The Domesday Book survey at the end of the 11th century records manors at Penventinue and Trenant, and a priory was soon established nearby at Tywardreath.

In August, a Royalist army surrounded Essex's troops and King Charles I himself viewed Fowey from Hall Walk above Polruan, where he came close to being killed by a musket shot.

On 31 August, the Parliamentarian cavalry forced their way through the Royalist lines and retreated towards Saltash, leaving the foot soldiers to be evacuated by sea from Fowey.

Essex and some officers did indeed escape, but the majority of the force surrendered a few days later near Golant and were then marched to Poole, but most died before reaching there.

Tin, copper and iron mines, along with quarries and china clay pits became important industries in the area, which led to improvements at rival harbours.

[4] Joseph Austen shipped copper from Caffa Mill Pill above Fowey for a while before starting work on the new Par harbour in 1829.

[5] Fowey had to wait another forty years before it saw equivalent development, but its natural deep-water anchorage and a rail link soon gave it an advantage over the shallow artificial harbours nearer to the mines and china clay works.

Meanwhile, a beacon tower was erected on the Gribben Head by Trinity House to improve navigation into Fowey and around Par bay.

[4] On 1 June in that year, the 7 ft (2,134 mm) broad gauge Lostwithiel and Fowey Railway was opened to new jetties situated above Carne Point, and in 1873, the 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Cornwall Minerals Railway (CMR) opened a line from Newquay and Par to further jetties between Caffa Mill Pill and Carne Point.

Both of these railways initially carried just goods, but on 20 June 1876, a passenger station was opened on the CMR on land reclaimed from Caffa Mill Pill.

[8] Fowey was the main port for loading ammunition for the US 29th Division that landed on Omaha Beach on D Day during the Second World War.

[10] The seal of the borough of Fowey was On a shield a ship of three masts on the sea her topsail furled with the legend "Sigillum oppidi de Fowy Anno Dom.

There are many historic buildings in the town, including the ruins of St Catherine's Castle, while Readymoney Cove possesses a local beach.

[citation needed] At the entrance to the River, on the eastern side below the cliffs to the south-west of St Saviour's Point, there is a cross to commemorate this supposed visit.

Fowey has thrived as a port for hundreds of years, initially as a trading and naval town, then as the centre for china clay exports.

[24] Fowey has been the inspiration for many authors, including Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch ('Q'), who lived in the town in retirement,[25] and Daphne du Maurier.

[27] Various visual artists have had close connection with Fowey and lived there, including Fred Yates (painter),[28] Andrew Litten[29] Amanda Hoskin who primarily paints the local coastline.

[31] An engraving of a painting by Thomas Allom entitled Fowey Harbour, St. Saviour's Chapel & Polruan Castle together with a poetical illustration by Letitia Elizabeth Landon, which recounts the repelling of the French 'out of her house' (that is, Place House) in Fowey by the wife of 'Thomas Treury, the 2d' in her husband's absence, around the time of Henry 6th, was published in Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1832.

[39] A number of entertainers have primary and secondary residences around the town including: Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan, Gloria Hunniford, and former Blue Peter presenter Janet Ellis.