190 fiROWNSEA ISLANU. 



burgesses of Poole were not best pleased at this mark of royal 

 favour to the dancing Chancellor, especially when he claimed 

 the right to confiscate to himself the profits of the ferry between 

 the haven points, which had previously been in the hands of the 

 fishermen of the port. Hatton also claimed and exercised, 

 among other powers, the permission to detain and examine all 

 shipping entering and leaving the port, and this culminated in 

 tragedy. In 1589 the barque Bountiful Gift was fired at from 

 Brownsea for failing to comply with the Governor's regulations, 

 and the captain and one man were killed. This captain, Walter 

 Partridge, was buried in Poole, and a description of the affair 

 may be found in St. James's parish register. 



In 1572 Hatton granted a 21 years' lease to John Engleby of 

 all the woods, excepting Alum Cheyne and Cheyne Silver, and 

 two years later he granted a superior lease of the whole Island, 

 excepting the castle, to John Morly. From John Morly it 

 passed into the possession of Charles Brooks, from whom in 

 1611 it went to Robert Cecil, first Earl of Salisbury. Early in 

 the Civil War Parliament caused Brownsea Castle to be strongly 

 fortified, and in 1644 an order from the House of Commons was 

 issued for delivery from the Isle of Wight of four pieces of 

 ordnance and chests of "musquets" from Weymouth. On 

 April 29th, 1647, an order was made for the sum of 60 to be 

 remitted to Captain Hardyng, commandant of the castle, for the 

 payment of the men constituting the Brownsea garrison. 



No doubt these worthies gave a good account of themselves, 

 as, with the exception of Lyme, Poole was the only town in 

 Dorsetshire able successfully to resist the attacks of the 

 Royalists ; and it was ordered in June of the same year that 

 Brownsea Castle should be under the command of the Governor 

 of Poole, Captain Skutt. In the reign of Charles the Second 

 the Lord of Brownsea was Sir Robert Clayton, a London citizen, 

 a scrivener of great fortune. Sir Robert was Lord Mayor of 

 London in 1679, and was three times elected as Member of 

 Parliament for the City and once for Bletchingley, where he had 

 a goodly estate. During this reign Brownsea suffered again 



