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,
John Mills (Kent cricketer) John Mills (Kent cricketer) John Mills (dates of birth and death unknown) was a noted English cricketer of the mid-18th century who played for Kent. He was referred to in the sources as "the famous Kent bowler". He is known to have been a gamekeeper and he came from Horsmonden, where he played for the local cricket club. John Mills is first mentioned as a member of the Kent team that played against All-England in the famous match at the Artillery Ground on 18 June 1744 which became the first entry in "Scores & Biographies". His brother, whose first name