Pier, Margate - looking out through Ships Masts over water to town. Part of Box 145 Boswell Collection - East Coast. Margate was recorded as 'Meregate' in 1264 and as 'Margate' in 1299, but the spelling continued to vary into modern times. The name is thought to refer to a pool gate or gap in a cliff where pools of water are found, often allowing swimmers to jump in. The cliffs of the Isle of Thanet are composed of chalk, a fossil-bearing rock.