Lawrenny Quay & The Estuary
By Tudor days Lawrenny was a place of maritime trade and this tradition continued. Many cargoes, brought by barge from Cresswell Quay and Landshipping, were re-loaded at Lawrenny whose quays were situated at an advantageous point. In the early decades of the 19th century sailing vessels were built at Lawrenny; presumably this was the continuation of an older trade. After the 1830's the industry declined, and a vessel built in the 1850's seems to have been the last.
Lawrenny Quay
There were ferries: Roose Ferry to Williamston Pill and Lawrenny Ferry to Cosheston. During the 19th century a horseferry operated from Lawrenny, regularly transporting the village's pack of foxhounds. Early in the 20th century the Davies family became well known as the ferry keepers. They lived at Ferry Cottage rent free and were expected to make a living from the fares they collected, while the Estate provided a boat in good repair. Tom Davies, known locally as 'Tom the Ferry', was a great local character and fond of a pint or two which often gave his passengers less than comfortable journeys! Unfortunately for Tom there was no public house in Lawrenny and he would walk, sometimes twice daily, to The Cresselly Arms at Cresswell Quay. The ferry continued to operate during the Second World War only ceasing in the 1960's.
Oysters were dredged from the estuary in Tudor days, those taken from Lawrenny being regarded as the 'fattest, whitest and sweetest'. They were marketed by sea to Bristol and elsewhere, and by land in South Wales and the border shires. In the early 19th century they were said to be 'found here in great abundance and conveyed principally to the London market in boats from Chatham and Rochester'. This trade more or less ended in the 1850's.
Other maritime activities are reflected in the 1841 Census which shows 15 watermen, 12 mariners, 3 shipwrights, 6 apprentice shipwrights and a ferryman. 50 years later there were only 2 mariners, 1 shipwright and 3 ferrymen. Eventually the development of larger quays further down the river and the decline of the coal and limestone industries, meant the end of trading from Lawrenny.
