XLXIX. RYE.—The Mary Stanford, 34 feet by 7 feet 9 inches, 10 oars.

L. WINCHELSEA.—The Frances Harris, 33 feet by 8 feet 2 inches, 10 oars.

THESE two most interesting towns well deserve the descriptive title " ye anciente townes," given to them in a Royal Charter of the 11th century, and still warmly cherished by their inhabitants.

In these utilitarian days, when old landmarks and relics of bygone ages are rapidly disappearing from view, under the ruthless hands of modern requirements and civilization, it is really refreshing to come upon places not only intimately connected with the early history of our country, but retaining to this day such interesting and well-preserved monuments of it as are to be found here. We are neither antiquarians nor archseologists, but cannot help drawing in our minds a very pleasant picture of the feelings of any one given to these interesting re- searches and branches of study on finding himself deposited at Bye or Winchelsea.

In strict justice, we ought to say Winchel- sea or Rye, the former being undoubtedly the oldest city, although the actual site was changed to the present one about 1287, when the town of old Winchelsea, which had existed from the days of the Romans, was destroyed by an inundation.

Bye stands upon a rock, which, when the city first came into note, was surrounded on all sides by the sea, and consequently laid it open to attacks by ships, although at the same time protecting it from at- tacks on the land or north side. It became one of the Cinque Ports in the 11th century, having, together with .old Winchelsea, been raised to that dignity by Edward the Confessor. The place suffered so much from attacks by the French and other piratical marauders, with which the Channel was then infested, that its protection by fortifications was commenced in the reign of Stephen, when Tpres, Earl of Kent, built, at the S.E.

angle of the town, the interesting old tower that still bears his name, to answer the double purpose of a watch-tower and fort. It was admirably placed for the former purpose, the coast from Fairlight, on the west, to Folkestone Cliffs, on the east, being quite open to it, whilst, from its height and position, its view seaward extended far towards the coast of France.

As a fort, before the days of artillery and gunpowder, it must have been immensely strong, standing on the edge of a rocky cliff very difficult of access. The main building is a quadrangle, with a round tower at each corner, the walls of which are about 10 feet thick, and about 40 feet high. This tower was soon supplemented by a wall on the east side. When the sea began to recede, which it did about this time, it became necessary to fortify the land side; this was done by Ed- ward III., who completed the defences by erecting a wall, 25 feet high and 5 feet thick, from the end of the wall on the east side, round the north and part of the west side of the town, to the steep cliffs, which from there were considered suffi- cient protection. There were three gate-ways in this wall, only one of which now remains, the other two, with the moat, having disappeared. The remaining monu- ment of this wall, the land-gate, is a fine old archway, through which the London Road runs, flanked on either side by a round tower, about 50 feet high, all in excellent preservation, and a landmark any town may well be proud of.

In spite of these (then) formidable fortifications, the town appears to have been several times taken and sacked by the French. It was captured by Louis, the Dauphin, of France, early in the 13th century, again in 1377, and again in 1488. We cannot doubt these ravages were amply revenged; indeed, it is known those of 1377 were, as the two towns fitted out an expedition, and attacking St. Pierre's in the night, killed all the inhabitants not able to pay a large ransom, and pillaged every house and church, as the French had done in Eye the previous year. They found and recaptured large quantities of booty taken from Eye, amongst which were the bells of the church and the lead stripped off the roof.

The present church is believed to have been built prior to 1377, although on that occasion, and again in 1488, it was all but destroyed, and lay almost in ruins, for many years, but was restored before 1538, although greatly shorn of its archi- tectural beauties. It is at present under- going a thorough restoration, at a very large expense.

Amongst other relics is the church clock, said to be the oldest clock in England still'going. It has a remark- able pendulum, nearly 20 feet long, that swings to and fro inside the church, and on each side of the dial, on the north side of the tower, are the figures of two boys, who strike the quarter hours on a bell. Tradition says this clock, as well as the communion table, were captured on board a ship of the Spanish Armada, but no confirmation of this statement is extant, and it is rather difficult to see to what use a clock, with a 20-foot pen- dulum., could be put on board ship.

Winchelsea, Eye's elder sister, came to her prime and passed on into the sere and yellow leaf of old age long ago, we may say centuries ago. The town originally stood on a low flat island, about two miles from Eye, and three from the present site. It was a town and port of considerable importance in Edward the Confessor's time, and reached its highest prosperity in the early years of King John, when its bay was the rendezvous for the English fleets; but its happiness was short-lived, for on October 1st, 1250, the storm occurred which practically gave it its death-blow, the inundation of the sea destroying about 300 houses and several churches. In 1276 the new site for the town was fixed upon, as it became yearly more clearly evident the old town must be abandoned, and in 1287 the great inundation occurred that destroyed it.

The new site seems to have been re- markably well chosen, being on an uneven sandstone rock, very steep on the east and north sides, where it was washed by the sea. The sea face was surrounded by a mud wall, and the remainder of the town by a stone wall, traces of which may yet be seen, as well as the three old gate- ways. During the reign of Edward I.

this was a very important seaport; it may also be said to have occupied, during the wars with France, as important a position as a naval and military depot and port of departure, as Portsmouth does now. It did not fail to receive visits from its French enemies, having been taken and partly burnt in 1359, and again the following year. It was again attacked in 1377, but for the time unsuccessfully, the French having been driven off by the Abbot of Battle, only to return three years afterwards, and then defeat the brave churchman and burn the town. It was again, for the last time, taken and burnt in 1449. Shortly after this the sea began to recede, and the prosperity of the place to decay. Now, at the nearest point, the sea is fully a mile and a half from it.

The retirement must have been gradual, for in 1531 Henry VIII. built Camber Castle, about midway between Eye and Winchelsea, to defend this coast from invasion. At the time it was built, it was most probably on the sea shore, and a great protection to Eye Harbour. It was dismantled in the time of the Com- monwealth, and is now a desolate ruin, nearly a mile from the shore.

Although the line of sand-cliffs, at the edge of the marshes, show that at some time they were washed by the sea, it is difficult to realise, when standing by the Ypres tower, and looking over the large expanse of rich pasture now lying between that place and the sea, that 500 years ago this was all under water, and that ships sailed up to Eye over the open sea, and not by the narrow tortuous channel which is now available for small vessels only, and that when the tide is up. This channel receives the water of three small rivers immediately under the town of Eye, and discharges them into the sea at about two miles south of the town, at what is rightly named Eye Harbour, as it is the port for loading and unloading all mer- chandise now brought there.

The entrance to this harbour is narrow, and very difficult of access during strong S.W. winds, and the number of vessels wrecked in the neighbourhood is con- siderable, as are happily also the number of lives saved by the Institution's two Life-boats, stationed one on each side of the harbour, to guard that and the long stretches of shingle beach leading to it.

As will be seen below, these two Life- boats have, since their first establish- ment in 1856, saved one hundred and fifty-three lives; eighty-three of which stand to the credit of the Eye Boats, and seventy to the Winchelsea Boat. They are both under one committee, forming the Rye and Winchelsea Branch, of which J. S. VIDLER, Esq., is now the Honorary Secretary.

SERVICES or THE RYE LITE-BOATS.

Lives saved.

1861 July 28. Ship Oithona, of London, rendered assistance.

Sept. 28. Barge Peace, of London . . 2 1863 Oct. 4. Brig Sir Colin Campbell, of Whitby 6 1869 April 7. Barge Columbia, of Stavan- ger, assisted to save vessel and 8 1871 Sept. 27. Brigantine Cyrus, of Eye . 9 Dec. 18. Barque Bobma, of N. Shields 9 1872 Oct. 24. Barge Urgent, of KocheBter 3 Dec. 16. Brig Orient, of Stenton, ren- dered assistance.

1874 Dec. 24. Schooner Celeste Henri, of Caen 4 1875 Mar. 8. Sloop Argus, of Cherbourg, remained by vessel.

1877 Jan. 11. Ketch Les deux Sceurs, as- sisted to save vessel and . 13 1879 Jan. 14. Brig Allison, of Whitby . . 4 1881 Feb.ll. Dandy Sophia Holten, of Ply- mouth 2 Aug. 25. Brigantine Lino, of Aland . 8 Dec. 16. French Chassemaree St. Anne 7 1882 June 2. Yacht Spider, assisted to save vessel and 8 Total number of lives saved . . 83 SERVICES OF THE WINCHELSEA LIFE-BOAT.

Lives saved.

1862 Dec. 10. American ship James Browne 18 1867 Jan. 23. Barque Marie Amelie, of Quimper, assisted to save vessel and 14 Feb. 1. Brigantine Estetto, of Preston, saved vessel.

Oct. 22. Ship Michael Loos, of Ant- werp, remained by vessel.

1869 Feb. 14. Brig Pearl, of Shoreham . 8 1871 Jan. 16. Brig Elizabeth and Cicely, of Guernsey 8 Dec. 18. Barque Robina, of N. Shields 8 1874 Feb. 25. Schooner Hellene, of Cranz . 4 1876 Jan. 21. Brig Fred Thamson,o( Dundee, remained by vessel.

1877 Dec. 22. Schooner Vier Broders, of Groningen 4 1878 Jan. 28. Schooner Fearless, of Guernsey 6 Total number of lives saved . . 70 These two Life-boats have also been launched on thirty-four different occasions to vessels in distress, which, however, have not ultimately needed their help. The crews of the two boats have, moreover, assembled in stormy weather forty-eight times at different periods in case their services might be required. The expenses to the Institution of these various services in saving life and otherwise have amounted to 8131.