![ChathamAmherst6614](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/ChathamAmherst6614.JPG)
Rochester is a town and former
city
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
in Kent, England. It is located at the
lowest bridging point
The lowest bridging point (or lowest crossing point) is the location on a river which is crossed by a bridge at its closest point to the sea.
Historically - that is, before the development of engineering technology that allowed the construction of ...
of the
River Medway
The River Medway is a river in South East England. It rises in the High Weald AONB, High Weald, East Sussex and flows through Tonbridge, Maidstone and the Medway conurbation in Kent, before emptying into the Thames Estuary near Sheerness, a to ...
about from London. The town's location is due to the bridge which carries the
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
Watling Street
Watling Street is a historic route in England that crosses the River Thames at London and which was used in Classical Antiquity, Late Antiquity, and throughout the Middle Ages. It was used by the ancient Britons and paved as one of the main R ...
(now the
A2) over the river.
Name
The source of the
Romano-British
The Romano-British culture arose in Britain under the Roman Empire following the Roman conquest in AD 43 and the creation of the province of Britannia. It arose as a fusion of the imported Roman culture with that of the indigenous Britons, a ...
name for Rochester, Durobrivae, has been a matter of some debate.
The name ''Durobrivae'' can be translated as "stronghold" or "fort" by the "bridge" or "bridges".
[Glover] This could have been the ''
oppidum
An ''oppidum'' (plural ''oppida'') is a large fortified Iron Age settlement or town. ''Oppida'' are primarily associated with the Celtic late La Tène culture, emerging during the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, spread across Europe, stretchi ...
'' (see pre-Roman history, below) or a pre-Roman fort. No such fort has been discovered by archaeologists, but much of the land has been disturbed by the succeeding two millennia of continuous occupation. Alternatively, ''Durobrivae'' may refer to a small fort set up by
Aulus Plautius
Aulus Plautius was a Roman politician and general of the mid-1st century. He began the Roman conquest of Britain in 43, and became the first governor of the new province, serving from 43 to 46 CE.
Career
Little is known of Aulus Plautius's ear ...
, the general in charge of the first phase of the
Roman conquest of Britain
The Roman conquest of Britain refers to the conquest of the island of Britain by occupying Roman forces. It began in earnest in AD 43 under Emperor Claudius, and was largely completed in the southern half of Britain by 87 when the Staneg ...
; it was not needed for long, as Kent was soon settled. More fundamentally, there was no bridge in AD 43.
[Marsh] The Romans did eventually bridge the river: see the article
Rochester Bridge
Rochester Bridge in Rochester, Medway was for centuries the lowest fixed crossing of the River Medway in South East England. There have been several generations of bridge at this spot, and the current "bridge" is in fact four separate bridges ...
. The Roman pioneers may even have initially built a pontoon bridge to supply the advancing army, replacing it with this permanent structure later.
The alternative explanation notes that ''Durobrivae'' was also recorded as ''Durobrovum'' and ''Durobrivis''. Either of these could be a Latinisation of the British word ''Dourbruf'' meaning "swift stream".
[Kellys]
The name is recorded as ''Durobrivis'' in around 730 and ''Dorobrevis'' in 844.
[ The first of these was pronounced as "Robrivis". ]Bede
Bede ( ; ang, Bǣda , ; 672/326 May 735), also known as Saint Bede, The Venerable Bede, and Bede the Venerable ( la, Beda Venerabilis), was an English monk at the monastery of St Peter and its companion monastery of St Paul in the Kingdom o ...
copied down the name, c730, mistaking its meaning as "Hrofi's fortified camp" (OE ''Hrofes cæster''). From this comes c730 ''Hrofæscæstre'', 811 ''Hrofescester'', 1086 ''Rovescester'', 1610 ''Rochester''.[
From Bede's time the name contained the ]Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
word ''castra
In the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, the Latin word ''castrum'', plural ''castra'', was a military-related term.
In Latin usage, the singular form ''castrum'' meant 'fort', while the plural form ''castra'' meant 'camp'. The singular and ...
'', which is present in the names of many cities that were once Roman camps (e.g. Chester
Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...
Latin ''Deva''). It is often assumed that Rochester was a fortified Roman town, but no evidence has been found of a formal fort. The Roman street pattern suggests that it was a line of shops and houses built alongside a road, the characteristic pattern of a ''vicus
In Ancient Rome, the Latin term (plural ) designated a village within a rural area () or the neighbourhood of a larger settlement. During the Republican era, the four of the city of Rome were subdivided into . In the 1st century BC, Augustus r ...
''. Systematic fortification did take place after AD 175 and this of course was well before Bede's time.[
The Latinised adjective ''Roffensis'' refers to Rochester.][
]
Ancient
Settlement in the area is first evidenced by the Neolithic
The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...
Medway megaliths, particularly Kit's Coty House
Kit's Coty House or Kit's Coty is a chambered long barrow near the village of Aylesford in the southeastern English county of Kent. Constructed ''circa'' 4000 BCE, during the Early Neolithic period of British prehistory, today it survives in a ...
. Within the area of Rochester itself Belgic Belgic may refer to:
* an adjective referring to the Belgae, an ancient confederation of tribes
* a rarer adjective referring to the Low Countries or to Belgium
* , several ships with the name
* Belgic ware
Aylesford-Swarling pottery is part of a ...
remains under the Roman levels were found in 1961 by R. E. Chaplin. Coin moulds suggest that this was a centre of some importance.
Celtic
Rochester was one of the two oppida
An ''oppidum'' (plural ''oppida'') is a large fortified Iron Age settlement or town. ''Oppida'' are primarily associated with the Celtic late La Tène culture, emerging during the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, spread across Europe, stretch ...
of the Cantiaci
The Cantiaci or Cantii were an Iron Age Celtic people living in Britain before the Roman conquest, and gave their name to a '' civitas'' of Roman Britain. They lived in the area now called Kent, in south-eastern England. Their capital was ''Dur ...
tribe, the western administrative centre of the Celtic kingdom (the other being their capital of Durovernum Cantiacorum
Durovernum Cantiacorum was a town and hillfort ( la, oppidum) in Roman Britain at the site of present-day Canterbury in Kent. It occupied a strategic location on Watling Street at the best local crossing of the Stour, which prompted a convergence ...
, modern day Canterbury
Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour.
...
). The Celtic trackway which became Watling Street probably passed through on roughly the current alignment: the geography of the Medway dictates the best crossing point.
Roman
Permanent Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
occupation began with the Claudian
Claudius Claudianus, known in English as Claudian (; c. 370 – c. 404 AD), was a Latin poet associated with the court of the Roman emperor Honorius at Mediolanum (Milan), and particularly with the general Stilicho. His work, written almost ent ...
invasion in AD 43. The precise route of the Roman advance has been debated; the army could have come along what is now the Pilgrim's Way
The Pilgrims' Way (also Pilgrim's Way or Pilgrims Way) is the historical route supposedly taken by pilgrims from Winchester in Hampshire, England, to the shrine of Thomas Becket at Canterbury in Kent. This name, of comparatively recent coinage ...
to Aylesford
Aylesford is a village and civil parish on the River Medway in Kent, England, northwest of Maidstone.
Originally a small riverside settlement, the old village comprises around 60 houses, many of which were formerly shops. Two pubs, a village s ...
or along Watling Street
Watling Street is a historic route in England that crosses the River Thames at London and which was used in Classical Antiquity, Late Antiquity, and throughout the Middle Ages. It was used by the ancient Britons and paved as one of the main R ...
to Rochester. The Medway crossing was opposed, resulting in the Battle of the Medway
The Battle of the Medway took place in 43 AD, probably on the River Medway in the lands of the Iron Age tribe of the Cantiaci, now the English county of Kent. Other locations for the battle have been suggested but are less likely. This was an ...
which was notable for taking two days, unusual for that period.
The Kentish oppidum
An ''oppidum'' (plural ''oppida'') is a large fortified Iron Age settlement or town. ''Oppida'' are primarily associated with the Celtic late La Tène culture, emerging during the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, spread across Europe, stretchi ...
was transformed into the Roman settlement of Durobrivae. Its layout establishes the present High Street and Northgate and Boley Hill.[ The Romans bridged the river at the same point as the present bridge, for Victorian engineers building the bridge discovered the Roman footings.][The Roman Bridge] There were nine piers of composite stone, timber and rubble construction. On top of the piers longtitudinal timber beams provided the actual bridging structure, with cross planking to form the road surface. They constructed a substantial causeway, wide, over the marshy ground on the Strood Side of the river, extending from the river to the present day Angel Corner.[
In more settled times, the combination of transport links and the fertile Medway valley became the basis of a developed agricultural economy. Compared to the rest of the country there was a marked abundance of ]Roman villa
A Roman villa was typically a farmhouse or country house built in the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, sometimes reaching extravagant proportions.
Typology and distribution
Pliny the Elder (23–79 AD) distinguished two kinds of villas n ...
s lining the valley from Rochester down to Maidstone. During the 190s systematic earthen fortifications were established which were replaced in stone during the 220s. Some of these stone defences are still extant.
In AD 407, the last Roman legion
The Roman legion ( la, legiō, ) was the largest military unit of the Roman army, composed of 5,200 infantry and 300 equites (cavalry) in the period of the Roman Republic (509 BC–27 BC) and of 5,600 infantry and 200 auxilia in the period of ...
s left Britain. Following severe Saxon
The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic
*
*
*
*
peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...
raids in 408 and 409, Honorius sent a letter in 410 to the cities of Britain urging them to look to their own defences. Later in 410, Rome itself fell. Although these dates mark significant changes, a protracted period of sub-Roman culture continued.
Medieval
Saxon
Following the withdrawal of the legions, the defences of the British kingdoms suffered. Eventually, in AD 449, the Jutish brothers Hengist
Hengist and Horsa are Germanic brothers said to have led the Angles, Saxons and Jutes in their invasion of Britain in the 5th century. Tradition lists Hengist as the first of the Jutish kings of Kent.
Most modern scholarly consensus now rega ...
and Horsa
Hengist and Horsa are Germanic peoples, Germanic brothers said to have led the Angles, Saxons and Jutes in their invasion of Great Britain, Britain in the 5th century. Tradition lists Hengist as the first of the Jutish kings of Kingdom of Kent ...
landed at Ebbsfleet or possibly Milton Creek
Milton Creek, is a waterway in Columbia County, Oregon, United States. It is long, rising in the Oregon Coast Range and emptying into Scappoose Bay – a slough of Multnomah Channel – one of the distributaries of the Willamette River where i ...
, possibly both. The Britons were defeated at Aylesford
Aylesford is a village and civil parish on the River Medway in Kent, England, northwest of Maidstone.
Originally a small riverside settlement, the old village comprises around 60 houses, many of which were formerly shops. Two pubs, a village s ...
, leading to the establishment of a Kingdom of Kent
la, Regnum Cantuariorum
, conventional_long_name = Kingdom of the Kentish
, common_name = Kent
, era = Heptarchy
, status = vassal
, status_text =
, government_type = Monarchy ...
uniting Jutes and Saxons. The town of Rochester became the centre of the Cesterwara Lathe. By the early 7th century Rochester boasted a market and a port reeve.
In AD 560, King Ethelbert of Kent came to the throne of Kent. Around AD 600 he promulgated a code of about 90 laws defining crimes and punishments. The code was regarded as sufficiently significant that in the twelfth century (over 500 years later) they were written down in the ''Textus Roffensis
__NOTOC__
The ''Textus Roffensis'' (Latin for "The Tome of Rochester"), fully titled the ''Textus de Ecclesia Roffensi per Ernulphum episcopum'' ("The Tome of the Church of Rochester up to Bishop Ernulf") and sometimes also known as the Annal ...
'', the "Book of he church ofRochester". Although the only surviving copy is the ''Textus'', the laws are referred to by both Bede and Alfred the Great
Alfred the Great (alt. Ælfred 848/849 – 26 October 899) was King of the West Saxons from 871 to 886, and King of the Anglo-Saxons from 886 until his death in 899. He was the youngest son of King Æthelwulf and his first wife Osburh, who bot ...
. Æthelberht's laws are thought to be both the earliest law code of any kind in any Germanic language and their wording the earliest surviving document in the English language.
In AD 597, Augustine of Canterbury
Augustine of Canterbury (early 6th century – probably 26 May 604) was a monk who became the first Archbishop of Canterbury in the year 597. He is considered the "Apostle to the English" and a founder of the English Church.Delaney '' ...
established the See of Canterbury
The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justi ...
, and in AD 604 sent Justus
Justus (died on 10 November between 627 and 631) was the fourth Archbishop of Canterbury. He was sent from Italy to England by Pope Gregory the Great, on a mission to Christianize the Anglo-Saxons from their native paganism, probably arrivin ...
to found a cathedral and become the first bishop in Rochester, indicating the interest in the area on the part of the Roman mission organized from Canterbury. The foundations of a small early Kentish church, under the later Norman cathedral, are identified as belonging to Justus's cathedral, dedicated to St. Andrew; the original cathedral was high and wide. The apse is marked in the present cathedral. Under the Roman system, a bishop was required to have at his see a school for educating suitable persons for the ministry.[Whitelock p189] In addition, to provide music a choir school was established which has become The King's School. The cathedral was served by secular canons
A canon (from the Latin , itself derived from the Greek , , "relating to a rule", "regular") is a member of certain bodies in subject to an ecclesiastical rule.
Originally, a canon was a cleric living with others in a clergy house or, later, i ...
, "a body of clergy who lived together but were unbound by any monastic rule". This contrasts sharply with the monasticism of the Celtic church one of the factors to figure in the struggle for control of the Church in England. It is notable that Bishop Felix of Burgundy
Felix of Burgundy, also known as Felix of Dunwich (died 8 March 647 or 648), was a saint and the first bishop of the East Angles. He is widely credited as the man who introduced Christianity to the kingdom of East Anglia. Almost all that is k ...
provided to Sigeberht of East Anglia
Sigeberht of East Anglia (also known as Saint Sigebert), (Old English: ''Sigebryht'') was a saint and a king of East Anglia, the Anglo-Saxon kingdom which today includes the English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. He was the first English king ...
"master and teachers according to the customs of Kent".[
England had become religiously unified following the ]synod of Whitby
In the Synod of Whitby in 664, King Oswiu of Northumbria ruled that his kingdom would calculate Easter and observe the monastic tonsure according to the customs of Rome rather than the customs practiced by Irish monks at Iona and its satellite ins ...
in AD 664; politically, though, it was still divided into a number of often warring kingdoms. Following the death of Penda of Mercia
Penda (died 15 November 655)Manuscript A of the ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' gives the year as 655. Bede also gives the year as 655 and specifies a date, 15 November. R. L. Poole (''Studies in Chronology and History'', 1934) put forward the theor ...
a period of turmoil had followed during which Surrey had been annexed by the Mercians. The first recorded act of Æthelred of Mercia
Æthelred (; died after 704) was king of Mercia from 675 until 704. He was the son of Penda of Mercia and came to the throne in 675, when his brother, Wulfhere of Mercia, died from an illness. Within a year of his accession he invaded Kent, wh ...
in AD 676 was to ravage Kent, destroying Rochester. Three reasons have been suggested for this attack: to prevent King Hlothhere of Kent from regaining control of Surrey, to seek revenge for the murder of the sons of Eormenred of Kent, or at the instigation of the kings of Essex who solicited the invasion in response to recent Kentish attempts to gain dominance over the East Saxons. The damage to the see of Rochester was so great that the incumbent bishop, Putta, retired from his diocese; his appointed successor, Cwichelm, also gave up the see "because of its poverty". The thrymsa The thrymsa () was a gold coin minted in seventh-century Anglo-Saxon England. It originated as a copy of Merovingian tremisses and earlier Roman coins with a high gold content. Continued debasement between the 630s and the 650s reduced the gold con ...
coinage had become debased so in the 690s it was replaced by silver coins known as sceattas
A ( ; ang, sceatt , ) was a small, thick silver coin minted in England, Frisia, and Jutland during the Anglo-Saxon period that normally weighed 0.8–1.3 grams.
History
Its name derives from Old English ', meaning "wealth", "money", and "coi ...
(probably called "pennies") struck in at least six mints including the one at Rochester. The coins continued in use until the 750s. Bede
Bede ( ; ang, Bǣda , ; 672/326 May 735), also known as Saint Bede, The Venerable Bede, and Bede the Venerable ( la, Beda Venerabilis), was an English monk at the monastery of St Peter and its companion monastery of St Paul in the Kingdom o ...
, in the ''Ecclesiastical History of the English People
The ''Ecclesiastical History of the English People'' ( la, Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum), written by Bede in about AD 731, is a history of the Christian Churches in England, and of England generally; its main focus is on the conflict be ...
'' (AD 730), records the name of the city as ''Hrofæscæstre'' (see the discussion above under Taxonomy). Sigered, a client king to Offa of Mercia, styled himself ''Rex Cantiae'' and granted land in Rochester to the bishop. Three years later, in 765, his successor Egbert gave more land and the charter was confirmed by Offa as overlord.
In AD 842 Rochester was sacked by invading Danes
Danes ( da, danskere, ) are a North Germanic ethnic group and nationality native to Denmark and a modern nation identified with the country of Denmark. This connection may be ancestral, legal, historical, or cultural.
Danes generally regard t ...
and was under siege again from them in AD 884. This time the town held out until relieved by King Alfred. In the 10th century Rochester had the right to mint coins (AD 930). The wooden bridge is mentioned in AD 960, though this may have been a rebuilding in timber using the Roman piers.[Rochester, The past 2000 years] Slightly later, during Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor ; la, Eduardus Confessor , ; ( 1003 – 5 January 1066) was one of the last Anglo-Saxon English kings. Usually considered the last king of the House of Wessex, he ruled from 1042 to 1066.
Edward was the son of Æth ...
's reign, various local estates were documented as having a duty to repair Rochester bridge. For instance: "The second pier belongs to Gillingham and to Chatham, and they have to provide planks for one pole
Pole may refer to:
Astronomy
*Celestial pole, the projection of the planet Earth's axis of rotation onto the celestial sphere; also applies to the axis of rotation of other planets
*Pole star, a visible star that is approximately aligned with the ...
and put three beams in position".
Norman
The events of 1066 initiated a period of change for Rochester. In 1067, William
William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
's half brother Odo
Odo or ODO may refer to:
People
* Odo, a given name; includes a list of people and fictional characters with the name
* Franklin Odo (born 1939), Japanese-American historian
* Seikichi Odo (1927–2002), Japanese karateka
* Yuya Odo (born 1990), J ...
was created Earl of Kent. During the period 1067–1076 Odo acquired land all over England including much of the land of the lands that once belonged to Rochester Cathedral
Rochester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an English church of Norman architecture in Rochester, Kent.
The church is the cathedral of the Diocese of Rochester in the Church of England and the s ...
. At the Trial of Penenden Heath
The trial of Penenden Heath occurred in the decade after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, probably in 1076, and involved a dispute between Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, half-brother of William the Conqueror and Lanfranc, Archbishop of Canterbury an ...
in that year the land was recovered. In 1077 Gundulf Gundulf and its variants (Gondulf, Gundulph, Kundolf, Gondulphus, Gundulfus, Gundolfo, Gondon) is a Germanic given name, from ''gund'', "battle", and ''wulf'', "wolf".
It may refer to:
*Gondulf of Provence, 6th-century duke and possibly made Bishop ...
was consecrated Bishop of Rochester.
One of the first acts Gundulf performed as Bishop was to found a hospital for the poor and leprous. Of the original buildings only the chapel survives, the new St. Bartholomew's Hospital
St Bartholomew's Hospital, commonly known as Barts, is a teaching hospital located in the City of London. It was founded in 1123 and is currently run by Barts Health NHS Trust.
History
Early history
Barts was founded in 1123 by Rahere (died ...
is of 19th century construction.
The cathedral was by now four and a half centuries old and had become derelict. Always under the ecclesiastical and financial shadow of Canterbury, by the end of Siward's episcopate (1058–1075) it was served by four or five canons "living in squalor and poverty". That it had remained secular is not in doubt; one of the canons, Æthelric, became priest of Chatham and made a gift to the cathedral for the soul and burial of Godgifu, his wife.
With the income from the restored lands Gundulf started to rebuild the cathedral in 1080 a little to the east of its previous site. The church had a threefold purpose: it became the heart of the new Benedictine priory of St Andrew's, it was the seat (''cathedra'') of the Bishop of Rochester and it housed the parochial altar of St Nicholas' which served the city. This first phase of the cathedral was complete by 1130. About five years earlier, the ''Textus Roffensis
__NOTOC__
The ''Textus Roffensis'' (Latin for "The Tome of Rochester"), fully titled the ''Textus de Ecclesia Roffensi per Ernulphum episcopum'' ("The Tome of the Church of Rochester up to Bishop Ernulf") and sometimes also known as the Annal ...
'' had been written. It contains the foundation charters of the cathedral and diocese, two copies of pre-Conquest Kent parishes and the Laws of Ethelbert (referred to above). The textus also contains a catalogue of the books in the cathedral library at that time. One hundred and sixteen volumes are named.[MacKean p6]
Odo had built the first castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...
at Rochester in 1067. After the trial of Penenden Heath he continued as Earl. However, in 1082 he fell from power, was disgraced and imprisoned. His English estates reverted to the Crown and he was stripped of the Earldom of Kent. William I on his deathbed was persuaded to release Odo and he returned to the earldom. He raised a rebellion against William Rufus
William II ( xno, Williame; – 2 August 1100) was King of England from 26 September 1087 until his death in 1100, with powers over Normandy and influence in Scotland. He was less successful in extending control into Wales. The third so ...
in support of William's brother Robert Curthose
Robert Curthose, or Robert II of Normandy ( 1051 – 3 February 1134, french: Robert Courteheuse / Robert II de Normandie), was the eldest son of William the Conqueror and succeeded his father as Duke of Normandy in 1087, reigning until 1106. ...
, Duke of Normandy. The rebellion failed, but Rochester came under siege in May 1088. Conditions within the city were dire: disease was rampant, exacerbated by the heat and flies. Finally the defenders capitulated and Rochester castle was abandoned temporarily. In return for a manor, the king persuaded Lanfranc
Lanfranc, OSB (1005 1010 – 24 May 1089) was a celebrated Italian jurist who renounced his career to become a Benedictine monk at Bec in Normandy. He served successively as prior of Bec Abbey and abbot of St Stephen in Normandy and then ...
and Gundulf to rebuild Rochester Castle on its present site. This first stone castle defined the site but did not include the large keep.
In the 19th century a further catalogue of the cathedral library was discovered, by 1202 there were 280 volumes. By this date a distinctive "Rochester Script" had evolved and the names of some of the early scribes are known.
Rochester Castle was granted to the archbishops of Canterbury in perpetuity by King Henry I in 1127. The first archbishop to hold it was William de Corbeil
William de Corbeil or William of Corbeil (21 November 1136) was a medieval Archbishop of Canterbury. Very little is known of William's early life or his family, except that he was born at Corbeil, south of Paris, and that he had two brothers. E ...
, who was responsible for building the keep. The keep so dominated the skyline that it was even incorporated into the town's seal in the 13th century.
During the reign of King Stephen (1135–1154) there was a period of civil war known as The Anarchy
The Anarchy was a civil war in England and Normandy between 1138 and 1153, which resulted in a widespread breakdown in law and order. The conflict was a war of succession precipitated by the accidental death of William Adelin, the only legiti ...
. Rochester escaped direct military action, but the widespread lawlessness and settling of local scores left its mark. Afterwards, one third of the tax on the city was remitted "on the grounds of waste".
Later Middle Ages
In early 1215 the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Stephen Langton
Stephen Langton (c. 1150 – 9 July 1228) was an English Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and Archbishop of Canterbury between 1207 and his death in 1228. The dispute between King John of England and Pope Innocent III over his ...
, temporarily ceded control of the castle to King John. The royal constable, Reginald de Cornhill
Reginald de Cornhill (occasionally Reynold de Cornhill) was an English administrator under King John.
Reginald de Cornhill's father, Gervase, had also been High Sheriff of Kent in 1170-74 and his brother Henry de CornhillPowell "Administration o ...
, took control. In June 1215 the barons met King John at Runnymede
Runnymede is a water-meadow alongside the River Thames in the English county of Surrey, and just over west of central London. It is notable for its association with the sealing of Magna Carta, and as a consequence is, with its adjoining hi ...
and agreed the treaty later known as the ''Magna Carta
(Medieval Latin for "Great Charter of Freedoms"), commonly called (also ''Magna Charta''; "Great Charter"), is a royal charter of rights agreed to by King John of England at Runnymede, near Windsor, on 15 June 1215. First drafted by the ...
''. Shortly afterwards the agreement between Langton and John was dissolved, apparently de Cornhill switched sides and remained constable. Shortly afterwards civil war broke out and rebels marched to Rochester to secure the castle. It appears that the King demanded that Langton hand over the castle, but Langton refused. The rebels feared that he would eventually capitulate and so seized control of the castle to prevent this, apparently with the consent of de Cornhill. Langton fled, the King regarding him as a "notorious traitor".
John rode to Rochester, sending forces ahead of his caravan to secure the city. The royal forces entered with the element of surprise on 11 October, the king arriving two days later. The castle was invested and a siege begun. To prevent relief forces arriving the bridge was pulled down.
The assault began with siege engines unleashing a barrage of missiles against the curtain walls which were breached by mining rather that assault. The defenders retreated into the keep which withstood the siege engines. The south-east corner of the keep was undermined and the pit props soaked in pigs fat. When set alight the resulting fire collapsed the mine and brought down the turret. The defenders retreated behind the great stone diving wall in the center of the keep. On 30 November the defenders finally surrendered.
The cathedral was being developed in this period. In 1227 a new Early English quire was completed to replace the original Norman one. In 1343, under Bishop Hamo de Hythe, the central tower was raised and four bells (called Dunstan, Paulinus, Itamar and Lanfranc) hung there, possibly transferred from the original campanile now known as "Gundulf's Tower", or possibly recast from the original metal.
In 1264 civil war broke out between those loyal to King Henry III and the baronial forces led by Simon de Montfort. Rochester's constable in 1264, Roger de Leybourne, held the castle in support of Henry. A baronial army marched from Tonbridge and to deny them cover or shelter the royalist garrison set fire to the city suburbs. Simon de Montfort led an army from London which crossed the river after some fighting. When they entered Rochester the cathedral was raided. the following day the curtain wall was breached and the defenders retreated to the keep. Just as in 1215 siege engines were set up but could not break the keep. The siege was abandoned on 26 April when the earls received news of a relief force led by Henry III and his son, Prince Edward.
Rochester suffered from the plague, as did the rest of the kingdom, in 1376. In 1381 the castle saw fighting for the final time during the Peasants' Revolt. It was besieged and captured by a group of rebels who plundered the castle and released a prisoner.
Accounts dating from 1339 reveal that the bridge was decaying, this appears to have been a 12th-century replacement for the AD 960 rebuild. In 1339 the bridge was broken down for 24 weeks. Subsequently, on several occasions, a ferry had to be hired, so dangerous had it become. During the thaw of 1381 the pressure of ice finally demolished the old bridge. A new stone bridge was opened in 1392 which lasted until the 19th century.[The Medieval Bridge] Subsequent to this The Rochester Bridge Trust was established to take over responsibility for the upkeep. The trust was founded by Sir Robert Knolles
Sir Robert Knolles or Knollys ( – 15 August 1407; aged 81-82) was an important English knight of the Hundred Years' War, who, operating with the tacit support of the crown, succeeded in taking the only two major French cities, other tha ...
and Sir John de Cobham and granted its charter from King Richard II
Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father d ...
. Subsequent benefactors included Ricardo Hwytynton, the real life "Dick Whittington
Richard Whittington (c. 1354–1423) of the parish of St Michael Paternoster Royal, City of London, was an English merchant and a politician of the late medieval period. He is also the real-life inspiration for the English folk tale ''Dick ...
". The money came, and comes, from property rents.
In 1461 King Edward IV
Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in Englan ...
granted Rochester a charter in recognition of its loyalty to the crown. The former post of bailiff
A bailiff (from Middle English baillif, Old French ''baillis'', ''bail'' "custody") is a manager, overseer or custodian – a legal officer to whom some degree of authority or jurisdiction is given. Bailiffs are of various kinds and their offi ...
became that of mayor and the inhabitants were recognised as "citizens", that is the town was recognised as a city. The first mayor was William Mungeam who was allowed £10 for providing a celebratory supper for the freemen.
In 1470 the great window at the cathedral was completed. Rochester Cathedral, although one of England's smaller cathedrals, thus demonstrates all styles of Romanesque and Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture (or pointed architecture) is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It e ...
.[
]
Modern
Tudor and Stuart periods
In a period of religious conflict, Rochester had a connection with martyrs on both sides of the conflict. From 1504 to 1535 John Fisher
John Fisher (c. 19 October 1469 – 22 June 1535) was an English Catholic bishop, cardinal, and theologian. Fisher was also an academic and Chancellor of the University of Cambridge. He was canonized by Pope Pius XI.
Fisher was executed by o ...
was Bishop of Rochester. He was subsequently appointed a cardinal and executed by Henry VIII
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...
because he refused to sanction the divorce of Catherine of Aragon
Catherine of Aragon (also spelt as Katherine, ; 16 December 1485 – 7 January 1536) was Queen of England as the first wife of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 11 June 1509 until their annulment on 23 May 1533. She was previously ...
. He was canonised in 1935 as a Roman Catholic saint. Shortly afterwards, between 1547 and 1550, Nicholas Ridley was bishop. He was executed by Queen Mary, for demands of faith, becoming a Reformation martyr.
Fisher was not universally popular however. One John Roose was convicted of putting poison in a pot of broth intended for him and for the poor of the parish. This so incensed Henry that a special act was passed in 1530 by Henry to have Roose boiled alive as a form of execution.
On New Year's Day 1540 Henry VIII
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...
met Anne of Cleves
Anne of Cleves (german: Anna von Kleve; 1515 – 16 July 1557) was Queen of England from 6 January to 12 July 1540 as the fourth wife of King Henry VIII. Not much is known about Anne before 1527, when she became betrothed to Francis, Duke of ...
at Rochester and was "greatly disappointed". Whether connected or not, the old Priory of St Andrew's was dissolved by commission later in the year, one of the last monasteries to be dissolved. The monks and canons became a chapter of secular clergy with the prior as the first dean. With no monastery to run the cathedral school it was refounded by charter from Henry, becoming "The King's School".
The dissolution brought about a dispersal of the cathedral library. At the time many Germans were buying up the manuscripts which were being sold off with all of the monastic property. in 1536 John Leland wrote to Cromwell entreating him to extend Leland's activities so that he could collect manuscripts for King Henry's library. Only in part was he successful. There are now 99 manuscripts from Rochester in the Royal Collection.[MacKean p12] A further 37 books have been traced. The majority are in collections in England, but some have travelled as far as Berlin, Brussels and Rome. One now resides in San Marino, California.
In 1579 Richard Watts
Richard Watts (1529–1579) was a successful businessman and MP for Rochester, South East England, in the 1570s. He supplied rations for the English Navy as deputy victualler and supervised the construction of Upnor Castle. After Queen Elizabe ...
died, his will was to have long lasting consequences for Rochester. The will established the Richard Watts' Charity which still functions. The most famous part of the will provided for the extension of an existing almshouse by providing overnight accommodation for six poor travellers. The travellers were allowed to stay overnight only (unless they were ill) and were sent on their way with 4d (1.6p), increased in 1934 to 1/- (5p).[Richard Watts' Charity] The house finally closed its doors to the travellers in 1940 when the Emergency Powers (Defence) Act 1939
The Emergency Powers (Defence) Act 1939 was emergency legislation passed just prior to the outbreak of World War II by the Parliament of the United Kingdom to enable the British Government to take up emergency powers to prosecute the war effective ...
prohibited casual wayfarers in this Protected Area. The rest of the house continued to be used as an almshouse, in 1615 becoming an orphanage. In 1653 it became a prison which (with interruptions) it remained until 1793 The charity itself has provided more almshouses around the city which house 100 elderly people. The charity has also supported in some measure both the Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School and The Rochester Grammar School (see below).
In 1648 at the start of the Second English Civil War
The Second English Civil War took place between February to August 1648 in Kingdom of England, England and Wales. It forms part of the series of conflicts known collectively as the 1639-1651 Wars of the Three Kingdoms, which include the 1641 ...
, Rochester was at the centre of a Royalist uprising. At the time this was thought to be the most threatening such uprising and so Lord Thomas Fairfax was sent to suppress it. He wished to avoid a forced crossing of the Medway over the narrow Rochester Bridge and so marched to the south, crossing the river near Maidstone
Maidstone is the largest Town status in the United Kingdom, town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies 32 miles (51 km) east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the c ...
thus provoking the Battle of Maidstone
The Battle of Maidstone (1 June 1648) was fought in the Second English Civil War and was a victory for the attacking Parliamentarian troops over the defending Royalist forces.
Background
In May 1648, a significant part of the Royalist uprisi ...
. By the time Fairfax approached Rochester Lord Norwich had marched off towards London, and Rochester itself was spared a battle. The bridge did not get off as lightly as the town however, the retreating Royalists destroyed the drawbridge section of the bridge and threw the planks into the river.[Harrison & Evemy p12]
In another contrasting pair of events, Rochester houses saw one king restored and another abdicate. Sir Francis Clarke entertained King Charles II on the eve of his restoration
Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to:
* Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage
** Audio restoration
** Film restoration
** Image restoration
** Textile restoration
* Restoration ecology
...
to the throne on 28 May 1660. Following this, his home in Crow Lane became known as Restoration House
Restoration House in Rochester, Kent in England, is a fine example of an Elizabethan mansion. It is so named after the visit of King Charles II on the eve of his restoration.
Charles had landed in Dover on 25 May 1660 and by the evening of th ...
. It is reputed to be the basis of Satis House
''Great Expectations'' is the thirteenth novel by Charles Dickens and his penultimate completed novel. It depicts the education of an orphan nicknamed Pip (Great Expectations), Pip (the book is a ''bildungsroman''; a coming-of-age story). It ...
in Great Expectations
''Great Expectations'' is the thirteenth novel by Charles Dickens and his penultimate completed novel. It depicts the education of an orphan nicknamed Pip (Great Expectations), Pip (the book is a ''bildungsroman''; a coming-of-age story). It ...
by Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...
. There actually is a Satis House nearby, once the home of Richard Watts
Richard Watts (1529–1579) was a successful businessman and MP for Rochester, South East England, in the 1570s. He supplied rations for the English Navy as deputy victualler and supervised the construction of Upnor Castle. After Queen Elizabe ...
. Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen".
El ...
stayed there as a guest and on being asked if she was comfortable replied "satis" (enough).[A Walk around the City of Rochester] Pepys visited Restoration House in 1667 and noted: "...a fine walk, and there saw Sir F Clerke's house which is a pretty seat, and into the cherry garden...".
Shortly after the restoration, Samuel Pepys visited Rochester Cathedral on his way between the London and Chatham dockyards. The cathedral had fallen into disrepair during the Commonwealth
A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...
and Pepys observed it was "now fitting for use, and the organ then a-tuning".
Even though the defences of Chatham had been strengthened by the construction of a fort at Upnor on the Hoo peninsular the Dutch launched a raid
Raid, RAID or Raids may refer to:
Attack
* Raid (military), a sudden attack behind the enemy's lines without the intention of holding ground
* Corporate raid, a type of hostile takeover in business
* Panty raid, a prankish raid by male college ...
on 11 June 1667 as part of the Second Anglo-Dutch War
The Second Anglo-Dutch War or the Second Dutch War (4 March 1665 – 31 July 1667; nl, Tweede Engelse Oorlog "Second English War") was a conflict between Kingdom of England, England and the Dutch Republic partly for control over the seas a ...
. Under de Ruijter
Michiel Adriaenszoon de Ruyter (; 24 March 1607 – 29 April 1676) was a Dutch admiral. Widely celebrated and regarded as one of the most skilled admirals in history, De Ruyter is arguably most famous for his achievements with the Dutch N ...
they broke through the chain at Upnor and sailed to Rochester Bridge capturing and firing the English fleet.[The Dutch Raid] Trophies from the raid are in the Rijksmuseum
The Rijksmuseum () is the national museum of the Netherlands dedicated to Dutch arts and history and is located in Amsterdam. The museum is located at the Museum Square in the borough of Amsterdam South, close to the Van Gogh Museum, the St ...
, Amsterdam.
Somewhat more peacefully 1687 saw the construction of the Guildhall
A guildhall, also known as a "guild hall" or "guild house", is a historical building originally used for tax collecting by municipalities or merchants in Great Britain and the Low Countries. These buildings commonly become town halls and in som ...
, part financed by Sir Joseph Williamson FRS with the ceiling being given by Sir Cloudesley Shovell
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Cloudesley Shovell (c. November 1650 – 22 or 23 October 1707) was an English naval officer. As a junior officer he saw action at the Battle of Solebay and then at the Battle of Texel during the Third Anglo-Dutch War. ...
.[
The weathervane is of later work having been first erected in 1780. It is a gilded model of an eighteenth-century fully rigged ship. Subsequent work on it has been limited to repairs following storm damage.
Nearly 30 years after the restoration, King ]James II and VII
James VII and II (14 October 1633 16 September 1701) was King of England and King of Ireland as James II, and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II, on 6 February 1685. He was deposed in the Glorious Re ...
spent his last night as king during December 1688 at a house in the High Street which became known as Abdication House. As of 2011, Abdication House is now the Rochester branch of Lloyds Bank.
Georgian and Victorian
In 1698 the Corn Exchange was started, but as the butchers' market. The present frontage was the gift of Sir Cloudesly Shovell. The existing clock dates from 1771 and replaces an earlier square one.
Shovell also left money in his will (1701) to found the Mathematical School. The school specialised in teaching navigation and mathematics to the sons of freemen of the city of Rochester, the Chatham Naval Dockyard being nearby. It is now the town's grammar school for boys, though girls are admitted to the sixth form.
In 1792 Daniel Asher Alexander was appointed as architect by the Bridge Wardens. He set about widening the bridge from to . The drawbridge was an obstacle to this so it and one adjoining arch were combined into a single arch. The work took 30 years to complete and cost £20,000.
During the Napoleonic wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
a ring of forts was built around the Medway area: Fort Clarence
300px, The archway by the fort's drawbridge was demolished in the 1930s. The fort, on the left, is now converted into flats.
Fort Clarence is a now defunct fortification that was located in Rochester, Kent, England.
History
The fort was built b ...
, Fort Pitt, Fort Amherst
Fort Amherst, in Medway, South East England, was constructed in 1756 at the southern end of the Brompton lines of defence to protect the southeastern approaches to Chatham Dockyard and the River Medway against a French invasion. Fort Amherst ...
and ''Fort Gillingham''. In the light of the report by The Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom
The Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom was a committee formed in 1859 to enquire into the ability of the United Kingdom to defend itself against an attempted invasion by a foreign power, and to advise the British Government on ...
a further ring of "Palmerston" forts was built during the 1860s: Fort Borstal
Fort Borstal was built as an afterthought from the 1859 Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom, by convict labour. Construction started in 1875 but was suspended in 1885. The fort was completed around 1895. it was one of a series ...
, Fort Bridgewood
The site of Fort Bridgewoods is on the outskirts of Rochester, Medway in the United Kingdom, next to the Rochester-Maidstone road (B2097). The site was acquired by the War Office in about 1860 to form part of a ring of forts protecting the Roya ...
, Fort Luton
Fort Luton was built between 1876 and 1892 south of Chatham, Medway, South East England.
It is one of the five late Victorian land front forts built to defend the overland approaches to Chatham. It is the smallest of the Chatham forts and was buil ...
, and the ''Twydall Redoubts'', with 2 additional forts on islands in the Medway, Fort Hoo
Hoo Fort is a nineteenth-century military installation on the River Medway in Kent, England, that formed part of the defences of Chatham Naval Dockyard. Hoo Fort, like Fort Darnet downstream, was built on the recommendations of the 1859 Roya ...
and Fort Darnet
Fort Darnet, is a nineteenth-century military installation on the River Medway in Kent, England, that formed part of the defences of Chatham Naval Dockyard. Fort Darnet, like its twin Hoo Fort upstream, was built on the recommendations of the ...
. The forts were to protect the important naval dockyard at Chatham.
The first sailing barges were built around 1815 which superseded the earlier bawley
A bawley was an English sailing vessel typified by a boomless cutter rig and probably named for having a boiler for cooking shrimp in amidships. "The majority were built by Aldous of Brightlingsea",Leather, John, The Gaff Rig Handbook, 2002, Adlar ...
and doble boats. Crewed by one man and a boy they were up to long and carried between 70 and 120 tons. By mid-century 2,433 barges were registered in Rochester alone. The barges were able to navigate upstream of Rochester bridge by the simple expedient of lowering the mast.
In 1816 the young (four-year-old) Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...
moved to Rochester. Although he only stayed a while, he was drawn back in later years, making his residence from 1856 at nearby Gad's Hill near Strood.
Less than two decades after the Alexander improvements to the bridge it was again considered unsatisfactory. The problem this time was the large number of narrow arches which provoked a rush of water as the tide surged in and out. Tides at Rochester can reach which taken with the size of castle reach and the length of the tidal river above the bridge leads to a significant race. In 1839 Sir William Cubitt
Sir William Cubitt FRS (bapt. 9 October 1785 – 13 October 1861) was an eminent English civil engineer and millwright. Born in Norfolk, England, he was employed in many of the great engineering undertakings of his time. He invented a type of ...
proposed a bridge of three piers only. Three of the gaps were bridged by cast iron spans, the fourth by an opening section for shipping. The bridge was opened in 1856. At the same time the parallel railway bridge was constructed, and so the shipping channel was never used.[The Old Bridge. Note that "old" means the older of the two existing bridges.] The cast iron arches were replaced by the present steel structure in 1914.
In 1850 Thomas Aveling, financed by his father in law, bought a small millwrighting shop in Edwards yard where he set up a business producing and repairing agricultural plant.[ In 1861 he went into partnership with Richard Porter and moved the business to Strood. ]Aveling & Porter
Aveling and Porter was a British agricultural engine and steamroller (road roller) manufacturer. Thomas Aveling and Richard Thomas Porter entered into partnership in 1862, and developed a steam engine three years later in 1865. By the earl ...
become the largest manufacturer of agricultural machines and steam roller
A steamroller (or steam roller) is a form of road roller – a type of heavy construction machinery used for leveling surfaces, such as roads or airfields – that is powered by a steam engine. The leveling/flattening action is achieved through ...
s in the country. Of the 12,700 steam engines which they made, no fewer than 8,600 of them were steam rollers.[Bonnett]
The castle had been in the hands of the Weldon family since the 16th century. In 1870 the corporation leased the grounds to provide a park and then purchased them outright in 1884. In 1965 ownership was vested in the state (today represented by English Heritage
English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses.
The charity states that i ...
) but since 1995 management of the grounds has reverted to the council.
In 1888 the lack of a girls grammar school was remedied: the Rochester Grammar School for Girls (after 2006 Rochester Grammar School
Rochester Grammar School (known as Rochester Grammar School for Girls until 2006) often abbreviated to RGS is a grammar school for the education of girls between the ages of 11 and 18. It has academy status. It is now known as just "Rochester Gr ...
) was founded.
On 1 March 1892 Rochester railway station
Rochester railway station is on the Chatham Main Line in England, serving the town of Rochester, Medway, Rochester, Kent. It is down the line from and is situated between and .
The station and most trains that call are operated by Southeast ...
opened, giving rapid access to London.
20th and 21st centuries
During the First World War the Short Brothers
Short Brothers plc, usually referred to as Shorts or Short, is an aerospace company based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Shorts was founded in 1908 in London, and was the first company in the world to make production aeroplanes. It was particu ...
' aircraft company manufactured the first plane to launch a torpedo, the Short Admiralty Type 184
The Short Admiralty Type 184, often called the Short 225 after the power rating of the engine first fitted, was a British two-seat reconnaissance, bombing and torpedo carrying folding-wing seaplane designed by Horace Short of Short Brothers. It ...
, at its seaplane factory on the River Medway not far from Rochester Castle. In the inter-war period the company established a world-wide reputation as a constructor of flying boats with aircraft such as the Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
, Empire
An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...
'C'-Class and Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...
. During the Second World War, Shorts also designed and manufactured the first four-engined bomber, the Stirling
Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...
.
Following the second world war the bridge was again at its maximum capacity. During railway rivalry a second rail bridge had been built between the old bridge and the existing railway bridge. This had been unused since the 1920s. In 1957 the Rochester Bridge Trust proposed converting it to a road bridge. Construction finally began ten years later, completed in 1970. The new bridge carries two lanes of east-bound traffic, the old bridge now carries two lanes of west-bound traffic.[The New Bridge]
In the local government reorganisation of 1974 the City of Rochester was merged with the borough of Chatham
Chatham may refer to:
Places and jurisdictions Canada
* Chatham Islands (British Columbia)
* Chatham Sound, British Columbia
* Chatham, New Brunswick, a former town, now a neighbourhood of Miramichi
* Chatham (electoral district), New Brunswic ...
and part of the Strood Rural District
Strood Rural District was a rural district in the county of Kent, England.
It was subject to boundary reforms in 1934 and 1935.
It consisted of the following civil parishes:http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10074137&c_id ...
including the Hoo Peninsula
The Hoo Peninsula is a peninsula in Kent, England, separating the estuaries of the rivers Thames and Medway. It is dominated by a line of chalk, clay and sand hills, surrounded by an extensive area of marshland composed of alluvial silt. The n ...
. The resulting district was the District of Medway
Medway is a unitary authority district and conurbation in Kent, South East England. It had a population of 278,016 in 2019. The unitary authority was formed in 1998 when Rochester-upon-Medway amalgamated with the Borough of Gillingham to for ...
. The district sought and obtained a charter making it a borough, thus preserving the mayoralties of Rochester and Chatham. The area of the former City of Rochester was permitted to continue styling itself City under letters patent. In 1979 the borough council passed a resolution renaming itself as the Borough of Rochester-upon-Medway. In 1982 further letters patent extended city status to the whole borough making it the City of Rochester-upon-Medway
Rochester-upon-Medway was a local government district in north Kent, England from 1974 to 1998. It covered Rochester, Chatham, Luton, Lordswood, Walderslade, Strood and the Hoo Peninsula.
The district was formed as the District of Medway under t ...
.
The decline in naval power and in shipbuilding in general led to the government abandoning the shipyard at Chatham in 1984, and the subsequent demise of much of the marine industry. Rochester and its neighbouring communities were hit hard by this and have experienced a painful adjustment to a post-industrial economy
A post-industrial economy is a period of growth within an industrialized economy or nation in which the relative importance of manufacturing reduces and that of services, information, and research grows.
Such economies are often marked by a declin ...
, with much social deprivation and unemployment resulting. On the closure of Chatham Dockyard the area saw an unprecedented surge in unemployment to 15.9%. This had dropped to 3.5% in 2004. The former dockyard has seen a renaissance as the Chatham Historic Dockyard
The Historic Dockyard Chatham is a maritime museum on part of the site of the former royal/naval dockyard at Chatham in Kent, South East England.
Chatham Dockyard covered 400 acres (1.6 km²) and was one of the Royal Navy's main faciliti ...
, a museum dedicated to the Age of Sail, though containing much else from the 19th and 20th centuries.
In 1998 the Medway Towns formed the basis of a new Medway unitary authority
A unitary authority is a local authority responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are usually performed by a higher level of sub-national government or the national governmen ...
. The City of Rochester merged with Gillingham and Chatham
Chatham may refer to:
Places and jurisdictions Canada
* Chatham Islands (British Columbia)
* Chatham Sound, British Columbia
* Chatham, New Brunswick, a former town, now a neighbourhood of Miramichi
* Chatham (electoral district), New Brunswic ...
. The outgoing council neglected to appoint ceremonial "Charter Trustees In England and Wales, charter trustees are set up to maintain the continuity of a town charter or city charter after a district with the status of a borough or city has been abolished, until such time as a parish council is established. Duties are ...
" to continue to represent the historic Rochester area, causing Rochester to lose its city status – an error not even noticed by the council for four years, until 2002.[BBC (2002)][BBC (2008)]
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{{Viking Invasion of England
Rochester, Kent
Rochester
Rochester may refer to:
Places Australia
* Rochester, Victoria
Canada
* Rochester, Alberta
United Kingdom
*Rochester, Kent
** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area
** History of Rochester, Kent
** HM Prison ...
Rochester
Rochester may refer to:
Places Australia
* Rochester, Victoria
Canada
* Rochester, Alberta
United Kingdom
*Rochester, Kent
** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area
** History of Rochester, Kent
** HM Prison ...