Author: Don Nutt Elizabethan Days At the start of the period Piracy was rife in the Poole area and Lloyd saw it as one of Dorset’s important industries[1], “having […]
Category: Themes
Authors: Cynthia Wall & Susan Jabbari Introduction Roger Guttridge’s book, ‘Dorset Smugglers’ has been used extensively in assembling this summary note. According to him the word “smuggle” probably dates […]
. Fishermen and traders alike cared very much about their safe passage free from risks from pirates and privateers. Life was hard enough without having to deal with the loss […]
Copy of an original letter written by a smuggler to a Captain Bursack of the Revenue Cutter Speedwell and was found in Poole Custom House during renovations. The gentleman in […]
Pirates are considered to be a brutal, lawless lot. But on board ship, they live under a set of rules called ‘The Pirates Code’ or ‘Articles of Agreement’. Each Captain […]
Author: Don Nutt Overview and summary The coastal shipping business was a significant and growing activity across the period. But it is difficult to be precise since trade and responsibilities […]
Observations on Vessel Size – 1580-1730 David Hudson In discussing vessels of this period it is common for the name and rig to be given followed by a tonnage and […]
Admiral Sir Thomas Button (1565-1634) Button was for much of his career Admiral of the Narrow Seas – that water defined by the Bristol Channel and across the whole of […]
Captain John Bennett RN (1670-1717) Bennett was a Royal Navy captain for parts of his career but also had other interests; sufficient that he left a will worth several millions […]
Early in August 1625, three sailors, Nicholas Nurrey, Robert Rapson and Thomas Marryner arrived in Poole with an ominous tale to tell. A meeting was hastily arranged with the Mayor […]