place

Start Point, Devon

Devon geography stubsGeology of DevonHeadlands of DevonStokenham
Start point devon
Start point devon

Start Point is a promontory in the South Hams district in Devon, England, grid reference SX832370. Close to the most southerly point in the county, it marks the southern limit of Start Bay, which extends northwards to the estuary of the River Dart. The rocks of the point are greenschist and mica-schist, formed by metamorphism of Devonian sediments during a period of mountain building towards the end of the Carboniferous period. The name "Start" derives from an Anglo-Saxon word steort, meaning a tail. This root also appears in the names of birds with distinctive tails, like the redstart.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Start Point, Devon (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Start Point, Devon
Beesands, South Hams Stokenham

Geographical coordinates (GPS) Address Nearby Places
placeShow on map

Wikipedia: Start Point, DevonContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 50.221767 ° E -3.641213 °
placeShow on map

Address

Start Point Lighthouse

Beesands
TQ7 2EN South Hams, Stokenham
England, United Kingdom
mapOpen on Google Maps

Start point devon
Start point devon
Share experience

Nearby Places

Action of 18 June 1793
Action of 18 June 1793

The action of 18 June 1793 was one of the most celebrated encounters between British and French frigates during the French Revolutionary Wars. The action occurred off Start Point in Devon, when the British frigate HMS Nymphe encountered and chased the French frigate Cléopâtre. During the previous month, Cléopâtre and another frigate, Sémillante, had been successfully raiding British merchant shipping in the English Channel and Eastern Atlantic from their base at Cherbourg-en-Cotentin. In response, the British frigates Nymphe and HMS Venus had been ordered to intercept and defeat the French frigates and on 27 May Venus and Sémillante fought an inconclusive engagement off Cape Finisterre. On 17 June, Nymphe was cruising alone off the Devon coast under Captain Edward Pellew when a sail appeared to the south east. Closing to investigate, Pellew rapidly identified the ship as Cléopâtre and gave chase, the French frigate initially fleeing but Captain Jean Mullon then turning to fight as Nymphe began to overtake his ship. At 06:15, with both crews cheering loudly, the frigates exchanged broadsides, the action lasting 50 minutes. Both ships fought hard, but at 07:10 the British crew were able to successfully board the French frigate and haul down the tricolour. Mullon was mortally wounded in the engagement, and his crew lost 63 casualties compared to 50 on board Nymphe. Pellew returned to Britain with his prize, the first major French warship captured during the conflict, and was proclaimed a hero.