Proposals to create a Trust Port for the whole Taw and Torridge estuary have sparked a search for a historical document dating from the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. 

When proponents of the Trust Port addressed a packed meeting in Appledore recently, they were told in no uncertain terms that residents had a historic right to come and go on the river as they liked. They could moor their boats and unload cargo on Appledore Quay without paying any dues to anyone. This right, they said stretched back to the days of the Armada when Queen Elizabeth had issued a charter making Appledore a free port in recognition of the service of Appledore ships in repelling the attempted Spanish invasion. 

The problem is, local historians have searched in vain for such a document and have so far not been able to trace it. One elderly resident, who recalled fishing and collecting shellfish in the estuary since age 14, affirmed that he had seen a copy of the charter. He said that the Harris family, members of whom had been harbourmasters at Appledore since 1940, had a copy. The Woolaway family in Barnstaple had another. The original, he said, was in Trinity House in London. The response to this intervention left no doubt about the strength of the historic memory in Appledore about the existence of the charter, and the desire to retain any rights it may have conferred. 

So, the search is now on to find this document and to verify its authenticity. It seems odd that there is no mention of the charter in 18^th and 19^th century court cases concerning the right to levy fees on shipping in Northam and Appledore. Such a document would be an incredibly valuable item in any historical collection and would be a sensational addition to Appledore’s Maritime Museum. 

Many ships from across England took part in the defence of the country from the Spanish Armada, and it is not thought that Queen Elizabeth issued any such charter for other ports. The discovery of an authentic document would therefore make Appledore an exceptional case. However, the ships that were sent from Barnstaple and Bideford Bay were those belonging to Sir Richard Grenville, who owned the manor of Bideford, so it seems unlikely that any document would have favoured Appledore over any other part of the estuary. 

We will report here on developments in this fascinating story.