SHEERNESS, a sea-port and market-town and chapelry,
in the parish of MINSTER, having separate jurisdiction,
though locally in the liberty of Isle-of-Sheppy, lathe
of SCRAY, county of KENT, 21 miles (N. E.) from Maidstone,
and 50 (E. by S.) from London, containing 817
inhabitants.  This place, which is situated at the northwestern
point of the Isle of Sheppy, on the river Medway,
at its junction with the Thames, was a mere swamp
until the. reign of Charles II., when the importance of
its situation being appreciated, that monarch, early in
1667, directed the construction of a strong fort, and
twice personally ascertained its progress. In the same
year, before the new fortifications were in a very advanced
state, the Dutch fleet entered the Thames, and
made their memorable attack on the shipping in the-
Medway, having in their passage destroyed that portion
of the works which was completed, and landed some
men, who took possession of the fort. In consequence
of this, a regular fortification, with a line, of heavy
artillery and of smaller forts higher up, on each side
of the Medway, was formed, to which other works have
since been added. A garrison is kept up, under the
command of a governor, lieutenant-governor, fort-major,
and inferior officers; and the construction of a
royal dock-yard, for repairing ships and building
frigates and smaller vessels, has caused Sheerness to
become a naval station of the first importance. In
1798, the mutiny of the fleet stationed at the Nore
threatened this town with the most alarming consequences,
arid induced many of the inhabitants to make
a precipitate retreat to Chatham and other places; but
the fortunate suppression of this formidable insurrection
saved the town from the apprehended danger. In 1827,
it suffered from a dreadful fire, which destroyed fifty
houses, and property of the value of £60,000; but the
houses, which were before principally of wood, have
been replaced by others built of brick.
Owing to the naval establishment formed here,
Sheerness has grown up into a considerable town, consisting
of two divisions, Blue Town and Mile Town:
it has been recently much enlarged, some new streets
and a spacious hotel having been erected, the latter
fitted up in a very superior style; but there are not
sufficient houses for the population, many of the poorer
inhabitants residing in the hulls of old vessels, though,
in consequence of recent reductions in the dock-yards
and arsenals, the number has considerably decreased.
A pier and causeway extend from the town to low water
mark, which are kept in good repair; and the town is
paved, lighted, and cleansed under the authority of two
acts of parliament passed in the 41st and 49th of
George III. There was formerly a great scarcity of
water, but it is now supplied, and of a very excellent
quality, at one half-penny per pail, from four subscription
wells, which have been sunk to a depth of three
hundred and sixty feet: the principal one, called King's
well, is within the fort, and supplies the vessels at the
Nore. This place has latterly become the resort of a
great deal of company, attracted by the facility of seabathing
the beach, on which the machines are stationed,
being very clean, and forming a delightful promenade.
On the cliffs leading from the beach towards
Minster there is, perhaps, one of the most splendid and
interesting views in the- kingdom; the German Ocean
on the east; the rivers Thames and Medway, bearing
innumerable vessels of all sizes, with the town and
harbour of Sheerness, to the north and west j and the
fertile valleys of Kent, with the Medway winding
through them, and the towns and villages interspersed,
towards the south, combine in presenting a diversity
and sublimity of landscape rarely excelled. The harbour
has of late years been much enlarged and improved,
and is now safe and commodious, often presenting
a splendid appearance from the number of
vessels in it; passage boats ply with every tide, and
a steam-boat daily, to and from Chatham, and there is
in summer a regular communication by steam-boats
with London.
The dock-yard has been greatly extended and improved
within the last fifteen years, at a cost of about
three millions, ancj is now one of the finest in Europe;
it covers an area of sixty acres, and is surrounded by
an extremely well built brick wall, which cost £40,000.
The docks are sufficiently capacious to receive men of
war of the first class, with all their guns, stores, equipments,
&c., on board j and two steam-engines, each of
fifty horse power, have been erected for the purpose of
pumping them dry. There is a basin, with a depth of
water of twenty-six feet, which will hold six ships of
the first class; and two of a smaller size, for storeships
and boats. The storehouse, which is the largest
building in the country, is six stories high, with iron,
joists, beams, window-frames, and doors, and will contain
at least thirty thousand tons of naval stores;
there are also a handsome victualling storehouse, smithy,
navy pay office, mast-houses, &c. The commissioners
and principal officers of the establishment have handsome
houses in the yard, and a noble residence has been,
erected in the garrison for the port-admiral, in which
are state rooms for the reception of the royal family,
the lords of the admiralty, &c. The principal establishment
of the ordnance departments has been removed,
hence to Chatham, where the stores for the fleet at. the,
Nore, &c., are kept, and the ground formerly occupied
by it has been added to the dock-yard. An office connected
with this department is still, however, retained,
here; and it is said that government contemplates the
re-establishment of the department at this place on a
very enlarged scale, and the extension of the present
line of fortifications from the garrison point, outside
the town, to the sea wall, called Queenborough wall,
for which purpose they have purchased two hundred
acres of land surrounding the town. The principal government
officers residing here are clerks of the cheque
and survey, store-keeper, master shipwright and his
assistant, master attendant, master caulker, boatswain,
surgeon, and porter. Many convicts are employed in
the hulks and in the improvements here.
The chief trade in the town arises from the dockyard
and other establishments connected with government,
though considerable quantities of corn and Seed,
the produce of the isle, as well as oysters (of which
the beds extend all aleng the coast, as far as Milton),
are shipped for the London market. There are copperas
works of considerable extent, within a few miles of the
town; the pyrites, or copperas stones, are collected in
heaps upon the beach, from the falling cliffs, and carried
away in vessels. The market is on Saturday,
but there is no regular market-place. The parish
church was formerly at Minster, about four miles distant,
but a very elegant church has lately been erected
at the east end, but outside the wall, of the dock-yard,
the area of which is appropriated for the officers, &c.,' of
the dock-yard, and the galleries for the public. The
chaplain is appointed by the Board of Admiralty. The
living is distinct from that of Minster, though it is in
contemplation to unite them, and the ecclesiastical government
is in the jurisdiction of the Consistorial Court
of Canterbury, concurrently with the Archidiaconal
court. There are two places of worship each for the
Baptists and Independents, and one each for the Primitive
and Wesleyan Methodists, the Unitarians, and Roman
Catholics, also a Synagogue. Sunday schools are
attached to the chapels of the Baptists, Independents,
and Wesleyan Methodists, in which more than one thousand
children are instructed; there are several reading
societies. In sinking the wells here, the workmen, at
the depth of two hundred feet, discovered a complete
prostrate forest, through which, in the prosecution of
their work, they were obliged to burn their way; which
is considered to be a remarkable confirmation of the history
of the deluge, and specimens are in the possession
of most of the Philosophical Institutions in Europe.
Stones well adapted for the composition of Roman cement,
in consequence of being impregnated with copperas,
are dredged up from the sea in the neighbourhood
of the cliffs.