In 1887, John Bartholomew's Gazetteer of the British Isles described Sandwich like this:
Sandwich.-- mun. bor. and cinque port, Kent, on river Stour, 4 miles from the sea at Pegwell Bay, 13 miles N. of Dover, and 78 miles E. of London by rail - cinque port (including Fordwich, Deal, Walmer, Ramsgate, Sarre, and Brightlingsea), 6961 ac., pop. 35,627; bor., 706 ac., pop. 2846; 2 Banks. ...
Market-days, Wednesday and Saturday. Sandwich rose into importance as the ancient town of Richborough decayed from the receding of the sea. It was made a cinque port by Edward the Confessor; was the royal port for the navy from the Conquest until the time of Richard II.; and continued to be a port of great note until the reign of Edward VI., when the harbour became choked up with sand. Since 1847 the harbour has been improved, and trade has consequently revived. Shipbuilding is carried on to some extent; and there are brewing, malting, tanning, oilmaking, and the manufacture of coarse linens. Sandwich returned 2 members to Parliament until 1885, when it was disfranchised.
Sandwich through time
Sandwich is now part of Dover district. Click here for graphs and data of how Dover has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Sandwich itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Sandwich, in Dover and Kent | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/891
Date accessed: 23rd April 2024
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