The Visit of John Leland to the Kingsbridge area in the mid-16th Century
It was while he was on this tour that he reached Devon and arrived in the area of Kingsbridge and Salcombe. An extract from his notes below, taken from The Itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535 to 1543, gives a glimpse, albeit brief, of the mid-16th century towns and harbour.
“Saultecumbe Haven, somewhat barrid and having a rok at the entering into it, is about a vij. [seven] miles by west south west from Dertmouth: and aboute half a mile withyn the mouth of this haven longging to the privilege of Dertmouth is Saultcombe a fisshar toune.
“The est point of Saltcombe Haven is a great foreland into the se caullid the Sterte [Start Point].
“Hilton [Ilton] Castelle, long[ing] to Courteney of Poudreham, is about a mile above Saltcomb on the same side of the haven.
“And a 3. miles upper at this haven hed is Kingesbridg, sumtyme a praty [pretty] town.”
Note how Leland, in pre-standardization days, spells Salcombe differently at each mention of it. At that time, long before the advent of holiday homes and tourism, the main occupation of this town was fishing, and the smell must have pervaded the whole waterfront. Then again, miles seem to have been longer than today, to make it only seven from Salcombe to Dartmouth and three from Kingsbridge to Salcombe. Or perhaps Leland felt as free in calculating distances as in spelling.
The “rok” he mentions at the entrance to the harbour could be one of several, the Mewstone, Eelstone, or Blackstone springing to mind. It may be significant that while mentioning a rock, he says nothing of a castle. That would have been more prominent than a rock, had it existed, and the fact that Leland does not mention it suggests it had not yet been built. Nobody knows exactly when that was, but as it is likely to have been one of Henry VIII’s chain of coastal forts, built as a defence against foreign raiders, it probably dates from somewhere towards the end of his reign in 1547.
Tudor priest provides a glimpse of ‘praty Kingesbridg’ and ‘fisshar toune Saultcombe’
While John Leland, a Tudor priest in holy orders, was on a long tour of England and Wales he came to the neighbourhood of Kingsbridge and Salcombe. His subsequent description of what he saw gives a brief but illuminating glimpse of the area around the two Devon towns in Tudor times.
Leland (also spelt Leyland) was born in London c 1506 and educated first at St Paul’s School and then at Christ’s College, Cambridge, from where he graduated in 1522. Later he continued his studies at All Souls’ College, Oxford, and in Paris. He was clearly highly regarded at Court, for by 1530, while still only in his mid-20s, he had been appointed chaplain and librarian to Henry VIII.
Further recognition of the high regard in which he was held came in 1533, when there was created for him the post of king’s antiquary, an early form of archeologist. It was as such that he was sent out on his long tour, probably in 1534 and certainly by 1536, being authorized to search libraries in cathedrals and monasteries for manuscripts of historical significance. He was engaged in this demanding task for some eight years, until 1542, finally presenting Henry with an outline of the results of his labours. Not only had he searched the libraries for which he was commissioned, but he had it in mind also to detail what he had noted about local buildings and customs, the nobility and royal palaces. Sadly, he was certified insane in 1550 and died two years later.
Bust of John Leland