Burntwick Island is an island in the

estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environm ...

of the River Medway in

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. It is a flat, raised area of marshland around long and wide among the tidal sand banks on the southern side of the estuary and separated from the British mainland of Chetney Marshes by a narrow channel known as Stangate Creek. The island is crossed by several narrow tidal channels that mean that at high tide the island is separated into several smaller islands.

History

Until the 18th century, the island was part of the mainland and formed the northernmost area of the parish of

Upchurch Upchurch is a village and civil parish in the Swale district of Kent, England. It is situated just off the A2 road, between Rainham and Sittingbourne. History Upchurch lay on a pre-Roman trackway; the many linking roads are the result of Ro ...

. A track that ran from Shoregate Lane at Ham Green can still be traced. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries it was used as a

quarantine A quarantine is a restriction on the movement of people, animals and goods which is intended to prevent the spread of disease or pests. It is often used in connection to disease and illness, preventing the movement of those who may have been ...

base for disease-infected ships, with the bodies of those who died usually buried on Deadman's Island to the east. The island was also used for smuggling, particularly after rising customs duties in the late 18th century, with

tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of ''Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of southwestern China and north ...

and spirits the most commonly smuggled items. In the first years of the 19th century, Burntwick became a hideout of the North Kent Gang, a notorious group of smugglers. In 1820 they were confronted by two blockade officers while unloading goods in Stangate Creek, resulting in serious injury to one of the officers and the escape of the perpetrators. The majority of the fifty-strong group were eventually captured with three executed on Penenden Heath near

Maidstone Maidstone is the largest town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies 32 miles (51 km) east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town, linking it wi ...

and a further fifteen transported to

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

. The abolition of import duties in 1831 largely ended the practice of smuggling in the area. In 1845 the crew of the naval ship HMS ''Eclair'' contracted

yellow fever Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. ...

and was sent to assist. The surgeon of ''Rolla'', Sidney Bernard, moved to ''Eclair'' to treat the crew. On the ship's return to England, the authorities ordered the captain to moor in Stangate Creek to avoid spread of the disease and a cutter was deployed to prevent anyone leaving the ship. Bernard continued to tend to the crew until he also caught it and died aged 27 on 9 October 1845. He was buried on Burntwick Island and his grave, isolated among the marshy grasslands, is still visible. The remains of a small house are also still visible on the island, home in the 1840s of shepherd James Woolley and his wife Sarah, and later home to Thomas Hoare and Emma Castleton from the 1870s. In the early 20th century, the tide began to flood the island and the sheep were removed to the mainland. Also in the 19th century, the island was used as a refuse dump and much of the ground there is still littered with Victorian pottery and glass. The island then became the property of the Ministry of Defence and a battery was built there, later joined by a torpedo school and barracks during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. Since then it has been largely unused, becoming an important haven for seabirds, and is frequently fully submerged by the tide.

References

{{reflist Islands of England Borough of Swale