Harry Paye celebrated

You may have heard about "Old Harry Rocks"but what do you know about the man?

Harry Paye lived in Hill Street, Poole 600 years ago. He was a Privateer, a Commander of the Cinque Ports fleet for the Admiral and the founder of the ‘Booze Cruise’.

In 1406, during the reign of Henry IV, Harry (or Arry) Paye captured the French ship Seint Anne of Gerraund. It was laden with 49 tuns (12,348 gallons) of a fine Bordeaux claret called Rocelle, the equivalent of Saint Emillion, which today sells for £6 a bottle, so would cost about £500,000 today.

Arry's taste for this fine wine was such that in 1407, in command of a fleet of just 15 ships, he captured 120 French vessels laden with oil, iron, salt and wine! On his return to Poole it was reported that the locals were drunk for a month on the proceeds.

So the fisherman and residents of Poole dedicate ‘Paye Day’ to the exploits of the great Arry Paye.

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