Author Archives: Lorraine

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About Lorraine

I am a local historian, whose love of Dover has lead to decades of research into some of the lesser known tales that this famous and beautiful town has to tell.

Dynasty of Dover Part III – The Gunmans

Posted on November 27, 2013 by Lorraine

The Dynasty of Dover started with William Stokes, Margery, his daughter of married Edward Wivell and together they had bought Maison Dieu farmland that stretched from Maison Dieu House to Stembrook. There they had built the finest mansion in Dover. Of … Continue reading →

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Peter Fector – the story behind the Town’s treasure and the Country’s banking system

Posted on November 23, 2013 by Lorraine

Above the door at the side of the Nat-West Bank in Market Square is a sign that states, incorrectly, ‘Dover Old Bank 1700’. The site of the Dover’s Old Bank was actually in Strond Street/ Custom House Quay, on the … Continue reading →

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Edward Randolph – the hated Colonialist

Posted on November 21, 2013 by Lorraine

Edward Randolph (1632-1703), it is said, was one of the most hated men in pre-Revolutionary America! He was baptised in Canterbury on 9 July 1632, the son of a doctor and one of fifteen children. On 12 November 1650, Edward … Continue reading →

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Ragged School

Posted on November 19, 2013 by Lorraine

Once upon a time on the site now occupied by a car park on Ladywell there was a building that provided a basic education for the poorest boys of the town. It  was known as the Ragged School. These schools … Continue reading →

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Martin and the legend of Thomas Marsh

Posted on November 17, 2013 by Lorraine

Martin is a hamlet in the parish of Langdon, about 4½miles northeast of Dover. There has been a settlement there since at least Anglo-Saxon times. In AD 861, it is listed as Meretun, which means ‘farmstead by the pools’. In old guidebooks, … Continue reading →

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