Plymouth - Great Britain
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Brief history of Plymouth
1086 to 1527
Plymouth stands between moorland to the
north and the English Channel to the south, and is flanked by
the river Plym to the east and the river Tamar to the west. The
Tamar also forms a natural border between the city in the county
of Devonshire, and the county of Cornwall.
The origins of Plymouth can be traced back to Saxon times, more than a thousand years ago, and its history very much reflects its maritime location. Farmland on a small peninsula at the mouth of the river Plym, referred to in the Domesday Book in 1086 as Sudtone, meaning South Farm, developed into Sutton Harbour, the hub of medieval Plymouth. The earliest record of cargo leaving Plymouth dates from 1211, and for the next two centuries trade through Plymouth flourished, particularly during the 100 Years War with France.
Plymouth's importance both as a community and a port accelerated during this period. In 1254 its town status was recognised by Royal Charter, and in 1439 Plymouth was the first town in England to be granted a Charter by Parliament. Trade with other English regions, the Baltics and Northern Europe expanded, whilst fortifications were built up to repel repeated French incursions.
The origins of Plymouth can be traced back to Saxon times, more than a thousand years ago, and its history very much reflects its maritime location. Farmland on a small peninsula at the mouth of the river Plym, referred to in the Domesday Book in 1086 as Sudtone, meaning South Farm, developed into Sutton Harbour, the hub of medieval Plymouth. The earliest record of cargo leaving Plymouth dates from 1211, and for the next two centuries trade through Plymouth flourished, particularly during the 100 Years War with France.
Plymouth's importance both as a community and a port accelerated during this period. In 1254 its town status was recognised by Royal Charter, and in 1439 Plymouth was the first town in England to be granted a Charter by Parliament. Trade with other English regions, the Baltics and Northern Europe expanded, whilst fortifications were built up to repel repeated French incursions.
1528 to 1811
During the next three centuries
Plymouth established its reputation both as a centre for
voyage and discovery, and for its military importance.
Transatlantic trade originated with William Hawkins in 1528.
His son John laid the foundations of an organised naval
force. In 1572 Sir Francis Drake became the first Englishman
to sail into the Pacific, and in 1577 he embarked on the
first ever circumnavigation of the globe. Back in Plymouth,
Drake masterminded the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588.
According to popular legend, he played bowls on Plymouth Hoe
as the Armada sailed up the Channel. Drake was responsible
also for the establishment of England's first colony, at
Roanoke in Virginia, an act that may be regarded as the
origins of the British Empire.
Perhaps the most celebrated expedition to
leave Plymouth was that of the Pilgrims. Persecuted for their
puritan beliefs in eastern England, they set sail for the New
World on board the Mayflower in 1620. After spending a few weeks
in Provincetown at the tip of Cape Cod, they eventually landed
in Plymouth Harbor and helped to establish a new Plymouth
community.
Further explorations that left from
Plymouth included three voyages to the southern ocean and
the Pacific made by James Cook, the first in 1768. He was
the first explorer to set foot on what are now the Hawaiian
Islands, where he died in 1779.
Plymouth's military expansion began in earnest in 1670 when a citadel was built on the highest point above the town, the Hoe, meaning high ground. In 1690 the first Royal Dockyard opened on the banks of the Tamar west of Plymouth. Further docks were built in 1727, 1762 and 1793, and a huge naval complex was later established, including the communities of Plymouth Dock and Stonehouse.
1812 to today
In 1831 Charles Darwin left Plymouth for the
Galapagos Islands, where he formulated his revolutionary theories of
natural selection and the Origins of Species.
Throughout the nineteenth century the
population and physical size of the towns increased dramatically. In
1824 Plymouth Dock was renamed Devonport, and in 1914 the three
towns of Plymouth, Devonport and Stonehouse were united as the
Borough of Plymouth. In 1928 Plymouth was granted City status, and
the first Lord Mayor was appointed in 1935.
Plymouth was heavily bombed during the Second World War. Plymouth's and Devonport's centres were destroyed. Re-built in the 1950s, Plymouth's commercial heart was the first in England to incorporate pedestrian-only shopping avenues. Since the war the city has expanded, with new housing and commercial developments and absorption of what once were neighbouring communities.
Plymouth was heavily bombed during the Second World War. Plymouth's and Devonport's centres were destroyed. Re-built in the 1950s, Plymouth's commercial heart was the first in England to incorporate pedestrian-only shopping avenues. Since the war the city has expanded, with new housing and commercial developments and absorption of what once were neighbouring communities.
More recently, in 1967 Sir Francis Chichester
started and finished at Plymouth the first ever solo
circumnavigation of the globe on board his yacht Gypsy Moth IV.
In 1967 Plymouth absorbed the towns of
Plympton and Plymstock. Plympton pre-dates any development in the
Sutton / Plymouth area on the coast. Plympton stands two miles
inland on the river Plym, and its origins, which, like that of
Sutton, date from the Saxon age, were founded on tin mining and
trading. For as long as trading vessels could reach Plympton, the
community flourished. However, in the early years of the last
millennium the river silted with mining residue, and it was from
that time that Sutton / Plymouth grew to pre-eminence. The name
Plympton means plum-tree village in Saxon English, and it was from
this that the river and later the city of Plymouth itself derived
their names.
Today Plymouth is the third largest city in southern England, with a population of almost 250,000. It has strong links with several European cities, with ferry links to France and Spain. Plymouth is twinned with Gdynia in Poland, San Sebastian in Spain, Novorossiysk in Russia, Brest in France and, since 2001, with Plymouth, Massachusetts.
Today Plymouth is the third largest city in southern England, with a population of almost 250,000. It has strong links with several European cities, with ferry links to France and Spain. Plymouth is twinned with Gdynia in Poland, San Sebastian in Spain, Novorossiysk in Russia, Brest in France and, since 2001, with Plymouth, Massachusetts.
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