MARITIME HISTORY 



them ; in 1628 the Poole townsmen returned their losses within four years 

 as 20 ships of 1,465 tons, there being only 16, of 838 tons, left to work 

 with.^^° 



A condition of war led to returns of ships and men being again required. 

 That of 1629^°^ assigned 20 vessels to Poole, including 2 of 150 tons, with 

 82 shipmasters and men. At Lyme there were 18 ships, 2 being of 

 80 tons, and 1 1 1 men ; at Weymouth and Melcombe 26 ships, the largest 

 being of 100 tons, and 301 men. The totals for the county were 68 ships, 

 135 masters and masters' mates, and 950 seamen and fishermen; of the 

 smaller places there were 37 men living at Wareham, 36 at Swanage, 25 at 

 Studland, 86 at Chideock, 35 at Charmouth, 49 at Bridport, 64 at Burton 

 Bradstock, 64 at Abbotsbury, 35 at Wyke Regis, and 36 in the isle of Port- 

 land. At Ower, which Edward I had intended to make a flourishing port,-" 

 there were only two. So far as the ships are concerned the foregoing can 

 only refer to those at home at the date of examination, when the largest must 

 have been at sea, for another return of 1634"'' gives Dorset six of from 100 

 to 250 tons. Notwithstanding their war losses the ports had sufficient capital 

 and enterprise to follow privateering speculation vigorously. Between 1625 

 and 1628 the Leopard, 240 tons, Abigail, 120 tons. Pilgrim, 200 tons, Elizabeth, 

 100 tons, Sarah Bonaventure, 100 tons, and Stephen, 100 tons, of Weymouth, 

 the Garland, 160 tons, of Poole, and the Bonaventure, 100 tons, of Lyme, 

 were among the large ships for which the owners obtained letters of marque.^" 

 But not improbably some of these were hired and really belonged to other 

 ports ; the Leopard, however, was a Weymouth owned ship. In the year 

 ending with February, 1629, letters of marque were taken out for eleven Wey- 

 mouth ships, three of Lyme, and one of Poole. ^" Here the largest Weymouth 

 vessel was of 140 tons. 



Charles had issued ship-money writs in 1628, but, alarmed at the feeling 

 aroused, he withdrew them at once. Forced at last to choose between facing 

 a Parliament and raising money by this method the writs of 20 October, 1634, 

 were sent out directed to Poole, Weymouth and Melcombe, Wareham, Lyme, 

 and Bridport for a 400-ton ship armed, manned, stored, and victualled for 

 twenty-six weeks' service. "^^ As the ships required were larger than those 

 possessed by any port except London an equivalent in money might be paid 

 to the Treasury, to be applied to the preparation of a king's ship, and the 

 Dorset ports were therefore given the option of paying f^2,zo\. H.M.S. 

 Adventure was allotted to Dorset, but it was found subsequently that a mistake 

 had been made and the county rated too low in money.*" The second ship- 

 money writ was of 4 August, 1635, ^""^ ^^^ general to the inland shires as well 

 as to those of the coast ; Dorset was required to find a 500-ton ship or 

 ^^5,000.-^' The first assessments were £bo on Poole, >C^°° o" Dorchester, 

 i^-jo on Lyme, ^^30 on Bridport, ^20 on Wareham, and f^\o on Corfe, but 

 these assessments were afterwards altered, f^\o being then placed on Wey- 

 mouth."' In April, 1636, money was coming in freely, the county being 



^'° S.P. Dom. Chas. I, ciii. No. 43. =^> Ibid, cxxxviii, No. 11. ''' Ante, p. 181. 



""' S.P. Dom. Chas. I, cclxx, No. 64. Or perhaps the return ofpeace had encouraged ship-building on .1 

 comparatively large scale. 



''■' Ibid. cxv. «* Ibid, cxxxvi. No. 79. 



'■' Ibid, cclxxvi. No. 64. '°' S.P. Dom. Chas. I, cclxxxiv. No. 15 ; cclxxxvi, No. 7. 



'^' Ibid, ccxcvi, No. 69. »^^ Ibid, cccii, No. 78 ; Harl. MSS. 6843, fol. 93. 



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