Journey 7
John Leland
Falmouth
Why was Leland so detailed in his notes?
Nick takes a boat out into Falmouth harbour, described by John Leland as “England’s most important”.
As well as the Cornish, Henry VIII also feared invasion from Spain. Falmouth was one location where fortifications were built (with money gained from the dissolution of the monasteries), and Leland himself sailed these waters to record two new fortresses built at its entrance.
He also went to great lengths to record every inlet, nook and cranny – several of which look unchanged to this day. It’s hard to know whether his zeal was a love of hard graft or a pride in being methodical. But the details he recorded for his great map demonstrate the enormity of the task he’d set himself.