The coastal town of Poole has a lengthy history and has been subjected to both great profit as a mighty trading town, and also bloodshed in various wars due to its trade and positional value.

1. The History Of Poole
The coastal town of Poole has a lengthy history and has been subjected to both great profit as a
mighty trading town, and also bloodshed in various wars due to its trade and positional value.
Early History
The Poole Harbour has been inhabited for at least 2,500 years. During the Iron Age, a Celtic
people known as the Durotriges lived in Dorset, and partook in cross-channel trading with
another tribe in modern-day France using log boats, as is evidenced by the Poole Logboat
which currently sits inside the Poole Museum, which is carbon-dated to have been created
around 200-300 BC.
Poole was also one of the harbouring sites along the coast of Britain for the Romans when they
began their conquest of Britain in the 1st century. Roman Emporer Vespasian brought the
Second Augustan Legion to the harbour in 43 AD and founded Hamworthy, using the harbour
throughout the occupation.
Middle Ages
In the 7th century, after the Saxon invasion of southwestern Britain, Poole was included in the
newly established Kingdom of Wessex, where Poole was primarily used as a base for fishing
and an anchor point for ships on their way to Wareham, which was an important Saxon
stronghold. In 876 A Danish Viking army captured Wareham but was forced to retreat to Poole
Harbour in an attempt to flee, but due to a violent storm, many of the Viking longships sank. In

2. 1015 the Danish returned to England under Canute the Great, who led his fleet into Poole
Harbour to use it as a base to raid surrounding settlements from, before returning down the
coast to attack London.
Following the Norman Conquest, the small fishing town of Poole would continue to grow as the
importance of Wareham declined. In 1248 a charter of liberties was sold to the Burgesses of
Poole to raise funds for a Seventh Crusade, giving Poole the right to appoint a mayor, hold court
and exemption from certain taxes.
In 1405, a French and Spanish fleet assaulted Poole, burning and looting the town in revenge
for the exploits of Poole Captain Henry Paye, a privateer who had led many successful raids
along the French and Spanish coasts. Despite the attacks, Poole would continue growing and
became the biggest port in Dorset. In 1433 it was granted Port of the Staple status by King
Henry VI, which began a period of a lucrative trade in wool exportation and would allow for
fortifications to be built for the town.
English Civil War
During the English Civil War Poole was a staunchly Puritan settlement, a Parliamentarian
stronghold against a mostly Royalist Dorset. Despite the constant threat of siege, as well as the
actual sieges that took place, Poole remained one of Cromwell’s strongholds until the end of the
war. In 1646, with the Royalists on the verge of defeat, the Poole Parliamentary army laid siege
to the neighbouring Royalist Corfe Castle. After successfully taking the castle, thanks to a
traitorous Royalist, Parliament ordered the castle to be deconstructed, so that it may never be
used as a Royalist stronghold ever again. However, upon the restoration of the monarchy with
King Charles II, Poole itself lost its defences upon the King’s orders.
Over the years, between the 1500s and the 1800s, Poole established a very successful
commerce with North American colonies. Ships would leave Poole carrying salt and provisions
to Newfoundland, who would then catch, dry and salt fish and send it back to Spain, Portugal
and Italy, who would then load the ships with wine, olive oil, dried fruits and salt, and the sailors
would then return to Poole.
Napoleonic Wars
In the early 18th century, Poole had more ships trading with North America than any other
English port, which would bring Poole’s merchants vast wealth. This vast wealth can be seen
today, with Poole’s Old Town being made of extravagant Georgian houses, whereas they used
to be old medieval buildings. Upon the conclusion of the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812,
Poole’s trading economics took a sharp downturn, as peace meant that French and American
fishermen could fish waters and take over many of the services provided by Poole merchants
for a lower cost. Within a few years, most merchants had stopped trading.
During the industrial revolution, the town grew exceedingly fast due to urbanisation, and 9 out of
10 workers were engaged in harbour activities. As technology progressed, however, the shallow
harbour was not able to fit the larger ships, which would instead go to the deep water ports of
Liverpool, Southampton and Plymouth. In 1847 Poole opened its first railway in Hamworthy, and
the town’s busy coastal shipping trade would effectively be finished. However, Poole instead
gradually transferred into a seaside resort, attracting tourists instead of sailors and trade.

3. Second World War
During the Second World War, Poole served as a staging ground and important supply base for
the D-Day landings of Operation Overlord, the Allies’ plans to liberate France and push into
Germany. Poole would serve as the third largest embark point (mostly for Americans) for the
landings, and would continue to be used to send supplies to France until the war’s end.
Following the war, Poole entered years of neglect and economic decline, but major
redevelopments would begin in the 1960s, replacing large areas of slums with modern public
housing, the Poole General Hospital and the Arndale Centre (now called Dolphin Centre).
Written by Daniel Martin