Greyhound Inn, Blandford was the twelfth stop for Lieutenant
John Richards Lapenotiere during his express dash from Falmouth to the
Admiralty in London. His purpose was to tell both the King and the Prime
Minister of Nelson’s victory over the French & Spanish at the Battle of
Trafalgar but also of Horatio Nelson's death. This route is now known as the
‘Trafalgar Way’.
Lapenotiere arrived in
Blandford around lunchtime on the 5th November 1805 and paid just
two pounds ten shillings & sixpence (£2.52) for a change of horses. This he
would do 21 times during the 271 mile journey. A plaque commemorating his
arrival in Blandford can be found in the Greyhound Yard. He was travelling in a ‘post-chaise’ which was the quickest form of horse travel for a
passenger at the time. Before Blandford, he had stopped and changed horses at
both Bridport and Dorchester. The next stop would be Woodyates and then
Salisbury. That day was the 200th anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot
to blow up the Houses of Parliament so as he travelled on that evening he would
have witnessed many bonfires.
Lapenotiere had journeyed from the battle scene across the
particularly stormy Bay of Biscay in the strangely named HMS Pickle. She was a small but fast schooner that had been present
at but had not taken part in the Battle of Trafalgar.
Lieutenant John Richards Lapenotiere arrived at the Admiralty
at 1.00am on the 6th November 1805 completing the journey in around
38 hours.
Warrant Officers and Senior Ratings in the British Navy hold
Pickle Nights on or around 5th November to celebrate Lapenotiere’s
historic express journey. This includes dressing up in the uniform of the
times, eating off a single plate, singing sea shanties and drinking rum and
beer. HMS Pickle was indeed a strange
name for a British fighting vessel of the time and it is said the vessel gained
this name as a result of an administrative error!
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