Book Reviews

Romney Marsh : Survival on a Frontier
Jill Eddison, with a foreword by Professor Barry Cunliffe. Tempus Publishing, 2000. 160pp, 75 b / w illustrations, 31 colour plates £14.99, reduced to £12.99 for members of K.A.S. who use the enclosed flier.

Romney Marsh lies at the frontier between land and sea. It consists entirely of land gained from the sea and, being below the level of high tides, has always been threatened by flooding. Four ports now stranded miles from the sea and another lost to the sea bear witness to great changes in the coastline.

This book charts the history of human occupation of a very specialised and difficult environment, especially in the last 2,000 years. Advances were made when both environmental and economic conditions were favourable. But when difficulties become insuperable, especially in Roman times and again in the thirteenth century, the inhabitants retreated. The struggle for survival continues today, and the book concludes with the challenges facing the twenty-first century.

The book reflects the work of the Romney Marsh Research Group, founded in 1983 by Professor Barry Cunliffe and Jill Eddison. It brings together the recent work of archaeologists, historians and geographers, and presents an up-to-date interpretation of the history of the areas. With numerous illustrations (many in full colour), this book will delight and inform anyone interested in Romney Marsh -or in changing coastlines and sea levels.

Jill Eddison is uniquely placed as its author, having been secretary of the Research Group and the supporting charitable Trust, and joint editor of three specialist publications about Romney Marsh. Originally a geologist, she lives near the Marsh and her interest in it goes back to her childhood.

Quotes from Reviews:

' ... highly recommended to all interested in the Marsh'

'Such a book as this was long over due. Charting the creation, evolution and development of Romney Marsh from prehistory to present, Jill Eddison conveys the immense wealth of detail in a flowing style, which holds the reader's attention throughout. There are copious illustrations and photographs'

' ... .it brings so much research and scholarship together in a way that is immensely readable'.