Plymouth

A Saxon settlement called Tamarworth is mentioned in the 9th century. The Domesday Book of 1086 mentions a fishing village called Sudtone at the mouth of the River Plym. In 1211 the site is mentioned as a trading centre, Plym Mouth. Plymouth developed into a trading town, becoming a market town in 1254 and the first town in England to receive a royal charter from Parliament in 1439.

During the Hundred Years' War, Edward of Woodstock, the "Black Prince", set out from Plymouth in 1355 on his campaign to France. During the war the town was raided and sacked by the French on a number of occasions.

Plymouth was the starting point for numerous research and discovery voyages, including

1577 for Francis Drake's circumnavigation of the world

1585 for the founding of the colony at Roanoke under Richard Grenville

1620 for the Mayflower's last English port on its way to North America

1768, 1772 and 1776 for James Cook's voyages

1831 for the Beagle's circumnavigation of the world with Charles Darwin on board

1914 for Ernest Shackleton's Endurance expedition