. Vanishing England . h the departure of the sea and the diminish-ing of the harbour, the population decreased and theprosperity of Rye declined. Refugees from France haveon two notable occasions added to the number of itsinhabitants. After the Massacre of St. Bartholomewseven hundred scared and frightened Protestants arrivedat Rye and brought with them their industry, and lateron, after the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes, manyHuguenots settled here and made it almost a Frenchtown. We need not record all the royal visits, thealarms of attack, the plagues, and other incidents thathave divers
. Vanishing England . h the departure of the sea and the diminish-ing of the harbour, the population decreased and theprosperity of Rye declined. Refugees from France haveon two notable occasions added to the number of itsinhabitants. After the Massacre of St. Bartholomewseven hundred scared and frightened Protestants arrivedat Rye and brought with them their industry, and lateron, after the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes, manyHuguenots settled here and made it almost a Frenchtown. We need not record all the royal visits, thealarms of attack, the plagues, and other incidents thathave diversified the life of Rye. We will glance at therelics that remain. The walls seem never to have re-covered from the attack of the French, but one gateis standing—the Landgate on the north-east of the town,built in 1360, and consisting of a broad arch flanked bytwo massive towers with chambers above for archers anddefenders. Formerly there were two other gates, butthese have vanished save only the sculptured arms of the. * Tlc<u West Street, Rye 64 VANISHING ENGLAND Cinque Ports that once adorned the Strand Gate. TheYpres tower is a memorial of the ancient strength of thetown, and was originally built by William de Ypres,Earl of Kent, in the twelfth century, but has receivedlater additions. It has a stern, gaunt appearance, anduntil recent times was used as a jail. The churchpossesses many points of unique interest. The buildersbegan in the twelfth century to build the tower andtransepts, which are Norman ; then they proceeded withthe nave, which is Transitional ; and when they reachedthe choir, which is very large and fine, the style hadmerged into the Early English. Later windows wereinserted in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Thechurch has suffered with the town at the hands of theFrench invaders, who did much damage. The old clock,with its huge swinging pendulum, is curious. Thechurch has a collection of old books, including some oldBibles, including a Vinegar and
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Keywords: ., bookauthorditchfieldphpeterhamp, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910
