Visitors from the USA  - Is that the Great Dog of Trottiscliffe

Last Friday I visited the Centre for Kentish Studies at County Hall Maidstone.  It was well worth the visit and is staffed by extremely helpful librarians on hand to assist those using the archive service.  I was hoping to track down the source or  reference to two letters dated 1654 and 1745, regarding attacks by a so called Great Dog of Trottiscliffe that were said to have occurred on the Pilgrims Road between Trottiscliffe and Medway.  The Great Dog is refrerred to in Fran and Geoff Doel's 'Folklore of Kent', which cites Igglesden's 'Saunters through Kent'.  Unfortunately Igglesden's Saunters through Kent covers 34 volumes and despite having now spent many hours over the last couple of years searching and seeking advice, I have failed to find any reference by Igglesden.  My interest is purely  in seeking a reference in these cited letters to the Pilgrims' Road dating from 1654 as this would be quite significant.

However I did find two useful articles in The Archeologia Cantinana referring to the origins of the Pilgrims Way.  The most interesting article was one wrtten by F C Elliston Erwood entitled The Pilgrims Way, Its Antiquity and its Alleged Mediaeval Use' 1925.  He quotes from a letter sent to him by Capt. H. W. Knocker that summerises research undertaken of West Kent Parish tithe apportionments.  This research showed that landlords argued that land which supported livestock (in this case hogs) paid no tithes (the tithe was collectced on the animal and not the pasture).   As such in the tithe apportionments of West Kent Parishes you find 'woodlands south of the Pilgrims Road pay no tithe'.  This is important for as Elliston Erwood states 'evidently there was in Kent a well recognised continuous track on the chalk hills, and that later this was known as the Pilgrims Road'.

On a lighter note I recieved a surprise this morning in the post.  Richard and Reyna, two customers from the USA who walked the Pilgrims Way early in the year  with Walk Awhile walking holidays.   Richard sent me a disc with pictures of their walk.  Here is one of Richard and Reyna descending from Kings Wood into Godmersham Park.  Is that the Great Dog of Trottiscliffe following them?