Raid on Teignmouth

Anne Hilarion de Tourville intended to sail the fleet to Ireland to cut Williams lines of communication. However, they diverted into Torbay and decided to raid the place.^[2] Tourville’s ships dropped anchor and with the presence of the French close to shore, beacons were lit along the coast which roused up spirits of the memory of 1588. On observing Torbay's strong defences along with a strong force of militia lined up, he decided to leave his ships of the line where they were and sent several galleys Eastwards towards Teignmouth instead. The galleys were rowed by slaves carrying in total 2,800 sailors and troops which were designed for inshore work.^[3]

At Torbay a small French detachment made a false attack onshore to occupy the militia force. Meanwhile as the French galleys approached the town the ships opened up a bombardment. Firing nearly 200 shot which set fire and also damaged parts of the towns, the French then landed around 700 troops under Victor-Marie d'Estrées.^[4] The inhabitants managed to escape, and the only defences that could stop them was a small force of around 100 poorly armed militia but they were easily swept aside.^[5] After this the French then ransacked the town for twelve hours and destroyed eleven ships. After examining 'creditable persons' the Justices of the Peace concluded that:

by the late horrid invasion there were within the space of 12 houres burnt downe and consumed 116 dwelling houses ... and also 172 dwelling houses were rifled and plundered and two parish churches much ruined, plundred and defaced, besides the burning of ten saile of shipps with the furniture thereof, and the goods and merchandise therein ...^[6]

The defeat of Beachy Head and the attack on Teignmouth caused panic in England. The diarist John Evelyn wrote, The whole nation now exceedingly alarmed by the French fleet braving our coast even to the very Thames mouth. With the French having command of the Channel an invasion was now feared, only 6,000 troops, along with the militia, were prepared by the Earl of Marlborough.^[7] For the French however the raid proved controversial - it was seen as a failure to exploit the success of Beachy Head. This was compounded even more when William decisively defeated James II, at the Battle of the Boyne in Ireland. Subsequently Louis XIV saw to it that Tourville was relieved of his command.^[8]

The inhabitants returned and the vast majority were left homeless. As a result, the Crown issued a church brief that authorised the collection of £11,000 for the aid of Teignmouth. Churches from as far afield as Yorkshire contributed, and the collections enabled the further development of the port. The attack on Teignmouth was the last successful foreign invasion of England.^[9]

The town's 'French Street' with its museum is named in memory of the occasion.^[8]

Bibliography

• Aubrey, Philip (1979). The Defeat of James Stuart's Armada 1692. Leicester University Press. ISBN 9780718511685.
• Coward, Barry (2014). The Stuart Age England, 1603-1714. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9781317864264.
• Hernon, Ian (2013). Fortress Britain All the Invasions and Incursions Since 1066. History Press. ISBN 9780752497174.
• Lynn, John Albert (2022). The French wars 1667–1714: The Sun King at War. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 9781472895332.