The Saltash Ferry was a ferry across the

River Tamar The Tamar (; kw, Dowr Tamar) is a river in south west England, that forms most of the border between Devon (to the east) and Cornwall (to the west). A part of the Tamar Valley is a World Heritage Site due to its historic mining activities. T ...

between

Saltash Saltash (Cornish: Essa) is a town and civil parish in south Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It had a population of 16,184 in 2011 census. Saltash faces the city of Plymouth over the River Tamar and is popularly known as "the Gateway to Corn ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

and

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

. It was replaced in 1961 by the

Tamar Bridge The Tamar Bridge is a suspension bridge over the River Tamar between Saltash, Cornwall and Plymouth, Devon in southwest England. It is long, running adjacent to the Royal Albert Bridge, and part of the A38, a main road between the two counti ...

History

There had been a ferry service across this section of the Tamar since the time of the

Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conque ...

. At the time, there was no public crossing of the Tamar downstream of

Gunnislake Gunnislake ( kw, Dowrgonna) is a large village in east Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated in the Tamar Valley approximately ten miles (16 km) north of Plymouth Gunnislake is in the civil parish of Calstock and is close to C ...

, to the north. Initial ferries were powered by oar and ropes. The service was owned by the Valletort family in the 12th and early 13th centuries before being sold in 1270. In 1385, the Burgesses of Saltash were granted a lease to run the ferry for 200 years. In 1733, it capsized and sank, with the loss of 20 lives. The ferry was revived in 1832 by

John Parker, 1st Earl of Morley John Parker, 1st Earl of Morley FRS (3 May 1772 – 14 March 1840), known as 2nd Baron Boringdon from 1788 to 1815, was a British peer and politician. Origins Morley was the only son of John Parker, 1st Baron Boringdon, of Boringdon Hall, P ...

and Sir William Molesworth, who established

Royal Assent Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in other ...

for a floating bridge steam ferry across the Tamar. It was constructed by James Meadows Rendel the following year, and could accommodate up to four horse carriages. The service was unreliable and withdrawn a year later. It was revived by the Saltash Corporation in 1850, with a second boat launched the following year. In 1892, service time was improved to 20 minutes. A new ferry was ordered in 1933, which was long and wide, allowing transport for 24 cars per journey. The ferry passage played a significant part in the

Normandy Landings The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. A temporary training camp for 2,000 soldiers was set up at

St Budeaux St Budeaux is an area and ward in the north west of Plymouth in the English county of Devon. Original settlement The name St Budeaux comes from Saint Budoc, the Bishop of Dol (Brittany). Around 480, Budoc is said to have founded a settlement ...

, to the east. Troops from the V and VII Corps of the US Army left from the Saltash passage towards Normandy, who are commemorated in a plaque near the old ferry terminal. The plaque is mounted on material salvaged from buildings in Plymouth destroyed during

the Blitz The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'. The Germa ...

. The final crossing of the ferry was at 11:15pm on 23 October 1961. The

opened for service the following morning.

References

{{authority control Ferry transport in England River Tamar Water transport in Cornwall 1961 disestablishments in the United Kingdom

History

See also

References