St Mawes Castle
Encyclopedia
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...
, were built as part of a defensive chain of fortresses by Henry VIII to protect the south coast of Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. This chain of coastal fortifications are known as Henrician Castles or Device Forts
Device Forts
The Device Forts, also known as Henrician Castles, are a series of artillery fortifications built to defend the southern coast of England by Henry VIII. After his divorce of Catherine of Aragon England was left politically isolated, and the peace of Nice between France and Spain in 1538 aroused...
.
History
St Mawes Castle was built between 1539 and 1545, half way down the hillside on the eastern shore of the River FalRiver Fal
The River Fal flows through Cornwall, United Kingdom, rising on the Goss Moor and reaching the English Channel at Falmouth. On or near the banks of the Fal are the castles of Pendennis and St Mawes as well as Trelissick Garden. The River Fal separates the Roseland peninsula from the rest of...
estuary to provide protection to the large inland expanse of water known as the Carrick Roads
Carrick Roads
Carrick Roads is located on the southern Cornish coast in the UK, near Falmouth. It is a large waterway created after the Ice age from an ancient valley which flooded as the melt waters caused the sea level to rise dramatically , creating a large natural harbour which is navigable from Falmouth to...
, near Falmouth
Falmouth, Cornwall
Falmouth is a town, civil parish and port on the River Fal on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It has a total resident population of 21,635.Falmouth is the terminus of the A39, which begins some 200 miles away in Bath, Somerset....
(which is the third largest natural harbour in the world). St Mawes was constructed with a central tower overlooking three huge circular bastions attached on the sides in a clover leaf pattern, providing a wide area for gun placements, with gun ports covering every angle of approach to the estuary.
In 1999 there was some controversy regarding this site and others under the care of the English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
organisation. Members of a pressure group, the Revived Cornish Stannary Parliament, removed several signs bearing the English Heritage name. The men responsible were due to face charges of conspiring to cause criminal damage over the removal of the signs, many of which had also been defaced. The men agreed to be bound over for a year in the sum of £500 each. They had also paid English Heritage £4,500 compensation.
See also
- Device FortsDevice FortsThe Device Forts, also known as Henrician Castles, are a series of artillery fortifications built to defend the southern coast of England by Henry VIII. After his divorce of Catherine of Aragon England was left politically isolated, and the peace of Nice between France and Spain in 1538 aroused...
- List of topics related to Cornwall
- Henry VIII: Legacy
Further reading
- Colvin, H. M. (ed) (1982) The History of the King's Works, Vol. IV, 1485-1600, Part II. London: HMSO
- Fry, Plantagenet Somerset (1980) The David & Charles Book of Castles. Newton Abbot: David & Charles ISBN 0-7153-7976-3
- Harrington, Peter (2007) The castles of Henry VIII. Oxford: Osprey ISBN 9781846031304
- Jenkins, Stanley C. (2007) "St. Mawes Castle," Fort (Fortress Study GroupFortress Study GroupThe Fortress Study Group is an international organisation based in the UK, which aims to further the understanding of military fortifications, particularly those designed after the introduction of gunpowder artillery.-History:...
), Vol. 35, 2007, pp. 153-172 - Linzey, Richard (1999) The Castles of Pendennis and St. Mawes. London: English Heritage ISBN 1850747237
- Morley, B. M. (1976) Henry VIII and the Development of Coastal Defence. London: H.M. Stationery Office ISBN 0116707771