Editing Polruan (section)

==History==
Polruan has never been a centre for fishing, although it is often mistakenly called a fishing village. In the 1851 census there were just four men  giving their occupations as fishermen, the majority were linked to shipbuilding or were mariners.<ref> 1851 Census</ref> In the medieval period Polruan produced some very large ships, employed in the wine trade with Bordeaux. In 1343 five Polruan ships were in the King's service. A century later the ''Edward of Polruan''  was accused of piracy and its size can be shown by the number of men it carried, 200 men 'armed and arrayed for war.'<ref> Helen Doe, ''A Maritime History of Fowey Harbour'', Truran, 2010</ref>

 St Ruan was the first to occupy the top of Polruan Hill the point where St Saviour's ruin still stands today. The ruin of St Saviour's church on the hill above Polruan dates to the 8th century. It was a landmark for shipping, and also, in times of war, a vantage point for observing the approach of enemy shipping to the strategically important [[Fowey]] harbour. The name Polruan derives from the [[Cornish language|Cornish]] for ''harbour of a man called Ruveun''.<ref>{{cite book|last=Mills|first=A. D.|title=The Popular Dictionary of English Place-Names|year=1996|publisher=Parragon Book Service Ltd and Magpie Books|isbn=0-7525-1851-8|page=261}}</ref>[[File:Polruan.jpg|thumb|left|Polruan from Fowey]]

Polruan also has a [[blockhouse]] fortification built in the 14th century that guards the entrance to the river Fowey, one of a pair—its partner being situated on the Fowey side of the river. The Polruan blockhouse is well preserved due to the efforts of various enthusiastic councillors and conservationists on the Polruan side of the river, in contrast to the blockhouse in Fowey.{{Citation needed|date=August 2011}} Between the two blockhouses was strung a [[boom (navigational barrier)|defensive chain]] to prevent enemy ships entering the harbour, the chain being lowered for friendly vessels. This was primarily used during the wars with the Dutch.

The Harbour Commissioners Yard at Brazen Island was a shipbuilding yard in the 19th century, one of several in Polruan building schooners, barquentines and ketches. Polruan was the major shipbuilding site in the harbour and the owners and the families of the mariners lived in the village.<ref>C. H. Ward-Jackson, Ships and Shipbuilders of a Westcountry Seaport: Fowey 1786-1939 (Truro: Twelveheads Press, 1986</ref> As wooden shipbuilding declined in late 19th century, Brazen Island became a sardine processing factory which also supplied electricity for the village. The gun battery at Peak Point held an anti-shipping gun of which the mounting pin can still be seen. The battery gave the name of Battery Park. The wall at Peak Field was used for rifle practice. Motor torpedo boats were repaired at Pont Creek during World War II. The overhanging trees hid the boats from surveillance aircraft. The remains of cradles for boat repair and some hull parts can still be seen preserved in the mud on the foreshore.{{Citation needed|date=August 2011}}

A cross known as Polruan or St Saviour's Cross stands at the top of Fore Street. The latter name comes from the former chapel of St Saviour nearby.<ref>Langdon, A. G. (2005) ''Stone Crosses in East Cornwall''; 2nd ed. Federation of Old Cornwall Societies; p. 43</ref>