Godwin, who had been banished, came hither and burnt the palace and town to afhes. Milton church is a large, handfome building; there was a church in this place very early, for Sexburga, the toundrefs of the nunnery at Minster in Shepey, is faid to have expired in the church porch of Milton, about the year 680. It contains feveral ancient monuments of the Norwood family. The town is governed by a port-reeve, who is annually chofen on St. James's day. There is a good oyiter fishery in the Swale, belonging to this town; the oysters are much efteemed in London. A market was granted by king Edward I. in 1287, and continues on Saturdays. A fair is held on the 24th of May.-Within a mile to the east of the church is a large open field or marsh, called Kelmfley-down, derived, it is imagined, from Campfley-down, or the place of camps, becaufe there the Danes under Haftings, in 892, encamped on their arrival from France with eighty fhips. On the eatt fide of the down are the remains of a castle, faid to have been built at that time by thofe free-booters; it is now called Caftle-ruff. All that appears of this fortrefs at prefent, is a fquare piece of ground furrounded with a large moat. On the oppofite fide of Miltoncreek, and about half a mile north of Sittingbourn, are the poor remains of Bayford caltle, faid to have been raised by the good and vigilant king Alfred, to fecure the country from any future depredations of the Danes, after he had fo effectually routed haftings, as to oblige him to fue for peace, and to give his two fons, as hostages for the observance of it. The moat, and a small part of the east-wall are still visible. Between the 40 and 41ft ftones, is fituated the town of Sittingbourn, which is a poft-town, was formerly governed by a mayor, and had a market, neither of which it has at prefent. It has two fairs, one on Whit-monday, and the other on the 10th of October, at the laft of which fervants offer themfelves themselves to hire. The church is large and handfome, and had in it feveral ancient monuments, among which was that of Sir Richard Lovelace, marfhal of Calais, in the reign of Henry VIII. richly inlaid with brafs; but this with many others have been injured by a fire that burnt the infide and roof of the church in the year 1763. It is faid that there was an organ in it, about the time of queen Elizabeth. Phillipot fays, that in the year 1420, king Henry V. with his retinue, was entertained in Sittingbourn, by John Norwood, efq; when the bill for wine, amounted to gs. 9d. it being id. per pint. Bapchild.-Tong.-Tenham.-Green-ftreet. - Ofpringe.-Faverfbam.-Boughton under Blean.-Harbledown to CANTER BURY. ТНЕ the window of the church are, a pall, the arms of the fee of Canterbury, and other remains of painted glass. Archbishop Brightwald held a fynod here, in 692; in memory of which a chapel or oratory was erected: a stone wall about fixty feet long, on the north fide of the road, is the remains of this building, which was used as a resting place by the pilgrims who travelled to St. Thomas Becket's fhrine at Canterbury. Half a mile to the left of Bapchild, is the village of Tong, near which are the veftiges of an ancient castle, said to have been built by Hengift and Horfa, about the year 450: part of the fouth wall is difcernable within the large moat that furrounded furrounded the caftle. A corn mill has been erected on the moat for upwards of two hundred years: the courteous miller informed us, that in digging within the caftle, he found a brafs helmet and a few earthen urns. Near the 46th ftone is Tenham. Lambard fays it is fo named from having originally but ten houses. The church is large, with only a tower, but no steeple. There are remains of good painted glass in the windows. In this parish, to the right of the road, is Linfted-lodge, the feat of Henry Roper, iord Tenham. The 43d stone stands at the entrance of Green-street, a hamlet, in which is held a fair for cattle the 8th of May. Here was formerly the feat of the celebrated Apuldorfield, who, in the time of king Richard I. fo eminently distinguished himself in the holy war. His armour was hung up in the church of Lenham in this county. About ths of a mile north-eaft from Green-street is Castle-grove, in which are some vestiges of an ancient fortification. About a mile S. S. W. from Tenham church, on the left hand of the High road, is a field called Sand Downs, enclosed on all fides with a rifing bank, where is a large tumulus, fituated in the middle of a small wood, Near the 46th stone, on a pleasant eminence, is a manfion called Judd's houfe, built about the year 1652, by Daniel Judd, a committee man, and one of the fequeftrators: here was a manfion long before; the moat that almost surrounded it ftill continues. This feat is at present the refidence of James Flint, efq; who holds the eftate by leafe from the dean. and chapter of Rochester. Between the 46th annd 47th ftones is the village of Ofpringe, with a fream of clear fpring water running across it. On On the north-fide of the ftreet are fome faint traces of the Maison de Dieu, which was formely in great repute. It was founded by Lucas de Vienna, for the use of the knights templars. On the fouth fide of the street was an hofpital for lepers and diseased people, part of which ftill remains. It was fupported by the templars houfe. Ofpringe church is an old Gothic ftructure. The round flint tower, on which ftood the steeple, fell to the ground October 11, 1695. Half a mile to the left of of Ofpringe, is the fair and flourifhing fea-port town of Faversham, giving title to an extenfive hundred in the lath of Scray. It is fituated on a navigable arm of the Swale, into which runs a beautiful rivulet, arifing in the parish of Ofpringe, which affords a necessary backwater to the port or haven; the town principally consists of four long, fpacious and well-paved streets, forming a somewhat irregular cross, in the centre whereof ftands a convenient market-place, over which is the guild-hall; it contains four hundred and fixty houses, and two thousand five hundred inhabitants. Although the name of this town is certainly of Saxon original, yet, that it was inhabited by the Britons will fcarcely admit of a doubt, fince it is allowed, that the firft fettlement from the continent in Kent, was near a thousand years prior to the invafion of Julius Cæfar, and by late difcoveries it amounts to a certainty that it had a being in the time of the Roman power in Britain; a Roman burying-ground hath been very lately found at Davington, adjoining to the high road, and near the northern bounds of the liberty of the town, which contained upwards of twenty urns, and some other veffels of various fizes, and different coloured earths; befides feveral fingle urns dug up elsewhere in its environs, as well as fome medals of the Roman emperors, from the reign of Vefpafion to that of Gratian, in 811, it was denominated the king's town; about 892, when king Alfred divided this kingdom into counties and their fubdivifions, it was of fuch eminence eminence as to give title to the hundred in which it is fituated; and about the year 930, it appears to have been capacious enough to afford entertainment to king Athelstan and his great council, or parliament, of archbishops, bishops, and wife men, who met here to enact laws, and conftitute methods for the future obfervance of them. After the establishment of William the conqueror, this town was registered in doomsday; where, together with its manor, it continues to conftitute a part of the royal revenue; in this record mention is made of its market, said to be annually worth four pounds (equal at the very loweft affigned computation, to fixty pounds of our money) which is an undoubted proof that the town, at that early period, was a place of confiderable traffic and refort. Shortly after this, the faid king, in recompence for fome fignal fervices performed by his countryman William of Ipre, granted to him this town and manor, in whom and his defcendants it continued till the reign of king Stephen, who being greatly pleafed with the town, and defirous of erecting an abbey here, wherein he, his queen, and family might have their royal remains depofited, gave to the faid William of Ipre in exchange, his queen Maud's hereditary eftate with all its appertenances, for this town and manor; and in the year 1147, he caused an abbey to be built, which was dedicated to our faviour, and settled these, with some other eftates, upon the fame, to fupport an abbot and twelve monks, taken from the monastery of Bermondfey in Southwark, of the order of Cluniacs. Of this abbey, which for ages difpenfed its fting to all oppofers, and its honey, benedictions, and prayers, to all able purchasers, none of its extenfive buildings now remain entire, its two gates being lately taken down, after attempts to preferve them had proved fruitlefs, being, by age, become dangerous to paffengers. The external walis, with those of two or three skeletons of offices, unknown but by tradition, being all that are left. At |