‘The world, according to the best geographers, is divided into Europe, Asia, Africa, America, and Romney Marsh. In this last-named and fifth quarter of the globe, a witch may still be occasionally discovered in favourable, i.e. stormy, seasons, weathering Dungeness Point in an egg-shell, or careering on her broomstick over Dymchurch wall.’ - Mrs Botherby’s Story: The Leech of Folkestone.1
The Romney Marsh has long been associated with smuggling and sheep. In his guide to Kent, John Thorne described it as:
‘the crescent-shaped tract of flat land stretching from Hythe to the Sussex border, criss-crossed with dykes and channels.’2