The site of the Claudian invasion of Britain in AD 43 is a matter of academic debate. Although it is generally believed that the force left from Gesoriacum (Boulogne), it is possible that part of the fleet sailed from near the mouth of the Rhine. And while Rutupiæ (Richborough, on the east coast of Kent) is often stated as the site of the landing (e.g. by Sheppard Frere), there are equally plausible arguments in favour of a landing further west along the south coast of Britain.