KIDD'S OWN JOURNAL. 



DEVONSHIKE, AND ITS ATTRACTIVE 



BEAUTIES. 



SALCOMBE AND ITS ESTUARY. 



Midway between the towns of Tor- 

 quay and Plymouth is situated the large 

 and beautiful Estuary of Salcombe. At the 

 entrance on the east, is the almost perpen- 

 dicular promontory, called the Prawle Head; 

 and on the west, rising to a height of nearly 

 six hundred feet, is the Bolt Head. These 

 two projections form the most southern 

 extremity of the county of Devon. 



At the mouth of the harbour, which is 

 about half a mile in width, is a bar of sand, 

 on which, at low ebb of spring tides, there is 

 never less than six feet of water. About a 

 furlong inside the entrance, and rather on 

 the east side, is a large knot of rocks, called 

 the Blackstone, barely covered at high water 

 spring tide. These, with a small rock, called 

 the Wolf, only uncovered at the lowest tides, 

 and situated a little farther seaward, form a 

 natural breakwater, and protect the harbour 

 (which is very commodious and safe) from 

 the tremendous seas that, during a south- 

 west gale, are hurled with overwhelming 

 force on this part of the coast. 



Upon the two rocks above-mentioned, the 

 bar — and also on some other rocks nearer the 

 Moult, beacons and buoys have been placed. 

 These make the harbour easily accessible to 

 strangers. On a small promontory to the 

 left of the entrance of the harbour, and 

 about half a mile within it, is situated 

 the Moult, the beautiful residence of Lord 

 Courtenay. This is a neat, commodious 

 edifice, in a style partaking mainly of the 

 Gothic. The grounds are beautifully wooded ; 

 and the gardens, which are tastefully laid out, 

 contain many thriving plants of the Agave 

 Americana, two of which have flowered in 

 the grounds. (See Kidd's Journal for Jan.) 

 The walls are covered with fine orange, citron, 

 and lemon trees, and many other exotic 

 plants, too numerous to mention ; all of which 

 are perfectly acclimated. 



A short distance above the Moult, on a 

 rock nearly level with the water at high tide, 

 stand the ruins of an ancient castle, which 

 defended the entrance of the port, and was 

 dismantled by the Parliamentary troops 

 during the civil war in the reign of Charles 

 the First. This castle was garrisoned for 

 the King, by Sir Edmund Fortescue, Knt., of 

 Fallapit, in this county. It was of an irre- 

 gular form ; circular on the south-west, and 

 partly so towards the north-west; but the 

 end to the north-east, nearest Salcombe, is 

 narrowed almost to a point. Here the circu- 

 lar form terminates ; while a straight wall, 

 extending half the length of the fort, faces 

 the high land behind it. The north-west 

 section, which is principally in the direction 



of the land, is now standing, nearly entire 

 It is built of hewn stone, about forty feet in 

 height, and seven feet in thickness. On the 

 inside are to be seen the holes in which the 

 beams of the upper floor were placed. In 

 the walls of this chamber are two port-holes, 

 and seven loop-holes for musketry ; which, 

 as the land in the rear has an abrupt ele- 

 vation, seem to be all that could be of any 

 service in that quarter. 



From original papers in the possession of 

 the Fortescue family, it appears that it was 

 thought necessary to repair this castle during 

 the civil wars, and Sir Edmund Fortescue, of 

 Fallapit, Knt., received an order for that 

 purpose from Prince Maurice, the King's 

 nephew, by whom he was also appointed 

 governor. Sir Edmund immediately set 

 about repairing this fortress, which by the 

 15th January, 1645-6, he had completely 

 provisioned and fortified with great guns and 

 muskets ; the expense of which, as appears 

 by the Knight's daily account, amounted to 

 the sum of £3,196 14s. 6d. On the said 

 15th of January, this castle (then called Fort 

 Charles) was besieged by the Parliamentary 

 forces under Sir Thomas Fairfax. In what 

 manner the siege was carried on does not 

 appear. Tradition says, the Parliamentary 

 forces attacked it from Rickham Common, 

 in the parish of Portlemouth, on the opposite 

 side of the harbour ; and a half-moon trench, 

 with a mound and three places for three guns, 

 may be seen on the south-east shore, exactly 

 facing the castle, where they erected their 

 battery. 



On the 7th of May, 1646, a little less than 

 four months after the commencement of the 

 siege, the garrison was obliged to capitulate. 

 From some observations made by Sir Edmund 

 Fortescue, in his book of accounts, it seems 

 that this castle sustained two investments, 

 before the one last mentioned ; but no par- 

 ticulars are given, further than what may be 

 gathered from these words — " Item, for great 

 shot and musket shot, when Fort Charles 

 was formerly twice besieged, £15 17s." Sir 

 Edmund Fortescue afterwards sought safety 

 in Holland, and in his exile compounded for 

 his estate at upwards of £600. He lies buried 

 at Delft, where a monument is erected to his 

 memory. His portrait is still to be seen at 

 Fallapit ; where a large key, said to belong 

 to the above-mentioned fort, is preserved. 

 It is 1 foot 4 inches long, and 2 inches wide 

 at the part that enters the lock. In the small 

 bay between the old castle and the Moult, 

 which is about a furlong in depth, and con- 

 tains a beautiful beach of the same length, 

 called North Sands, may be seen at low 

 water spring tides, an immense quantity of 

 trunks of trees, imbedded in the sand. These 

 are supposed to be the remains of a wood, 

 overwhelmed in former times by the sea; 



