A HISTORY OF DORSET 



the men-of-war which came from there from that year onwards. Other 

 Dorset shipbuilders of the same date were Henry Chard at Lyme ; Thos. 

 Burt, Sam. Esther, Ric. Penny, Cherret and Wills, and Medowes & Co., 

 at Poole ; Thos. Ayles, at Portland ; Barnes & Co., at Swanage ; and Thos. 

 Wallis, John deed, Simon Jenkens, and Thos. Brick, at Weymouth.^'' The 

 number of the Poole builders, and the fact that they did not care to tender for 

 Admiralty contracts, shows that the Newfoundland trade there, then reaching 

 its zenith, gave plenty of employment, but probably much of the work 

 overflowed to Weymouth. Messrs. Cherret and Wills seem to have been 

 the biggest firm in the county. The establishment of a packet service in 

 1794 between Weymouth and the Channel Islands must also have brought 

 employment to the Weymouth builders. At first the packets were hired 

 vessels, three, of 50 tons each, being in the service in 1807,''' but, later, 

 government ships were used. In 1837 the establishment was transferred to 

 the Admiralty and steamers put on the station ; in 1845 there were four 

 running but none of them had been built at Weymouth. 



The first Dorset lifeboat was stationed at Portland in 1825, followed by 

 another at Studland in 1826 ; both were supplied and maintained by local 

 subscriptions and there were no others for many years. Manby's rocket 

 apparatus was placed at Portland and Bridport in 181 5. 



The principal naval event of the nineteenth century relating to Dorset 

 IS the construction of Portland Breakwater. It has been noticed that it was 

 intended as a reply to Cherbourg when that port was enlarged and fortified 

 to an extent that suggested that the French government hoped to make it 

 another Brest. But, while Portland has grown in strength and importance, 

 the developments of modern warfare have reduced the value of Cherbourg to 

 such a degree that many French officers now regard it as worse than worth- 

 less — a trap, indefensible in itself, attracting an enemy to a weak part of the 

 coast, and unable to protect the war ships sheltering within it. Certainly 

 the Cotentin peninsula is very vulnerable to a power having the command 

 of the sea, and it is significant that Cherbourg itself, although strongly 

 fortified in the middle ages, was never able to resist English or French attack 

 when held by either power during the Hundred Years' War. As late as 

 1758, although then recently fortified in the most scientific manner, it fell 

 easily into the hands of Bligh and Howe. The Portland Breakwater had 

 been proposed towards the end of the eighteenth century when there were 

 sometimes from 100 to 150 merchantmen taking refuge in the Roads. The 

 government of that day had no reason from a military point of view to 

 undertake the work, therefore nothing was done until Cherbourg seemed to 

 be growing into a great naval base. The construction was commenced in 

 August, 1847, under the superintendence of Mr. J. M. Rendel and Mr. John 

 Coode, the latter succeeding Rendel, and after two years of preliminary work 

 the first stone was placed on 25 July, 1849. The estimated cost was to be 

 ^^589, 000, but the plans were subsequently altered and down to 1875 

 upwards of ^^i, 000, 000 had been expended."^' 



As finished originally the Breakwater, containing nearly 5,750,000 tons 

 of stone, consisted of inner and outer arms, with an opening between them, 



"' Pari. Papers, 1805, viii, 485. '^ Ibid. 1809, x, 388. 



'" Ibid. 1852-3, xcviii, 609 ; 1876, Ixv, 546 ; j^nn. Register, 1849. 



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