Coast Paths & Pirates

The South West Coast path has been a major part of my life for more than seven years now. I had been living in Devon since 2003, but it wasn't until 2007 that I realised that despite having been here for several years, I hadn't really seen any of it!  So, armed with a heavy rucksack and significant apprehension, one sunny spring day I set off along the seafront at Minehead on a walk that was literally to change my life. I soon became addicted to the stunning beauty of the coast of the South West, and the peace and tranquillity of standing on remote headlands looking out to sea with only my thoughts for company. Having started the journey, it seemed obvious that I had to finish it and complete all 630 miles of the fabulous, wonderful, sublime South West Coast path - and two years later I stood drinking champagne with friends at the end of the journey at Poole in Dorset. 

Completing the Coast Path, undoubtedly one of the most fantastic walking trails in the world, was the most amazing experience of my life, and I was filled with pride at completing such an enormous challenge. I was also full of disappointment that such an amazing journey was over, but in some ways it was just the start of a new journey - if it wasn't for the Coast Path I would never have got interested in photography to try and capture just a little of the stunning scenery, and that wouldn't have led me to become an author by writing my first book. The amazing South West Coast Path really has changed my life in many ways over the last 7 years, and I'm really looking forward to seeing where it takes me next.  

Me at the end of an amazing 630 mile journey along the South West Coast Path

People of have been attracted to the Devon coast for many thousands of years, in fact a human jaw bone discovered in Kents Cavern in Torquay has been dated to 44,000 years old, suggesting truly ancient occupation. For much of this time however, humans would generally visit the coast for its resources such as fish and salt, but usually chose to live further inland away from the sea. They avoided living by the sea for a number of very good reasons; both the awesome and dangerous power sea and storms, and the danger of frequest coastal raiders, as discussed in the following snippets from my book...

Coverdale tower, Paignton. Built to Defend the Bishop's Palace against Viking attack

Viking long-ships

The Vikings were infamous seafaring raiders and settlers from Scandinavia, and their iconic wooden long-ships took them across Europe and Asia from the 8^th to the 11^th century. The Vikings became a major threat to peace in Saxon England, when they began raiding English coastal communities around 835 AD. The Anglo Saxon Chronicles report of Viking forces being defeated by the people of Devon during one raid on Paignton in 851 AD, and in 876 AD Vikings went on to capture Exeter, holding it for over a year before being evicted by King Alfred. The Danes once again tried to capture Exeter in 1001 AD, but after failing to take the town they fought local forces at nearby Pinhoe and went on to raze the village to the ground.

Although Eastern England saw widespread Viking settlement, Devon saw little of this and only briefly came under Danish rule in 1016 AD. The Viking invaders chose to target Devon communities merely for plunder, from their nearby base on Lundy Island (meaning 'Puffin Island' in the Old Norse language).

The golden age of piracy

One of the many things that the West Country is famous for is as the traditional home of pirates. Just as the remote coves and inlets of the South Devon coast were perfect for helping smugglers evade customs men, they were also perfect for helping pirates ply their trade. The typical on-screen pirate even tends to talk in a West Country accent, which may be partly due to some of the most infamous pirates in history being from these parts, but is more likely to be due to early on-screen pirates choosing to adopt a classic West Country accent. One of the most likely suspects is Robert Newton who chose to use a West Country when playing Long John Silver in the 1950's movie 'Treasure Island'.

By the 17^th century, the main pirate threat to the shores of South Devon came from Barbary Corsairs from North Africa. These pirates from the Barbary Coast of present-day Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia were known to have captured 466 British ships between 1609 and 1616, selling the sailors into a life of slavery. Coastal communities along the South Devon coast were also at risk, and lived in constant terror from the Corsair's raids. An estimated 9,000 British people were kidnapped between 1677 to 1680, and many would have met horrible deaths as slaves on the Barbary Coast.

The golden age for West Country pirates came between 1620 and 1720, as South West ports became a focus for the growing trade with Europe and naval operations in the many wars with France. Life as a merchant or navy seaman was harsh and poorly paid, and conditions on-board ship were often terrible. Unsurprisingly, many were attracted to an alternative life of piracy, where crews were better treated and ordinary seamen could quickly become rich from the spoils that were often shared amongst the pirate crew.

Although some pirates were blood-thirsty, piracy during its golden age was often a rather bloodless affair, with pirates often using flags to frighten ships to surrender without the need for a fight. The first flags were blood red, indicating that no mercy would be shown if pirates had to board and fight for the ship. Some pirates developed their own flags, the most famous of which was the Jolly Roger (a skull and crossbones), which is still synonymous with pirates to the present-day. Once captured, pirates would take the ship's cargo, which often included silk, spices, brandy, wine and slaves, and the ship's crew would be taken as slaves or given the opportunity to join the pirate crew. 

If you want to read more about the history of South Devon, why not subscribe by email to be notified when a new blog entry is available, or consider buying my book at http://www.garyholpin.co.uk 

Coast gaurds & postmen

So, the bad news is that the postman still hasn't arrived with the first copies of my book 'Britain's Heritage Coast, Exmouth to Plymouth'. The good news is that means I have time to share a little more of South Devon's history!

One of the most evocative aspects of South Devon's long and eventful history is the story of its central role in the boom in smuggling in the 18th and 19th centuries, as described in my book, an excerpt of which is shared below, long with a picture of the atmospheric smugglers tunnel in Shaldon.

Smugglers tunnel, Shaldon

A life of smuggling

As long as there have been taxes on goods, there have been smugglers trying to avoid them, and the story of smuggling stretches a long way back into history. However, by the late 18^th and early 19^th century, what had traditionally been a small-scale local trade had exploded into a major industry and huge quantities of contraband was flooding into Britain. Devon's ports were at the centre of this industry, and the livelihood of many Devon residents became intimately linked to smuggling.

The boom in smuggling was the inevitable result of huge increases in customs and excise duties, which were applied to imported goods by successive governments struggling to pay for the endless wars with France. Duties increased steadily during the early 18^th century, and were applied to more and more imported goods, putting an increasing number of everyday items outside the meagre means of ordinary people. Historically, import duties had been collected by customs men based at Britain's major ports, and although this system worked well for centuries, it was ill-prepared for the explosion in smuggling that was to come. Some estimates suggest that at its peak in the late 18^th century, as much as a quarter of all the goods imported into Britain were illegal, and for some items such as tea, the figure was nearly two thirds. The coast of South Devon was perfect for smugglers, with its proximity to the main sources of contraband in the Channel Islands and France, its secluded beaches and coves, and the logistical problems of policing such a remote coastline.

With smuggling more profitable than fishing, and despite the risk of death by hanging if caught, many skilled sailors turned to smuggling as a way of making a good living. They crammed their ships with smuggled goods, and used their sea-faring skills to spirit them secretly across the English Channel, often in bad weather and at night to increase the chances of evading the Excise Men. Landing in secluded bays, they would be met by land-based smugglers, who would unload the boats and haul the goods up cliffs and through smugglers tunnels to secret hiding places ready for distribution. Even the gentry of society, including MPs, Magistrates and Clergymen were known to have been involved as customers of smuggled goods, and sometimes even as the coordinators and funders of major smuggling operations.

Now that the horrendous grey skies and endless rain are finally behind us, and spring has finally arrived I'm finally hoping to get out on the South Devon coast soon, taking in the sea air and take some more photos of the stunning coastline to share soon. In the mean time, if you've enjoyed this and want to read more, then my book is available for sale now at www.garyholpin.co.uk