MARITIME HISTORY more often friendly, to England with the French crown gave the French kings the services of a race of fine seamen and some excellent ports, and altered considerably for the worse the tactical position of Cornwall. Hitherto, in raids from Normandy, the county had been normally to windward of any attacking force, nor did the traverse offer the short passage presented by towns opposite the Norman coast. But in future wars with France an attack from Brittany would be an obvious proceeding, and the Bretons possessed an additional advantage over the Normans in that their custom of fishing in Cornish waters 1 must have made many of them efficient pilots. It is not surprising, therefore, to find that in the first war with France under the new conditions especial precautions were considered necessary, and in 1513 an Act was passed in haste, 2 ordering in general terms that bulwarks and defences should be made in Cornwall, and assigning large powers to the justices of the peace under whose superintendence they were to be erected. Probably little or nothing was done when it was found that the French fleets were being securely held in the Breton ports. No further steps were then taken, but in 1535 the idea of a systematic fortification of the strategic points round the coast was in the air, for Cromwell noted in his ' Remembrances ' that a small tax formerly paid to Rome might well be diverted ' towards the defence of the realm to be employed in making fortresses.' Moreover, violations of neutrality well calculated to arouse the anger and pride of the king were occurring in the defenceless ports. In January, 1536-7, Spanish ships chased French ones not merely into Falmouth Harbour but up the Truro river, and engaged them twice in Malpas Roads. When ordered to desist, the Spanish commander said that he
- would have them or die for it,' and when, after a third attempt, he sailed away it was probably
because he had found himself too weak rather than because Sir John Arundel had threatened to raise the county upon him. 3 ' There would be more of such occurrences,' wrote Arundel, ' if block- houses were not built.' However, in those ages violations of neutrality were frequent enough, and m J 535~7 Calais and Dover were the only strongholds upon which money was being spent lavishly, but the political conditions of 1539 made coast defences elsewhere seem necessary. Early in that year commissioners were appointed ' to search and defend the coasts,' 4 and Falmouth was of course at once selected as a harbour needing fortification, land on the Pendennis peninsula, belonging to John Killigrew, being leased for the purpose. 5 The defence of the south-eastern coast was considered to be of more immediate importance, work there being pushed on in all haste, so that it was not until 1540 that Thomas Treffry went to St. Mawes to plan the fort there." Leland tells us that St. Katherine's Castle at Fowey was built by the same Thomas Treffry, partly at his own cost and partly at that of the town, and that a blockhouse existed at St. Ives. 7 Other blockhouses were intended at Penlee Point between Newlyn and Mousehole, on Dinnis Head at the entrance of the Helford River and at Gillin south of it, at Trefusis Point in Falmouth Harbour, at Polkerris in Tywardreath Bay, and at Cawsand Bay ; but none of these was built. 3 Leland also mentions fortifications on St. Mary's Island, Scilly, but there is no reference to any expen- diture for the purpose until 1548, when they were in the making. 9 They perhaps originated with Lord Seymour, and were intended to further his designs. 10 In a later paper the castle of Tresco is assigned to the same period. 11 At first all the coast defences were placed under the control of the Lord Admiral, and regulations were drawn up for their government, 12 but they soon passed out of his hands. Probably it was considered unwise to entrust a subject with so much power. War with France and Scotland broke out again in 1543, but the operations were all to the eastward of Cornwall. In August, 1545, Fowey was required to send one ship of 120 tons, Saltash two, of which one was to be of 140 tons, Truro three, Looe three, Penzance one, Millbrook two, and Mount's Bay one, all these latter being small vessels for use as tenders and victuallers, to join the main fleet at Portsmouth. In the same month a circular letter to the western ports warned those concerned that as ' many of the adventurers that are appointed for Portsmouth ... do slack and draw back from the same, being rather given to spoil and robbery than otherwise to serve His Majesty,' they would indulge those preferences at the risk of their lives. Any value the coast fortifications possessed during this war had been purely moral ; and as Henry VIII left the country hampered with debt at his death, they were at once selected for retrenchment, the Privy Council finding that they put the king ' in very great charge, and in no service at all, nor could serve at any time to any purpose.' St. Mawes and Pendennis were among those marked as superfluous, 13 but neglect rather than actual disarmament seems to have been their fate. In 1557 there was again war 1 Leland, Itinerary. * 4 Henry VJII, c. i. ' L. and P. Hen. PHI, xii, pt. i, 277. 1 Ibid, xiv, pt. i, 398. Commissioners were nominated for Somerset, Dorset, Devw . ind Cornwall, and included Sir Piers Edgcumbe, Sir John and Sir Thomas Arundel, Sir Wm. Godolphin, and Sir Hugh Trevanion. 5 It was not bought by the crown until 1795. 6 L. and P. Hen. mi, xv. 426. 7 Itinerary. s Cott. MS. Aug. I, i, 35-9. ' Acts of P. C. 24 April, 25 July. 10 Post. p. 488. " S. P. Dom. Eliz. Add. xxvi, i 2. " L. and P. Hen. nil, xiv, pt. ii, 785 ; Admir. Ct. Misc. Bks. cxxix (1541). u Acts of P. C. 26 Feb. 1550-1 ; 4 May, 1552 ; 21 Nov. 1553 485
