Back on line in Cockington

November 24, 2019 · by Dano · in England

After a few days of recovering from the flu, me and the misses picked up Betsy and Jessie at Gatwick airport to start our final episode to our journey. Seems everyone here in merry ole England has the flu or at least a good cough they want to share. We dodged the bullet as long as we could but it finally caught up with us and we went down for the count. Still a bit of congestion but feeling much better, about 85% so on with the show.

Today was a mini-road trip, only about 1 hour, to Dartmouth Castle. This small, but significant fortress has played an important role in protecting Dartmouth since 1338 when it was first built as a coastal defense position.

On the river ferry to the castle

Standing room only on this ferry!

In 1338, Dartmouth was a rich trade center with major dealings in wine and cloth, primarily from privateered goods from France. It wasn’t long before the wealth merchants started getting concerned that stealing from the French may piss them off a bit, so the Royal Commission recommended they build a defensive castle to protect themselves. Well that was fine, but the merchants didn’t want to spend their profits on building something as wasteful as a fortress, so they petitioned King Richard II to place a levy on the town to pay for its protection. Work started in 1388 and the rest was history.

The castle, which is a bit of a misnomer, was only manned during times of war or anticipated battle. This was a defensive position so there was no need to have someone live there, except lookouts and a few militia men with long bows and this new thing called a “rifle”.

The castle did have a very unique defensive weapon, a chain. With cannons that could barely reach the other side of the river inlet, Dartmouth needed some way to slow or stop invading ships to improve the chances of hitting them. A chain across the river that could be raised or lowered was the answer. This had been a proven method of deterrence at the harbor in Fowey. Matter of fact, the new king, King Edward IV, took the chain from Fowey and had it installed at Dartmouth.

Dartmouth castle

The other side of the river where the chain was attached

Dartmouth castle round tower

OK, here’s that story in short. The chain was installed at the harbor on the river Fowey to protect against the French invading the town by the same name. Two privateers (really, pirates) named Treffry and Michelstow, were quite good at seizing ships and profiting off the booty they brought into Fowey. So good, they decided to seize any ship, regardless of origin or destination (sound like piracy to me). Wasn’t long before good King Edward II was up to his cod piece trying to adjudicate the theft of goods slated for English merchants by Treffy & Michelstow. Ed got tired of the squabbling and decided the best thing was a bit of punishment, he took their defensive chain back and gave it to Dartmouth. So there.

The chain has long since been removed but the site has continued to play a significant role in the coastal defense of England. Numerous upgrades and additions have been completed over the years to bring the defensive weapons current even into the 1940’s when 4.7” cannons were installed. Dartmouth was also one of the many ports that played part in Operation Neptune, the D-Day landings.

Great day out and only a bit of rain. Fortunately, when the heavy stuff hit, we were enjoying a coffee and pastry in one of the local shops. Tomorrow, it’s a trip to Bath and some touring of the Roman ruins.