Rochester Bridge, c.300-1381

Paul Oldham, Senior Warden Rochester Bridge Trust, tells the story of the first bridge at Rochester built by the Romans and maintained for over 1000 years until its eventual destruction and replacement by the late-medieval bridge. Featured in The Friends of Rochester Cathedral Annual Report for 2000-2001.

The road bridges across the River Medway at Rochester were built, are maintained, and will be replaced when necessary by a long established charitable trust, the Rochester Bridge trust. This is now a unique arrangement in England since similar trusts at Barnstaple and Bideford in Devon were overwhelmed by financial problems.

The first bridge at Rochester was built by the Romans as part of the magnificent road system imposed on Britain. Pre Roman routes crossed the river higher up at Aylesford or Halling but the engineering skills of the Romans allowed a bridge to be constructed over a wider section of the river, a more direct route for the vital road between the Channel Ports, Canterbury and London - one of the most important routes in Britain in Roman and Medieval times.

That bridge and road explains the siting of the Roman walled city - the name of that city, Durobrivae or Durobrivas, means 'the fort (or strong point) by the bridges. The plural reference in bridges is explained by the many arches needed to cross the wide river. Great skills were required to drive piles into the floor of the river, construct stone piers, and then place a wooden carriageway on top. The bridge had to be strong to withstand the tidal flow, a difference between high and low tide of seventeen feet, even though a massive programme of repair to the piers and carriageway was always needed.

Fourth century legal codes placed responsibility for bridge maintenance upon the leading landowners around a Roman town and forming the town council.

They organised workmen from their estates to undertake the work. The imperial codes also made clear the exemption of men of status, churchmen and local government officials from the menial work. When urban life and Roman administration collapsed after 400 A.D., such repair of the bridge must have been difficult to organise.

When St. Augustine landed in 597 A.D. Roman influence returned, former cities were gradually reoccupied, including Rochester, and bishops were based in such cities. On the continent, bishops played a large part in the maintenance of bridges and the same applied here. Kent is unusual in having two historic dioceses in one county and also unusually the seat of the bishop, the cathedral, at Rochester is on the edge of the diocese, across a wide river. The condition of the Roman bridge at that time is not known but its existence must have been a key factor in establishing the cathedral in 604 A.D., allowing bishop and clergy to visit the diocese easily and the pious the meet their obligations to attend the cathedral. Rochester bridge really was the bridge to the diocese.

A document of 1100 records how the bridge had been maintained for many centuries. Each pier was the responsibility of the King, the Archbishop of Canterbury or the Bishop of Rochester, with a list of manors from which tenants provided the labour. A lead manor was named whose steward organised the workforce. For example, it was recorded the bishop of Rochester was responsible for the third pier with the manors of Halling, Trottiscliffe, Malling, Southfleet, Stone, Pinder and Fawkham.

Materials were obtained from local sources. Bridgewood, itself a suggestive place name and still partly owned by the Bridge Trust, was where wood could be cut, worked and collected. Later a major quarry was acquired at Frindsbury to provide the large amount of chalk needed to maintain the bridge - the site is now the Medway City Estate.

Whilst such a system looked effective, there were problems in enforcing the obligations. For example, when the roadway above the fifth pier collapsed in 1310 the tenants of Westerham declined to help, perhaps not surprisingly given the distance of Westerham from Rochester. The King's bailiff, William Mot, distrained a horse and five cows from them; he was attacked, beaten and forced to release the animals; resulting in the court proceedings from which we learn of the story.

The state of the bridge deteriorated, the effect of rust and weather, as well as the constant journeys across and some incidents of violence - King John broke it during the siege of Rochester Castle whilst Simon de Montfort set fire to it People were warned not to ride horses across to avoid being blown off.

William the son of Ainsfrid, Lord of Allington and sheriff of Kent, ignored the advice and drowned in about 1130. The event was remembered in the cathedral as his tunic as made into ale of the horse paid for the pyx which hung above the high altar. A song of 1300 recorded that the state of the bridge deteriorated the efect of rust and weather, as wellas the constant journeys across and some incidents of violence - King John broke it during the siege of Rochester Castle whilst Simon de Montfort set fire to in People were warned not to ride horses across to avoid being blown off.

William the son of Ainsfrid, Lord of Allington and sheriff of Kent, ignored the advice and drowned in about 1130. The event was remembered in the cathedral as his tunic was made into a dalmatic and the sale of the horse paid for the pyx which hung above the high altar. A song of 1300 records The Harper of Rochester being blown off the bridge but he was saved by the Virgin Mary after playing on his harp whilst floating down the river. Presumably not all travellers carried a harp with them in times of trouble.

By 1381, a sudden thaw after a harsh winter swept away the old bridge but the contributory parishes and taxation could not cope with its replacement. Two leading magnates, Sir John de Cobham and Sir Robert Knolly stepped in, providing the finance, drive and organisation to build a new stone bridge of twelve arches - one of the major bridges of Britain. Medieval bridges after had chapels attached in which travellers could pray for safe journeys. Sir John de Cobham erected such a chapel in 1392 and founded a charity to support three chaplains. The building still stands on the Esplanade.

To avoid previous problems of repair and maintenance, Sir John and Sir Robert obtained royal and parliamentary approval to create a corporation, called the Wardens and Commonalty, to hold land to provide their revenue to support the bridge and chapel. Substantial gifts of land and buildings were received from a string of rich men, including bishops and Richard Whittington, often in the form of legacies. Gifts after the Reformation were fewer but subsequent generations looked after the endowments, investing the capital but only spending the income.

The Wardens prospered to allow the bridge to be maintained and eventually replaced without resorting to public funds or tolls, a second road bridge to be built and maintained at Rochester and a large contribution to be made to the construction and maintenance of the Medway Tunnel. Over the centuries careful management of the assets have also provided major donations to other good causes.

In the nineteenth century bridges at Maidstone and Tonbridge were heavily supported, for example, and the Girls Grammar Schools in Rochester and Maidstone were founded whilst more recently Bridge Wardens College in Chatham Historic Dockyard was established. Not all such gifts went smoothly - in 1874 the Charity Commissioners objected to the donation to the Rochester Cathedral Restoration Appeal!

The Wardens have prospered by accumulating capital assets, often through legacies, and then managing the capital to produce a rising income to support the vital river crossings over the centuries. How similar to the purpose of the Friends of Rochester Cathedral, to attract capital funds from which income will safeguard the long term future of the Cathedral. Legacies will also be an important source of support for the Friends.

Rochester Bridge is an excellent model for the Friends, both forming bridges to the diocese.

Paul Oldham

Senior Warden Rochester Bridge Trust