History
The Romans have been credited with the first two attempts at building a sea wall. The subsequent draining of the marshes had a twofold benefit in that pastureland was created, which supported sheep; and the local malaria-bearing mosquitoes were deprived of their breeding grounds.
The area is rich in archaeology. Bronze Age implements and Jutish cemeteries have been found on the peninsula, and Roman pottery at Cooling. It was once the point of departure across the ancient Saxon fording point over the River Thames to Essex.
Much of the peninsula lies in one of the Saxon divisions of England called 'hundreds': here it is the 'Hundred of Hoo'. To be precise, the Hundred comprised the parishes and churches of Hoo St Werburgh, High Halstow, St Mary's Hoo, Allhallows and part of Stoke. The Isle of Grain, then a complete island, was in the Hundred of Gillingham; the remainder of the parish of Stoke was in the Hundred of Shamel.
William the Conqueror granted his half-brother, Odo, the large estate of Hoo.
Read more about this topic: Hoo Peninsula
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