Crosby's Complete Pocket Gazetteer of England and Wales or Traveller's Companion edited by the Reverend John Malham.(1807):
Plymouth is a market town seated between the mouths of the rivers Plym and Tamar, in a bay of the English channel ,called Plymouth Sound, the Plym passing by one side of the town ,as the Tamar does on the other. The mouth of the Plym is called Catwater and the mouth of the Tamar Ham-Ouse or Hamoaze.
Plymouth was apparently called Sutton and seems to have consisted of 2 villages, Sutton Vautort and Sutton Prior and has gradually risen from the condition of an obscure fishing village to be a place of very great consequence, and the largest town in the county. Its port which properly speaking consists of 3 harbours is capable of containing 2000 sail. It is extremely well fortified, being defended by several forts and a strong citadel erected in the reign of Charles II, before the mouth of the harbour. This citadel comprehends at least 4 acres of ground, has 5 regular bastions, contains a large magazine of stores and mounts 15 guns. The Catwater affords a safe and commodious harbour for merchant ships but is seldom entered by ships of war. The 2nd harbour called Sutton Pool, is frequented by merchant ships only and is almost surrounded by the houses of the town. It is, in itself, well calculated to afford compleat protection to such ships as are moored in it and it has lately been further secured by an extensive pier on the West side erected in 1790. The 3rd division of the inlet, Hamoaze is the harbour for the reception of the British Navy; being fitted out with moorings for more than a hundred sail, and having good anchorage for a much greater number. What is called the Dock is a separate town, situated about 2 miles up the Hamoaze, it is now as populous as Plymouth itself. Here are 4 docks, one wet the other three dry, 2 built in the reign of William III and 2 of them in the reign of his present majesty, hewn out of a mine of slate and lined with Portland stone. Plymouth Dock is furnished with large magazines, storehouses etc., containing arms, stores and all things necessary to equip a fleet. There are also spacious and commodious barracks for the marines, with houses for the officers, clerks etc. The Town is well supplied with fresh water, first brought hither from a spring, at a distance of 12 miles, at the sole expense of Sir Francis Drake. The inhabitants are concerned in the pilchard fishery and have a considerable trade to the Streights and to Newfoundland. The corporate body, which was constituted in the reign of Henry VI consists of a mayor,12 aldermen,24 common councilmen a recorder and town clerk. Besides the 2 large churches, here are several meeting houses, likewise a charity school,4 hospitals and a workhouse. The Guildhall has been lately rebuilt and is a spacious structure. The theatre is large and handsome building. Opposite to the town and in the middle of the harbour is a small island called St Nicholas. It is surrounded with rocks and has a strong castle with fortification, with furnaces for heating cannon balls upon it. These fortifications command the entrance into Hamoaze and Catwater. On the opposite shore over against St Nicholas Island stands the citadel nearly surrounded with a deep ditch out of which all the stone used for the works has been procured. The number of inhabitants appears to be nearly 20,000.
Conveyances: A coach sets out every morning for Exeter, Bristol ,Bath and London form the Kings Arm's Plymouth. Also a diligence sets out every morning at 6 o'clock for London Bath Bristol and Portsmouth from the Fountain Inn Plymouth Dock.
Inns : King's Arms, Prince George and Globe..
Use the "Show me" link to locate Plymouth on the map. You may need to scroll down to see Plymouth highlighted.
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| Quotations |
 Chapter 16
"A fortnight!" she repeated, surprised at his being so long in the same county with Elinor without seeing her before. He looked rather distressed as he added, that he had been staying with some friends near Plymouth. "Have you been lately in Sussex?" said Elinor. "I was at Norland about a month ago." |
Chapter 22
"He was four years with my uncle, who lives at Longstaple, near Plymouth. It was there our acquaintance begun, for my sister and me was often staying with my uncle, and it was there our engagement was formed, though not till a year after he had quitted as a pupil; but he was almost always with us afterwards. |
Chapter 23
Their opportunity of acquaintance in the house of Mr. Pratt was a foundation for the rest, at once indisputable and alarming; and Edward's visit near Plymouth, his melancholy state of mind, his dissatisfaction at his own prospects, his uncertain behaviour towards herself, the intimate knowledge of the Miss Steeles as to Norland and their family connections, which had often surprised her, the picture, the letter, the ring, formed altogether such a body of evidence, as overcame every fear of condemning him unfairly, and established as a fact which no partiality could set aside, his ill-treatment of herself. |
Chapter 47
Mrs. Dashwood now looked at her daughter; but Elinor knew better than to expect them. She recognised the whole of Lucy in the message, and was very confident that Edward would never come near them. She observed, in a low voice, to her mother, that they were probably going down to Mr. Pratt's, near Plymouth. |
Chapter 49
Not a soul suspected anything of the matter, not even Nancy, who, poor soul! came crying to me the day after, in a great fright for fear of Mrs. Ferrars, as well as not knowing how to get to Plymouth; for Lucy, it seems, borrowed all her money before she went off to be married, on purpose, we suppose, to make a shew with, and poor Nancy had not seven shillings in the world; -- so I was very glad to give her five guineas to take her down to Exeter, where she thinks of staying three or four weeks with Mrs. Burgess, in hopes, as I tell her, to fall in with the doctor again. |
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