CORNWALL AND THE SPANISH ARMADA. 



By H. MICHELL WHITLEY, F.G.S., Hon. Sec. 



Attend, all ye who list to hear our noble England's praise ; 

 I tell of the thrice famous deeds she wrought in ancient days. 

 When that gi'eat fleet invincible against her bore in vain 

 The richest spoils of Mexico, the stoutest hearts of Spain. 



I am telling the story of the Spanish Armada and the part 

 our own country played in that heroic strife, whose memory will 

 never fade out from the minds of Englishmen, and especially 

 from west countrymen, when amongst the names who bore a 

 leading x^^r^ ii^ "Britain's Salamis" were Drake, Ealeigh, 

 Hawkins, Grenville, Eashleigh, and many another Devon and 

 Cornishman ; but to do this and gather together into one 

 connected story the various threads, it is necessary to go back 

 to the reign of Henry YIII and trace the development of the 

 coast defences of Cornwall, the wrongs suffered by Cornishmen 

 from foreign pirates, the reprisals of Sir Francis Drake, and then 

 (to avenge them) the advent of the S^sanish Invincible Armada 

 blessed by the Pope, and the part our county bore in that noble 

 fight. 



In the early years of King Henry VHI the sea coast of 

 Cornwall was practically defenceless. Pirates and foreign ships 

 of war cruised off the coasts, boldly entered the harbours, and 

 captured prizes before the very towns themselves. Leland (in 

 his Itinerary, 1538), writing of Malpas, says: — "Here fought a 

 late 18 sail of Merchant Spaniards and 4 shippes of warre of 

 Dej)e the Spaniards chac'd hither the Frenchmen," and most 

 satisfactory confirmatory evidence of this story is forthcoming. 

 Sir John ArundeU, of Trerice, (writing to Cromwell, 1537) 

 says : — " There came into Falmouth Haven a fleet of Spaniards, 

 and the day after came four ships of Dieppe men-of-war, and 

 the Spaniards shot into the Frenchmen, and the Frenchmen shot 

 into the Spaniards, and during three hours great guns shot 

 between them, and the Frenchmen were glad to come higher up 



