Good morning or Myttin da as we say here in Cornwall. I'm the porter here at St Mawes..
I was just about to go on my morning rounds to check the defences are in order.
I understand a few of you children might have some questions for me.
So come on then, who's first?
Hi i'm Ollie and i'm 10 years old.
What would you like to know?
What's a porter?
That's an excellent question! As porter i'm third in command here at St Mawes.
I serve under Captain Hannibal Vyvyan and his Lieutenant. As the lieutenant
and the captain are also required elsewhere i'm often left in charge here at St Mawes
I'm trained in warfare - both land and sea, and can captain a vessel if required.
Basically, I have to be able to adapt to the situation in front of me at all times...
Whether it's peacetime or wartime, i'm here.... Of course i'm a little busier when there is trouble obviously! Who's next?
Hi i'm Theo and i'm 10 years old. What would you like to know?
Why is St Mawes Castle so important?
We're currently anticipating an attack from the Spanish...
In this year of our lord 1592 we've already had one unsuccessful attempt
so me and the garrison (that's the body of soldiers who are stationed here) have to be vigilant at all times
Who's next?
Hello my name is Jared and i'm eight years old. A nd what would you like to know?
How old do you have to be, to be in the garrison?
Age is less important than experience... We need to make sure that any new soldiers or gunners
are competent with their weapons and have the
right attitude to defend these shores. Not anyone after an easy day avoiding work that's for sure!
Speaking of work, I better get on with my rounds but you can ask me more questions upstairs.
Ah there you are, do you have more questions then?
Hi I'm Joel and I'm seven years old.
What would you like to know?
Why was this castle built?
Well when Henry VIII (that's our Queen Elizabeth the first's father) divorced his Queen Catherine of Aragon
to marry Anne Boleyn
he made some powerful enemies in Spain and France... This part of Cornwall being so close to France is an
important strategic entrance into the country.
It's a very short crossing between here in the northern coast of France
which is good for trade but it's also a hot spot for pirates
so we are well defended on all sides by our cannon... we just have to be mindful of all the
ships that come in and out of our waters, and able to defend ourselves at long range.
You see St Mawes is shaped like a clover leaf which gives us perfect range of visibility on all sides
And here I am letting you in on all of our secrets! Perhaps we ought to take a few more questions.
Anyone else?
Hi I'm Lucia and I'm 11 years old.
What would you like to know?
What's it like trading with sailors from around the world?
It's a big part of my duties to communicate with traders from Spain, France and Italy.
Their cargo can be anything from wine to iron from abroad... then there's tin
or cloth... agricultural produce...fish from Cornwall going the other way...
All kinds of vessels pass through our waters
...we've just got to be sure that if any ship seems suspicious
or does not answer our orders that they're thoroughly searched.
Ah here you are down to the garrison quarters keeping warm are you?
Did you have any more questions while i'm here?
Hi I'm Poppy and i'm 10 years old.
What would you like to know?
What's it like living in the castle when there's a risk of invasion?
Is it cold or lonely?
It can be cold here on your own but it's rare that i ever am completely alone
I may be the only permanent resident here but the soldiers they take it in turns to keep watch
You see just in case we need to raise the alarm if there is an attack or an invasion....
a whole garrison of up to 20 men can sleep here and we can squeeze in a few more of the local lads
As you can see we've got a large fire where we can make bread and
cook our meals. We have fresh water from a spring that fills a cistern.
We all have to do our bit you see we're on high alert at the moment...
even the local sailors and the traders they'll send us warning if they see anything untoward.
Now i'm getting a bit pushed for time and i've got to inspect the cannon so
perhaps you can ask me a few more questions afterwards
Well here we are by the cannon. Did you have any more questions then?
Hi I'm toby and I'm 10 years old.
And what would you like to know?
Are you the only way of stopping invaders to England?
No far from it! There are far more defences all along the south coast
this stretch of water for instance has both St Mawes and Pendennis Castle
though Pendennis is controlled by the Killigrew family, and not our Captain Hannibal Vyvyan.
We're in a very unique and fortunate position here that if an enemy ship sails
up the river foul we can catch it in our crossfire if we fire at the same time.
Speaking of time i think this will have to be the last question.
Hi it's Ollie again!
And what can i do for you?
Do you shoot at ships that are suspicious?
Not usually. We might fire a shot to make them stop so that we can board them
but for the most part ships are friendly coming through here
Whether they're bringing in trade or local fishermen
but we we do have to be aware of all ships
they might be bringing a foreign spy into the country
or perhaps just bringing back one of our own spies with secret information.
We only fire upon a vessel if we're absolutely certain it's hostile.
And there i go giving away secrets again.
Before i give away all our strategies, I'd better finish my rounds.
Plus i've got to get back to my room and write up a report for the lieutenant.
So i bid you all a good day