The three characters’ lives
Our project came about because of popular interest in Poole about where the Quayside Alley names came from.
We thought that three people might possibly have lent their surnames and reviewed the possibility, while also re-visiting Poole’s Maritime History between 1580 and 1730….
Poole Merchant Venturers
Between 1580 and 1730 Poole grew: from a small town, the size of a large secondary school today (around 1400 people), by nearly three times.
By the end of the period Poole had reached something of a ‘hey-day’; a time when the local economy had transformed. The built form of much of what we know today as Old Town had been transformed too. Georgian times saw many fine buildings being built…
Pirates (English, Newfoundland, Caribbean)
Piracy existed throughout the period 1580-1730. Queen Elizabeth 1st began the era trying to prevent Piracy off the Dorset coast. She failed in her ambition.
By the 1610s piracy was a serious problem in England, particularly in the South West and in Southern Ireland. The piracy was not just from local pirates but also those from other European countries and the Barbary Coast in North Africa. Many of those from North Africa were led by Englishmen although they led crews from all over Europe and the Middle East….
Others
In our extensive revisiting of those days we came across many interesting people, some from Poole and others from further afield. In some cases we found them so interesting that their lifetimes were explored and a few have been written up more extensively in these pages…