Battle of Corunna, Elvina Ridge - Tiny Wargames Played Indoors

Sir John Moore at Corunna - Christa Hook (Osprey Corunna 1809)

If you've been following the recent series of posts by Bill Slavin who is currently working his way through the scenario book O'er the Hills, you might be interested to know that he has now arrived before the Galician port of Corunna in his recent refight of the Battle for Elvina Ridge which captures the key fighting that occurred between the armies of Marshal Soult and Lieutenant General Sir John Moore on the 16th January 1809.

Tiny Wars Played Indoors - Battle of Corunna, Elvina Ridge

Bill's three previous games can be picked up in the link below covering the two scenarios for the Battle of Vimeiro and the Battle of Rolica from the 1808 campaign in Portugal between General Junot and Lieut Gen.Sir Arthur Wellesley.

Tiny Wars Played Indoors - O'er the Hills Scenarios

As with his previous posts, Bill outlines the scenario setup and accompanies his blow by blow account of the battle with pictures of his glorious 1/72nd collection of Peninsular Napoleonics fighting amid his carefully sculpted terrain that really captures the limited line of sight the warriors on the ground would be experiencing amid the smoke and noise of battle.

This is a tough fight for the French under Soult as it was in reality, with a very good British army consisting primarily of veteran first battalions, now refreshed and reequipped after a few days rest by the arrival of the Royal Navy, following their harrowing retreat in the previous weeks across the Galician mountains in winter.

In addition the terrain favours the defence with broken ground making it poor cavalry country and a ridge line offering a ready made defensive position for the British to anchor on and with the French similarly tired and hungry after their long pursuit now in hostile country and very far from any depot.

The battlefield layout with the British to left and the French to the right of picture with Elvina tucked down in the valley between.

However Soult's forces are made up of veterans of Napoleon's Grande Armee who only know victory and have trounced their way through Spain and have chased this British army, taking prisoners all along the retreat route, as the British seemed to be on the verge of falling apart, if it wasn't for a very disciplined rear-guard force holding them at bay.

 

French cavalry, supported by horse artillery, massed on the opposite bank of the Molinos search out a crossing point to try and turn the British right flank 

I remember fighting this scenario several times and with the die rolls for the various British reinforcements and French cavalry finding a suitable crossing over the River Molinos, now in full winter flood, we found every game quite different although all of them were hard fought back and to battles across the valley in front of Elvina.

Massed French columns beating out the pas de charge and supported by artillery advance on the British line

As you can see from this selection of Bill's pictures of massed columns and British lines, together with massed ranks of French dragoons, really capture the drama of his own clash and I was quite exhausted just reading the to and fro nature of the fighting around and in Elvina.

 

Sir John Moore calmly runs his battle

I remember well visiting Corunna on our 2019 Peninsular Battlefield Tour as Carolyn and I drove our way across Spain and Portugal in a long planned retirement holiday taking in these key battle sites and was fascinated by how close to the centre of Elvina the opposing British and French ridgelines are, still clearly identifiable despite now being covered in buildings that have grown up over the succeeding two-hundred years.

The view of the French held ridge from the steps of the church in modern day Elvina, a surviving battlefield veteran itself.
https://jjwargames.blogspot.com/2019/06/corunna-retreat-peninsular-war-tour-2019.html

My local regiment, the 20th 'East Devon's' observe French cavalry crossing the Molinos

British Guards arrive to stem the tide!

Of course any visit to Corunna must include a visit to the last resting place of Sir John Moore in a former gun redoubt on the sea facing city wall overlooking the embarkation point for the British troops after the battle, now a picturesque garden area and from the remembrance poppies laid before it showing it still to be a place of pilgrimage for British visitors to the town.  

All at Sea - John Company's Indiamen & Packet Ships

East Indiamen Running Up-Channel - Mark Myers

The term West or East Indiaman in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic era generally described a merchant ship in the service of, either by charter or licence, one of the European trading companies set up by the Dutch, Danes, Portuguese, French, Swedish and of course British, to administer their trading interests in the West and East Indies and the Americas.

My latest additions to the collection, the Warlord merchantmen depicted here as typical Indiamen or Packet Ships of the period.

The largest mercantile fleet was British and Britain was very dependent on that fleet to provide the core of trained seamen for its navy and service its overseas interests to help it pay for its war expenditure with, for example, Britain's West Indian commerce contributing about ten percent to her larger trading economy and her investments in the West Indies generating seven to ten percent of her annual income.

This wealth potential overseas also provided the impetus for the war on the trade against Britain's enemies at sea with for example the potential capture of Saint-Domingue in the early stages of the Revolutionary War providing the British a worth while opportunity to more than make up for the loss of the American colonies.

The East Indiaman Princess Royal 1770 - John Cleverley (National Maritime Museum)
Of 878 tons she made four trips to India before being sold off in 1782 for breaking up

East Indiamen tended to be large veseels, 1100 to 1400 tons and more stoutly built for their long routes to and from the east, with some vessels taken over by the Royal Navy to be used as fourth-rates such as HMS Weymouth 56-guns, launched in 1795 and commissioned by the navy the following year, indicating how stoutly built they could be, with the ability to carry heavy guns for their own protection when carrying goods and passengers.

Commodore Dance's Celebrated Action in the Straits of Malaca, 15th February 1804 - Robert Dodd

In addition Indiamen were very often decorated and painted very similarly to that of warships of the period with real or false gun ports painted along their sides to help maintain the disguise to any potential privateer or enemy cruizer; so much so that the French Admiral Linois was convinced that he was up against a squadron of Royal Navy warships at the Battle of Pulo Aura on the 15th February 1804, rather than the China Fleet carrying millions of pounds worth of valuable trade goods, as Commodore Nathaniel Dance's aggressive tactics whilst leading the Honourable East India Company convoy of twenty-nine merchantmen and one brig, drove off the French squadron of one ship of the line, the 74-gun Marengo, two frigates a corvette and a brig.

The drama of the historical battle is brilliantly portrayed in Patrick O'Brian's novel HMS Surprise, part of the Aubrey-Maturin series of books in which Captain Jack Aubrey leads the merchant fleet in its defence against Admiral Linois.

The crews of Indiamen were not usually large enough to put up the kind of fight an enemy could expect from a similar sized man of war, but they were often prepared to fight hard to defend their ships in one to one action with privateers and had to be treated with a certain level of respect if they were to be taken with out too high a price in casualties and damage to the privateer.

Some classic examples of these one on one actions between Indiamen and privateers would include the 40-gun Indiaman Kent against the French privateer 18-gun brig Confiance captained by Robert Surcouf when the two ships met on the 7th October 1800 off Calcutta.

William James in 'The Naval History of Great Britain - Volume Three described the action that followed;

'On the 9th of October the honourable East India Company's ship Kent, of 26 guns (20 long 12, and six long 6 pounders), commanded by Captain Robert Rivington, being off the Sandheads, on her way from England to Bengal, fell in with the French ship-privateer Confiance, of 20 or 22 long 8-pounders, commanded by M. Surcouff, a very able and experienced officer.

An action immediately ensued, and was maintained with great bravery by the Indiaman, for one hour and 47 minutes; during which the two vessels were frequently foul of each other. At length the Kent was carried by boarding; her crew, besides their inferior numbers, being very ill-supplied with weapons of defence, while the assailants were all armed with sabres, pikes, and pistols. After having given decided proofs of his bravery, Captain Rivington received, at the moment of boarding, a musket-shot through his head.

Besides the loss of her captain, the Kent had 13 men killed, including four or five of her passengers, and 44 men wounded, including also several passengers.

East Indiaman Kent battling Confiance - Ambroise Louis Garneray

The Confiance was a ship of 490 tons, and had, it is said, a complement of 250 men. The Kent was a new ship, of 820 tons, and had probably about 90 or 100 men in crew, exclusive of 38 male and three female passengers. Seven or eight of those passengers had been taken from the Queen Indiaman, when she was consumed by fire at St. Salvador. So long and manful a resistance with such limited means, was very honourable to the officers, crew, and passengers of the Kent. In the following month M. Surcouff arrived with his prize at the Isle of France.'

James goes on to describe a possible what if to this scenario;

'We may remark, in passing, what an advantage the Kent would have derived, had she mounted on her quarter-deck and forecastle a tier of 18 or 24-pounder carronades, instead of long sixes. A few discharges of grape from the former would probably have induced the Confiance to keep at long-shot, and then the Kent's 12-pounders, well plied, would either have captured or repulsed her.'

Another classic action involving an East Indiaman would be the saga of the taking of the Indiaman Lord Nelson 26-guns, on the 14th August 1803 by the French privateer frigate Bellone 34-guns off Cape Clear, Ireland.

Although the Bellone carried more guns than the Lord Nelson, she had a lighter broadside with twenty-four 8-pdr long guns against the Lord Nelson's twenty 18-pdrs, but the Bellone had a motivated privateer crew of 260 men versus 102 men on the Indiamen.

William James in 'The Naval History of Great Britain - Volume Three described the action that followed;

'An action ensued, and lasted an hour and a half, when the privateer succeeded in carrying her opponent by boarding, but not until the Bellone had been once repulsed, and the Indiaman sustained a loss of five men killed and 31 wounded. Placing an officer and 41 men in charge of the Lord Nelson, the Bellone proceeded with her towards Corunna.

Capture of the East Indiaman Lord Nelson by the Bellone - Auguste Mayer

On the 20th a British frigate chased the two ships, and would have retaken the Indiaman, had not the Bellone, trusting to her great sailing powers, led away the former. The Lord Nelson, now alone, was attacked on the 23rd by an English cutter-privateer, of fourteen 6-pounders ; and the latter, highly to the credit of her officers and crew, maintained a two hours' action before she was beaten off.

On the 25th, at 1 p.m., in latitude 46° north, longitude 12° west, the British 18-gun brig-sloop Seagull (sixteen 24-pounder carronades and two sixes), Captain Henry Burke, discovered to leeward and chased the Lord Nelson. At 5 p.m. the latter hoisted French colours, and fired a gun. At 7 p.m. the Seagull having got within gun-shot, an action commenced; which continued, with very slight intermission, until 6 a.m. on the 26th; when the brig, having received two shot between wind and water, had her masts and rigging much wounded and cut up, and her foreyard shot away in the slings, hauled off to refit. At 8 h. 30m., just as the Seagull, having replaced her damaged rigging, was about to renew the action, a British squadron, of four sail of the line, under Captain Sir Edward Pellew, in the 80-gun ship Tonnant, hove in sight. By noon, or a little after, the Colossus, the advanced ship of Sir Edward's squadron, overtook and recaptured the Lord Nelson. 

In her two actions, particularly in that with the Seagull, the Indiaman had received considerable damage in hull, masts, and rigging: her loss by the brig's fire has not been recorded. The loss sustained by the Seagull amounted to two seamen killed, and seven seamen and one marine wounded.'

The East Indiaman York and other Vessels c 1788 - Thomas Luny (National Maritime Museum) 

These large well armed merchantmen were also needed for other vital markets such as the Baltic, a major source of naval stores and materials such as tar and timber for masts and yards and of course the sugar islands in the Caribbean where sturdy ships were required to tackle the huge seas that could be encountered crossing the Atlantic. 

The Royal Navy was responsible for convoying merchantmen to and from key anchorages around the globe with the exception of faster ships permitted to sail independently, such as the Packet Ships, so called because as well as carrying passengers and cargo would also be entrusted with letters and packets to persons in stations abroad and thus services such as the Falmouth Packet operating across the Atlantic to stations in North America and Caribbean became vital communication links.

View of Bridgetown and part of Carlisle Bay in the Island of Barbados - Watercolour by Edward Pelham Brenton (National Maritime Museum)
The view shows the main assembly area for richly laden convoys whose protection became a key function of the forces stationed in the area.

The West Indian Packet Ship Antelope was launched in 1780 and was captured twice by the French in 1781 and 1782, when she was ransomed back on the first occasion and purchased by Captain William Kempthorne in 1783 at the end of the American War on the second; but it was for her famous action with the French privateer schooner Atlante that she is best remembered for.

The 'Antelope' Packet captures the French Privateer 'Atlanta' off Jamaica 2nd December 1793 - Geoff Shaw (National Maritime Museum, Cornwall)

The Antelope was some 190 tons and armed with six 3-pounder long guns manned by a crew of twenty-seven men, however at the time of the action with Atlante she had lost four crewmen to 'fever' and two others were ill in their hammocks.

To quote William James' Naval History of Great Britain - Volume One;

'On the 1st of December his Britannic majesty's packet the Antelope, Captain Curtis, being off Cumberland harbour, in Cuba, on her way to England, from Port-Royal, Jamaica, which port she had quitted three days previous, fell in with two French schooner-privateers, of formidable appearance. The packet immediately bore up for Jamaica, and was followed, under all sail, by the privateers. The Atalante, one of the two, outsailing her consort, continued the chase alone. During that and the following day, until 4 p.m., the packet rather gained upon her pursuer; but the wind suddenly failing, the latter took to her sweeps, and soon swept up alongside of the Antelope. After the exchange of a few shots, the schooner sheered off.

On the 2nd, at 5 a.m., it still being calm, the Atalante again swept up, and, on reaching her opponent, grappled her on the starboard side. The privateer then poured in a broadside, and attempted, under cover of the smoke, to carry the Antelope by boarding; but the crew of the latter drove back the assailants with great slaughter.

Among the sufferers by the privateer's broadside, was the packet's commander, Mr. Curtis, who fell to rise no more; as did also the steward, and a French gentleman, a passenger. The first-mate, too, was shot through the body, but survived. The second-mate having died of the fever soon after the packet had sailed from Port-Royal, the command now devolved upon Mr. Pasco, the boatswain, who, with the few brave men left, assisted by the passengers, repulsed repeated attempts to board, made, at intervals, during the long period that the vessels remained lashed together. At last, the privateersmen, finding they had caught a tartar, cut the grapplings, and attempted to sheer off. The boatswain, observing this, ran aloft, and lashed the schooner's square-sail yard to the Antelope's fore shrouds.

Immediately a well-directed volley of small arms was poured into the privateer, and the crew called for quarter. This, notwithstanding the Atalante had fought with the red or bloody flag at her mast-head, to indicate that no quarter would be shown by her, was granted, and possession was forthwith taken of the prize.

… Her (Antelope) total loss in the action was three killed, and four wounded. The Atalante mounted eight 3-pounders; and her complement was 65 men, composed of French, Americans, and Irish. Of these the first and second captains and 30 men were killed, and 17 officers and men wounded. The Atalante had been fitted out at Charleston, in the United States. The Antelope now carried her prize in triumph to Annotto Bay, Jamaica, where the two vessels arrived on the morning succeeding the action.

So as these examples clearly show these ships should not be thought of as simply targets, and can make for interesting scenarios in their own right

The Warlord models of a large and medium sized ship rigged merchantmen provide the basis for my Indiaman and Packet Ship interpretations and the older style of rig with the lateen mizzen together with the rather ornate fittings on the stern galleries and side rails seem to me to work well in capturing the look of these ships, with a white painted lower hull acting as a useful indicator that the model represents a merchantman rather than a man of war, or does it?

This simple application will also allow for those occasions where privateers and cruizers mistook a man of war for an Indiaman and had the occasional rude shock, not to mention picking a fight with 'tartar' to quote James and regretting the decision to engage.

Next up; Carolyn, Will and I resume our exploring of Dartmoor, its classic landscape and ancient monuments and I make further additions to the All at Sea collection with the Dutch contributing some frigates and brigs before I start work on some extra ship-rigged sloops.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Indiaman

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Indiaman

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Privateer

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Surcouf

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_Nelson_(East_Indiaman)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antelope_(1780_packet_ship)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Pulo_Aura

North Wales & Border 2021 - Telford's Pontcysyllte Aqueduct & Stokesay Castle

In this, the last of a series of posts covering Carolyn's and my trip to North Wales and the border in early May, our last two days were spent exploring two historic sites that are linked through the contribution both represent to the economic and social history of the UK, but from very different periods in that long history.

If you missed them and are interested then the other posts can be followed in the links below:

North Wales & Border 2021 - Roman & Megalithic Anglesey

North Wales & Border 2021 - Historic Ludlow and its Castle

With the return of wall to wall sunshine, we headed off towards Wrexham and a reacquaintance with the River Dee, last encountered on our trip to Chester back in 2018.

http://jjwargames.blogspot.com/2018/09/the-siege-of-chester-in-english-civil.html

The river is an important highway in its own right in this locality and as apposed to when we spent time taking a leisurely boat ride along it viewing the city of Chester, this time we were further up river where the water is fast flowing and turbulent, and much less amenable to pleasure boat rides.

Here on the Dee, the valley is straddled by two modes of transport that shaped Britain's Industrial Revolution in the early and mid nineteenth century, the Cefn Viaduct carrying the railway line from Shrewsbury to Chester, built by the Scottish engineer, Henry Robertson, first erected between 1846-8 and later reconstructed in 1858-9 to replace wooden spans completing its thirteen arches in stone up to one-hundred feet high.

The stunning piece of engineering that is the Cefn Viaduct, completed in 1859, spans the River Dee

However we were also intent on seeing a much older construction from this period as well as including a very pleasant four mile walk along the river, with an ice-cream stop along the way.

The next industrial and rather unique landmark soon hove into sight, namely the Pontcysyllte aqueduct, built by another Scotsman, the great engineer Thomas Telford between 1795 to 1805, as part of the Ellesmere Canal linking the ironworks and collieries of Wrexham to Chester and on to Liverpool and now listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Pontcysyllte aqueduct, completed in 1805 with 18 piers of local stone, 126 feet high over the River Dee, 1007 feet long, 11 feet, 10 inches wide and 5 feet 3 inches deep, and costing £47,000 when built, and the longest aqueduct in Britain.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontcysyllte_Aqueduct

Climbing the steep steps from the river up to the canal path extending from the aqueduct we were greeted with a site that transports the visitor back two hundred years to the early industrial revolution with this, a key junction on the transport arteries of the time, Britain's canal system linking the key cities, industrial centres and ports.

Today however, the boats move more leisurely, with the coal boats long gone and a welcome ice-cream next to an even more welcoming pub.

 

The iron canal channel across the Dee is fed by water from the river and the narrow path that runs alongside it offers spectacular views out over the valley but is definitely not for the feint-hearted.

It's remarkable to think that engineering structures like this were being built at the time of the French Revolution, with Britain going through its own revolution that would change the world, perhaps in more ways than did victory at Waterloo in 1815.

We were so lucky with the weather on this particular day and the walk between the two bridges was a perfect way to enjoy these remarkable feats of engineering history.

The next day was a bit up in the air to begin with, with our plan to head home, hoping to miss the early bank holiday traffic heading into the south-west, but discovering that the original venue we wanted to visit on that day but thought would be closed was going to be open to the public after all, following it being closed due to filming for an upcoming 'Period TV show' next year.

That venue being Stokesay Castle, which we booked for an early morning visit to to include on our journey south along the Wye Valley, home bound.

Lord Craven's gatehouse at Stokesay Castle

This is not the first time that Stokesay has been covered here on JJ's as Mr Steve posted a report about his visit back in 2018 in which he covered the interesting history Stokesay has in the English Civil War amongst other things, and is well worth a read in the link below if you didn't see it the first time.

http://jjwargames.blogspot.com/2018/08/stokesay-castle-visiting-shrewsbury.html

Following that post it has been on Carolyn's and my list of places to visit if we were in the area and so we were very happy to get an early start to our day to include it in the itinerary.

To quote English Heritage, who administer Stokesay;

'Stokesay Castle is one of the finest fortified manor houses in England. Built in the 1280's by the fabulously rich wool merchant, Lawrence of Ludlow, it stands in a peaceful Shropshire valley, an exceptionally picturesque ensemble of 13th century towers, magnificent great hall and a delightful gatehouse built in 1640. Among its many treasures are its medieval staircase and tiled floor and its richly carved 17th-century chamber.'

Having parked the car the visitor follows a short path between the moat on the northern wall and the graveyard of the Church of St John the Baptist, with parts of the building that survived the ravages of the Civil War, predating Stokesay back to the Normans.

The rather magnificent and imposing war memorial in the churchyard caught my eye

Although called a castle, Stokesay was not intended or designed to withstand a serious siege, but more to act as an imposing house for its wealthy owner from which he could administer the returns from the lucrative business of wool that was the economic wealth generator of medieval England.

In that guise Stokesay with its original crenelated curtain wall, taken down after the Civil War, its moat and its secure bastion in the form of the south tower provided more than adequate security against vagabonds and robbers on a very turbulent and uncertain part of the Welsh border whilst also emphasising the owners status with an air of restraint and modesty.

Our first view of the 17th century apartment that sits atop the north tower of Stokesay

The first good view of the site is of the glorious gatehouse built by William 1st Earl of Craven in 1640 who used his fortune to support the Royalist cause in the Civil War, which saw his estates confiscated to be returned later with the Restoration of Charles II.

There is a suggestion that the moat that encircles the enclosure may have had water as depicted by Samuel and Nathaniel Buck in their engraving from 1731 below, but examination has failed to find the necessary water retaining clay lining but even so still presents a formidable barrier as illustrated in the pictures.

William, First Earl of Craven, 1608-1697
Described rather unaffectionately by Samuel Peyps as
'that Coxcombe my lord Craven'  
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Craven_(1er_comte_de_Craven)

Lord Craven's gatehouse was lucky to survive the Civil War, still standing despite the curtain wall that adjoined it having been demolished.

The site plan below gives an easy to follow route plan of our visit on entering via the gatehouse (H) we headed off to the North Tower (D) via the Great Hall (C), then along the building range via the Solar (B) to the South Tower (A).

Stokesay Castle Plan 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stokesay_Castle_Plan.jpg
A = South Tower, B = Solar Block, C = Great Hall, D = North Tower, E = Well, F = Courtyard, G = Moat, and H = Gatehouse

Carpenters marks used to identify joints in the timbers of the gatehouse.

A view of the courtyard as seen from the arched entrance of the gatehouse, with the two towers, great hall and solar beyond.

The Church of St John the Baptist seen from the wall that replaced the former crenelated curtain wall

The entrance into one of the oldest parts of Stokesay, the Great Hall built in the 13th century 

A reconstruction of the household of Stokesay dining in the Great Hall circa 1290 with minstrels playing in the gallery.

Surviving fourteenth and sixteenth century financial accounts for the Manor of Stokesay show both a Lord's residence, castle, and a working farm, supporting both crops and livestock across its demesnes or lands.

William Ludlow fought for the king in France and his return in 1422 or 23 seems to have been unexpected at Stokesay as the only food that could be brought to him was cheese and eggs, cheese omelette my Lord?.

The same William Ludlow paid three shillings and fourpence to three minstrels to help celebrate the birth of a baby to him and his wife Isabel in 1424 and no doubt the hall below echoed to the music and merriment that followed.

The rafters in the Great Hall at Stokesay are magnificent and the timbers have been dated to the late 1280's.

The brackets seen supporting the upper landing and gallery have been there since the 1290's and the steps on the staircase are cut from whole tree trunks.

Steps at the back of the hall leading down into the buttery, with storage for wine and beer

Traces of floral decoration on the plaster walls of the buttery date back to about 1300

The view of the great hall from the minstrels gallery leading to the first and second floor rooms of the north tower.

A reconstruction of the second floor apartment room in the north tower as it might have looked in 1640

A corner section of the remains of the 17th century plaster ceiling can be seen in the window bay.

Classic 17th century lead lined lozenge windows.

Making our way back through the great hall we next entered the principal living quarters for the Ludlow's , the two storey solar, an original medieval construction but extensively refashioned in the 17th century, perhaps when the gatehouse was built, with wall panelling, framed ceiling and fireplace overmantel.

The original southern complex of buildings ended with the solar in the 1280's but, it is thought, that as Lawrence became richer and more important, an advisor and moneylender to the king and the Lords of the Welsh marches, the south tower was built as a later addition, demonstrating his new found status and providing extra security to him and his family.

Permission to Crenellate, by Royal Appointment, illustrating Laurence's standing with King Edward I

During his lifetime Laurence was the most important wool merchant in England, lending King Edward I more than £600 to fund his war with France in 1294 and advising the king on commercial policy.

King Edward I 1239 - 1307
'aka' Edward Longshanks and
Hammer of the Scots, England's archetypal warrior king

His advice saw the king, on his recommendation, triple the customs rate on wool exports from 13 shillings and fourpence to £2 per sack; not making him the most popular of men among other wool producers and giving them much pleasure when Lawrence along with the fleet carrying him, the money and the wool ran into a storm that year that saw the money and the wool saved but Lawrence drowned, off the Suffolk coast.

The South Tower, with the entrance from the solar seen on the landing to the right.

The tower today has two floors below the roof, given over to swallows and bats and the basement room that was converted into a smithy as the castle gradually fell into disuse as an aristocratic home and became an agricultural store and workshop.

Entrance to the south tower from the solar

View from the south tower battlements to the courtyard below and the top of the well bottom right

The south tower basement that was converted into a smithy around 1830, that later caused a fire that nearly destroyed the tower.

With our tour around Stokesay concluded we headed back to the carpark teahouse and a well earned cuppa before our drive home.

That concludes this series of posts. Next up, I'm all at sea with Dutch frigates and John Company Indiamen whilst I prepare to run my first game at the DWG next month, following the club's fourteen month layoff, as I warm up for our Clotted Lard show in September.