The History Of Poole
The coastal town of Poole has a lengthy history and has been subjected to both great profit as a mighty trading town, and also bloodshed in various wars due to its trade and positional value
Early History
The Poole Harbour has been inhabited for at least 2,500 years During the Iron Age, a Celtic people known as the Durotriges lived in Dorset, and partook in cross-channel trading with another tribe in modern-day France using log boats, as is evidenced by the Poole Logboat which currently sits inside the Poole Museum, which is carbon-dated to have been created around 200-300 BC
Poole was also one of the harbouring sites along the coast of Britain for the Romans when they began their conquest of Britain in the 1st century Roman Emporer Vespasian brought the Second Augustan Legion to the harbour in 43 AD and founded Hamworthy, using the harbour throughout the occupation.
Middle Ages
In the 7th century, after the Saxon invasion of southwestern Britain, Poole was included in the newly established Kingdom of Wessex, where Poole was primarily used as a base for fishing and an anchor point for ships on their way to Wareham, which was an important Saxon stronghold In 876 A Danish Viking army captured Wareham but was forced to retreat to Poole Harbour in an attempt to flee, but due to a violent storm, many of the Viking longships sank. In
1015 the Danish returned to England under Canute the Great, who led his fleet into Poole Harbour to use it as a base to raid surrounding settlements from, before returning down the coast to attack London
Following the Norman Conquest, the small fishing town of Poole would continue to grow as the importance of Wareham declined In 1248 a charter of liberties was sold to the Burgesses of Poole to raise funds for a Seventh Crusade, giving Poole the right to appoint a mayor, hold court and exemption from certain taxes
In 1405, a French and Spanish fleet assaulted Poole, burning and looting the town in revenge for the exploits of Poole Captain Henry Paye, a privateer who had led many successful raids along the French and Spanish coasts Despite the attacks, Poole would continue growing and became the biggest port in Dorset. In 1433 it was granted Port of the Staple status by King Henry VI, which began a period of a lucrative trade in wool exportation and would allow for fortifications to be built for the town.
English Civil War
During the English Civil War Poole was a staunchly Puritan settlement, a Parliamentarian stronghold against a mostly Royalist Dorset Despite the constant threat of siege, as well as the actual sieges that took place, Poole remained one of Cromwell’s strongholds until the end of the war In 1646, with the Royalists on the verge of defeat, the Poole Parliamentary army laid siege to the neighbouring Royalist Corfe Castle After successfully taking the castle, thanks to a traitorous Royalist, Parliament ordered the castle to be deconstructed, so that it may never be used as a Royalist stronghold ever again However, upon the restoration of the monarchy with King Charles II, Poole itself lost its defences upon the King’s orders.
Over the years, between the 1500s and the 1800s, Poole established a very successful commerce with North American colonies. Ships would leave Poole carrying salt and provisions to Newfoundland, who would then catch, dry and salt fish and send it back to Spain, Portugal and Italy, who would then load the ships with wine, olive oil, dried fruits and salt, and the sailors would then return to Poole.
Napoleonic Wars
In the early 18th century, Poole had more ships trading with North America than any other English port, which would bring Poole’s merchants vast wealth This vast wealth can be seen today, with Poole’s Old Town being made of extravagant Georgian houses, whereas they used to be old medieval buildings Upon the conclusion of the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812, Poole’s trading economics took a sharp downturn, as peace meant that French and American fishermen could fish waters and take over many of the services provided by Poole merchants for a lower cost Within a few years, most merchants had stopped trading
During the industrial revolution, the town grew exceedingly fast due to urbanisation, and 9 out of 10 workers were engaged in harbour activities As technology progressed, however, the shallow harbour was not able to fit the larger ships, which would instead go to the deep water ports of Liverpool, Southampton and Plymouth In 1847 Poole opened its first railway in Hamworthy, and the town’s busy coastal shipping trade would effectively be finished However, Poole instead gradually transferred into a seaside resort, attracting tourists instead of sailors and trade.
