow is broke, I would unyoke,

My foot is sore, I can work no more."
As an exception to the general good fortune attending the
making of the Pent, it may be metioned that on the 27th day of July,
being St. James's Day, the very day when the Cross-wall and the
Long-wall met, and were in eifect finished, both being brought above
high-water mark, Sir Thomas Scott, the principal pillar of the work,
fell sick upon the walls, and was conveyed thence in a waggon to his
house, where he remained six weeks more likely to die than to live.
During Sir Thomas Scott's illness, the heightening of the walls two
feet above high water mark was continued and finished by the middle
of August, so that in the space of three months, the great work was
completed at the small cost of _,f2,700."

Three years after the Pent was finished, says a con-
temporary writer, the walls and sluices were so perfect that
'' a full pent shrinketh not any whit betwixt tide and tide."
He further stated that the sluicing power of the Pent fully
answered expectations in keeping the harbour mouth clear
during the three years following its completion, and further
illustrates the point by stating that in October, 1586, one
gate of the sluice was accidentally broken, and in less than
four davs the mouth of the haven was choked up, so that
an ambassador desiring to cross from Dover to France, had
to send for a ship from Sandwich, because no vessel could
enter or leave Dover Harbour ; yet, on the next tide after
the sluice gate was repaired, one pent full of water had so
scoured the channel that a 300-ton vessel easily did pa.ss in
and out.

According to other writers, the Pent showed two great
defect.s — the I_.ong Wall (alongside the present Ordnance
Wharf) was unable to resist the rough sea, which made a
breach there, and the sluicing power of the Pent failed to keep
the harbour mouth open. These two points detract nothing
from the credit due to those who, by wonderfi 1 organisation
and energy, enclosed the Pent at .s(^ small a cost and in so



98 ANNALS OF DOTER

short a time. The breach in the Long Wall might easily
have been remedied by the same means by which the wall
was originally built, and the failure of the original sluices
arose from later harbour makers placing the mouth of the
harbour further seaward at too great a distance from the
sluices for them to be effective.

The object of constructing the Pent being to clear the
harbour of the shingle and silt that barred ifs entrance, it
was found that when the harbour mouth was finally carried
out to where the entrance to the old harbour still is, other
works were necessary to shoot the sluicing water directly
against the bar. To do this Mr. Uiggs made a culvert from
the Pent along the line now occui)ied l)y Strond Street, and,
near the south end of that street, constructed a pair of
flood-gates twenty-four feet wide and seventeen feet high,
from whence he built a stone sluice to deliver near the bar.
Beside the flood-gates he erected an engine-house containing
machinery for working the flood-gates expeditiously ; and,
as Mr. Diggs thought that this would be the crowning work
which would effectually remove the troubles of Dover Har-
bour, he placed over the building an effigy of Queen
Elizabeth, the patron of the Port. After these gates were
built, Paradise Harbour was called " Paradise Pent."

This sluice did not end the troubles. The force of the
water was so great that it undermined the Black Bulwark
and Poin's droin, which then formed the mouth of the
Harbour. This made some outer works nece.ssary. Mr.
Diggs continued the Long Wall from the south-east corner
of the Pent down to the Harbour mouth, and this made
the outline of the harbour almost the same as the space
within the old pier-heads is now. The harbour then con-
sisted of three parts — the Great Pent, which was only a
reservoir ; the Paradise Pent, which was an adaptation of
the old Paradise Harbour for improving the sluicing power;
and a large tidal basin extending from the line of Strond
Street and Clarence Place to th j pier-heads, called " Great
Paradi.se Harbour." Excluding minor details, these works,
carried out under the direction of Mr. Diggs, completed the
harbour works of the Elizabethan Period.



THE PORT OF DOVER 99