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Monument details

HER Number:TQ 76 NE 54
Type of record:Monument
Name:16th cent beacon (site)

Summary

A beacon is shown at Chatham on William Lambarde's 'Carde' of c. 1570. This source shows a total of 52 beacons in Kent but the system is known to have dropped out of use after 1640. (1) Almost certainly refers to "Beacon Hill", an area now partly quarried and partly developed, situated on the south side of the Watling Sheet at TQ 775667


Grid Reference:TQ 77 66
Map Sheet:TQ76NE
Parish:ROCHESTER & CHATHAM, MEDWAY, KENT

Monument Types

  • BEACON (Post Medieval - 1570 AD? to 1640 AD?)

Full description

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William Lambarde's "Carde" of c1570 shows a beacon at Chatham and a total of 52 beacons in Kent. The beacon system dropped out of use after 1640. (1) Almost certainly refers to "Beacon Hill", an area now partly quarried and partly developed, situated on the south side of the Watling Sheet at TQ 775667. The precise location is unknown however. (2) The beacon is also shown on a map in the British Library entitled "Chart of the course of the River Medway from Rochester to The Nore" and dated to AD 1570 (though it may be slightly earlier).


<1> Arch. Cant.46, 1934, 91, 86 (H.T. White) (OS Card Reference). SKE37136.

<2> F1 CFW 05-NOV-64 (OS Card Reference). SKE42439.

<3> Field report for monument TQ 76 NE 54 - November, 1964 (Bibliographic reference). SKE4075.

Sources and further reading

Cross-ref. Source description
<1>XYOS Card Reference: Arch. Cant.46, 1934, 91, 86 (H.T. White). [Mapped feature: #101906 beacon, ]
<2>OS Card Reference: F1 CFW 05-NOV-64.
<3>Bibliographic reference: Field report for monument TQ 76 NE 54 - November, 1964.