The site of the 1667 Attack on The Hope, Tilbury (EHER 82453)

The attack on the Hope (attack on Tilbury) took place on 23 July 1667 during the Anglo-Dutch War, as the Dutch fleet moved down from the coast of Suffolk to launch an attack in the River Thames. The action was principally concentrated around the Hope, assumed to be Lower Hope Point, since some Dutch vessels were said to have penetrated as far as Hole Haven or Shell Haven, both west of Lower Hope; Northfleet Hope lies west of Hole Haven, thus would appear to be ruled out. This action was notable for being entirely fought with fireships on both sides, as the English fleet, under Sir Edward Spragge, expended four fireships against 11 Dutch vessels, under Aert Jansz. van Nes. Among them were the English fireships ALBEMARLE, CAMEL, and STAR, and an unknown English fireship. It was the penultimate action of the Second Anglo-Dutch War, with an action off Sheppey on 26 July 1667, and peace being concluded a few days later with the Treaty of Breda. It was preceded by the Battle of Lowestoft in 1665; the Four Days' Battle and St. James's Day Battle in 1666; and the Raid on the Medway and the Battle of Landguard Fort earlier that same summer of 1667.

Information from NRHE According to the London Gazette: 'Whitehall, July 24: On Saturday and Sunday last severall ships came in to the Dutch fleet riding before Harwich, supposed to be Victuallers. The 22. they all weighed from the Sledway, and stood into the Gunfleet, sayling for the Buoy in the Nore; and between 3 and 4 that afternoon were discovered plying with all the sayl they were able for the Thames. Only 17 of them (of the lesser sort) were observed standing from the Fleet towards the Downs, who were afterwards followed by three larger ships. The 23, between 6 and 7 in the Morning, the SUCCESS and CYGNET discovering the Enemy off the Mouth of the River, retired; and by their frequent discharges, gave notice of their approach. About 9 of the clock about 24 or 25 sail of them began to appear in Tilbury-Hope, eight of them advancing as far as Hull-Haven. 'About 11 or 12 the SUCCESS, eing then with 18 other of his Majestie's Men of War and Fireships in the Hope, exchanged several guns with the headmost of the Enemy; when their first squadron of 8 ships coming to an anchor within shot, a sharp fight began between them, and one Fireship was seen flaming, but it was hard to distinguish to what side she belonged, by reason of the smoke. The shot continuing between both Fleets, one of our Fireships wrought up to one of theirs, and grapling together, both of them burnt down, but so close to another ship of the Enemies, that she fell likewise on fire and blew up with a great noise, by which we judge her to have been a man of war. In little time after another of their ships took fire and burnt down, but at such a distance as could not prejudice us. After this, one of our Fireships grapling with another of theirs, were both fired. All the time of this fight, Sir Edward Spragg who commanded our ships, bravely made good his place, drawing his ships up in an excellent order, his Fireships being windward of his Men of war, the wind being most southward, though sometimes a little varying; and with his Men of war securing his Fireships. A little Ketch was observed to have done excellent service this day, in plying boldly and nimbly to defend the Boats belonging to the Fireships. 'A Fireship of the Enemy was then observed to come up very near to one of ours, but firing too soon, burnt down without effect: A little after a Ship of theirs fell on fire, but her men got off; 'tis supposed she had so much courted the wind, that she was so far engaged on the shore, that she could not get off, and therefore chose rather to set fire to her self: this past, a Fireship of ours bore up to another of the Dutch, but fired too soon; but upon the apprehension of her approach, the Enemy also fired theirs, the men on both sides getting off in their Long Boats. About four of five in the afternoon the Dutch began to draw off, only four Fireships and one Man of War bore up to us, till the foremost of them seeing our Long Boats and Ketch lying ready to cut off her Boat, her men fairly left her, and ours took possession of her; whereupon the three other Fireships, though at distance enough to have gotten off, set themselves on fire, the men making their escape in their Boats to their Man of War, who immediately stood off to the rest of their Fleet: Then Sir Edward Spragg with his Ship stoutly bore up towards the whole Fleet of the Enemy, and sent out a Fireship, who had wrought herself very near one of their greatest Men of War, being lustily seconded by Sir Edward Spragg in his Flag Ship, but being galled by the shot of the whole Fleet, they thought it convenient to come off; whereupon the Dutch again tacked about, ours making but a gentle retreat, but presently slacking their sails, they came to an anchor in the Hope, our fleet falling down gently towards Gravesend, the Dutch not offering to move from their anchors, though both Wind and Tyde served them; the Dutch are now from 24 or 25 sail, reduced by this Engagement to 14 only, and ours from 19 to 15. This morning before three the Dutch fired a Gun, the wind turning Southwest, by which ours imagined the Dutch intended to weigh anchor, and set sail; which as soon as it grew light, proved true; whereupon Sir Edward Spragg by a Gun ordered his Ships also to weigh and follow them, which the enemy perceiving, came to an anchor upon the middle of the Hope, till perceiving our Fleet still made up to engage them, they fired three Guns, and set sail, the wind at North-west.' <1> 'Up betimes and to the office . . . By and by comes sudden news to me by letter from the Clerke of the Cheque at Gravesend, that there were thirty sail of Dutch men-of-war coming up into the Hope this last tide: which I told Sir W. Pen of; but he would not believe it, but laughed, and said it was a fleet of Billanders, and that the guns that were heard was the salutation of the Swede's Ambassador that comes over with them. But within half an hour comes another letter from Captain Proud, that eight of them were come into the Hope, and thirty more following them, at ten this morning. By and by comes an order from White Hall to send down one of our number to Chatham, fearing that, as they did before, they may make a show first up hither, but then go to Chatham; so my Lord Bruncker do go, and we here are ordered to give notice to the merchant men-of-war, gone below the barricado at Woolwich, to come up again. So with much trouble to supper, home and to bed.' <2> 'Betimes this morning comes a letter from the Clerke of the Cheque at Gravesend to me, to tell me that the Dutch fleet did come all into the Hope yesterday noon, and held a fight with our ships from thence till seven at night; that they had burned twelve fire ships, and we took one of their's, and burned five of our fire-ships. But then rising and going to Sir W. Batten, he tells me that we have burned one of their men-of-war, and another of theirs is blown up, but how true this is, I know not. But these fellows are mighty bold, and have had the fortune of the wind easterly this time to bring them up, and prevent our troubling them with our fire-ships: and, indeed, have had the winds at their command from the beginning, and now do take the beginning of the spring, as if they had some great design to do . . . I took a pair of oares about five o'clock, which I made a gally at Redriffe, and so with very much pleasure down to Gravesend, all the way with extraordinary content reading of Boyle's Hydrostatickes . . . as we come nearer Gravesend, we hear the Dutch fleete and ours a-firing their guns most distinctly and loud. But before we got to Gravesend they ceased, and it grew darkish, and so I landed only (and the flood being come) and went up to the Ship and discoursed with the landlord of the house, who undeceives me in what I heard this morning about the Dutch having lost two men-of-war, for it is not so, but several of their fire-ships. He do say, that this afternoon they did force our ships to retreat, but that now they are gone down as far as Shield-haven: but what the event hath been of this evening's guns they know not, but suppose not much, for they have all this while shot at good distance one from another. They seem confident of the security of this town and the River above it, if the enemy should come up so high; their fortifications being good, and guns many. But he do say that people do complain of Sir Edward Spragg, that he hath not done extraordinary; and more of Sir W. Jenings, that he come up with his tamkins in his guns.' <3> July 23. Harwich. Capt. Silas Taylor to Williamson. 'Some ships came to the Dutch fleet lying there, supposed to be victuallers, and Sir Joseph Jordan believes they have taken in two or three months' victuals. They have since weighed and stood for the Gunfleet, where they saw several small colliers from Yarmouth under convoy; they pursued the SPY returning from convoy of colliers, and she came in there. Very much shooting was heard from the buoy of the Nore, where they are gone; wishes Sheerness may be in a state of defence. Went up to the beacon, but could neither hear nor see anything of them.' <4> 'On the 24th [sic] a fireship attack engineered by Sir Edward Spragge inflicted no damage, but did drive back a Dutch squadron under van Nes which had probed into the Hope.' <5> Location of Action: Since the vanguard of the Dutch were said in <1> to have penetrated as far as Hull-Haven, i.e. Hole Haven, it seems likely that the action took place east of that point, that is, at Lower Hope Point rather than at Tilbury Hope/Northfleet Hope (as they were interchangeably known), which lie east of Hole Haven and therefore make it difficult to understand why the Dutch should have 'got as far as Hull Haven' if they had already penetrated as far as Tilbury itself. Additionally, at this point the river Thames is some 2.5 to 3 miles wide at its widest point, between Mucking and Stanford-le-Hope on the north bank and Cliffe Marshes on the south side, allowing more sea-room for an engagement than further west at Tilbury Hope itself, in which the river is little more than half a mile wide. Given the numbers of ships involved, the wider bend of the river seems more plausible, and passing under Tilbury Fort would have risked gunnery from the Fort itself. It is also noteworthy that in <1> at least one Dutch ship ran ashore, plausibly on the northern (Mucking) side or on the Blyth Sands to the east on the southern side. The English fleet then retreated towards Gravesend <1>, that is, to the west, again a point in favour of Lower Hope, since the Dutch would have been to their eastward, but had moved as far east as Shield Haven [Shell Haven] according to Pepys in <3>. Pepys noted that it was suspected the Dutch aim was Chatham, as had happened the previous month during the Raid on the Medway, again a point in favour of Tilbury Hope, rather than drawing the Dutch fleet further upriver towards London. <6>