Crown Fortress
Encyclopedia
Crown Fortress is a term still sometimes used for any fortress or castle
that currently or historically belonged to the British Crown for military
purposes (as opposed to Royal Castles, which were typically used as palace
s.
castles, many of which, though becoming private property of knight
s or aristocracy
, began at the behest of the English king to help subjugate and control Norman-occupied England, and later Wales.
However, some of these motte and bailey castles were not handed over to the aristocracy, either because they were favoured as royal residences, or the monarch found it militarily useful to keep some. It is unlikely that much of a distinction was made between the two, but such castles were always useful for defence, as well as for providing a military presence in potentially rebellious areas, where perhaps the ambitions of the aristocracy meant they couldn't be entirely trusted. A fortified stronghold was also useful for tax collection and dispensing justice. These structures, like many motte and bailey castles, were rebuilt in stone. As time went on and the shire
s were established, many motte and bailey castles became the seats of sheriffs, as a result making the town
s or cities
around them the county town
s, and latterly many came to house the Shire Halls, and county council
s. Such examples survive (although not necessarily still in use) at Chester Castle
, Exeter
, Lancaster Castle
, Leicester Castle
, Lincoln Castle
, Norwich Castle
, Shrewsbury Castle
, York Castle
.
During the turbulent history of medieval England, many aristocratic strongholds were seized in the name of The Crown
, following changes in regime
or internal disputes that left certain members of the aristocracy out of favour with the Monarch. This often led to confiscation of property, including castles. Also, much like today, the Crown confiscated some for non-payment of taxes or duties.
As not all confiscated castles were desired for Royal use, many were simply designated "Crown Fortress", whether used as military garrisons or not. Many were given away as gifts or rewards, or sold off, rather than left to crumble away. Examples of these include Bolsover Castle
and Brancepeth Castle
.
During and after the reign of Henry VIII
, the King and his adherents commissioned many new Crown fortresses. This was partly because many medieval castles could not cope with the increasing use of cannon
in warfare. Also, with the long term threats of the French, and later the Spanish, they were felt particularly necessary on the southern coast of England
. Examples of these include Deal Castle
, Pendennis Castle
, St Mawes Castle
, and Walmer Castle
.
During the English Civil War
, many Crown Fortresses fell prey to the Parliamentarian
forces, and due to their strategic value were greatly fought for. As many had been under the control of commanders appointed by The Crown, many naturally supported the King, and their knowledge of the fortresses they commanded made their defence easy and difficult for Parliamentarian forces to seize them. Also often, it did not take much for Royalist
forces to retake them, and a lot for the Parliamentarian forces to take them back. As a result Oliver Cromwell
(who by then commanded the Parliamentarian forces) came to resent the large cost in forces often necessary to retake these castles. Subsequently, he ordered many re-captured castles demolished—two examples being Bridgnorth Castle
and Pontefract Castle
.
Following the Glorious Revolution
of 1689 and the new threat posed by the Jacobites
, numerous fortresses were built along the Scottish coastline, both to help control the Jacobite
Highlanders and to help prevent the French from landing troops, supplies or insurgents. One example is Fort William
.
During the Napoleonic Wars
, many small Martello tower
s were constructed around the coastline of the British Isles.
Some of the last Crown fortresses were built in the 19th century—such as Coalhouse Fort
in the Thames Estuary
, built because of a perceived threat from the French Navy
under Napoleon III
. An even more historically recent fortress is Maunsell Sea Fort, built in the Thames Estuary during World War II
.
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
that currently or historically belonged to the British Crown for military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
purposes (as opposed to Royal Castles, which were typically used as palace
Palace
A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word itself is derived from the Latin name Palātium, for Palatine Hill, one of the seven hills in Rome. In many parts of Europe, the...
s.
Historical context
Over the centuries, various types of Crown Fortress emerged. The oldest may be those built across England after the Norman Conquest. These are motte-and-baileyMotte-and-bailey
A motte-and-bailey is a form of castle, with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised earthwork called a motte, accompanied by an enclosed courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade...
castles, many of which, though becoming private property of knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
s or aristocracy
Aristocracy
Aristocracy , is a form of government in which a few elite citizens rule. The term derives from the Greek aristokratia, meaning "rule of the best". In origin in Ancient Greece, it was conceived of as rule by the best qualified citizens, and contrasted with monarchy...
, began at the behest of the English king to help subjugate and control Norman-occupied England, and later Wales.
However, some of these motte and bailey castles were not handed over to the aristocracy, either because they were favoured as royal residences, or the monarch found it militarily useful to keep some. It is unlikely that much of a distinction was made between the two, but such castles were always useful for defence, as well as for providing a military presence in potentially rebellious areas, where perhaps the ambitions of the aristocracy meant they couldn't be entirely trusted. A fortified stronghold was also useful for tax collection and dispensing justice. These structures, like many motte and bailey castles, were rebuilt in stone. As time went on and the shire
Shire
A shire is a traditional term for a division of land, found in the United Kingdom and in Australia. In parts of Australia, a shire is an administrative unit, but it is not synonymous with "county" there, which is a land registration unit. Individually, or as a suffix in Scotland and in the far...
s were established, many motte and bailey castles became the seats of sheriffs, as a result making the town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
s or cities
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
around them the county town
County town
A county town is a county's administrative centre in the United Kingdom or Ireland. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county. The concept of a county town eventually became detached from its...
s, and latterly many came to house the Shire Halls, and county council
County council
A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries.-United Kingdom:...
s. Such examples survive (although not necessarily still in use) at Chester Castle
Chester Castle
Chester Castle is in the city of Chester, Cheshire, England. It is sited at the southwest extremity of the area bounded by the city walls . The castle stands on an eminence overlooking the River Dee. In the castle complex are the remaining parts of the medieval castle together with the...
, Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
, Lancaster Castle
Lancaster Castle
Lancaster Castle is a medieval castle located in Lancaster in the English county of Lancashire. Its early history is unclear, but may have been founded in the 11th century on the site of a Roman fort overlooking a crossing of the River Lune. In 1164, the Honour of Lancaster, including the...
, Leicester Castle
Leicester Castle
Leicester Castle is located in the city of the same name in the English county of Leicestershire. The complex is situated in the west of the city centre, between Saint Nicholas Circle to the north and De Montfort University to the south....
, Lincoln Castle
Lincoln Castle
Lincoln Castle is a major castle constructed in Lincoln, England during the late 11th century by William the Conqueror on the site of a pre-existing Roman fortress. The castle is unusual in that it has two mottes. It is only one of two such castles in the country, the other being at Lewes in Sussex...
, Norwich Castle
Norwich Castle
Norwich Castle is a medieval royal fortification in the city of Norwich, in the English county of Norfolk. It was founded in the aftermath of the Norman Conquest of England when William the Conqueror ordered its construction because he wished to have a fortified place in the important city of...
, Shrewsbury Castle
Shrewsbury Castle
Shrewsbury Castle is a red sandstone castle in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. It stands on a hill in the neck of the meander of the River Severn on which the town originally developed. The castle is situated directly above Shrewsbury railway station....
, York Castle
York Castle
York Castle in the city of York, England, is a fortified complex comprising, over the last nine centuries, a sequence of castles, prisons, law courts and other buildings on the south side of the River Foss. The now-ruinous keep of the medieval Norman castle is sometimes referred to as Clifford's...
.
During the turbulent history of medieval England, many aristocratic strongholds were seized in the name of The Crown
The Crown
The Crown is a corporation sole that in the Commonwealth realms and any provincial or state sub-divisions thereof represents the legal embodiment of governance, whether executive, legislative, or judicial...
, following changes in regime
Regime
The word regime refers to a set of conditions, most often of a political nature.-Politics:...
or internal disputes that left certain members of the aristocracy out of favour with the Monarch. This often led to confiscation of property, including castles. Also, much like today, the Crown confiscated some for non-payment of taxes or duties.
As not all confiscated castles were desired for Royal use, many were simply designated "Crown Fortress", whether used as military garrisons or not. Many were given away as gifts or rewards, or sold off, rather than left to crumble away. Examples of these include Bolsover Castle
Bolsover Castle
Bolsover Castle is a castle in Bolsover, Derbyshire, England .-History:It was built by the Peverel family in the 12th century and became Crown property in 1155 when the third William Peverel fled into exile...
and Brancepeth Castle
Brancepeth Castle
Brancepeth Castle is a castle in the village of Brancepeth in County Durham, England, some 5 miles south-west of the city of Durham . It is a Grade I listed building.-History:...
.
During and after the reign of Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
, the King and his adherents commissioned many new Crown fortresses. This was partly because many medieval castles could not cope with the increasing use of cannon
Cannon
A cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...
in warfare. Also, with the long term threats of the French, and later the Spanish, they were felt particularly necessary on the southern coast of England
Southern England
Southern England, the South and the South of England are imprecise terms used to refer to the southern counties of England bordering the English Midlands. It has a number of different interpretations of its geographic extents. The South is considered by many to be a cultural region with a distinct...
. Examples of these include Deal Castle
Deal Castle
Deal Castle is located in Deal, Kent, England, between Walmer Castle and the now lost Sandown Castle .-Construction:It is one of the most impressive of the Device Forts or Henrician Castles built by Henry VIII between 1539 and 1540 as an artillery fortress to counter the threat of invasion from...
, Pendennis Castle
Pendennis Castle
Pendennis Castle is a Henrician castle, also known as one of Henry VIII's Device Forts, in the English county of Cornwall. It was built in 1539 for King Henry VIII to guard the entrance to the River Fal on its west bank, near Falmouth. St Mawes Castle is its opposite number on the east bank and...
, St Mawes Castle
St Mawes Castle
St Mawes Castle and its larger sister castle, Pendennis, were built as part of a defensive chain of fortresses by Henry VIII to protect the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom...
, and Walmer Castle
Walmer Castle
Walmer Castle was built by Henry VIII in 1539–1540 as an artillery fortress to counter the threat of invasion from Catholic France and Spain. It was part of his programme to create a chain of coastal defences along England's coast known as the Device Forts or as Henrician Castles...
.
During the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
, many Crown Fortresses fell prey to the Parliamentarian
Roundhead
"Roundhead" was the nickname given to the supporters of the Parliament during the English Civil War. Also known as Parliamentarians, they fought against King Charles I and his supporters, the Cavaliers , who claimed absolute power and the divine right of kings...
forces, and due to their strategic value were greatly fought for. As many had been under the control of commanders appointed by The Crown, many naturally supported the King, and their knowledge of the fortresses they commanded made their defence easy and difficult for Parliamentarian forces to seize them. Also often, it did not take much for Royalist
Cavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
forces to retake them, and a lot for the Parliamentarian forces to take them back. As a result Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
(who by then commanded the Parliamentarian forces) came to resent the large cost in forces often necessary to retake these castles. Subsequently, he ordered many re-captured castles demolished—two examples being Bridgnorth Castle
Bridgnorth Castle
Bridgnorth Castle is in the town of Bridgnorth, Shropshire beside the River Severn .The castle was founded in 1101 by Robert de Belleme, the son of the French Earl, Roger de Montgomery, who succeeded his father to become the Earl of Shrewsbury...
and Pontefract Castle
Pontefract Castle
Pontefract Castle is a castle in the town of Pontefract, in the City of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. It was the site of the demise of Richard II of England, and later the place of a series of famous sieges during the English Civil War-History:...
.
Following the Glorious Revolution
Glorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution, also called the Revolution of 1688, is the overthrow of King James II of England by a union of English Parliamentarians with the Dutch stadtholder William III of Orange-Nassau...
of 1689 and the new threat posed by the Jacobites
Jacobitism
Jacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
, numerous fortresses were built along the Scottish coastline, both to help control the Jacobite
Jacobitism
Jacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
Highlanders and to help prevent the French from landing troops, supplies or insurgents. One example is Fort William
Fort William, Scotland
Fort William is the second largest settlement in the highlands of Scotland and the largest town: only the city of Inverness is larger.Fort William is a major tourist centre with Glen Coe just to the south, Aonach Mòr to the north and Glenfinnan to the west, on the Road to the Isles...
.
During the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
, many small Martello tower
Martello tower
Martello towers are small defensive forts built in several countries of the British Empire during the 19th century, from the time of the Napoleonic Wars onwards....
s were constructed around the coastline of the British Isles.
Some of the last Crown fortresses were built in the 19th century—such as Coalhouse Fort
Coalhouse Fort
Coalhouse Fort is a large casemated fort in East Tilbury, near the modern town of Tilbury, in Thurrock, Essex, downstream from Tilbury Fort. It contains a museum of memorabilia from World War I and II.-History of the fort:...
in the Thames Estuary
Thames Estuary
The Thames Mouth is the estuary in which the River Thames meets the waters of the North Sea.It is not easy to define the limits of the estuary, although physically the head of Sea Reach, near Canvey Island on the Essex shore is probably the western boundary...
, built because of a perceived threat from the French Navy
History of the French Navy
Although the History of the French Navy goes back to the Middle Ages, its history can be said to effectively begin with Richelieu under Louis XIII.Since the establishment of her present territory, France had to face three major challenges on the naval level:...
under Napoleon III
Napoleon III of France
Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte was the President of the French Second Republic and as Napoleon III, the ruler of the Second French Empire. He was the nephew and heir of Napoleon I, christened as Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte...
. An even more historically recent fortress is Maunsell Sea Fort, built in the Thames Estuary during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.