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 Cricket Club Gravesend Cricket Club Gravesend Cricket Club is a cricket club which currently plays in Division 2 of the Kent Cricket League. The club was formed in 1880 and plays at the Bat and Ball Ground which has been around for over 150 years (since 1848). First Class Cricket was played at "The Bat" (as it is affectionately known) by Kent County Cricket Club and its Second XI. The highest ever score on the ground came from W.G.Grace with 257 for Gloucestershire in 1895, and the most wickets in a match coming from Tich Freeman for Kent in 1931. The club