A HISTORY OF CORNWALL 



Notwithstanding these checks to commerce there are sundry signs of its progress during the 

 reign of James I. Thirteen vessels of Fowey, five of Helford, two of Looe, and twelve of Saltash, 

 besides single ones of other places, are mentioned in various official and legal papers of 1 603-2 5. l There 

 was also some privateering. In 1525 letters of marque were taken out for a ship of Fowey and for 

 another of Looe; in 1628 for ships of Fowey, Scilly, Saltash, and Falmouth, those from the last 

 town being of 1 50 and 1 60 tons, and the Falmouth vessels were again at sea in 1 630. 2 Fowey sent out 

 the Spark of IOO tons and the Trial of 150 tons, and Saltash the Fortune of 100 tons. In 1625, in 

 consequence of the war with Spain and the constant use made of the harbours opening into 

 Plymouth Sound, there was an intention of founding a dockyard at Saltash, and a survey was made 

 of a suitable site, but the poverty of the government forbade the execution of the project. 3 The 

 maritime traffic was probably chiefly coastal and cross-channel, although Falmouth must always have 

 been a port of refuge, but there was sufficient commercial enterprise to make it to some one's 

 interest to propose the construction of a harbour at Porthleven, ' the most dangerous place in 

 England, and where 100,000 and many lives have been lost in the last fifteen months.' The 

 projector of this scheme desired to be entitled to charge sixpence a ton from all ships using it, and a 

 toll of a penny on those passing the Land's End. 4 This paper is probably of 1620, for about 1619 

 a Spanish ship with silver on board, which must have formed part of the large sum of 100,000,. 

 was wrecked on the Lizard, and the dwellers there, with Sir John Killigrew at their head, set about 

 recovering it, threatening death to anyone who interfered. 5 In 1629 a Dutch diver, Jacob Johnson, 

 who had a patent apparatus, thought he would attempt some salvage on this wreck, but was 

 prevented by the people. In view of the local hopes and prejudices a refuge harbour at Porthleven 

 would have been very distasteful to those at hand. When Johnson was driven away a French 

 privateer came ashore ; four eccentric persons took possession of her in the king's name, but were 

 speedily frightened away by the countrymen, who left little of the ship. 6 A few years later, in 

 February, 16345, a vessel was lost in Gwavas Lake ; some of the gentlemen at hand attempted to 

 save the cargo, but were ' opposed by a riotous multitude ... by violence threatening the death,' 

 and the upholders of the law had to leap down the cliffs to save their lives. 7 It must be remem- 

 bered that only the more important cases of wreck reached the cognizance of the government or 

 of the Admiralty Court ; there must have been hundreds, perhaps thousands, of instances of plunder 

 that have left no record. 



The renewal of war in 1625 led to returns of men and ships being made again from the 

 maritime counties. That for Cornwall was compiled in August, i626, 8 showing 1,535 men ; this, 

 as might have been expected, shows a retrogression from the Elizabethan period. Of the total 244 

 lived in North Cornwall, and 76 of them belonged to St. Ives ; in South Cornwall, Millbrook 

 and Maker had 101 men, East and West Looe 80, Fowey 52, and Saltash 95. There 

 could have been but little oversea trade at this time, for one ship of 2OO tons belonging to 

 Saltash, one of 130 and two of 120 to Millbrook, and one of 180 and one of 140 to Penryn, 

 are the only comparatively large vessels. In 1634 the conditions were much the same, South 

 Cornwall possessing six ships of from 120 to 20O tons, with forty-eight of 90 tons and under, and 

 North Cornwall ten, not exceeding 45 tons ; of men there were 1,124 ' n South and 242 in North 

 Cornwall. 9 The glory of Fowey had departed ; ' it hath now lost the lustre of its former greatness 

 by reason of the great piracies, spoils, and decays it hath often sustained.' 1( The war of 1625 caused 

 fears for its safety, and the deputy-lieutenants of Cornwall petitioned that it was quite unfortified 

 and open to any foray ; in January, 1626, there is a reference to the building of a fort there. 11 In 

 1633 St. Ives petitioned for some defence. The townsmen described it as the safest harbour 

 between Bristol and the Land's End, and boasted that as many as forty vessels at a time had sheltered 

 within the pier. A platform ^pd works already existed, and six guns and two resident gunners 

 were asked for. 1 * 



The peaceful reign of James I required little naval expenditure, and no call was made upon 

 private resources until the preparation of Sir Robert Mansell's fleet intended to act against Algiers j 

 of this the king thought the trading ports, as chiefly interested, should bear most of the expense. 

 A circular letter from the Privy Council, in February, 1618-19, related that the Algerine and 

 Tunisian pirates had taken 300 ships and many hundreds of men in a few years, 13 but in reality the 



1 R. G. Marsden in Trans. Roy. Hist. Soc. six, 336. Mr. Marsden informs me that the corresponding 

 figures for the period 1509-58 are Fowey eleven, Looe four, and Saltash eight. 



1 S. P. Dom. Chas. I, cxxxv, 79. 3 Ibid, ix, 34 ; Coke MS. 2 Nov. 1625. 



1 S. P. Dom. Jas. I, cxc, 8 (undated). ' Ibid, cxiii, II. 6 S. P. Dom. Chas. I, cxxxvi, 17. 



7 Ibid, cclxxxiii, 20, 21, ii ; Admir. Ct. Misc. Bdles. ser. ii, 241. 



8 S. P. Dom. Chas. I, xxxiii, 70, i. 9 Ibid, cclxxx, 64 ; cclxxxii, 135. 



10 Ibid. xii. 78 ; 29 Dec. 1625. Ibid, xix, 22. Ibid, cclvii, 128. 



13 S. P. Dom. Jas. I, cv, 88. It was said in 1625 that there were 1,200 or 1,400 English prisoners at 



Sake, mostly taken within a few miles of the coast from Dartmouth westward (Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. viii, 

 App. i, 242). 



496 



