Gravesend was granted, allowing the men of the town to operate boats between London and the town; these became known as the "Long Ferry". It became the preferred form of passage, because of the perils of road travel (see below). On Gravesend's river front are the remains of a Tudor fort built by command of King Henry VIII in 1543. On 21 March 1617, John Rolfe and Rebecca (aka Princess Pocahontas) with their two-year-old son, Thomas, boarded a ship in London bound for the Commonwealth of Virginia; the ship had only sailed as far as Gravesend before Rebecca fell fatally ill,
Gravesend (film) Gravesend (film) Gravesend is a 1996 criminal drama film directed by Salvatore Stabile. After a quick narration by director Stabile, as well as a flash forward, the film's plot begins with Zane, Mikey, Ray, and Chicken spending a Saturday night in Ray's basement. Throughout the film, the backgrounds of the four young men are explained by Stabile during scenes which pertain to the respected characters the most: Ray's parents died while he was young, which left him to be raised by his older brother Mark. Their upbringing together was bitter and would result in violent tendencies to grow between them.