Editing Bideford (section)

===Port and shipping===
[[File:A painting of 18th Century ships on the River Torridge.jpg|thumb|'Scene at Bideford Bridge', by Mark Myers during the 18th century.]]
[[File:Kathleen and May01.jpg|thumb|The ''Kathleen and May'' at Brunswick Wharf, Bideford.]]
By the 16th century Bideford had become Britain's third largest port.<ref name="official website">{{cite web | url=http://www.bideford-tc.gov.uk/ | title=The Beautiful North Devon Town of Bideford | publisher=Bideford Town Council | year=2010 | access-date=18 November 2012 | archive-date=18 November 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121118090726/http://www.bideford-tc.gov.uk/ | url-status=live }}</ref> Sir [[Walter Raleigh]] landed his first shipment of tobacco here, although, contrary to popular belief, he was not the first to import tobacco to England. Several local roads and a hill have been named after Raleigh.<ref name="official website" /> Bideford was heavily involved in the transport of [[indentured servants]] to the New World colonies.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://discoveringbristol.org.uk/slavery/routes/places-involved/britain/south-west-ports/ | title=The south west ports of England | publisher=Bristol City Council | access-date=18 November 2012 | archive-date=30 September 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120930064828/http://discoveringbristol.org.uk/slavery/routes/places-involved/britain/south-west-ports/ | url-status=dead }}</ref> Bideford also was heavily involved in the Newfoundland cod trade from the 16th century to the mid-18th century. 28 Bideford vessels with a tonnage of 3860 were involved in this practice in the year 1700.<ref name="lerwill-life">{{cite web|url=http://www.lerwill-life.org.uk/history/bideford.htm|title=BIDEFORD|publisher=lerwill-life.org.uk|access-date=31 March 2015|archive-date=13 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150313003838/http://www.lerwill-life.org.uk/history/bideford.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> In the years 1706, 1707, 1726 and 1758 fishermen of Bideford sent petitions demanding the building of a fort in Newfoundland to protect them from Native Americans and the French.<ref name="ncl">{{cite web|url=http://genuki.cs.ncl.ac.uk/DEV/Bideford/Petition1706.html|title=GENUKI/Devon: Petition 1706|publisher=genuki.cs.ncl.ac.uk|access-date=31 March 2015|archive-date=2 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402122158/http://genuki.cs.ncl.ac.uk/DEV/Bideford/Petition1706.html|url-status=live}}</ref>  Bideford also imported large amounts of Irish wool in the 18th century.

Two prominent shipbuilders in Bideford were George Crocker and Richard Chapman: they built a large number of ships. A number of ships have been built in Bideford, including HMS ''Acorn'', an 18-gun sloop launched in 1807; and {{HMS|Mutine|1806|6}}, {{HMS|Fairy|1812|6}}, {{HMS|Carnation|1807|6}} and HMS ''Ontario'', which were all 18-gun {{sclass|Cruizer|brig-sloop|1}}s, {{HMS|Garland|1807|6}} and {{HMS|Volage|1807|6}} were both 22-gun Royal Navy ''Laurel''-class post ships, and HMS ''Meda'', a [[harbour defence motor launch]] was built and launched in the town. Around 150 ships were built between 1840 and 1877 at Higher Cleave Houses in Bideford. The largest wooden ship to be built in Bideford was the ''Sarah Newman'', a 1,004-ton full-rigged ship built in 1855.<ref name="bidefordheritage">{{cite web |url=http://www.bidefordheritage.co.uk/htdocs/shipping4.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130326031849/http://www.bidefordheritage.co.uk/htdocs/shipping4.htm |archive-date=26 March 2013 |url-status=dead |title=Shipping and shipbuilding in Bideford |access-date=31 March 2015 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> During the 19th century over 815 registered wooden sailing ships were launched on the Torridge, as too were hundreds of unregistered craft. Shipbuilding in the Bideford area declined during the 1890s as shipyards in Britain's industrial regions constructed steel steamships. The last wooden merchant ship launched in the River Torridge was the schooner ''PT Harris'' from the Hubbastone yard of PK Harris & Sons, in 1912.<ref name="bidefordheritage2">{{cite web |url=http://www.bidefordheritage.co.uk/htdocs/shipping5.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130326032258/http://www.bidefordheritage.co.uk/htdocs/shipping5.htm |archive-date=26 March 2013 |url-status=dead |title=Shipping and ship building in Bideford |access-date=31 March 2015 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

During [[World War II]] a {{sclass|Shoreham|sloop|1}} was named {{HMS|Bideford}}, also four sixth-rate ships of the line have been named after the town. Nowadays the only shipbuilding in the area is at [[Appledore Shipbuilders]], which has built civilian ships and ships for the [[Royal Navy]] and [[Irish Naval Service]]. Currently ball clay is exported from Bideford to [[Castellón de la Plana|Castellón]], Spain<ref name="torridge">{{cite web|url=http://www.torridge.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=9080|title=Torridge District Council : Wednesday 10th April 2013|publisher=torridge.gov.uk|access-date=31 March 2015|archive-date=2 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402135308/http://www.torridge.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=9080|url-status=live}}</ref> and also [[Naantali]], [[Finland]];<ref name="torridge2">{{cite web|url=http://www.torridge.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=9268|title=Torridge District Council : Tuesday 25th June 2013|publisher=torridge.gov.uk|access-date=31 March 2015|archive-date=5 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150405211435/http://www.torridge.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=9268|url-status=live}}</ref> also wood has been exported to [[Wismar]], Germany.<ref name="torridge3">{{cite web|url=http://www.torridge.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=7419|title=Torridge District Council : Harbour Latest|publisher=torridge.gov.uk|access-date=31 March 2015|archive-date=2 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402090248/http://www.torridge.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=7419|url-status=live}}</ref> The {{ship||Kathleen and May}}, the last remaining British-built wooden-hull three-masted topsail schooner, is registered in Bideford and was at one time based there.<ref name="blogspot">{{cite web|url=http://kathleenandmay.blogspot.co.uk/|title=Kathleen and May of Bideford|publisher=kathleenandmay.blogspot.co.uk|access-date=31 March 2015|archive-date=2 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402182338/http://kathleenandmay.blogspot.co.uk/|url-status=live}}</ref> There are also some fishing boats that still operate out of Bideford.
[[File:ML1301 passing under Bideford Bridge, January 1943 - geograph.org.uk - 275326.jpg|thumbnail|left|Motor Launch ML1301 about to pass under the Long Bridge after being constructed at Blackmore's Yard.]]