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    "source_title": "Encyclopaedia Britannica (1911)",
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    "chunk_id": "1911:folkestone:d5013742394b",
    "title": "FOLKESTONE",
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    "verified_text": "folkestone, a municipal borough, seaport and watering-place of kent, england, within the parliamentary borough of hythe, 71 m. s.e. by e. of london by the south-eastern & chatham railway. pop. (1891) 23,905; (1901) 30,650. this is one of the principal ports in cross-channel communications, the steamers serving boulogne, 30 m. distant. the older part of folkestone lies in a small valley which here opens upon the shore between steep hills. the more modern portions extend up the hills on either hand. to the north the town is sheltered by hills rising sharply to heights of 400 to 500 ft., on several of which, such as sugarloaf and castle hills, are ancient earthworks. above the cliff west of the old town is a broad promenade called the lees, commanding a notable view of the channel and connected by lifts with the shore below. on this cliff also stands the parish church of st mary and st eanswith, a cruciform building of much interest, with central tower. it is mainly early english, but the original church, attached to a benedictine priory, was founded in 1095 on the site of a convent established by eanswith, daughter of eadbald, king of kent in 630. the site of this foundation, however, became endangered by encroachments of the sea. the monastery was destroyed at the dissolution of religious houses by henry viii. folkestone inner harbour is dry at low water, but there is a deep water pier for use at low tide by the channel steamers, by which not only the passenger traffic, but also a large general trade are carried on. the fisheries are important. among institutions may be mentioned the grammar school, founded in 1674, the public library and museum, and a number of hospitals and sanatoria. the discontinued harveian institution for young men was named after william harvey, discoverer of the circulation of the blood, a native of folkestone (1578), who is also commemorated by a tercentenary memorial on the lees. folkestone is a member of the cinque port of dover. it is governed by a mayor, 7 aldermen and 21 councillors. area, 2522 acres. to the west of folkestone, close to shorncliffe camp, is the populous suburb of cheriton (an urban district, pop. 7091). folkestone (folcestan) was among the possessions of earl godwine and was called upon to supply him with ships when he was exiled from england; at the time of the domesday survey it belonged to odo, bishop of bayeux. from early times it was a member of the cinque port of dover, and had to find one out of the twenty-one ships furnished by that port for the royal service. it shared the privileges of the cinque ports, whose liberties were exemplified at the request of the barons of folkestone by edward iii. in 1330. the corporation, which was prescriptive, was entitled the mayor, jurats and commonalty of folkestone. the history of folkestone is a record of its struggle against the sea, which was constantly encroaching upon the town. in 1629 the inhabitants, impoverished by their losses, obtained licence to erect a port. by the end of the 18th century the town had become prosperous by the increase of its fishing and shipping trades, and by the middle of the 19th century one of the chief health and pleasure resorts of the south coast. folkland (_folcland_). this term occurs three times in anglo-saxon documents. in a law of edward the elder (c. i. 2) it is contrasted with bookland in a way which shows that these two kinds of tenure formed the two main subdivisions of landownership: no one is to deny right to another in respect of folkland or bookland. by a charter of 863 (cod. dipl. 281), king aethelberht exchanges five hides of folkland for five hides of bookland which had formerly belonged to a thane, granting the latter for the newly-acquired estates exemption from all fiscal exactions except the threefold public obligation of attending the fyrd and joining in the repair of fortresses and bridges. evidently folkland was not free from the payment of _gafal_ (land tax) and providing quarters for the king's men. in ealdorman alfred's will the testator disposes freely of his bookland estates in favour of his sons and his daughter, but to a son who is not considered as rightful offspring five hides of folkland are left, provided the king consents. it is probable that folkland is meant in two or three cases when latin documents speak of _terra rei publicae jure possessa_. two principal explanations have been given to this term. allen thought that folkland was similar to the roman _ager publicus_: it was the common property of the nation (_folc_), and the king had to dispose of it by carving out dependent tenures for his followers more or less after the fashion of continental _beneficia_. these estates remained subject to the superior ownership of the folk and of the king: they could eventually be taken back by the latter and, in any case, the heir of a holder of folkland had to be confirmed in possession by the king. a letter of bede to the archbishop ecgbert of york may be interpreted to apply to this kind of tenure. kemble, k. maurer, h.c. lodge, stubbs and others followed allen's lead. another theory was started by professor vinogradoff in an article on folkland in the _english hist. review_ for 1893. it considers folkland as landownership by folkright--at common law, as might be said in modern legal speech. in opposition to it bookland appears as landownership derived from royal privilege. the incidents recorded in the charters characterize folkland as subject to ordinary fiscal burdens and to limitations in respect of testamentary succession. thane wallaf has to be relieved from fiscal exactions when his estate is converted from folkland into bookland (c.d. 281). ealdorman alfred's son, not being recognized as legitimate, has to claim folkland not by direct succession or devise, but by the consent of the king. these incidents and limitations are thrown into relief by copious illustrations as to the fundamental features of bookland contained in the numberless \"books.\" these are exemptions from fiscal dues and freedom of disposition of the owner. this view of the matter has been accepted by the chief modern authorities. bibliography.--j. allen, _inquiry into the rise and growth of royal prerogative in england_ (london, 1849); k. maurer, _kritische uberschau_ (1853), band i. 102 ff.; f.w. maitland, _domesday book and beyond_, 244 ff. (cambridge, 1897); p. vinogradoff, \"folcland,\" in the _eng. hist. rev._ (1893), p. 1 ff.; sir f. pollock, _land laws_ (london, 1896); h. brunner, _deutsche rechtsgeschichte_, band i. (2nd ed., 293, leipzig, 1887-1892). (p. vi.)",
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