The cascades of Glen Roar and Old Roar, in our immediate neighbourhood, though silent now , bear witness in their names to an era, when the sound of the fall of their waters was heard many a mile away : and when I fully believe our harbour had sufficient water to float the small ships of the Cinque Ports, whose average size may be gathered from the instructions for resisting the Spanish Armada, as quoted by Mr. Cooper, " Hastinges whose members be, and are to finde for the transportation of the King xxi Shippes, of xx tonnes the peece." [1] It may be added that their full complement consisted of 21 men and a boy, paid at the rate of 6d. a day for officers, and 3d. for the men ,and the heaviest tonnage on record is 80 tons.
It should also be noted that these valleys were deeper formerly than they now are ; they have silted up through the continual inning or enclosing of land, and the deposit of matter at the mouth of the streams; and how a harbour may be thus destroyed can be learnt from the report of a Committee of the House of Commons in 1700, respecting the neighbouring harbour of Rye. " The cross walls, stops and flood-gates set up in the river Rother and chanel through Wittersham levell, and inning the said river and chanel, and making land of the same; and likewise inning of sea wastes, which draw a constant influx and efflux to scour the harbour of Rye, have wholly injured the navigation of the said river and chanel, and are the cause of stopping up the said harbour."
- ↑ Harleian MSS, 168 p . 115 .
