The latest book to be written by Sittingbourne, Kent author John Clancy is entitled The Story of Sheppey and it has just been published by the History Press Ltd. John was invited to write the book, following his earlier work The Story of Sittingbourne and Milton Regis. 
      The Isle of Sheppey lies off the north Kent coast at the mouth of the River Medway in the Thames Estuary close to the Nore anchorage where several nationally important events took place. In the cold light of day it is hard to imagine that Sheppey is a mysterious and ancient place steeped in folklore, myth and legend. The island is a bleak and exposed place facing on to the North Sea and consists of the towns and villages of Queenborough, Sheerness, Minster, Eastchurch, Leysdown and several long-deserted hamlets, each of which are explored in separate chapters. Sheppey is a true island, separated from the mainland by a deep channel known as the Swale; it is not a river as many sometimes think; it’s tidal at both ends. The island’s history is long and complex, full of exciting episodes and far reaching influences, stretching back to when the island was formed millions of years ago in the delta of an ancient river that washed rich alluvial soil down to form London clay which preserved the fossilized remains of ancient fishes, birds, insects and plant life to become a valuable record of the island’s past.

Sheppey is connected to the mainland by a bridge at Kingsferry, the fourth such bridge to be erected there. Prior to the first bridge being built in 1861 by the London, Chatham & Dover Railway Company access to and from the island was by means of a ferry boat, one of three situated at Kingsferry, Elmley and Harty but the latter two were of lesser importance and short-lived. The Kingsferry boat was hauled from shore to shore by a cable measuring 140 fathoms (a nautical unit of measurement equal to six feet or 1.8metres). It was a flat bottomed vessel capable of taking up to four carts but most of its passengers would have been either on foot or on horseback as most commercial goods would have been transported by ship to Sheerness or Queenborough harbours. To maintain the ferry, the approach road and the sea wall those who lived in the area taxed themselves at 1d per acre for every ten acres of salt marsh they owned. There was a house that went with the job of ferryman who was obliged to ferry all passengers free of charge except on Palm Monday, Whit Monday, St James’ day and Michaelmas days when horsemen had to pay 2d and foot passengers 1d. On Sundays and after 8pm the ferryman could charge 6d for horsemen and 2d for foot passengers.

In 1402 Henry IV instructed that a roadway or causeway across the marshes should be built from Tremmode (Kingsferry) to Minster church, the cost of which should not be borne by the Court Leet. This roadway was a continuation of that which led directly from Iwade, along which pilgrims travelled to Minster Abbey; a favourite resting place for the pilgrims was Crittenden Fields, now part of Scocles Farm. At first the causeway was about four feet wide, ample for a packhorse but in later years it was widened to allow carts to be driven along it. 

The islanders have long been dependant upon this link with the mainland; without it they are isolated from the rest of Kent. They didn’t need it however in January 1776 when during a particularly harsh winter the Swale froze over; people could walk across with no difficulties. Stephen Rouse from Minster, a schoolmaster, clerk, lawyer and magistrate who meticulously kept diaries for some forty years, reported that in places the ice was at least five inches thick. William Hope, a Sheerness butcher drove a herd of fifteen sheep across the ice, and the Mayor of Queenborough, George Evans Baker walked back and forth over it with sixteen of his friends. By February, with no signs of a thaw the ice had to be cut away to allow the ferry to resume. It was not the only time this happened; it re-occurred in several successive years afterwards. 

During the reign of George III (1760-1820) there were several arctic-like winters. Rouse recorded that the Nore lightship was driven out to sea in 1789 and the ice stretched from the island to Essex as far as Red Sands, a group of off-shore sandbanks. The London passage boats and the ferry were delayed for several days and thousands of lobsters and whelks were frozen on the beach. The only other earlier record we have of this happening was in 1684 when there was a scarcity of bread during this particular winter and soldiers had to guard the carts carrying supplies to the garrison.

The Isle of Sheppey is nine miles long by four miles wide and has around 22,400 acres of land. The southern half of the island bordering on the Swale is largely marshland, constantly being built up by silting action. If it were not for dredgers keeping the channel open for shipping going to Ridham Dock, Sheppey would have joined mainland Kent long ago as happened with the nearby Isles of Thanet and Grain. Thanet was once separated from the mainland by the Wantsum Channel but after it silted up Thanet became part of the mainland. Grain too was once separate, cut off from the rest of Kent by the Yantlet Channel which connected the River Medway to the River Thames. Together these three channels offered mariners a safe, sheltered passage from the English Channel to London. Furthermore both Elmley and Harty, situated on Sheppey’s southern shoreline were also once separate islands, making Sheppey ‘an island of three islands’.

The northern coastline rises to almost 250 feet at Minster where the cliffs have been eroded for centuries. Many hundreds of acres of prime agricultural land and history have been lost to the sea but this constant erosion has had its good points. In 1770 Edward Jacob FRS of Nuts Farm, Leysdown published a book about his discoveries in the eroded cliffs. As the Geological Society was not formed until 1801 his work received little publicity until 1860 when Mr W.H. Shrubsole of Sheerness continued Jacob’s work from which it can be said the island’s history begins at the cliffs. Mr Shrubsole discovered the fossilized remains of elephants, crocodiles, large snakes and turtles as well as the remains of huge birds about the size of ostriches and other smaller birds as well as sharks, rays, sturgeon, an extinct genus of catfish, tunnies and eels, highlighting the fact that this part of England was once sub-tropical. The cliffs are still a rich hunting ground for keen geologists and fossil hunters. Mr Shrubsole was not a true Islander having been born in Faversham but despite this he was always considered to be one of Sheppey’s foremost citizens. When he died in 1927 at the age of 90 his obituary notice in Geological Magazine referred to his enthusiasm and perseverance in geological pursuits. He was the founder of the Sheerness Improvement Society and as well as his geological work, he taught music and singing.

            The earliest evidence of human occupation of Sheppey comes not from the cliffs at Minster however but from the marshes of Harty on the island’s southern shore. In 1879 a complete Bronze Age foundry workshop was discovered there with moulds, tools and knives. This collection of artefacts is now in the Ashmolean Museum. There is evidence of Saxon occupation at Harty and Queenborough; they called the island Scaepige, the island of sheep. Their earthworks at Harty took the form of a moat, which surrounds Sayes Court, offering a defensive position against any invaders who might use the Swale. The Queenborough site was probably a small farmstead surrounded by a ditch which was later developed into the castle that once stood near the railway station. The Saxons strongly fortified the whole coastline of Kent and the remains of many of their earthworks can still be seen. At this time the whole focus of the Isle of Sheppey was based on Minster, the centre of the island. In early Saxon times it was a fortified stronghold with a castle, the earthworks of which are still discernable in the centre of the village. Sheppey was regarded as the personal demesne of the early Saxon kings and continued to be so until the Norman Conquest and this is mentioned more than once in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles. Subsequent to the foundation of the kingdom of Kent in Saxon times, the county was divided into five divisions called Lathes. The Lathe of Scray, which is mentioned in the Domesday Book as “Wewarelest” is the division that includes Sheppey. These Lathes were originally drawn up by the Saxons in unequal divisions for organizing a more convenient system for the administration of justice and were sub-divided into Hundreds, which later became towns and boroughs; the Isle of Sheppey was incorporated into the Hundred of Milton. 

After a succession of seventeen kings Kent ceased to be an independent kingdom under Egbert who as Bretwalda, or head of the Saxon heptarchy became the first King of England. He was crowned at Winchester in AD 827. This is the first recorded mention of the Coronation ceremony in Britain. Following this, Kent was governed by a sub-king, a position similar to that of Viceroy which was traditionally held by the eldest son of the king; part of his title was “Earl of Sheppey”.  

Scattered across the marshes are small hillocks known locally as cotterels. Their origins are largely unknown and the antiquarian, Hasted dismissed them as “mere anthills”; however, some authorities now believe they were built as refuges for sheep and cattle when the marsh flooded. Another explanation of their origins is that they are the spoil heaps left over from ancient salt evaporation pans. Either seems perfectly plausible but there is absolutely no evidence to support Augustus Daly’s suggestion they are Danish burial mounds even though the Vikings did invade Sheppey.    

            The Roman occupation of Britain little affected Sheppey. They knew of the island, calling it Insula Ovinium, the isle of sheep. To date no villas have been found on the island and the only signs of their occupation have been found in the Abbey Church of Minster. It was probably a specula or lookout point which was later incorporated into the fabric of the church. This would have been manned by detachments brought in from the mainland as it does not seem likely the Romans resided on Sheppey; the island’s close proximity to Reculver at Herne Bay would obviate the necessity for a large outpost here. A kiln was discovered near Shellness in 1874 which had probably been used for burning shells, as well as several finds of Samian ware pottery, tiles and coins but there has not been any large significant finds to date. Once established here the Romans built a temple dedicated to Diana and Apollo, calling the place Regiaburga later renamed by the Saxons, Cyningburg which is now Minster. The Saxons used the same site for worshipping their Gods Woden, Thor, Saturn, etc.

            One of the earliest authenticated records that refers to Sheppey is Claudius Ptolemaeus’ book Geographike Huphegesis, published in AD 161 in which he refers to the island as Toliapis, seeing it as one of the gateways to the River Thames. Indeed the island occupies an important position at the mouth of the Rivers Thames and Medway, both of which could be classed as latter day motorways when water-borne travel was the preferred option. It was a strategically defensive position as well as a commercial port. Several invaders in the past used Sheppey as a springboard into mainland Kent and merchants and traders coming over from the continent would have stopped here before entering the river system.

The island has long been the home of many distinguished noblemen and had several notable manors. Following the Norman Conquest William divided the island up amongst his loyal followers like de Northwode, de Cobham, de Shurland, de Scepig, de Sauvage, de Peyforer and de Fiennes. Note the Normanized ‘de’ which certain lords adopted to show their allegiance to William. They each became pivotal characters in the history of Sheppey. de Shurland built a fortified manor house on the site of the old Viking fortress of Scipe, naming it Shurland Hall; de Borstle built Borstal Hall later renamed Gilbert Hall; de Fiennes built Sayes Court at Harty; and de Sauvage settled in Rushenden. The two principal manors were Shurland and Northwood of which more is mentioned in Chapters 1 and 2. These two manors adjoined each other but the two families never inter-married. It has been suggested both came from the same ancestors; even then the laws on consanguinity were very strict. Over a period of time these two manors often changed hands as family fortunes changed.

Many of Sheppey’s noblemen have played important roles in national affairs. Robert de Shurland, for example accompanied Prince Edward on a crusade to the Holy Land in 1271 and later, when Edward became king he took Robert to fight in Scotland where he knighted him for his gallantry. William de Northwood fought alongside Henry V at Agincourt and Harfleur in 1415 and he too was knighted for his gallantry. When Elizabeth I died in March 1603 Sheppey nobleman, Lord Hunsdon of Kingsborough Manor was dispatched to Scotland to notify her successor, James IV.

During the Commonwealth period of Oliver Cromwell many significant changes came into force and the island suffered considerably. The lords of the manor were deprived of their many privileges and had their military and civil powers taken away. Chivalry and feudal bonds were dissipated, and castles and manor houses were either partially or wholly dismantled. Cromwell saw them as a threat to his ill-conceived ambitions from where the outraged and loyal nobility could rise up against him. It was at this time Sheppey lost many of its fine old manor houses. Whereas Shurland Hall for example was only partially destroyed, Queenborough castle, once the pride and glory of the island was totally demolished. Could this have been done at the insistence of Sheppey regicides Sir Michael Livesey and Augustine Garland, of whom more is mentioned in Chapter 2? It’s thought to be likely. This was later found to have been a shortsighted policy which greatly contributed to a national disaster and humiliation when the Dutch attacked Sheppey, an incident detailed in Chapter 4.

In the Middle Ages most people were attached to one of the manors or the Abbey; there was a huge gulf between the employer and the employed. Most lords of the manor were knighted and it was their role to defend the island, and protect and care for their people in return for them working on the manor estate.  Whilst the implications of being the Lord of the Manor sounds rather grand it should be remembered that when most manor houses were first built they were little more than a single-roomed hall built of timber with wattle and daub walls. There was no natural supply of stone or brick on the island so when the Abbey was built, stone had to be imported from abroad.

By the reign of Henry VIII (1509-1547) the Medway had become a safe anchorage for his fledgling navy when it was laid up during the winter months. The river’s mud banks and good rise and fall of tide allowed the ships to be beached easily for cleaning and repair. The scouring action of the estuary tides and the river currents gave a depth of water off Sheerness that was ideal for berthing ships. Gradually Chatham became the largest of the royal dockyards and Sheerness became an important subsidiary for victualling, repairing and shipbuilding but after the new dockyard was built at Sheerness it became independent of Chatham.

Sheep have long been an important commodity to the islanders; whether they were indigenous to the island or had been imported is not known but in all probability they were a breed known as fat-tailed sheep. As well as their fine fleeces and the meat they produced there was also widespread cheese and butter production from the ewes’ milk. They even gave their name to the island, Sheppey. Another important local industry for the islanders was fishing. Weir nets were set along the coast and eeling was common. Both private individuals and ancient associations of local men dredged oysters on the estuary shores as well as in the Swale. The borough corporation once operated an oyster fishery at Queenborough.

The Isle of Sheppey has long had a close association with the beginning of aviation in this country. Short Brothers established their first aircraft factory at Leysdown and at Eastchurch the Royal Aero Club trained the first four navy pilots as well as awarding Lord Brabazon his pilot’s licence. This is studied in more detail in Chapter 8.

Today the island is a shadow of its former self with caravan parks covering much of its former agricultural land. The field where aviation was conceived is now a prison and the once important dockyard is little more than an industrial estate. The once riotous dockside area, Bluetown is now just a quiet backwater and all that remains are memories. The area connecting Blue Town to Queenborough was once a thriving community known as West Minster but that too has gone. It stood in the area of the gasometers and comprised of two blocks of houses built back to back. One of the streets, Montague Road faced the gasworks running almost the entire length of it whilst the other street was Cromwell Road which faced the railway line. The bulk and smell of the gasworks pervaded the community. As well as the houses and gasworks West Minster had two public houses, the Globe and the Medway Tavern, a post office, general store and a small gospel hall, the Bethel Chapel; its population was around 200. It suffered badly from flooding in February 1953 which marked the start of the community’s demise and today the gasometers are all that’s left; the surrounding waste land is used as a lorry park. The all-important abbey at Minster is the jewel in the crown of the Islands extensive history and is truly a place to visit. Alongside the beautiful Abbey stands the Abbey Gatehouse which in it's time was home to Sir Humphrey Gilbert the famous Elizabethan explorer. The Gatehouse now houses the much loved Minster Gatehouse Museum which is also a  fascinating place to explore with much awaiting discovery.    
      The Story of Sheppey is available, price £12.99, from Sheerness Heritage Museum, Fitch's newsagent's in the High Street, Rainham Bookshop and other outlets.