Westward Ho! is an 1855 British historical novel by Charles Kingsley, inspired in part by the Crimean War.
Plot summary
Beginning in the fictional seaport of "Bideford Quay" near the real Bideford in North Devon during the reign of Elizabeth I, Westward Ho! follows the adventures of Amyas Leigh, an unruly child who as a young man follows Francis Drake to sea. Amyas loves local beauty Rose Salterne, as does nearly everyone else. Much of the novel involves the kidnap of Rose by a Spaniard. Amyas spends time in the Caribbean seeking gold, and eventually returns to England at the time of the Spanish Armada, finding his true love in the process.
Legacy
The book is the inspiration behind the unusual name of the village of Westward Ho! in Devon, the only place name in England which contains an exclamation mark. The phrase was also adopted to describe both the westward migration to the United States and across its western frontier.
