References
Chart showing the number of references in each month of the diary’s entries.
1663
- Sep
Queenborough, Kent
Map
The overlays that highlight 17th century London features are approximate and derived from Wenceslaus Hollar’s maps:
- Built-up London – London before the Fire
- City of London wall and Great Fire damage – London after the Fire
Open location in Google Maps: 51.418310, 0.742519
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3 Annotations
First Reading
TerryF • Link
"Queenborough is a small town on the Isle of Sheppey in the Swale borough of Kent in South East England.Queenborough is two miles (3.2 km) south of Sheerness. It grew as a port near the Thames Estuary at the westward entrance to The Swale where it joins the River Medway" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quee…
TerryF • Link
The Google map of Queensborough http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?oi=…
Second Reading
San Diego Sarah • Link
Queenborough is a small town on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent, South East England.
It lies is two miles (3 km) south of Sheerness. It grew as a port near the Thames Estuary at the westward entrance to the Swale where it joins the River Medway.
Queenborough Harbor offers moorings between the Thames and Medway. It is possible to land there on any tide.
Matthias Falconer of Brabant established the first copperas factory in England at Queenborough in 1579.
King Charles I had the town reincorporated; at that time the population was chiefly employed in oyster fishery. However the medieval fort, having protected the Swale and Medway estuaries for 300 years, never realized its function as a garrison, and has no military history.
After being taken by Parliamentarians in 1650, after the Civil War, and being considered unsuitable for repair, being of "no practical use" it was demolished during the interregnum.
Charles II must have regretted this decision because in 1667, the Dutch captured the Sheerness fort then under construction, and invaded Queenborough. The occupation lasted only a few days. The Dutch caused widespread panic, but were unable to maintain their offensive, and withdrew after capturing the Royal Charles and burning many other ships in the Thames and Medway.
Following this raid, belated attention was paid to improving the naval defenses of the Medway, which at length helped strengthen the economy of Queenborough and Sheppey.
50 years later Daniel Defoe described Queenborough as "a miserable and dirty fishing town (with) the chief traders ... alehouse keepers and oyster catchers" because by then the fort and harbor had been completed at Sheerness, replacing Queenborough by being better positioned at the mouth of the Medway and better able to handle the larger ships of the 18th century.
However, this is where Nelson learned to sail as a child.
For more information, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Que…