Follow the town trail to discover the story of Poole through the centuries.

Growth and Prosperity

In the 1700s, Poole was enjoying a period of unprecedented growth and prosperity thanks to the cod trade and large imports of salt. Merchants were able to establish wealthy dynasties. Through alliances and intermarriage, these newly rich traders formed an elite group within the town. By 1802, there were 350 ships in the Poole fleet.

As Poole buildings became elaborate, so did its systems of power. The new elite ‘gate-crashed’ the old system of inherited privilege. Poole people made money by trade as well as inheritance
and more people had a taste of the high life.

How merchants made their millions

Poole has a wealth of Georgian mansions, arguably the best in Dorset.

These are the legacy of a group of men who controlled Poole’s lucrative trade with Newfoundland.

General supplies were shipped from Poole to Newfoundland where salt cod was loaded for transport to Southern Europe. The ships then brought back wine, oil and other goods to Poole.

Profits were made at each of these stages, and what profits these were! Two of the merchants died in the 1790s. Samuel White left two hundred thousand pounds and John Slade left seventy thousand pounds.

That’s the equivalent today of eleven million and four million pounds respectively.

Unfortunately this wealth did not spread throughout the town. At the peak of the trade it was estimated that about half of the families in Poole were in poverty.

The whole system of barter and payment in truck gave unfair advantage to the merchants who could charge what they liked for their goods and mortgage their seamen’s wages so that in many cases the men were actually in debt to their employers at the end of the voyage.

When times grew harder for the merchants they found little good will from their employees.

A History of Pilgrimage

Poole's coat of arms, seen in St James' Church, includes three scallop shells. These are the symbol of St James and link Poole to Santiago de Compostela in Northern Spain, the saint's birth place and shrine.

Santiago was a popular destination for Christian pilgrims leaving Poole Harbour in the Middle Ages.

Records from 1428 show the ship 'Nicholas' had a licence to transport 80 passengers to Santiago de Compostela, 60 were allowed on board the 'Bernard' and 60 on the 'Michael'.