Appledore is on the Northern edge of the Romney Marsh and once a port on the estuary of the Rother. It was up this river that a Danish invasion sailed in 892AD, destroyed a small fort where the town now resides and established a Viking base from where they launched raiding parties across the rest of South East England before being driven out by Alfred the Great.   

If the Viking invasions wasn’t enough, Appledore suffered further in 1380 when an French force sailed up the Rother, ransacked the town and burnt the church. The church, of which references can be found in the Doomsday book of 1086AD, was rebuilt but the Saxon stonework was lost.   

Huge storms in the 13th century caused widespread disruption to much the Marshes and resulted in the then hugely important commercial port of the region – Romney – silting up. To try and keep Romney open, a huge waterway – the Rhee Wall – was dug carrying water from the Rother down across the Marsh to New Romney in a bid to flush out the silted up harbour. The Rhee Wall is now filled in and forms the basis for the much of the A259 which runs from just South of Appledore to New Romney.  Further storms battered the area, resulting in the Rother changing course completely and leaving Appledore was stranded and approximately 8miles in-land rendering it useless as a port.   

Like many towns and villages of England in the 14th century, Appledore would no doubt have been badly effected by the Black Death and as a rural community its residents would have felt particularly hard done by the punitive laws introduced to curtail the increased freedoms farm hands acquired following the social upheaval caused by population dearth resulting from the Black Death. In this context, it’s perhaps no surprise that men of Appledore where amongst the first to rise up in the Peasants Revolt of 1381, with many joining the subsequent march on London.   

With the threat of Napoleonic invasion, and perhaps with an eye on past invasions by the French and Dutch, Appledore was chosen as a key point in the construction of the Royal Military Canal. This stretch of water, which flows in an arch from just East of Appledore, around the Northern edge of the Romney Marshes, to Hythe in the West and formed a formidable military barrier at the time, now serves as a delightful walk/cycle path, fishing spot and wild-life retreat.  

Geography

Appledore Today

Last update: 15-07-2008 16:32