When Did The Spanish Attack Penzance?

The Spanish plundered Penzance in 1588 and 1595. These were two recorded major attacks though there were also many smaller attacks. Penzance and its surrounding villages were sacked on many occasions by foreign fleets as it is at the far west end of England and the coastline makes it ideal for ships to land practically everywhere and so defense would be a lot tougher.

The 1595 attack took place under the leadership of Don Carlos Amesquita. The Spanish force had been patrolling the channel and the troops then landed in Mount's Bay Cornwall. They burned a village to the ground and then re-boarded their ship and set course for Penzance. They reached a town that was completely unprepared, confused and panicked. The Spanish advanced along the shore and moved towards the town. They burned Penzance (their fort included) and surrounding villages, avoided a counterattack by the English fleet and held a mass there and then sailed away.