How to Contact Us
For general enquiries, please email us by clicking this link.
To order a DHRG book in hardcopy, please visit our book ordering page.
Our meetings normally take place monthly at 10:00am on the first Monday of the month at
Townstal Baptist Church Hall
Carey Road
Dartmouth
TQ6 9LT
There is a bus stop at Carey Road served by the number 90 bus from the middle of Dartmouth to Townstal.
DHRG on Facebook
If you're in Dartmouth, come and see us tomorrow for a local history chat, Friday 8 November 2024, between 10am and 12 noon, at Dartmouth Library, in the Flavel Centre. We'll be there to answer your questions about our rich and fascinating local history, about how to get started on doing your own research, and about what we do as a local group. We look forward to meeting you.![]()
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A big thank you to Dartmouth Library for ho#dartmouth##localhistoryc#dartmouthlibraryu#flavelry #flavel
A week after the Battle of Hastings comes the anniversary of another significant battle, the Battle of Trafalgar, on 21 October 1805, when the British fleet under Lord Nelson defeated the combined French and Spanish fleets under Admiral Villeneuve. Amongst those serving in the Royal Navy were 34 men and boys whose place of birth was reported on ships muster rolls as “Dartmouth” (31), “Kingsware” (2), and “Ditson” (Dittisham) (1) (see the “Trafalgar Ancestors” database at the National Archives).![]()
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Two of the 34 were killed in the battle, Able Seaman William China, of HMS Tonnant, age 40, and Ordinary Seaman Robert McInnes, of HMS Belleisle, age 28. So far we’ve not been able to find anything in local records about Robert, but we do know something about William.![]()
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There’s no trace of his birth in local records but his wife and family certainly lived in Dartmouth. Remarkably, two letters from him to his wife Jane, the second written only a month before the battle, survived – the text appeared in the Western Morning News in 1924. Dartmouth parish registers show that Jane Triscott (nee Rumsume), recently widowed, married William China (sp Chaina), Mariner, of Islington, in 1796 in St Saviours. Jane and her family appear to have remained in Dartmouth after William’s death.![]()
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This painting by Nicholas Pocock shows HMS Tonnant in action at Trafalgar, engaging the Spanish ship Monarca
On 14 October 1066, the army of King Harold of England faced the invading army of Duke William of Normandy. We don’t know if men from our part of South Devon fought in the Battle of Hastings, but they were probably called out earlier in the year, when King Harold summoned the largest land force in living memory to defend the Channel coast against invasion. They maintained their watch all summer, but contrary winds kept William’s ships away. ![]()
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No sooner had they stood down, than King Harold faced a surprise attack in the north. At the battle of Stamford Bridge on 25 September, he achieved his greatest victory, only to discover that the Norman army had finally landed three days later in Sussex. ![]()
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King Harold and his army hurried south, and met William's forces near Hastings. The fierce battle lasted all day – at the end of it, Harold, two of his brothers, and many of the country’s leading men, were dead. Remaining members of his family fled to the south-west, where the King's mother, Countess Gytha, held several estates. Over the next three years, Devon became an important centre of English opposition to William’s regime.![]()
#dartmouth #localhistory #battleofhastings![]()
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The photograph shows the traditional site of the battlefield, south of Battle Abbey in Sussex.
Come and visit us at the first Dartmouth Book Festival! We're very pleased to be involved in this exciting new event.![]()
Some of us will be in Dartmouth Library from 4pm to 5pm tomorrow with copies of all our books. We'll be delighted to meet you and answer your questions about how to discover more about our wonderful local history. I#dartmouthr#localhistoryh#flavelh#dartmouthlibraryartmouthlibrary
To celebrate Dartmouth Royal Regatta, two "then and now" pictures.![]()
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"Then" may be 1899, 125 years ago. We can see that the site of the new Royal Naval College has been prepared, though there is no building as yet. HMS Britannia is moored in the river, above the Higher Ferry, and the harbour is crowded with visiting yachts. ![]()
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1899 was the 65th Regatta and took place over the last Thursday to Saturday in August. Thousands of "excursionists" came each day to the town by train, and apart from all the sailing, rowing and swimming races, the highlights were two firework displays and a "Grand Al Fresco Ball" on the New Ground (now the Royal Avenue Gardens).![]()
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The "now" picture shows the view on Wednesday this week from a similar location. Of course, much has changed in 125 years, but much remains the same. See how many differences you can find! And if you're coming to Regatta, have a good time!![]()
#dartmouth #The Port of Dartmouth Royal Regatta #localhistory![]()
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With thanks to ZRJPHOTOS for the "now" photograph.