Napoleon in Cawsand Bay
In July 1815, HMS Bellerophon anchored in Cawsand Bay carrying its most extraordinary passenger — Napoleon Bonaparte, on his way to permanent exile on St Helena. An estimated 10,000 people came out in boats to see him. Crowds lined the cliffs. He appeared on deck and raised his hat to the watching throng.
This coastline was Napoleon's last sight of Europe. As the Bellerophon finally weighed anchor and sailed westward, he is said to have remarked, "Enfin, ce beau pays." At last, this beautiful country.
A Plymouth lawyer named Mackenrot tried to serve a Habeas Corpus writ to free Napoleon, pursuing Admiral Keith all the way to Rame Head in the attempt. He failed, but the story has never left this peninsula.
Documents and resources
John Pollard — Nelson's Avenger at Trafalgar
Nelson was shot by a French marksman during the Battle of Trafalgar. John Pollard of Cawsand fired the shot that killed his assassin. This is an extract from Pollard's life story, researched and written by Jack Spence.
The Avery Researches
How the great-great-great grandson of a Cawsand smuggler discovered the truth about his ancestor's naval service. A remarkable piece of family detective work.
The Amazing Sulivans
A boy goes to sea. He later marries, settles in Cawsand, and his sons join him in the Navy. The full story of the Sulivan family's extraordinary naval careers across three generations.
HMS Cambridge — Naval Gunnery School, Plymouth
An illustrated article about HMS Cambridge, moored in St John's Lake as a naval gunnery training school. Added 2019.
Preventive Men — The King's or Queen's Men
Born locally but serving elsewhere in the late 19th century — the men from the Rame Peninsula who served in the Royal Navy's preventive service.
Wreck of the French Prize Coquille, 1798
A captured French vessel came to grief on the Millbrook mud after catching fire. A local disaster from the height of the Napoleonic wars.
Torpedo Hits Cawsand Beach
A very short newspaper report with some references — the day an errant torpedo reached the shore.
Ships with Local Names
A collection of vessels whose names reflect their connections to the Rame Peninsula and surrounding area.
Plymouth Breakwater
A pictorial and short historical record of Plymouth Breakwater, which transformed the shelter available to vessels in Plymouth Sound. Also available on the Local Buildings and Local Forts pages.
Video: Pier Cellars Degaussing Range Control Room
In the Second World War, German magnetic mines forced the Navy to develop countermeasures. At Pier Cellars on the Rame Peninsula, a control room was built to measure and adjust the magnetic signature of passing vessels, making them effectively invisible to mines and listening devices. Mike Palfreyman explains how the original valve-radio technology worked.
Pier Cellars Degaussing Range — How It Worked
Mike Palfreyman explains how the almost valve-radio technology in the camera room captured a ship's signal and allowed the vessel to adjust its magnetic signature. Added 2015.