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 both situated next to each other opposite the Gravesend Grammar School. Established in the 1870s, Gravesend RFC have been the towns senior club since league rugby was established in the 1980s. In the 2009/10 season Gravesend RFC secured a league and cup double by winning the London 1 South title in emphatic style and the Kent Cup for just the second time. The 2010/11 season saw the club make their debut in National League 3 London & SE finishing a respectable 6th. This is the highest level attained, in their 130-year history, and only four leagues below The Aviva Premiership.They