History of Poole
In the 3rd century BC, these Celtic people moved from hilltop settlements, such as Maiden Castle and Badbury Rings on the chalk downs to the north, to the lower vales and heathland around the River Frome and Poole Harbour.
[2] The earliest significant archaeological find in the harbour is the Poole Logboat, a 10 metres (33 ft) boat made from a single oak tree and dating to 295 BC.
[3] The Roman Emperor, Vespasian, brought the Second Augustan Legion to the harbour in 43 AD and founded Hamworthy, an area just west of the modern town centre.
He led his fleet to Poole Harbour which he used as a base to pillage the surrounding settlements of Wessex before returning along the coast to attack London.
[11] A charter of liberties was sold to the Burgesses of Poole in 1248 by the Lord of the Manor and son of the Earl of Salisbury, Sir William Longspee, to raise funds for his participation the Seventh Crusade.
[3][7] As a result of this charter, Poole obtained the right to appoint a mayor, hold a court within town, and was granted an exemption from certain tolls and customs duties on goods from the Port.
[13][14] Paye frequently led successful raids against the Spanish and French along the coast from Normandy through to the Bay of Biscay and Cape Finisterre.
[11] In 1433 it was granted Port of the Staple status by King Henry VI, which enabled Poole to begin the lucrative trade of wool exportation.
In 1568, Poole was granted a greater amount of independence from Dorset when it was made a county corporate by the Great Charter of Queen Elizabeth I.
[12] Poole established successful commerce with the North American colonies, including the important fisheries of Newfoundland that later resulted in significant lasting trade.
Over the next fifty years the trade with Newfoundland steadily grew to meet the demand for fish from the Catholic countries of Europe.
[12] Peace meant that the French and Americans could fish the waters and take over many of the services provided by Poole merchants at a lower cost.
Poole was the third largest embarkation point for D-Day landings of Operation Overlord, and afterwards served as a base for supplies to the allied forces in Europe.
[26] Many of the town's buildings suffered bombing during the Second World War and years of neglect in the post-war economic decline in the United Kingdom.
[32][33] Building regeneration projects include the demolition of Hamworthy (Poole) power station in the early 1990s and the redevelopment of the old gas works.
[34] Other projects include the renovated Lighthouse arts centre, Baiter Park on Parkstone Bay, and the new Royal National Lifeboat Institution headquarters.
