Editing Deptford (section)

=== Ancient ===
Deptford took its name from a ford across the [[River Ravensbourne|Ravensbourne]] (near what is now [[Deptford Bridge DLR station]]) along the route of the [[Ancient trackway#Great Britain|Celtic trackway]] which was later paved by the Romans and developed into the medieval [[Watling Street]].<ref name=route>{{cite web |url= http://www.dartfordarchive.org.uk/early_history/transport_rs.shtml |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20020109203103/http://www.dartfordarchive.org.uk/early_history/transport_rs.shtml |url-status= dead |archive-date= 9 January 2002 |title= Roman and Saxon Roads and Transport |work= Dartford archive |via= Dartford Grammar School |publisher= Kent County Council }}</ref> The modern name is a corruption of "deep ford".<ref>{{cite book| author1 =Patrick Hanks | author2 =Flavia Hodges| first3 =A. D. | last3 =  Mills| first4 = Adrian | last4 = Room |title=The Oxford Names Companion|date=2002|location= Oxford |publisher= The University Press|isbn= 978-0-19860561-4|page= 1003}}</ref>

Deptford was part of the pilgrimage route from London to [[Canterbury]] used by the pilgrims in [[Chaucer]]'s ''[[Canterbury Tales]]'', and is mentioned in the prologue to "[[The Reeve's Tale]]".<ref>{{cite web | author = Geoffrey Chaucer |author-link = Geoffrey Chaucer |url= http://sites.fas.harvard.edu/~chaucer/teachslf/rvt-par.htm#PROLOGUE |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190620005954/http://sites.fas.harvard.edu/~chaucer/teachslf/rvt-par.htm |archive-date=2019-06-20 |title=The Reeve's Prologue | at= line 3906 |website= Harvard University| access-date= 20 June 2019}}</ref> The ford developed into first a wooden then a stone bridge, and in 1497 saw the [[Battle of Deptford Bridge]], in which rebels from [[Cornwall]], led by [[Michael An Gof]], marched on London protesting against punitive taxes, but were soundly beaten by the King's forces.<ref>{{Cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=CSkGAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA468 |title=The Environs of London: pt. 2 |year=1811|page= 468 | author1 =Daniel Lysons | author2 =Samuel Lysons}}</ref>