PRE-CONSTRUCT ARCHAEOLOGY
 
The building and foreshore at New Romney, reconstruction by Jake Lunt-Davies

The Sea and the Marsh The Medieval Cinque Port of New Romney revealed through archaeological excavations and historical research

By Gillian Draper and Frank Meddens, with Philip Armitage, Geoff Egan, Damian Goodburn, Chris Jarrett and Ian Riddler, PCA monograph 10

PCA Monograph No.10 Today New Romney sits a couple of miles inland from the sea but, in common with many towns along this stretch of coast, was once a thriving seaport. Archaeological excavations here by Pre-Construct Archaeology recovered a remarkable assemblage of metal finds and identified evidence for medieval occupation, fishing and seafaring on the long beachfront at the northeastern end of the town.

Crucial to its medieval success, the sea also contributed to the town’s ultimate decline- a series of calamitous storms ravaged this part of the coast particularly through the 13th century. The strand area was seriously ravaged by these storms, as dramatically demonstrated in the archaeological record, the harbour began to silt up, the settlement became land-locked and the community turned to the marsh, and the grazing of sheep, for its income.

This publication investigates the relationship between town and sea by presenting the results of archaeological excavations alongside a much broader historical background to the town. New Romney’s role as a Cinque Port, its early development, street layout, government, welfare provisions and its connections with licensed piracy are all explored through contemporary sources and standing building evidence.

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