Index

to

Myrtles and Aloes: Or, our Salcombe sketch book; with a discursive gossip about Kingsbridge

by

Ellen Luscombe

Kingsbridge, G.P. Friend, (1861) illus. 156pp.

Prepared by Michael Steer

The name Salcombe first appears in writing in 1244. It fell within the boundaries of the parish of Malborough on the edges of two 'manors', Batson and West Portlemouth... Archaeologists have identified stone age settlements on the cliff tops on both sides of the mouth of the estuary and a recently discovered shipwreck has demonstrated the existence of cross channel trade some 3500 years ago. References to Salcombe are limited for several centuries after 1244. By 1342 it was known as 'Portlemouth'. Twelve "barges" and a "ballinger" were hired to transport troops to Brittany at the start of the Hundred Years War. In 1403, Salcombe was raided by a force from France that had sacked and burned Plymouth. The town had been awarded a grant in 1377 "in aid of fortification" but apparently nothing had been done. John Leland described the harbour and settlement in the 1530s in his Travels in Tudor England as "...sumwat barrid and having a Rok at the entering into it ... and aboute half a Mile within the Mouth of the Haven ... is Saultcombe, a Fisshar Towne". This part "history" and part romantic reminiscence written by two visitors is now a rare book, but a typical example of its kind. It was perhaps produced in support of Devon's developing tourism industry. The book, held as part of theBodleian Library Collection was produced from a digital copy that can be downloaded from https://books.google.co.uk/books, with a search by either author of title. Google has sponsored the digitisation of books from several libraries. These books, on which copyright has expired, are available for free educational and research use, both as individual books and as full collections to aid researchers