Fragments of History - Ramsgate
C T Richardson
£8.99
A5 Staple Bound
220 pages
A5 size staple-bound booklet. Reprint of the Fuller & Co. 1885 edition, 215pp + ads. A history of Ramsgate based on a series of talks. From Saxon and Roman remains, and earlier tools, found on the Westcliff; how it was deemed a tributary of the Cinque Ports in 1483; the development of the piers, foying and hovelling; natural history of the place, the cornfields, drainage; the political changes as Ramsgate grew in independence from St Laurence and Sandwich; levelling the land and building of St George's Church, bathing houses, Jacob's Ladder, the Railway Station, and The Market; the Napoleonic Wars and the many troops stationed in the town; The Dutchess of Kent, Princess Victoria, Moses Montefiore, and Lady Augustus Murray; The Coast Guard and vessels of Ramsgate; the gas works, street lighting, and paving of the streets. Interspersed with general history of what was happening in Britain. The book ends with a chronological list of events, lists of Vessels belonging to Ramsgate in 1626, a list of Sea-faring men in 1623, a list of tradesmen in 1802, and a list of masters of ships 1750-54.
What makes this book most interesting are the anecdotal tales included in the text, such as the rival surgeons, the "Bloodless Battle of Harbour Street", how Artillery Hill got its name, how the Eagle Inn got its name, and what is buried under the obelisk.
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