Pendennis Castle

Coordinates: 50°08′50″N 5°02′52″W / 50.14722°N 5.04778°W / 50.14722; -5.04778
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Pendennis Castle keep
Coastguard and Henrican castle, view from Pendennis Head.

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 they were built to defend Carrick Roads from the French and Spanish threats of future attack.[1] The castle comprises a simple round tower and gate enclosed by a lower curtain wall. It is now in the care of English Heritage.

Why Pendennis Castle was built

Pendennis Castle was built alongside a series of forts running along the southwest coast of Britain from Hull to Milford Haven. This was in response to the threat of invasion to Henry VIII from the French and Spanish. Henry had changed the religion of England to Church of England so he could get a divorce, money and more power over his country. The pope had asked the French and Spanish, who both had strong armies, to invade England to perform a restoration on the country's religion. Henry knew that the two countries knew of the area, as when the French and Spanish had a war a couple of years before they had fought in the Carrick Roads, so they knew that it was unguarded, and so Henry believed this would be a target that the French and Spanish would choose to attack from.

The siege of Pendennis Castle

Pendennis Castle had a role in the English Civil War. It was the last Royalist position in the West of England, and a Royalist garrison withstood a five-month siege (March 1646 to 17 August 1646) from Parliamentarian forces before surrendering. The English Parliamentary forces attacked the castle from both land and sea, and the Cornish Royalist garrison at Pendennis was under the command of the 70-year-old Sir John Arundel, aided by Sir Henry Killigrew.[2] Pendennis was the antepenultimate stronghold—before Raglan Castle and Harlech Castle—to hold out for the Royalists. About 1,500 men, women and children survived the 155-day siege at the castle before being forced to surrender because of starvation. [3] Previously it had given sanctuary to Queen Henrietta Maria, and the Prince of Wales (Charles II), before their escape to France.[2][4]

Crab Quay

Crab Quay[5] lies below Pendennis Castle on the northeast face of the headland. It is the most suitable location for a landing, and a battery was built here in the late 17th or early 18th century, first recorded on a map of 1715. The early armament of the battery is unknown, but shortly after 1815 five 18-pounder guns were mounted, firing through embrasures in a thick retaining wall. In 1855 the battery was upgraded to five 32-pounders on dwarf traversing carriages, but by 1880 these had in turn been replaced by two 64-pounder rifled muzzle-loaders. In 1898 the battery was reconstructed to provide two concrete emplacements for a pair of 6-pounder quick-firing guns, which, together with a sister battery at St Mawes, would prevent fast torpedo boats evading the heavier guns on the headland and entering the Carrick Roads. These were removed in 1904. The battery was briefly rearmed around 1942 with two 3-pounder QF guns while the twin 6-pounder battery at Middle Point was being constructed, but were removed by 1943.

Below Crab Quay battery are five "D"-shaped concrete platforms just above the water level. These were the foundations for searchlights supporting the Middle Point battery. All surface structures belonging to Middle Point were demolished in the 1960s.

Controversy

In 1999 members of a pressure group, the Revived Cornish Stannary Parliament, removed signs from 18 English Heritage sites including Pendennis Castle.[6][7] Three men later paid criminal fines in connection with these actions.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ Philip Payton. (1996). Cornwall. Fowey: Alexander Associates
  2. ^ a b Pendennis Castle - history
  3. ^ BBC News 2006 - Pendennis Castle
  4. ^ Philip Payton (1996). Cornwall. Fowey: Alexander Associates
  5. ^ Jenkins, S., "Crab Quay Battery", Fort (Fortress Study Group), No. 37, 2009, pp. 3-14
  6. ^ Cornish Stannary Parliament tackles English cultural aggression in Cornwall.
  7. ^ a b Historic signs case trio bound over, BBC News, 18 January 2002, retrieved 2011-07-17

Further reading

  • Colvin, H. M. (ed) (1982). The History of the King's Works, Vol. IV, 1485-1600, Part II. London: H.M. Stationery Office
  • 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, S., "Pendennis Castle, Cornwall", Fort (Fortress Study Group), No. 25, 1997, pp. 169-235
  • 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

External links

50°08′50″N 5°02′52″W / 50.14722°N 5.04778°W / 50.14722; -5.04778

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