MARITIME HISTORY 



and it was contrary to their interests to have their towns cleared of men with 

 a consequent rise of wages and difficulty in getting merchantmen to sea. 

 During the Commonwealth, Weymouth developed a large trade in the 

 manufacture of canvas for the Navy, mainly under the auspices of the Pley 

 family. 



At the Restoration Portland was armed with i6 guns, but Sandsfoot is 

 not included in the survey of i66i;^*^ the office of keeper of the castle was, 

 however, granted in 1660.^*^ At Portland there was a garrison of 36 men, 

 two matrosses (artillerymen) at Sandsfoot, and one master gunner was attached 

 to Weymouth.^" Dorset was not within the area of actual operations 

 during the second Dutch war but the ports suffered severely from the 

 enemy's privateers. A levy of men in December, 1664, shows the county 

 as then having 300 available, as compared with 700 in Devon, 300 in 

 Hampshire, and 150 in Somerset."*'* These numbers probably indicate 

 the relative ability of each county although no guide to the gross totals. 

 Shipwrights, also, were impressed for the royal dockyards, the mayor of Lyme 

 writing in January, 1666, that he had sent up all in the town except two ; 

 others were obtained from Poole.^'" Early in 1666 Louis XIV joined the 

 Dutch, and, as it was not known that he did not intend to give any real help 

 to his ally, fears of raids or invasion were acute in the Dorset ports where 

 their trade relations with France seem to have made them especially nervous. 

 Portland and Sandsfoot Castles were of little use for protection ; in Decem- 

 ber, 1664, the duke of Albemarle had proposed that Sandsfoot should be 

 demolished, ■"" and, taught by experience, there was a general feeling locally 

 that ships were a better safeguard than forts. In July, 1666, they were ' very 

 apprehensive ' at Weymouth of a French landing ; a year later, after the 

 events in the Thames and Medway, they had still more reason to fear what 

 might happen. The people of Lyme were ' much startled ' when they heard 

 of Ruiter's deeds in the Medway ; then he came down Channel with his 

 fleet and the whole coast was alive with preparation. Additional guns were 

 mounted at Lyme, and a night watch set, while militia were brought to 

 Dorchester and Weymouth.^" In the latter town they thought, on 6 July, 

 that the moment had come when a fleet was seen bearing into the Roads but 

 it proved to be composed of English merchantmen. The moment did come 

 on 7 August, when 50 sail were in sight, really Dutch, and then drums beat 

 and men mustered in the town.-'- But peace had been proclaimed and 

 Ruiter was sailing homewards, ignoring Weymouth. 



For nearly two centuries Bridport is not mentioned among the ports ; in 



1670 the inhabitants had in view another attempt to make a harbour, and 

 obtained a grant giving them powers to undertake the work.^"^ In 1673, 

 however, nothing had been done,^'* and in fact nearly another century elapsed 

 before there was shelter even for small coasters. Some improvements had 

 been effected at Weymouth remedying the defects noticed in 1657, but in 



1 67 1 a bad south-east gale breached the 'Grand Pier' and destroyed 300ft. 

 of another one under the Nothe Hill, besides injuring the quays.""" The third 



■" W. O. Ord. Stores, Ixxviii. ^*' Docquet Bk. Chas. II, Sept. 1 660. 



"' S.P. Dom Chas. II, xxxviii, 47. 



'«' Add. MSS. 9316, fol. 79. =»» S.P. Dom. Chas. II, cxliv, Nos. 28, 90. 



™ Ibid, cvi. No. 76. ^" Ibid, ccx, No. 6. « Ibid, ccxii, No. 97. 



™ Ibid, cclxxxiv, Aug. 1670. *" Blome, BritMiiw. '''^ S.P. Dom. Chas. II, cclxxxviii, No. 33. 



219 



