+ Swonscombe Church. Schaoi» A HISTORY OF KENT Selling : Pfrry Wood. — A ' camp ' hill is mentioned in Petrie's list,' and local tradition recalls it, but now the only earthwork visible in this wood is a circular mount with slight fosse round, very like the work at Wouldham, the mount rising 12 to i 5 ft. in height. In old time it may have been a small, defended look-out, as it is in a position suited for the purpose, but in modern days has been converted into what is locally known as the ' Pulpit,' by the erection of a wooden structure on its summit. Sheppey Castle. — See Queenborough. SwANScoMBE : Sweyn's Camp.' — Antiquaries have told of Swans- combe as the landing-place of Sweyn, King of Denmark, and associated this small fortress with his en- campment. Though we know of no evidence to disprove this association, save that no work in England known to be of Danish origin is similar, we would assign its construction to a later period. It is, however, likely that there is some foundation for the tradi- tion that Sweyn landed and win- tered his navy at Swanscombe ; the valley below the fortress and north-east, protected by the hills, had in those days sufficient water to accommodate thelight-draught war vessels of the Danes, whilst the entry in the Domesday Book affords supporting evidence by
- •, writing ' Swinescamp ' as the
name of the place. 2 i* d>-eJ '. Sweyn's Camp is almost r^- I TCrr. ^/fife f^ circular in form, 60 by 54 ft., defended by a rampart with an outer fosse, the rampart doubtless once much higher than it now is, and the fosse correspondingly deeper. The spot selected for the construction of the fortress is on a tongue of land about 225 ft. above sea-level, projecting from the hill ground, which extends to the south and south-west for some miles ; it commands the north generally, including the river Thames and the south coast of Essex.' The entrenchments and their immediate neighbourhood being Sweyn's Camp, Swanscombe. ■ Juh. Cant. (1880) xiii. ' Variously known as Sweyn's Camp, Mount or Fort. ' Trees now obstruct the view northwards. 410
