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,
William Smith (Kent cricketer) William Smith (Kent cricketer) William Smith (10 February 1819 — 6 February 1883) was an English cricketer. He was a wicket-keeper who played first-class cricket for Kent. He was born and died in Gravesend. Smith made his first-class debut in 1840 in a game between Kent and England, in which he was bowled out in his debut first-class innings by William Lillywhite, uncle of English Test cricketer James Lillywhite. Smith made two further first-class appearances over the next four years, before taking a twelve-year break from the game. He was to return in 1856 to play a game against Marylebone