English Coast Defences From Roman Times to the Early Years of the Nineteenth Century — Reading Companion

(0 User reviews) 34

In Category - Adventure Picaresque Fiction

Authors: Clinch, George, 1860-1921 Digital Source: Project Gutenberg Gutenberg Release Year: 2014 First Publication Year: Not confirmed

Key Word: Great Britain -- Defenses Target Reader: Readers of public-domain and historical texts

Book Edition: Project Gutenberg digital edition Book Language: en

Edition facts

Words 30,639

Reading time 134 min

Text sections 6

The source record for English Coast Defences From Roman Times to the Early Years of the Nineteenth Century — Reading Companion measures this digital text at 30,639 words, 2 hr 14 min estimated reading time, and 6 detected text sections.

The text analysis averages about 20.8 words per sentence, while the detected sections provide another way to judge how the source is divided.

Project Gutenberg metadata also associates the work with “Great Britain -- Defenses,” connecting these edition facts with the source record’s subject description.

Source: Project Gutenberg record #45884

A survey of English coastal fortifications from Roman times to the early 1800s, focusing on specific sites like Dover Castle and the Saxon Shore forts, with attention to architectural changes and strategic responses to invasion threats.

Editorial Edition Score 4.7/5

★★★★★ ★★★★★

Calculated from edition completeness, EPUB availability, text structure and catalogue metadata. Not a user rating.

How this score is calculated

Description quality20 pts
Title & short description10 pts
Source metadata20 pts
Text length15 pts
Chapters / structure15 pts
EPUB file integrity20 pts

Total of 100 points, scaled to a 2.5-5.0 range. Editions with an empty description or a missing EPUB file are not scored.

Edition quality

File: pg45884

Read the Text

Britons were driven out.

THE ROMAN INVASION OF BRITAIN

There is hardly a single detail of the first invasion of Britain by the Romans which has not been the subject of dispute or discussion among historians and antiquaries, but, briefly, it may be stated as highly probable that Caesar left Portus Itius (Boulogne) on 25 August 55 B.C., and landed at or near what is now Deal on the following day.

When Caesar found a convenient time for the invasion of Britain, he got together about eighty transports, which he considered would be sufficient for carrying two legions across the channel. Those galleys which he had left he distributed to the questor, lieutenants, and officers of the cavalry. In addition to these ships there were eighteen transports, detained by contrary winds at a port about eight miles off, and these were appointed to carry over the cavalry.

A favourable breeze sprang up, and anchor was weighed about one in the morning. The cavalry in the eighteen other transports embarked at the other port. It was ten o'clock when Caesar reached the coast of Britain, where he saw the cliffs covered with the enemy's forces. He speaks of the place as being bounded by steep mountains in a way which clearly describes Dover and the eminences in its neighbourhood, comprising Shakespeare's Cliff, the western and eastern heights, and all the magnificent cliff of precipitous chalk rock which extends to Kingsdown, near Walmer. On such a coast as this, apart from the presence of the enemy, landing was impossible, and Caesar wisely determined to sail eight miles further on, where he found, probably at Deal, a plain and open shore. Caesar's description is most interesting, and may be quoted:

"But the barbarians perceiving our design, sent their cavalry and chariots before, which they frequently make use of in battle, and following with the rest of their forces, endeavoured to oppose our landing: and indeed we found the difficulty very great on many accounts; for our ships being large, required a great depth of water; and the soldiers, who were wholly unacquainted with the places, and had their hands embarrassed and loaden with a weight of armour, were at the same time to leap from the ships, stand breast high against the waves, and encounter the enemy, while they, fighting upon dry ground, or advancing only a little way into the water, having the free use of all their limbs, and in places which they perfectly knew, could boldly cast their darts, and spur on their horses, well inured to that kind of service. All these circumstances serving to spread a terror among our men, who were wholly strangers to this way of fighting, they pushed not the enemy with the same vigour and spirit as was usual for them in combats upon dry ground.

"Caesar, observing this, ordered some galleys, a kind of shipping less common with the barbarians, and more easily governed and put in motion, to advance a little from the transports towards the shore, in order to set upon the enemy in flank, and by means of their engines, slings, and arrows, drive them to some distance. This proved of considerable service to our men, for what with the surprise occasioned by the make of our galleys, the motion of the oars, and the playing of the engines, the enemy were forced to halt, and in a little time began to give back. But our men still demurring to leap into the sea, chiefly because of the depth of the water in those parts, the standard-bearer of the tenth legion, having first invoked the gods for success, cried out aloud: 'Follow me, fellow-soldiers, unless you will betray the Roman eagle into the hands of the enemy; for my part, I am resolved to discharge my duty to Caesar and the common-wealth.' Upon this he jumped into the sea, and advanced with the eagle against the enemy: whereat, our men exhorted one another to prevent so signal a disgrace, all that were in the ship followed him, which being perceived by those in the nearest vessels, they also did the like, and boldly approached the enemy.

Continue Reading →

George Clinch's English Coast Defences opens with a striking observation: England's intricate coastline, 'so difficult for an enemy to blockade,' is both a source of insular strength and a persistent vulnerability. The book traces the physical remnants of defense—from prehistoric camps to Roman fortresses, Norman keeps, and Tudor bulwarks—showing how each era adapted to new threats. Clinch grounds his study in specific sites, such as the Roman fort of Gariannonum (Burgh Castle) and the multilayered Dover Castle, which he calls 'the Clavis et repagulum Angliae.' The work is organized chronologically, moving from Roman times through the Saxon and Norman periods to the early nineteenth century, with a focus on the material evidence of fortifications rather than military strategy alone.

The Saxon Shore and Roman Fortresses

Clinch devotes significant attention to the Roman system of coastal defense known as the Saxon Shore, a chain of fortresses from the Wash to the Isle of Wight. He provides detailed plans of sites like Gariannonum (Burgh Castle) and Regulbium (Reculver), noting their rectangular layouts, massive walls, and strategic positions at river mouths. The author reproduces an eighteenth-century plan of Burgh Castle, showing how the fort's shape and gateways were recorded before later erosion. At Reculver, he describes the Roman masonry still visible in the church ruins, a telling juxtaposition of military and ecclesiastical history. Clinch also discusses the Roman pharos (lighthouse) at Dover, one of the few surviving Roman structures in Britain, which served both navigation and defense. These fortresses, he argues, were not isolated posts but part of a coordinated system under the 'Count of the Saxon Shore,' a late Roman official responsible for defending the coast against Saxon raiders.

Dover Castle: A Layered Fortress

The treatment of Dover Castle exemplifies Clinch's method: he examines the site as a palimpsest of defensive works from different periods. The keep, built under Henry II, is described in precise dimensions—98 feet by 96 feet, with walls 24 feet thick at the base—and is noted as 'amongst the largest buildings of its class.' Clinch traces the castle's history through sieges (1137, 1216), repairs under Edward IV (£10,000 expended), and later enhancements under Henry VIII, who added 'bulwarks under Dover Castle' near the shore. An Elizabethan plan reproduced in the book shows the Arckcliffe Bulwark and Black Bulwark, as well as the town walls. The author also notes the underground passages excavated in chalk after the 1216 siege, and the Napoleonic-era improvements that included extensive subterranean works. Throughout, Clinch emphasizes the castle's continuous military occupation from Norman times to the present day, making it a unique case study in long-term coastal defense.

From Earthworks to Artillery Forts

Clinch charts the evolution of defensive architecture from prehistoric earthworks to medieval stone castles and early modern artillery fortifications. He notes that under Henry I, masonry began to replace earthwork defenses, but the need for stronger works became apparent by Henry II's reign. The book includes sections on the Cinque Ports, which provided ships and men for defense, and on defensive chains stretched across harbors. Clinch also discusses the role of the Navy and the Coastguard, though these are treated as supplementary to fixed fortifications. A recurring theme is the tension between central planning and local adaptation: while the Crown funded major works like Dover Castle, many coastal towns built their own walls and bulwarks. The author's use of plans, engravings, and archaeological reports (from the Society of Antiquaries and the Royal Archaeological Institute) gives the book a documentary quality, grounding general trends in specific, measurable evidence.

Clinch's study is best approached as a reference work for specific sites rather than a continuous narrative. Readers interested in a particular fortress—say, Richborough or Pevensey—can consult the relevant sections directly. The book's value lies in its accumulation of architectural detail, historical context, and illustrative material, much of it drawn from contemporary sources. For those tracing the physical remains of England's coastal defenses, Clinch provides a methodical, evidence-based foundation that rewards careful reading.

Reading about the old Saxon Shore forts, I found myself thinking about how each crumbling wall once meant something fiercely specific to the people who built it. That same quiet feeling of distant purpose lingers around Fort Jefferson National Monument, Florida — Themes and Context, a place where isolation makes the history feel almost personal. Strange how far-off stones can hold such a close ache.