Hurst Castle

Not to be confused with Hearst Castle, a resort built by wealthy newspaper magnate, William Randolph Hearst.

Hurst Castle
Hurst Point, Milford on Sea, Hampshire, England
The inner bailey of the castle
Type	Tudor/Napoleonic
Coordinates	50.70697°N 1.54960°W / 50.70697; -1.54960
Built	16th Century.
Built by	Henry VIII of England
Construction materials	Stone, Brick
Current condition	Survives
Current owner	English Heritage
Open to the public	yes
Garrison	none
Events	World War II

Hurst Castle on the south coast of England is one of Henry VIII's Device Forts, built at the end of a long shingle barrier beach at the west end of the Solent to guard the approaches to Southampton. Hurst Castle was sited at the narrow entrance to the Solent where the ebb and flow of the tides creates strong currents, putting would-be invaders at its mercy. Also known as a Henrician Castle, Hurst was built as part of Henry's chain of coastal defences to protect England during the turbulent times of his reign.

Charles I was imprisoned here in 1648 before being taken to London to his trial and execution.

History

Hurst Castle is a fort consisting of a circular stone tower strengthened by semicircular bastions of later dates. It was erected by Henry VIII to defend the approach to Southampton Water against the French. The work took several years and was finished by the end of 1544. The first captain of the castle was Thomas Bertie. In 1561 Thomas Carew was captain. The establishment at that time consisted of the captain, his deputy, porter and a master gunner, a "deputy's man," eight soldiers, another for the porter and eleven gunners. Thomas Carew was succeeded on his death by Sir Thomas Gorges, who in 1593 petitioned for the repair of the platforms, which were so decayed as to be incapable of supporting the guns. Sir Edward Gorges, afterwards Baron Gorges of Dundalk, succeeded his father as captain in 1610. The castle seems to have continued in a somewhat inefficient state, and in 1628 when the porter was ordered to stay a ship, though he was "very willing" he "had neither powder nor shot to do it with, and of his twenty-seven pieces of ordnance not above four or five would do any service, and they but for a shot or two." In 1635 most of the bronze ordnance in the castle was exchanged for iron. In 1642, in the absence of the captain, the castle was occupied by Captain Richard Swanley for "the King and Parliament." It was the last prison of Charles I before being moved to Windsor prior to his trial; he was brought here on the last day of November 1648 from Newport. Lord Gorges was succeeded in the captaincy by Colonel Thomas Eyre, who in 1650 secured a grant of further ordnance and an increase in the number of soldiers stationed there.

In the year following the Restoration Colonel Eyre lost his post, and Edward Strange was appointed captain, the office of governor being allowed to lapse. In January 1661 Charles II ordered the garrison to be disbanded and an estimate made of the expense of demolishing the castle; the latter idea was, however, speedily dropped, and five months later, although the forces were paid off, arrangements were made for additions involving an increase in the annual expenditure. In 1666 it was decided that the castle should be garrisoned by men from Sir Robert Holmes' company on the Isle of Wight. This was not done until 1671 owing to the state of disrepair in which the castle was. Sir Robert, who was governor of the Island, reported that there was scarcely a gun mounted and no stores or provisions in the castle; nothing, however, was done, and three years later he wrote complaining that there was hardly a room not fallen in and into which the rain did not come. Repairs were then taken in hand and the garrison established, Captain Strange becoming governor. In 1675 a master gunner and three other gunners were added to the establishment, there being then nearly thirty guns mounted at the castle. In the same year Sir John Holmes petitioned for leave to purchase the governorship, and this being granted him he was appointed to the post. Captain Roach, who was captain of the castle at this time, having murdered a certain Lieutenant Newman, fled to Yarmouth, and borrowing a black cloak took boat to Hurst, where he was arrested. In 1689 Henry Holmes was appointed to the captaincy.

It was given extensive new wing batteries after the 1859 Royal Commission report; the modifications were completed in 1873. During World War II, Hurst was equipped with coastal gun batteries and searchlights. The castle is now owned by English Heritage and is open to the public.

Hurst Castle as seen from the east of Hurst Spit.

Geography

Although often mistaken for a spit, Hurst Castle "spit" is actually part of a ria that was formed during the Flandrian Transgression, where the sea levels rose due to isostatic and eustatic change. When the sea breached the chalk cliffs connecting the Isle of Wight and the Isle of Purbeck, and flooded what is now known as Christchurch Bay, it transported and deposited sediment and shingle onto what is now known as Hurst Castle "spit".

Today, the castle can be accessed on foot along the shingle beach from the nearby village of Milford on Sea or by frequent ferry service from Keyhaven. The distance across the Solent to the Isle of Wight is only three-quarters of a mile, but the sea between is very deep and the tide rushes through with great force.

Hurst Castle as seen from Fort Victoria on the Isle of Wight.

See also

• Henry VIII: Legacy
• Device Forts
• Martello Tower
• Eastbourne Redoubt
• Pevensey Castle
• Dymchurch Redoubt
• British narrow gauge military railways
• Hurst Point Lighthouse

Further reading

• Goad, J. G. (1990). Hurst Castle, Hampshire. London: English Heritage (second edition). ISBN 1850740534
• Colvin, H. M. (ed) (1982). The History of the King's Works, Vol. IV, 1485–1600, Part II.
• Harrington, Peter (2007). The Castles of Henry VIII. Oxford: Osprey. ISBN 9781846031304
• Morley, B. M. (1976). Henry VIII and the Development of Coastal Defence. London: H.M. Stationery Office. ISBN 0116707771

External links

• Hurst Castle - official site, details of opening times, the ferries, history, etc.
• English Heritage page about Hurst Castle
• Read a detailed historical record on Hurst Castle
• Photographs and Information from Strolling Guides
• BBC 360 image
• Fort data sheet