Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
few decades after this map was drawn. Winchelsea town is in the top right corner, while the
Playden village is represented below Rye by its church and mills drawn 'upside down'.
The map was made and signed by John Prouez or Prowse, an innkeeper of Rye. Like most
Rye men, Prowse was also a mariner, which may explain why this map has the hallmarks of
a chart of this date although it was not intended for use at sea. Four compass roses have large
arrows pointing to north at the lower edge of the map, while radiating from them are rhumb
lines, which were used by sailors for direction finding. The waters swarm with detailed draw-
ings of different vessels, from sea-going men-of-war with open gunports and full rigging, to
fishing boats by the town, and rowing boats to ferry men and goods between ships and the
town. These boats are alive with sailors, though to the left of Rye are people in the water who
seem to be bodies rather than simply out swimming.
The marshes and creeks around the town were the reason for this map's making. Below
and to the right of the town a note indicates a breach in 'Mr Sheppards Marrshe'. This ap-
parently relates to a petition to the Privy Council in 1572 by Robert and Alexander Sheppard
from nearby Peasmarsh (off the map at lower right). They explained that a mighty storm in
November that year had caused 'a breach by rage of water', and flooded an area which had
previously been marsh, but had been drained or 'inned' to form a spit of land on which houses
and mills had been built. They wished to repair the walls to protect these new buildings before
further 'extremity of winds, weather and tide', but claimed that they were hindered by the
townsfolk of Rye, who favoured a freer flow of water to feed the creek to their haven, to the
right of the town. As this map shows, major coastline change is nothing new.
