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 United F.C. Amateur League which it won in 1935–36. It played in the South East Combination for two seasons during the war. The Kent League was re-joined playing for the last two seasons until its amalgamation in 1946. In 1946, the club merged with Northfleet United to form Gravesend & Northfleet, which is now known as Ebbsfleet United. It won the Kent Senior Cup in 1898 and 1900 and was finalist in 1913 and 1944. Gravesend United's colours were red and green stripes and white shorts. Gravesend United F.C. Gravesend United Football Club was a football club based in Gravesend, Kent. The