On This Day in Wembury – 4 August 1756
The Sherborne Mercury announced a dispersal sale at Langdon, Wembury, following the death of Walds Calmady, Esq. The auction included coach and saddle horses, mares with foals, and younger stock.
One horse, named Janus, was intriguingly advertised as having once belonged to Sir Francis Drake. Given the date — more than 160 years after the Elizabethan sailor’s death — this claim was almost certainly a piece of salesmanship or local legend, reflecting how Drake’s name still carried weight in Devon.
Source: Sherborne Mercury, 26 July 1756.
Curated and written by Wembury Waves using material from the British Newspaper Archive.
Entries are summaries and interpretations of historical newspaper reports.
Entries are summaries and interpretations of historical newspaper reports.