The Spanish made landfall in Mount's Bay, then sacked and burned Newlyn, Mousehole, Penzance, and Paul, beating a militia force under Francis Godolphin in the process.

There were also rumours that Francis Drake was preparing a major expedition against Panama and the Spanish action in England could delay or even defeat it.

Another was to hold an English port or coastline which would then be used as a base for raids and act as a powerful bargaining tool for future peace negotiations.

Cornwall, since the Prayer Book Rebellion in 1549, offered hope to the Spanish that many of the Cornish might happily convert back to the Catholic faith.

[5] They were guided by English Catholic Richard Burley of Weymouth on to a rocky beach a few hundred yards west of Mousehole's harbour.

Having kept quite a distance from St Michaels Mount (the garrisons powder was so low that they were unable to fire any shots), Newlyn was set upon; again no resistance was met and the village was torched.

By this time however the local militia which formed the cornerstone of the English anti-invasion measures and numbered five hundred men had been alerted and decided to make a stand.

[8] The militia then panicked, threw down their arms, and fled; only Godolphin along with twelve of his soldiers stood to offer some kind of resistance.

[11] At the end of the raid a traditional Catholic mass led by Brother Domingo Martinez was held in an open air field altar on the Western Hill outside of Penzance.

The book's protagonist arrives on the spot when hearing of the Spanish raid, concerned for the safety of Sue - a woman with whom he is deeply in love though she married another man, the Vicar of Paul, this marriage putting her directly in the Spaniards' path.