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MINADAB
COTTAGE HISTORY
Minadab
Cottage was built in 1820 for Robert Benjamin Young. Young, born
on 15th September 1773 on the Isle of Man, rose through the ranks
of the Royal Navy to that of commander.
The Minadab was a French ship but the significance of the ship
is not recorded.
During the Battle of Trafalgar, Young was given the command of
HMS Entreprenante, a small 10 gun cutter, and charged with the
duty of dispatch vessel to Admiral Nelson's HMS Victory . Following
the battle action and subsequent death of Admiral Nelson, Young
heroically acted as messenger and rescued 161 survivors by taking
his little craft close to the blazing French battleship Achille
before escaping just as the ship's magazines exploded.
According to Young, he had been given the great honour of carrying
the news of the victory back to England by Admiral Nelson himself.
No written record has survived of such an order and accounts can
be found that, in fact, it was John Lapenotiere, commander of
HMS Pickle ,who delivered the dispatches. Other accounts record
that Lord Collingwood sent Young to Faro, Portugal, with dispatches
announcing the death of Nelson and the victory at Trafalgar. For
this, Young received the gold medal, the thanks of Parliament,
a sword of Honour from the Patriotic Fund and an honorary augmentation
to his arms.
Minadab was built in the "cottage ornee" style based on Horace
Walpole's Thames-side villa at Strawberry Hill, Twickenham. Walpole
set the a fashion for rural Gothic-style retreats. A number were
built by active and retired colonial administrators and military
men who liked verandahs, spacious lawns and the sunny climate
of Devon.
Commander Young designed Minadab to resemble a ship as much as
possible, the east side being the fore , and the west side the
aft . The upper floor was reached by the means of a rope ladder.
The round cobbled cellar has niches for the storage of rum casks,
and larger alcoves for general storage. It is said that a secret
tunnel ran from the cobbled cellar to the beach and it was means
though which, many years ago, a previous owner returned home from
sea unexpectedly and caught his wife with her lover!
Minadab Cottage is grade II listed - buildings under this grading
are considered to be "nationally important and of special interest".
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