No 1 The Holdsworth & Newman Families Ray Freeman · No 1 The Holdsworth & Newman Families Ray Freeman Out of Print Copy in Library The Holdsworth and Newman families, interrelated

No 1 The Holdsworth & Newman Families

Ray Freeman

Out of Print Copy in Library

The Holdsworth and Newman families, interrelated by marriage, had a major influence on

the affairs of Dartmouth and the surrounding areas from the 17th century onwards.

The Holdsworths were primarily politicians, and between 1715 and 1830 the mayoralty of Dartmouth was

held by one Holdsworth or another for 47 of the 115 years. Although the way the family kept tight control of

the town’s affairs might not have been to everyone’s liking, there is no doubt that the Holdsworth’s

contributed immensely to the development of Dartmouth.

The Newman family concentrated more on trade, and sailed many ships out of Dartmouth to Newfoundland

to fish for cod, which was salted and then taken on to Portugal. Here the Newmans became pioneers in the

production of port, bringing the wine back to England in the same ships, which thus completing their

triangular route.

Both families were involved in privateering, an entirely acceptable arrangement of the day by which their

armed merchant ships were permitted in times of war to attack and sack enemy vessels – a dangerous

activity, but lucrative for the ship owners.

No 2 Dartmouth Cottage Hospital A History by Dr W. G. Kean


In 1887 it was decided that Dartmouth should have a new hospital to commemorate Queen

Victoria’s Jubilee. But a suitable site for a new building could not be found, and so

Morocco House on Bayard’s Cove was rented and became the town’s first hospital. The

building was never really suited to the care of the sick, but it existed as Dartmouth’s only infirmary for

seven years. In 1892 a building plot was acquired on the recently constructed South Embankment, and two

years later the new Dartmouth Cottage Hospital opened for business.

Dr. Keane’s book recounts tales of hospital life during the early 20th century, the building’s extension in

1926, and the constant struggle to raise sufficient funds to keep the enterprise solvent.

The hospital’s monetary problems were eventually solved in 1948 when it was taken over by the National

Health Service. But the assumption of primary financial responsibility by the government did not diminish

the desire of the local community to support its own cottage hospital, and the League of Friends, formed in

1956, has made major contributions to the hospital’s facilities and amenities over the last 50 years

No 3 Residences of Thomas Newcomen Ivor Smart


Ivor Smart’s book contains a great deal of detailed information, not only about the various houses occupied

by Thomas Newcomen and other

members of his family, but also about the history of the family itself, and the layout of Dartmouth in the

17th and 18

th centuries.

Thomas Newcomen’s grandfather (also named Thomas) first came to Dartmouth in the early 17th century,

and settled in a house in Lower Street. As his success as a merchant grew, the family moved to a much

grander property in South Town.

Thomas, the inventor, was born at a house in Foss Street in 1663. In 1705 he married Hannah Waymouth of

Malborough, near Kingsbridge, and brought his bride to a property that he was then leasing in Higher Street.

He subsequently also leased several adjoining properties, one of which he used as his workshop, and it was

here that his early experiments with steam power were carried out.

No 4 Brownstone: A Devon Farm

Ray Freeman

Out of Print

Brownstone Farm lies across the river from Dartmouth on the Kingswear side. It looks out

over the mouth of the Dart and the sea.

The earliest reference to the Brownstone name is in a document dated 1244. The recorded history of the

farm over the next 400 years is patchy, but in 1662 it was acquired by John Hayne. He and his descendants

owned Brownstone for nearly 250 years until it was finally sold by Charles Seale-Hayne in 1904.

As well as recording the Hayne and Seale-Hayne families’ ownership and development of the farm, the

book tells tales of hunting, cock fighting, a great fire and various ship wrecks that occurred at or around

Brownstone over the years, and also the building of the prominent Day Mark tower in 1864, which to this

day guides ships in to Dartmouth harbour.

During the 20th century the farm was divided in two – Higher and Lower Brownstone – with the former

being acquired by the National Trust in 1981.

No 5 Guildhalls of Dartmouth

Ivor Smart


Correspondence in the 'Dartmouth Chronicle' once referred to the present Dartmouth

Guildhall as the 'ancient' Guildhall of the town. Unfortunately, this is not the case, for the

present building dates from 1849 only, as the stone over the entrance proclaims. To which

building could the term 'ancient Guildhall' apply? There have been no less than four previous sites to

which this term is applicable. Ivor Smart traces the history of these, all at which have now been

demolished.

No 6 The Free French at Kingswear

Tony Higgins


The book contains an amazingly detailed account of the activities of a flotilla of Free

French motor torpedo boats that operated out of Kingswear from 1943 onwards. The flotilla

would cross the Channel under the cover of darkness and lie in wait for enemy shipping off the French coast

and around the Channel Islands. There were many successes, with German vessels sent to the bottom, but on

other occasions the boats would limp back to Kingswear damaged and weary.

In June 1944 the flotilla’s eight boats were actively engaged in the D-Day landings, and at this time General

de Gaulle’s son was acting as a crew member on one of the vessels.

As the Allies progressively repossessed France during the summer and autumn months of that year the

flotilla finally left Kingswear to return to a base on home soil – but only after a tremendous farewell party

had been organised by all the local Devonians who had developed such respect and friendship for the French

seamen.

No 7 The Newcomen Memorials in

Dartmouth

Ivor Smart


Ivor Smart’s research is as meticulous as ever in this account of the town’s attempts to

commemorate one of its most famous sons, the engineer Thomas Newcomen. Many felt that simply naming

a road after him in 1867 was not enough, and there were attempts, albeit unsuccessful, in the 1880s to

associate his name with both the new hospital and the recently constructed Royal Avenue Gardens.

Over the next 80 years there were other proposals to create a suitable memorial to the great engineer, but,

apart from the placement of a stone obelisk in the Gardens in 1921, none came to fruition until the 1960s

when a move was made to bring to the town one of Newcomen’s original steam engines. This was carefully

reconstructed in a purpose built engine house, and to this day it ensures that Thomas Newcomen, his

pioneering work in the 17th century and his association with Dartmouth are not forgotten.

No 8 The Story of Warfleet

Ray Freeman


Warfleet Creek and the land and houses immediately surrounding it, including Gallants

Bower, were once part of a manor and parish quite separate from Dartmouth itself. The

name Warfleet, popularly believed to have derived from an assembly of warships at some time in history, is

actually the early English name for the stream that runs down the Week valley.

Ray Freeman has assembled a mass of information about the people who lived around Warfleet, and the

castles and houses they built there. Her story spans the period from the 14th century, when the people of

Warfleet attended services at the first chapel of St. Petrox, to the comparatively recent acquisition of

Gallants Bower by the National Trust.

No 9 Oldstone: the story of a Ruined Mansion

Ursula Dimes

Reprinted 19 £3.00

“As a descendant of the last family to live at Oldstone before the fire of 1895, I have felt

inspired to gather together what information I could as to the history and lives of the

generations who have lived there.” Thus this booklet charts the long story of this site from the mid 13th

century when it was gifted to Torre Abbey to the ruins that remain today.

Part of the present farmhouse is thought to have been a courthouse used by the monks of Torre Abbey to

administer their extensive lands in Blackawton.The details of the early houses are scarce until the arrival of

the Cholwich family in 1605. They prospered and improved the house and gardens in the early 18th century

and again in the late 1800’s. Traces of these gardens can still be seen today as can the ha-ha and the follies

and the prospect mound.

1839 saw the arrival of the Dimes family and the story is well documented especially the tragic and

mysterious event when Laura Dimes was drowned in 1884 followed by the destruction of the house in the

fire of 1895.

No 10 Wrecks Off the South Devon Coast

By Tony Aylmer


Tony Aylmer claims he only became a diver when he was too old to play sport. But his

belated enthusiasm for the underwater world has enabled him to write this fascinating little

book about wrecks that lie on the sea bed betweens the mouths of the rivers Erme and Dart.

His tales of local shipwrecks cover nearly 200 years, from HMS Ramillies that foundered off Bolt Tail in

1760, to the English Trader which came to grief at the mouth of the Dart in 1937. There is a particularly

graphic account of the sinking of the battleship HMS Formidable by a German U-Boat in Start Bay on New

Year’s Day 1915. As the ship was abandoned, several crew members were rescued by the Brixham trawler

Provident, the predecessor of the Provident which still sails today

No 11 We Remember D-Day (A4 Paperback)

Various Contributors

Published 1994 ISBN No 1 899011 00 5

£4.99

This book gathers together the memories of a cross section of people who were involved, in one way or

another, in the great events of June 1944. It includes contributions from civilians who lived beside the river

Dart, British servicemen and women who came here to take part in the massive preparations, people of the

South Hams who were turned out of their homes and farms to allow practice landings to take place on

Slapton beach, and the American and Allied forces who filled the landing craft for the assault on the great

day.

The book makes no pretence of being an official or comprehensive history. But it is a unique and fascinating

collection of personal stories about a dramatic period of the war by those who were actually there

No 12 A Wrens Eye-view of Wartime Dartmouth (A4 Paperback)

Various Contributors

Published 1994 ISBN No 1 899011 01 3 £4.99

The Women’s Royal Naval Service was formed in 1939. Its recruiting posters challenged the

country’s young ladies to “Join the Wrens – and free a man for the Fleet”. With Dartmouth’s

naval heritage there was no shortage of applicants, and this book tells their stories.

The girls were billeted all over town, often in requisitioned buildings which quickly became known,

unofficially, as wrenneries.

Ray Freeman has tracked down nearly 30 Dartmouth Wrens and persuaded them to contribute their own

personal recollections of the war years. Their tales range from the hilariously funny to those describing the

shock and horror of war, particularly the bombing of the town in 1942 and 1943.

Together, these memories provide a vivid account of wartime Dartmouth through the eyes of a generation of

young women whose lives had taken a very unexpected turn.

No 13

The Development of Dartmouth Millpond

Ivor H Smart


Hundreds of years ago the low lying land in the centre of Dartmouth, around where Market

Square is today, was a mud bank, which the waters of the Dart covered at high tide. In the 13th century an

earth dam – known as ‘La Fosse’ – was built across this bank, approximately where Foss Street runs today.

As early as 1243, a mill, driven by tidal flow, was built on top of the dam. It was inevitable that the mill

pond created by the dam would eventually silt up, but it took nearly 600 years for this to finally happen.

Nevertheless, as the mill pond began to dry out, Dartmothians were not slow to seize opportunities for new

building development.

Ivor Smart’s research is as diligent and thorough as ever, and he has produced an amazingly detailed account

of how the old mud bank and mill pond, which originally divided Dartmouth from Hardness, gradually

became a major part of the town.

No 14 Re-issued as No 25

No 15

The Newcomen Road

Ivor H Smart Out of Print Published 1995 ISBN No 1 899011 05 £2.50

In the early part of the 19th century Dartmouth bore little resemblance to the genteel and

affluent place it is today. Ivor Smart describes it as a “medieval, stagnating, evil-smelling

town on the west bank of the River Dart”. It had not progressed much in the previous two or

three hundred years.

The need for fundamental improvement finally became irresistible, and in 1861 the Corporation agreed to go

ahead with an ambitious plan prepared by an engineer named William Bell. Improved road access to the

town was essential, and Bell’s plan proposed a new modern highway sweeping down from Southtown to the

Quay. The eventual implementation was far more modest than Bell’s original conception, but nevertheless

the new Newcomen Road did vastly improve the accessibility of Dartmouth.

To accommodate the building of the new road a large number of old properties in Higher and Lower Streets

had to be acquired and demolished. Ivor Smart’s inimitable account of the political and commercial

wranglings that beset the project provide a fascinating insight into how Dartmouth was run 150 years ago.

No 16

Memories of War (A4 Paperback)


This book was compiled as an accompaniment to an exhibition held in Dartmouth Museum

in 1995 to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of VE and VJ Days.

Ray Freeman has gathered together the individual, personal recollections of nearly forty people who had

tales to tell of their experiences during the second world war.

The stories begin with several first hand accounts of some of the events that happened locally between 1939

and 1945. Anybody who believes that the rural South Hams was relatively unaffected by the global conflict

will soon have their minds changed. Dartmouth, with its naval college and shipyards, may well have been a

legitimate target for the Luftwaffe’s bombs. But an attack on little Beesands in 1942, which killed seven

villagers, must be counted as one of those numerous illogical tragedies which are an inevitable part of war.

The book also contains tales told by local people of their wartime experiences all over the world – from

Singapore to the North African desert. As the author says in her introduction, “It is hoped that future

generations, for whom they felt they were fighting in those harsh years, will come to appreciate the price

that was paid to defend our freedom”.

No 17 River Dart Pilotage

Dave Griffith


The rather dry title of this book belies its fascinating contents. Dave Griffiths was a River

Dart pilot for many years, and he has many tales to tell of his experiences handling big ships

in the river.

It is not so long ago that commercial vessels over 200 feet in length regularly made their way up to Totnes to

unload cargoes at Baltic Warf. A skilled pilot with a detailed knowledge of the river, its tides and weather,

was essential, especially when it came to turning the ship in its own length at Totnes before its run back

downstream.

In recent decades, as Dartmouth has declined as a commercial trading port, visiting vessels may have

become fewer, but some have become very much larger. Manoeuvring 500 foot cruise liners in and out of

the harbour is a task that uses every ounce of a pilot’s ability.

Dave Griffiths encountered many tense moments during his years as a river pilot, and he recounts them here

with a sense of humour that makes the book an enjoyable read.

No 18 Dartmouth Industry and Banking 1795 –1925 (A4 Paperback)


This was the last book Ivor Smart wrote for the Dartmouth History Research Group. As

with all his other publications, it is meticulously researched and contains quite an

astonishing amount of historical detail.

It tells the tale of how the business of banking developed in Dartmouth over a period of 130 years spanning

three centuries. Not only is it the story of banking, but it also contains as a backdrop much information on

the general commercial development of the town.

In the 19th century, banking was very different from the way it is today. Small, independent local banks

abounded, and nearly a dozen different banks made their homes in Dartmouth during the period covered by

the book. Many of these would have issued their own banknotes, such as the one, for five guineas, issued by

the first Dartmouth Bank in 1795, which is still in existence.

Much of the book is mainly relevant to those with a specialist knowledge of its subject matter. But it does

cover some important and dramatic events as well, such as the sudden failure of the Dartmouth General

Bank in 1824 - an event which rippled through the commercial life of the town for several years to follow.

No 19

Sir Thomas Wilton J.P., C.A.

Dr T.N.P.N Wilton

Published 199 £2.50

This is a biography of Sir Thomas, written by his grandson.

Thomas Wilton was born in Sunderland in 1861, and moved to Dartmouth in 1884 with his new wife,

Annie. His family had been involved with the coal industry in the north east, and it was probably this

connection that prompted Thomas to start working for the Cwmaman Coal Company, at a time when the

coal bunkering industry in Dartmouth was at its height. He subsequently set up his own coaling company, to

be followed in 1911 by the Wilton Steam Shipping Co.

Thomas Wilton regarded civic service as a citizen’s duty. In 1892 he was elected to the town council, and

became Mayor of Dartmouth for the first time, briefly, in 1900. He was elected Mayor again in 1914, and

remained in that office throughout the difficult war years until 1919.

In that same year he was knighted – for services to Devon and Dartmouth.

At the end of the book, the huge range of civic appointments and company directorships held by Thomas

Wilton during his lifetime is listed. There is no doubt that he was a Dartmothian of considerable energy,

commitment and talent.

No 20

Operation Fahrenheit

Michel Guillou Out of Print Copy in Library

Published 1996 ISBN No 1 899011 10 2

£3.00

In 1942 northern France was in the hands of the German army. But the Free French based in

England, together with the Resistance movement in France itself, were determined to make life as difficult

as possible for Hitler’s occupying forces.

This book tells the tale of a group of patriotic Frenchmen who fled to England in a small boat, bringing

much useful intelligence information with them. This information was used to mount a daring raid on a

German signal station at Pointe de Plouezec in Brittany in November 1942. The raiding party, in their high

speed Motor Torpedo Boat, departed from and returned to Dartmouth.

The original book was written in French by Michel Guillou, an amateur historian. In 1995 Michel was a

member of a group that came across to Dartmouth from France to commemorate the activities of the flotilla

of Free French gun boats that was based in the town during the war years. A chance meeting with a member

of the Dartmouth History Research Group resulted in the book being translated into English, and becoming a

DHRG publication.

No 21

Wadstray House: A History

Irene O’Shea

Reprinted 2004 ISBN No 1 899011 11 0 £3.00

Wadstray House is about three miles from Dartmouth and within the boundary of the

parish of Blackawton. The name Higher Wadstray was used at times to distinguish it from the three

Wadstray farms which were situated on lower land. It was built in the 1780’s for Andrew Pinson, a self-

made man who was engaged in trade with Newfoundland and Labrador. He became a gentleman farmer

with the purchase of fifty acres of farmland across the road which was subsequently transferred to Lower

Wadstray farm in 1819.

The owners and occupiers of the property to the present day can be traced, with some fascinating details

known about some. Others have taken their privacy to the grave. One such is Henry Shepheard who lived at

Wadstray House for thirty years and left virtually no trace of himself. However, there is diary kept by an

American niece of one owner recording a visit made in 1896 and an account of a holiday taken there in 1904

which includes photographs. These photographs show that the appearance of the house had changed very

little since the 1780’s.

Personal reminiscences provided details of the 20th century and helped to complete the story of a modest,

elegant home with a varied history.

No 22

A Dittisham Boy’s Story

Ewart Hutchins


The Hutchings were very much a Dittisham family. The 1891 census shows four separate

branches of the family living in the village. Ewart Hutchings was born in 1894, the youngest of seven

children. Some years before his birth, his father and two uncles had travelled to Australia, and then New

Zealand to join in the 19th century gold rush. The house in the village purchased by one of his uncles on his

return stills bears the name Otago.

The book contains a brief but interesting account of life in Dittisham in the early years of the 20th century, as

seen through the eyes of a young boy. But Ewart was soon to leave Dittisham, and, as with so many of his

generation, soon found himself fighting the German army in France. Much of the book is a graphic account

of his experiences during the Great War.

No 23

The Secret War from the River Dart

Lloyd Bott

Publish 1997 ISBN No 1 899011 13 7 £4.00

During the Second World War small boats of the Royal Navy frequently crossed the Channel to carry out

clandestine missions on the German occupied coast of France. This is the story of the 15th Motor Gun Boat

Flotilla which operated out of Dartmouth between 1942 and 1944.

The boats picked up English and French escapers, delivered secret agents and brought back huge amounts of

intelligence information, much of which was critical to the planning of the D-Day invasion - Operation

Overlord.

Dartmouth was very much the home base for the flotilla’s crews – ordinary men who responded to the

extraordinary needs of a country at war.

The author, Lloyd Bott CBE DSC, was an officer with the Royal Australian Naval Volunteer Reserve, and

was First Lieutenant on one of the motor gun boats, MGB502. He wrote the book to honour and remember

the men of the 15th MGB Flotilla, the brave men, women and families of the Resistance, and the agents and

airmen who were carried across the Channel

No 24

Hawley's Fortalice, Dartmouth's First Castle

Terry Edwards

Published £2.50

In 1336 Edward III ordered precautions to be taken against a rumoured French attack on the Devon coast.

But fifty years past before John Hawley, then Mayor of Dartmouth, began to build the town’s first castle, or

fortalice, at the mouth of the river.

Terry Edwards work with English Heritage led him into researching this ancient fortress, and he has

managed to piece together an impressive picture of how the structure would have looked some 600 years

ago. The original church of St. Petrox would have been within its walls, which also at one stage provided

protection for a manor house owned by the Carew family, who were Lords of Stoke Fleming.

Today, visitors tend to focus on Dartmouth Castle, which is a much later building. But a surprising amount

of the original fortalice can still be discovered, and Terry Edwards book provides a useful guide to those

who are interested in exploring the remains of this very ancient fortification.

No 25

The History of the Castle Hotel, Dartmouth Ray Freeman


Ray Freeman’s first booklet on the Castle Hotel was published in 1995. During the next three years more information about the building’s history came to light and this

enabled the author to write this much enhanced version of the story.

The building which is now the Royal Castle Hotel was constructed in 1639 as two private houses. In 1736

one of these houses had become the New Inn, and by 1774 the establishment had spread into the house next

door and was referred to as the Castle Inn. With the improvement of road access to Dartmouth in the 19th

century, the Castle’s trade flourished and it became a full fledged coaching inn, with stables and coach

houses built at the rear.

In 1841 the building was refurbished and extended again to provide more accommodation for guests, and

was reopened as the Castle Hotel.

The decision to add the word Royal to the hotel’s name was made in 1902 by the then owner, Edmund

Saunders. The basis for this appellation seems tenuous, a brief visit from the Prince of Wales some years

earlier being the only apparent justification. But, nevertheless, Mr. Saunders proudly displayed the royal

crest, and no doubt his business thrived.

No 26

William Veal, Master Mariner.

Linda King


This biography of William Veale was written by his great, great, great

granddaughter.

William was born in Dartmouth in 1791 during the reign of George III, and first went to sea as an apprentice

at the age of 14. By 1820 he was a fully qualified ship’s captain, and that year commanded the Princess of

Wales with a crew of 14 men on a voyage to collect a cargo of seal skins from the islands south of Africa.

Disaster struck and his ship was wrecked in a storm, although, amazingly, all 15 mariners were able to make

land on an uninhabited island. There they lived a Robinson Crusoe like existence for the next two years

before eventually being rescued.

Undaunted by his experience, William Veale continued to captain ships on long voyages around the world

for another 30 years, until his retirement in 1854. He and his second wife lived their remaining days in the

Trinity Almshouses at Deptford, London.

Linda King’s book provides a fascinating insight into life at sea during the 19th century

No 27

The Torbay Paint Company

Bridget Howard

Published £3.00

This is a rather esoteric tale, but it will be of interest to any one who wishes to understand more about

the industrial and commercial development of Dartmouth.

The story actually starts in Brixham in the mid 19th century. There, John Rendall, one of the earliest

homeopathic chemists in the south west, realised that paint containing an element of ochre would protect

cast iron from rusting. This discovery provided the basis for a burgeoning paint manufacturing business in

the town.

In 1874 George Parker Bidder, a prominent Dartmothian, became involved with the enterprise and a second

paint factory was set up on the North Embankment at Coombe. In spite of a disastrous fire in 1906, the

production of paint continued in Dartmouth until the 1920s. Thereafter the Torbay Paint Company operated

exclusively from Brixham, where it had started, until it was eventually taken over and closed down in 1961.

.

No 28

Sports People of Dartmouth

Alan Coles


Alan Coles was a professional journalist, and between 1962 and 1968 he both owned and

edited the Dartmouth Chronicle. It occurred to him that, while the activities and achievements of local

mayors, councillors and politicians are duly recorded for the benefit of posterity, the feats of local sports

people frequently fail to achieve the same prominence in history.

So he scoured the annals of the Chronicle which reach back to the middle of the 19th century, and

reconstructed just some of the stories about local sports people and events which, albeit briefly, were

headline news in bygone years. There is a fascinating account of the rivalry between two Dartmouth rugby

clubs in the early 1900s, the tale of Tom Blower, the town’s record breaking channel swimmer, and of

Kingswear’s star cricketer, Billy Underwood, who once took six wickets in six consecutive balls - and there

are other stories of fishermen, runners and race goers.

No 29

John Flavel

Ray Freeman

Published £2.00

John Flavel was appointed vicar of St. Clements church at Townstal in 1656. He was a man of

puritanical views, and when Charles II, a supporter of the high church, returned to the throne in 1660,

Flavel, along with two thousand other clergy, were ejected from their livings.

For the next thirty years he was active in the development of the non-conformist church in the south west,

and preached at many secret gatherings of his supporters, constantly under the threat of arrest and

punishment. Ironically, it was soon after Flavel’s death in 1691, when William III was king, that the

authorities began to take a more relaxed view of the activities of the so called puritans.

Ray Freeman’s book not only summarises Flavel’s life but also describes the way his legacy has continued

to be an influence in Dartmouth, with the Flavel Church being built and opened in 1896, and, much more

recently, the development of the Flavel Centre.

No 30

A River to Cross

David Stranack


Ferries have been a part of Dartmouth life for centuries. The Lower Ferry is by far the

oldest, with a reference to it dating back to 1365. In its early years it was just a man and a rowing boat – a

style of river crossing far removed from the vehicles floats and tugs of today.

The Higher ferry was opened with much ceremony in 1831. A platform propelled across the river guided by

chains was a technologically advanced feat of engineering in those days, and the “floating bridge”, as it

became known, made a significant contribution to Dartmouth’s development in the 19th century.

When the Dartmouth and Torbay Railway Company opened its new line to Kingswear in 1864 it introduced

a new ferry service – the Railway Ferry – so that its passengers bound for Dartmouth could complete the

final leg of their journeys by water. Dartmouth became the only town in England to have a railway station –

but no trains.

This book traces the history of the town’s three ferry services, all of which still operate today.

No 31

Blackpool Sands

David Stranack


Blackpool Sands, a delightful cove which lies a couple of miles to the south west of Dartmouth, is

steeped in history. The remains of a prehistoric forest lie beneath the beach, and 600 years ago it was the site

of a memorable battle between an army of English yeomen and an invading force of Frenchmen – the

English won.

Blackpool has been owned by the Newman family for over 200 years, and access to the family archive has

enabled the author to include details of how the area has gradually developed from a rural estate to an idyllic

seaside location that attracts hundreds of tourists on warm summer days.

Over the centuries the little bay has from time to time been ravaged by winter storms, and the book tells of

the measures taken over the years to protect it from the harshest effects of the elements

No 32

Up the Hill to Townstal

Eric Preston


Although the original settlement of Townstal is older than Dartmouth itself, Eric Preston rightly points out

that the writers of history have previously tended to ignore this Dartmothian suburb and its environs - up the

hill. His book sets out to correct this omission, and provides a mass of detailed information about the

development of this part of the town.

Although people have lived at Townstal for a thousand years, it was only in 1826 that the “New Road”

(renamed Victoria Road in 1897) provided a proper link with Dartmouth. The second half of the 19th century

saw rapid development of properties along this New Road and the surrounding area, but it was not really

until the inter war years of the 20th century that the development of Townstal itself began in earnest.

Following a period of enforced inactivity during the Second World War, development commenced again in

the late 1940s, and has continued off and on for the last 60 years to make Townstal what it is today.

No 33

JOHN DAVIS - MASTER NAVIGATOR, 1543-

1605. (Paperback)

Ray Freeman & Eric Preston Published 2007 ISBN No 1-899011-24-2 £3.00

Of all the well-known Elizabethan "sea-dogs" of Devon, who included Sir Francis Drake, Sir Walter Raleigh, and Sir Humphrey Gilbert, John Davis is perhaps the 'poor relation \ Only one book has been written about him, as long ago as 1889, and few details of his life are known apart from the accounts of his voyages including those to the Davis Strait and beyond in search of the fabled North- West Passage published by Hakluyt in 1589. However he was probably the foremost navigator of his time, with a kindly and popular disposition and dedicated to his work. Apart from the maps and records he left of his voyages in the Arctic, the South Atlantic and East Asia, he wrote two scientific books on navigation called "TheSeaman's Secrets" and "The World's Hydrographical Description". He also invented the "Davis quadrant and back-staff to estimate latitude, and his "Traverse Book" from his final Arctic voyage became the model for ships' log-books.

Davis, along with Sir Humphrey Gilbert, was one of the great navigators and explorers who knew Dartmouth as his home port. This is a more detailed account of John Davis' life and work, based on research by Ray Freeman of the Dartmouth History Research Group.

�o 34

THE COMMANDO RAIDS on SARK in 1943 (Paperback)

By Eric Preston Published 2007 ISBN No 1-899011-25-0 £3.00

From the fall of Dunkirk in 1940 to the Normandy invasion of 1944, the German forces

occupying France and the Channel Islands were constantly harried by raiding parties of allied commandos

crossing the Channel in small, fast boats under the cover of darkness.

Eric Preston’s book is mainly the tale of two such raids on Sark in December 1943, which were carried out

by forces based in Dartmouth. But he sets the scene with accounts of some of the other excursions that took

place during the earlier years of the war.

�o 35

THE WADSTRAYS (Paperback)

By Irene O’Shea

Published 2011 ISBN No 1-899011-26-9 £3.95

This booklet seeks to trace the history of the Wadstray farms and the Cotterbury’s. Many of the owners and occupiers are known by name. They must have known each other, helped each other and accepted help. There have been land transactions, inter marriage and social interaction and legal disputes. They would have played a part in the village life of Blackawton and the town of Dartmouth and some had connections with other nearby towns and villages. I is hoped this booklet will provide some insight into the lives of the people, their homes and workplaces.

�o 36

BAYARDS COVE

(Paperback)

By Davis Stranack

Published 2012 ISBN No 1- 899011-28-5

£4.00

Bayards Cove is one of Dartmouth’s oldest and most scenic locations, and this book contains a wealth of

information about its fort, the quay itself, and the buildings that stand upon it. The history of the fort itself is

well documented. It was built in the 16th century it has never been required to fire a shot in anger, and has

been put to many different uses since its early days.

The book contains a considerable amount of information about several of the properties on the quay –

particular the Custom House and Morocco House which once housed Dartmouth’s first hospital. But the

author admits the book is still very much a ‘work in progress’. There are still many aspects of Bayards

history yet to be uncovered and hopefully recorded in a subsequent edition.

�o 37

ST JOHN THE BAPTIST CHURCH:

CATHOLICS IN DARTMOUTH

1782 - 2012 (Paperback)

By Marguerita Brunt Seymour

Published 2012 ISBN No 1-899011-29-3 £4.00

This booklet explains the history of the Catholic mission in Dartmouth from 1782 to the present day, and

includes the building of St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church in 1867 together with a number of

illustrations. Details of all the priests and other leaders involved are given.

The following book was published jointly by the Dartmouth History Research Group and the

Dartmouth and Kingswear Society as part of the Newcomen 300 event to commemorate the

THOMAS NEWCOMEN

OF DARTMOUTH (Paperback)

By Eric Preston

Published 2012 ISBN No 1-899011-27-7

£4.95

This concise book tells the story of the quiet ironmonger in Dartmouth who changed the

world. He paved the way for James Watt, the dour Scot who improved the Newcomen some

60 tears later, and for Richard Trevithick, the fiery Cornishman who built the first steam

locomotive.

Not much is known about Thomas Newcomen, but his legacy lives on, and I am delighted to

commend this book. Adam Hart-Davis October 2012.

Book not out of print are available from

Dartmouth Museum, Duke Street

Dartmouth Tourist Information Office

Or from the DHRG by post from [email protected]

DHRG

Typewritten Text

Community Book shop Higher Street

Documents

No 1 The Holdsworth & Newman Families Ray Freeman · No 1 The Holdsworth & Newman Families Ray Freeman Out of Print Copy in Library The Holdsworth and Newman families, interrelated