It was recorded that in the 18th and 19th centuries there could be well over 200–300 sailing ships at anchor in the "Mullion Roads" for periods of up to two or three weeks at a time, their journeys delayed, and with limited means of restocking. From the mid 1830s there were several proposals for additional harbours around Cornwall, in particular for harbours of refuge, where ships could anchor and not be bound by the state of the tide. In January 1867, following a series of bad storms and shipwrecks at Mullion resulting in several drownings, an important public meeting was held in Mullion village, chaired by Rev Harvey with calls both for a lifeboat to be sited at Mullion and consideration being given to the formation of a Harbour of Refuge in the Cove itself.