THE DOVER EXPRESS AND EAST KENT NEWS—FRIDAY, MAY 31, 1901.

II. MARTIN.

Including the Mill, the Railway Station, and the Waterworks.

Martin, of to-day, is well known by its Mill, its Railway Station, and its Waterworks, but anterior to the existence of either of these landmarks, history has interesting records of this hamlet.

A Look Round Martin.

Before we proceed to disturb the dust of bygone centuries, let us arouse interest in the place by a look round it. Alighting from the train at Martin Mill Station, on the Dover and Deal Railway, we linger behind the London passengers, who requisition all the available wheel vehicles to carry them to St. Margaret’s Bay, and when the bustle of their departure is over, we glance at the surroundings; the pretty station, with ample reserve land for future development, the busy branch line crowded with Pearson and Son's laden trucks for the Dover Admiralty Harbour Works, the time-worn windmill which gives the station its name, the Station Inn kept by host Gage, a pretty new house of call brought into existence by the advent of the railway, a cluster of new villas along the East Langdon-road, some old ones down in the bottom towards the Deal-road, where Martin Cross marks our boundary. Turning in the opposite direction, the ancient hamlet of Martin stands on the rising ground, approached by a lovely lane which dives under the railway, and then up a long ascent, between hedgerows where the wild flowers that bloom in the Spring are just now in their glory. Reaching the top, we are in the place known as Martin-street. At the entrance thereof is the village well, which, according to a board above it, is under the care of the Dover Rural District Council, and its Clerk, Mr. Eugene Carder. Curious to know the extent of its cool depth, we interrogated the rising generation of Martin, but their minds were a blank on that print, although, judging from their intelligent faces, they could have told us the height of the Pyramids or the distance across the Strait s of Dover. Taking a rough guess from the coil of wire rope on the windlass, the well might be 150 feet deep, but the matter is not of great practical importance, for it seems to be little used, the modern waterworks apparently supplying the need that made this well of water in the past so indispensable. Leaving well alone, we turn to admire the romantic confusion in which the Martin houses are dotted about, a method of arrangement which the modern bye-laws of the District Council would not now tolerate. Under a glorious canopy of copper beech stands what may be termed the Grand Plas of Martin—the residence of Mr. George Jeken, Chairman of the District and Parish Councils. Near by on one hand are some substantial houses of brick and tile, which probably were built more than a century ago, and, over the way, is displayed a stucco frontage and bow windows of modern date. Other dwellings are set about, here in a nook and there in a dingle. One ivy-crowned thatched cottage is sufficiently romantic to compel a poet to stand and deliver a son not on the spot, while another, snugly thatched but minus the ivy, is approached by a sweet scented avenue of jilly flowers. There is the weather worn sign of the Wheatsheaf, with but very little sign of consumers of malt liquors thereabouts, and everywhere are traces of old associations which must have entwined themselves around the hearts and memories of those who have been born and bred in the place.

A Bit of Martin History.

So much for what is observable on the surface; and now for a little dive into history. The name of the hamlet is to-day spelt Martin, in old guide books it is Marten, and further back it is Martou and Merton, while three centuries ago it was called Marshtown. Philipott, writing about this place some 200 years ago, said it was so called because of its low and marshy situation, but if that writer had visited the place he would have found that it was neither low nor marshy, and he would have also discovered that it was so named from its having been the place of residence of the Marsh family for many centuries. In the time of Henry V. the name was written Atte Mersh. Two hundred years later it was written simply Marsh, there being in East Langdon Church a monument to Thomas Marsh, gent, of Marton, obit. 1634. The branches of the Marsh family at Brandreds and Nethersole descended from the Marshes whose ancient seat was for centuries at Martin. The Marsh mansion, in a ruinous state, was more than a hundred years ago purchased by Mr. James Jeken, who was at that time occupying Court Lodge, Oxney, and was the lay rector of that little parish, and received the tithes thereof. The old Marsh residence, when Mr. Jeken bought it, was only partly standing, and that was built with brick and stone, but did not exhibit any special architectural features or the marks of great antiquity. Mr. Jeken pulled the whole of it down, and built on its site a residence for himself, which is the residence of the Jeken family to-day. Martin never had a church, and in ancient times the corn tithes were appropriated by St. Augustine’s Monastery, and when that was suppressed, the tithes went to the Masters’ family, of East Landon Court, and, subsequently they were purchased by Mr. John Jeken, of Oxney, and they were in turn inherited by Mr. James Jeken, who, as before mentioned, settled at Martin.

Martin during the Last Century.

Until the railroad came to Martin Mill, Martin made very little progress. There were 15 houses there in the year 1790, and excepting those built round the new railway station, the number had not much increased in 1901. Beyond agricultural pursuits the place had no industries except a carpenter’s shop. It used to have a fair on old May Day, but it has ceased to be held.

A Manufactory at Martin.

In the year 1790, however, there was an institution established in Martin-street for the employment of the poor of the parishes of East and West Langdon, St. Margaret’s, Oxney, Great and Little Mongeham, Sutton, Ripple, and West Cliff. Between forty and fifty persons found work in this establishment in spinning and weaving linen, sacking and sheeting. For several years this manufactory was very successful. As time went on some of the parishes joined other combinations, and it ceased to be used when the Poor Law Union’s Act came into operation in the early part of the last century. The premises are now labelled Prospect Place.

The Story of the Windmill.

In enumerating the industries of Martin, something should be said of Martin Mill. Situated in a well elevated spot, the arms of this ancient mill have waved in response to the winds for many generations, signalling to the farmers to bring in their corn and take it back as meal. Some thirty years ago this mill passed into the hands of Mr. T. Ellson, its present proprietor. In the “forties” it was the property of Mrs. Ann Stanger, and, later, it passed to John Stanger, whose sons had a taste for other avocations, and the mill passed from the family to its present proprietor in 1871. But in the midst of these changes the mill, unchanged, has rattled round year in and year out, doing its daily task when the wind served and waiting with patience when it did not, and to this mill has been closely associated for nearly fifty years the miller, Robert Hopper, who is nearly as familiar in the village as the mill. He is not a great talker, but his memory is clear. Within sight of Martin is another windmill at Swingate. “That was not there when I first came here,” said the miller of Martin. “Ah, this was a good country all round, plenty of farms and plenty of grinding; aye, and plenty now, in spite of the fact that the water mills and steam mills, of course, have things we haven't got. Improvements? Yes, there have been a few here since I came. That outer part built round the bottom wasn’t there—only just the mill. Then we had only sail cloth over the arms, and we had to look out in a stormy gale, but now we have the things to open to regulate it. A big wind makes no difficulty, but we haven't the wind we used to have. These buildings round make more difference than you’d think. We do a lot of work, keep three pairs of stones going; busy enough, I can tell you, we are at times, when there’s wind, but dull enough when there’s none.”

The Railway Station.

The next Martin industry to be mentioned is the railway station. The buildings are not extensive, but there is ample room within the railway enclosure for more sheds and sidings, the Company having an idea when the line was opened 20 years ago that St. Margaret’s, a growing place, would make large demands for accommodation. That expectation has not been realised to its full extent, owing to the long stretch between the station and that rising watering place. Nevertheless, within the last few years there has been a considerable advance, and Martin Mill Station is becoming busier. More especially has this been the case since Messrs. Pearson and Son made their branch railway from Martin Mill to East Cliff to convey materials from Sandwich and elsewhere for the new Admiralty Harbour at Dover. They have some 90 trucks a day going through to the branch line, and this keeps Mr. F. W. Jones, the Martin Mill Station Master, and his limited staff pretty well alive. There is also a good deal of coming and going in connection with the Bay, making things quite lively in the summer season.

Martin Waterworks.

Last on the list, in the way of industries, comes the Martin Waterworks. This enterprise is a Godsend to the whole district, not that it employs many hands, but the water that it supplies is a boon and a blessing, highly appreciated in this arid chalky district, where the water for domestic purposes has had to be obtained from rain water tanks, or drawn up laboriously from deep wells. These waterworks are situated on an elevated breezy spot on the northern margin of Martin, the little settlement with its corrugated iron engine-houses, sheds and dwellings, looking a replica of Johannesberg in its early days. Though modestly equipped, at present those works evidently have a future which will demand extensions, for the mains from this source of supply are already laid to all the surrounding villages, as well as to the rising watering place of St. Margaret’s and the new building estates that are being laid out there. As buildings increase in the several parishes, more pumping power and larger reservoirs will, no doubt, be needed at these works, which are in a very suitable distributing centre, but sufficient for to-day is the present provision, and as the district grows the increasing revenue will amply recoup for all development, for did not Cowper write sound financial wisdom in his lines:

“A business with an income at its heels

Should always furnish oil for its own wheels."

We must now say to Martin au revoir; to such an interesting place it is too hard to say good-bye.