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Monument details

HER Number:TR 34 SW 36
Type of record:Monument
Name:Remains of the church of St Martin-le-Grand, Dover

Summary

The remains of the church of St. Martin-le-grand are situated on the western side of Market Square, originally founded in the Early Medieval period but the most of the visible remains, which includes part of the south west corner, are 12th-15th century in date. The church was used as the parish church until 1528, when the parish was amalgamated with another about 1536 it was largely pulled down. (location accurate to the nearest 2m based on available information)

The site is focused around Dover Market Square, located on an east facing slope in the bottom of the Dour valley, to the west of the river. OD 5m.


Grid Reference:TR 6319 1414
Map Sheet:TR61SW
Parish:DOVER, DOVER, KENT

Monument Types

  • CHURCH (CHURCH, Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon to Medieval - 696 AD? to 1539 AD)
  • COLLEGIATE CHURCH (COLLEGIATE CHURCH, Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 696 AD to 1065 AD)
  • MINSTER (Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 696 AD? to 1065 AD?)
  • COLLEGIATE CHURCH (COLLEGIATE CHURCH, Medieval - 1066 AD to 1536 AD)
Protected Status:Scheduled Monument 1004189: St Martin's Church

Full description

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The collegiate church of St Martin le-Grand which stood on the west side of the Market Place, Dover was founded in A.D. 696 by Wihtred, King of Kent, when the canons were removed from "the castle" (possibly meaning the Roman fort). At the suppression of the college after 1130 (it was refounded in 1131 on another site and became St. Martins Priory) the church was used as the parish church until 1528. When the parish was amalgamated with another about 1536 the church was pulled down, the most important surviving remains being parts of the north aisle and arcade of the presbytery and of the NE radiating chapel. (1-2) These were further reduced in 1881 when the Carlton Club was built and again during the last world war by bombing. (3-4) The last surviving fragments, two separate masses of flint rubble masonry and a N-S foundation wall, were cleared away in 1957-58 for the rebuilding of a branch of the National Provincial Bank. (5)

Excavations on the west and south side of Market Square at the site of the church of St. Martin-le-Grand, ahead of large scale redevelopment of Dover’s town centre in the 1970’s and 1980’s. In 1975 the early 12th century west end and the rammed pebble foundation for the north arcade were uncovered. This corner of the church was redundant as a church by the 15th century when a chalk block garderobe was constructed in the north west angle. In 1976 most of the 12th century nave, part of the south transept and a chapel added to the south side at the Collegiate church of St Martin le Grand were revealed. The south doorway, buttresses and piers were dressed in Caen stone and survived 3m high. Only one pier of the south arcade remained, but the west crossing pier was substantially intact. The church appears to have been finished short, with the west end quite different, though substantially of the same date. (6)

Further work was carried out to consolidate the remains by Canterbury Archaeological Trust in the early 1990’s, during this work two Medieval tombs were recorded. The remains are now visible above ground. (7)

From the Register of Scheduled Ancient Monuments:

Site of church of St Martin's le Grand exposed by excavations by CIB, masonry survives to the height of some 10', it is hoped that this building will survive relatively undamaged beneath the new development. E end of church was destroyed by building of National Westminster bank.

Remains of W part of cruciform Norman Church of St Martin-le-Grand, including the nave, parts of the N and S transpets and the chapel in angle of S transept and nave. Across part of the SA remains of church have been exposed by excavations undertaken in 1970s, masonry survives up to 3m high. Nave of church measured 21mm wide and 24m from the W wall of S transept to W wall of nave.

The secular canon's church of St Martin was founded in the late 7th century AD and was rebuilt shortly after the Dissolution. Church contained the altars of 3 parishes in medieval period. Following Dissolution, parts of the church were demolished in circa 1539, although much survived until the 19th century. In post medieval period area of nave was used as a town cemetery.

The remains of an earlier Saxon church have been apparently found to S of nave. Parts of the Roman bath house (partially scheduled as (Kent 302) lie to N and NW of nave. Church lies within the walls of Roman 'Saxon Shore' fort. In addition to Roman remains, traces of pagan Saxon occupation and features relating to the Medieval and later town have been found in the vicinity.(8)

From the National Heritage List for England:
Reasons for Designation
Despite damage and disturbance in the past, St Martin’s-le-Grand Church survives comparatively well with much of its original footings. A substantial amount of the original ground plan and layout can be traced and it includes architectural details such as the Caen stone piers, buttresses and south doorway. The Roman remains surviving below the church are also of special interest and hold archaeological potential to improve our understanding of the development of Portus Dubris. The site will contain archaeological and environmental information relating to the Roman settlement and the medieval church.

History

The monument includes a medieval church surviving as upstanding and below-ground remains. It is situated on low-lying ground to the east of York Street in Dover.

The church was built between the 11th and 12th centuries and is cruciform in plan, although only the west part survives as upstanding remains. This includes the stone footings of the nave, part of the south transept, and a chapel in the angle of the south transept and nave. The nave is about 21m wide and 24m long from the west wall of the south transept to the west wall of the nave. The south doorway, buttresses and piers are dressed in Caen stone and survive up to about 3m high. The west crossing pier is substantially intact but only one pier survives of the south arcade. The church originally had an apsidal east end with three radiating chapels. The remains of an earlier Saxon church have been recorded to the south of the nave.

A Roman building, with four construction periods dating from about AD130 to the mid third century, is thought to underlie the medieval church. The building was recorded during excavation and rebuilding works on the west side of Market Square in 1881, 1950 and 1956. G. Payne's notebook (2,163, 1881) records this Roman building.

St. Martin’s-le-Grand Church is also within the bounds of the later Saxon Shore Fort, which was built in about AD270; the fort walls ran to the west and south of the church. The site will contain archaeological remains relating to the fort and the earlier Roman building, which are included in the scheduling.

During the Roman period, the River Dour was a wide tidal estuary utilised as a port with the establishment of a fort of the Classis Britannica (Romano-British fleet) and an associated settlement: Portus Dubris. This fort was replaced in the later third century by a Saxon Shore Fort. The settlement continued to be occupied in the Anglo-Saxon period. A religious house was founded in the Saxon burgh at Dover Castle by King Eadbald of Kent (616-640) for 22 secular canons. In 696, King Wihtred transferred the canons to a new church dedicated to St Martin within the town. They remained there for the following centuries and the names and possessions of the canons are recorded in the Domesday Book. The church probably burnt down in the fire of 1066 and was rebuilt from about 1070, although the nave was not complete until sometime in the 12th century. In 1130, Henry I gave a Charter to Archbishop Corbeil of Canterbury to allow him to build a priory in the town and appropriate the assets of the existing church of St Martin. The new priory was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary and St Martin and was called ‘St Martin's of the New Work’, or ‘Newark’, to distinguish it from the old church. The remains of the priory are located about 400m to the north-west at Dover College. The old church became known as St Martin-le-Grand and was thereafter used as a parish church. It eventually housed the altars of several parish churches including St Nicholas and St John the Baptist. The church was dismantled in about 1537, although the ruins of the church tower were apparently still standing in 1800. The church graveyard was still in use in the 19th century and large parts of the church were incorporated into houses. The area suffered bomb damage during the Second World War. The church was partially excavated in 1956, 1970, 1974-5, 1977-9, 1991 and 1995-6. In 1956 the finds included a vaulted tomb, thought to be 12th century in origin, containing an inhumation. The tomb was aligned east-west and constructed of squared chalk blocks.(9)

In July 1875 the Kent Archaeological Society visited the site of St. Martins Church, and saw relics of the north aisle of the choir the, the groined roof of the western bay of that aisle, and the north east pier of the tower and chancel arch, with triforium passage through that pier. Early in 1892, in Market Street, upon clearing away the floor and foundations of an old cottage, which stood on the south side of the street, two graves were found dug out of the chalk. One grave was that of a priest, with whom had been interred a coffin-chalice, and a paten, of pewter. The date of these may be early in the thirteenth century. Close to this grave, on its north side, was part of the north wall of the north chancel of Old St. Martin's Church. Its Norman masonry was uncovered when the cottage was removed. Further south, parallel with the two graves, was seen part of a Norman turret staircase. It stood south-east of the north transept of the Old Church, adjacent to the north wall of the choir-aisle. (10)

Pre 1832: a slab (coffin lid?) with runic inscription ‘+GILSLHEARD’ and outline cross found during renovation of the Antwerp Inn, Market Square. The site of St Peter’s church.
1895: ” child’s coffin in the chalk” possibly from the Market Square.
c.1950: several chalk covered graves on the site of the new bank on Market Square, no grave goods.
These discoveries are focussed around Market square, this is located on the base of the Dour valley, to the west of the river, the ground slopes towards the east. OD is approximately 5m.


Andrew Richardson, 2000, Gazetteer of Anglo-Saxon Cemeteries and Burial-Sites in Kent (Unpublished document). SKE29253.

<1> Philp, B. J., 2002, Archaeology in the Front Line: 50 Years of Kent Rescue 1952 - 2002 (Monograph). SKE11928.

<2> A. W. Clapham, 1929, Archaeological journal: Proceedings At Meetings Vol. 86 (Article in serial). SKE32117.

<3> E. G. J. Amos and R. E. M. Wheeler, 1929, Archaeological journal: The Saxon Shore fortress at Dover Vol. 86 (Article in serial). SKE31895.

<4> Page, W. (ed), 1932, The Victoria History of the Counties of England: Kent Volume III (Monograph). SKE7810.

<5> Philip A. Rahtz, 1958, Archaeologia Cantiana, Dover: Stembrook and St. Martin Le Grand. Vol. 72 (Article in serial). SKE31641.

<6> Philp, B. J., 2002, Archaeology in the Front Line: 50 Years of Kent Rescue 1952 - 2002 (Monograph). SKE11928.

<7> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 1991-1992, Canterbury's Archaeology, Sites Outside Canterbury 1991-1992 (Article in serial). SKE31645.

<8> English Heritage, Register of Scheduled Monuments (Scheduling record). SKE16191.

<9> Historic England, National Heritage List for England (Index). SKE29372.

<11> Thomas Digges, 1595, The state of Dover Haven with the New workes (Map). SKE31987.

Sources and further reading

Cross-ref. Source description
---Unpublished document: Andrew Richardson. 2000. Gazetteer of Anglo-Saxon Cemeteries and Burial-Sites in Kent.
<1>Monograph: Philp, B. J.. 2002. Archaeology in the Front Line: 50 Years of Kent Rescue 1952 - 2002.
<2>Article in serial: A. W. Clapham. 1929. Archaeological journal: Proceedings At Meetings Vol. 86. Vol. 86 pp. 235-321.
<3>Article in serial: E. G. J. Amos and R. E. M. Wheeler. 1929. Archaeological journal: The Saxon Shore fortress at Dover Vol. 86. Vol. 86 pp. 47-58.
<4>Monograph: Page, W. (ed). 1932. The Victoria History of the Counties of England: Kent Volume III.
<5>Article in serial: Philip A. Rahtz. 1958. Archaeologia Cantiana, Dover: Stembrook and St. Martin Le Grand. Vol. 72. Vol. 72, pp 111-117.
<6>Monograph: Philp, B. J.. 2002. Archaeology in the Front Line: 50 Years of Kent Rescue 1952 - 2002.
<7>Article in serial: Canterbury Archaeological Trust. 1991-1992. Canterbury's Archaeology, Sites Outside Canterbury 1991-1992. 1991-1992, pp. 11-16.
<8>Scheduling record: English Heritage. Register of Scheduled Monuments.
<9>Index: Historic England. National Heritage List for England.
<11>Map: Thomas Digges. 1595. The state of Dover Haven with the New workes. Unknown. Unknown.

Related records

TR 34 SW 1755Parent of: Chalk block tomb located within the southern chapel of the Church of St. Martin-Le-Grand, Dover (Monument)
TR 34 SW 1257Parent of: Medieval walls near the Church of St Martin Le Grand, Dover (Monument)
TR 34 SW 235Parent of: Medieval walls, pits and garderobe associated with St Martin-Le-Grand Church. (Monument)
TR 34 SW 1254Parent of: Vaulted tomb near the Church of St Martin Le Grand, Dover (Monument)