Dover The Port of Dover provides much of the town's employment, as does tourism. First recorded in its Latinised form of "Portus Dubris", the name derives from the Brythonic word for waters ("dwfr" in Middle Welsh. The same element is present in the town's French ("Douvres") and Modern Welsh ("Dofr") forms (though the modern Welsh name is in fact a borrowing from, and an adaptation of, the English name Dover), as well as the name of the river Dour and is evident in other English towns such as Wendover. The current name was in use at least by the time of
Dubris site of the investiture of the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports. At its peak, Dubris was a major trading centre, taking over from Rutupiae as the main Roman cross-Channel port. With Rutupiae, it was one of the starting points for Watling Street, the Roman road to Canterbury and, ultimately, London. During the construction of the new A256/York Street bypass in the 1970s Roman remains were discovered and an eight-week excavation followed. The archaeologists discovered a Roman mansio now known as the "Roman Painted House". The mansio, a hostel for government officials, was built in c. 200. It was discovered