HYTHE, a town, a parish, a sub-district, and a hundred, in Kent. The town stands on the Military canal, at the end of Stone street, about ¾ of a mile from the sea, 3 miles SE by E of Westonhanger r. station, and 4½ W by S of Folkestone. It sprang from a Roman fortress; but, in consequence of natural changes on the coast, is now fully 3 miles distant from the spot, called Portus Lemanis, which gave it origin. It became one of the cinque ports; and, in that capacity, was rated at 5 ships. It was given, in 1036, to the Archbishops of Canterbury, whose seat was in the neighbourhood, at Saltwood Castle; and it seems to have acquired additional importance from the Archbishops' influence. It is said by Leland to have had, at one time, four parish churches and a fine abbey. It suffered much damage, in the time of Henry IV., by a fire; and was afterwards desolated by the plague. Its harbour was long very suitable for commerce; but became, by recession of the sea, greatly narrowed in the time of Elizabeth, and nearly closed and useless soon afterwards; and probably will never be succeeded by even an artificial one, as the beach is open and affords no shelter. The town was thrown into decay by the loss of its commerce; but it revived a little by the forming of the military canal; and it has revived still more by the formation of the railway near it, and by the attraction of summer visitors for sea bathing. Its situation is very fine, on a declivity descending towards the sea, with a good bathing beach, amid environs of great beauty, with charming walks and rides, with several interesting ancient ruins, with many picturesque close views, and with a prospect across the channel to France. The town includes one long principal street, well built, paved, and clean; has also several smaller streets, branching from the principal one, or parallel to it; and still exhibits, in the features of its older houses, many traces of its ancient prosperity. Its chief public buildings are a townhall, a small jail, barracks, a school of musketry, a bathing establishment, a public library and reading room, a church, three dissenting chapels, and two hospitals. The townhall stands on the N side of High street, near the centre; and is a commodious structure of 1794. The barracks stand at the W extremity of the town, on the Ashford road; were erected in 1807-8, for the use of the royal staff corps; and have accommodation for 300 men, besides officers. The school of musketry was established by government, for the practice of the Enfield rifle, both by regulars and by volunteers; and, at the census of 1861, it had 152 inmates. The bathing establishment was erected in 1854, at a cost of upwards of £2, 000; and includes waiting rooms and guides' residence. The church stands on lofty ground N of High street; is partly Norman, partly early English; consists of nave, aisles, and triple chancel, with W tower; was partly rebuilt toward the middle of last century; contains enrichments in Bethersden marble; has a rich E memorial window, put up in 1862; and has a crypt situated under the central chancel, and containing a large pile of human bones. These bones are locally supposed to be remains of Britons slain in a sanguinary battle, in 845, on the shore between Hythe and Folkestone; but they, not improbably, were exhumed from a contiguous Roman or Saxon cemetery. One of the dissenting chapels is Independent, in the Gothic style, built in 1868. The two hospitals are St. Bartholomew s and St. John's, -the former founded in 1336 by Bishop Hamo of Rochester, -the latter of unknown but early foundation; and they have respectively £271 and £180 a year from endowment, and are both used as alms houses. The town has a head post office, ‡ a banking office, two chief inns, a literary institution, a dispensary, and some other institutions; and is a seat of petty and quarter sessions. A weekly market is held on Thursday; fairs are held on 10 July and 1 December; and there is a large brewery. The town shared all the privileges of the cinque port charters; had also a special charter from Elizabeth; is now governed by a mayor, 4 aldermen, and 12 councillors; sent two members to parliament from the time of Edward III. till the act of 1832; and now sends one. Its municipal boundaries comprise the parishes of Hythe-St. Leonard and West Hythe; and its parliamentary boundaries comprise, in addition to these, the parishes of Cheriton, Folkestone, and Saltwood, and part of the parish of Newington-next-Hythe. M. borough income, in 1860, £664. Real property of the m. borough, in 1860, £10, 831; of which £256 were in gas works. Electors of the p. borough, in 1868, 1, 313. Pop. of the m. borough, in 1851, 2, 857; in 1861, 3, 001. Houses, 589. Pop. of the p. borough, in 1851, 13, 164; in 1 861, 21, 367. Houses, 2, 843. The parish is Hythe ST. Leonard; and it contains all the town proper. Acres, 882; of which 82 are water. Rated property, £4, 010. Pop. in 1851, 2, 675; in 1861, 2, 871. Houses, 558. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Canterbury; and was formerly annexed to the rectory of Saltwood. Value, £175. Patron, the Rector of Saltwood.—The sub-district contains also seven other parishes, and is in the district of Elham. Acres, 15, 209. Pop., 5, 743. Houses, 1, 132.-The hundred contains only Hythe and West Hythe parishes, and is conterminate with Hythe m. borough.

(John Marius Wilson, Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870-72))