There are records of Human settlement in Dartmouth going back to the Prehistoric period around 40,000 years ago, but here I will summarise some of the more recent recorded history.
Dartmouth is a small town in Devon in England with a population of around 5000 people.
Dartmouth was of strategic importance in the medieval period as a deep water port for sailing vessels and was used as a departure point for the crusades in 1147 and 1190.
It has been a home to the Royal Navy from the reign of Edward III (1312 – 1377) and today, the Brittania Royal Naval College (Built 1905) sits on a hill in Dartmouth and is the Royal Navy Officer Training Centre.
In 1373 Chaucer visited Dartmouth and an entry appeared in the Canterbury Tales…
- A schipman was ther, wonyng fer by weste;
- For ought I wost, he was of Dertemouthe.
Although closely linked to the Crown and the Navy there is no denying that in the early part of it’s history, Dartmouth was very strongly associated with privateering. John Hawley, an early Mayor of Dartmouth, was also a licensed privateer who sometimes added to his collection by straying somewhat outside of his official privateering license.
Both Sir Francis Drake and Sir Walter Raleigh have links to the town and the latter had estates on the banks of the river
The earliest street name recorded in Dartmouth is Smith Street, in records from the 13th Century, and the two oldest buildings still remaining in the town are the Cherub pub and Agincourt House.. both built in the early 1300’s. (Agincourt House was probably renamed as the Battle of Agincourt didn’t happen until 1415).
Agincourt House is now the Bayards Cove Inn and is the friendliest and best place to stay if you visit the town (in my opinion anyway).
The Church in Dartmouth, St Saviours, was built in 1335 and consecrated in 1372.
Dartmouth sent a number of ships to fight the Spanish Armada in 1588 and at least one ship that was captured by Sir Francis Drake was brought back to Dartmouth Harbour.
In 1620, the Mayflower and the Speedwell sailed from Dartmouth bound for the New World, but due to issues with the Speedwell, both ships set into Plymouth before the Speedwell was abandoned and the Mayflower continued on alone with the Pilgrims.
During the Second World War the town was a haven for evacuees from Acton in London, built naval ships at the Noss shipyard, was a base for both UK and USA troops practising for D-Day on the nearby beaches of Slapton Sands and became a home for the Free French Torpedo Boat operations.
The town contains many medieval and Elizabethan streetscapes and is full of narrow streets, overhanging buildings and cobbled walkways. Many buildings in the town are listed and preserved.
Graham
Some more links for your viewing pleasure.