Dartmouth Castle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Dartmouth Castle |
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| Dartmouth, Devon, England | |
Dartmouth Castle, showing the 15th-century gun positions and St Petroc's Church
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 Dartmouth Castle
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| Coordinates | 50°20′31″N 3°34′06″W / 50.34203°N 3.56829°W |
| Grid reference | grid reference SX885503 |
| Type | Artillery fort |
| Site information | |
| Owner | English Heritage |
| Open to the public |
Yes |
| Site history | |
| Materials | Limestone, slate |
| Events | English Civil War, World War II |
Dartmouth Castle is an old fort built to protect Dartmouth harbour in Devon, England. The first parts of the castle were built in the 1380s. This was when people worried about a French attack.
The town leaders built a small castle overlooking the mouth of the Dart estuary. It was meant to fire at enemy ships. They used catapults and maybe early cannon. The local chapel of Saint Petroc was inside its walls.
Later, in the late 1400s, the castle got bigger. A new tower was added for artillery. An iron chain could stretch across the harbour to a tower at Godmerock. This was the first fort in Britain built just for coastal artillery. More gun batteries were added in the 1540s. This was due to fears of a French invasion.
The castle was used during the English Civil War (1642-1646). It became clear that the castle was weak from land attacks. So, a defensive area called Gallants Bower was built above it. This gave extra protection. In 1748, a new gun spot, the Grand Battery, was added. It had twelve guns.
The castle was not well looked after in the early 1800s. But it was updated in 1859 with modern artillery. Still, defending Dartmouth was no longer a top military need. By the early 1900s, the castle was not needed by the military. It was then opened to visitors. It was used again during the Second World War. But in 1955, it was finally taken out of service. Today, English Heritage looks after it.
Contents
History of Dartmouth Castle
Early Days: 14th-15th Centuries
Dartmouth Castle was built to protect the town of Dartmouth in Devon. By the 1100s, the town's harbour was very important. It was a busy place for trade and fishing. It could hold up to 600 ships. Dartmouth was also known for piracy and privateering. Its ships often attacked French vessels.
During the Hundred Years War in the 1370s, Dartmouth was a target for the French navy. The king often told the town to improve its defences. But nothing happened until 1388. John Hawley, the mayor and a privateer, got permission from King Richard II. He could raise money for a new "fortalice by the sea." This was to defend the harbour.
This small fort, or fortalice, was an enclosure castle. It had a curtain wall with mural towers and a gate tower. It was built on land owned by the Carew family. They lent the land because of the French threat. It was built around an existing chapel for Saint Petroc. The fort had catapults to attack enemy ships. It might also have had early cannon. It could also use a chain to block the harbour entrance.
The fort was not used in a real battle. But it might have stopped a French attack in 1404. That force landed elsewhere and was defeated. The Carew family later built a house inside the fort.
In 1481, King Henry VII talked with the town about defences. The king had agreed to pay Dartmouth to keep a chain across the harbour. Henry agreed to pay for a new artillery tower. He also gave money each year for its upkeep. The new tower was built next to the old fort. It used stone from nearby towns.
The project took a long time. But fears of a French invasion grew in 1486. Two large guns were installed. By 1492, there were more guns. The tower was finished in 1495. It had a protective chain that went across the river. This chain was held up by small boats. It was protected by a tower at Godmerock. Another castle, Kingswear, was built on the other side of the river.
Changes: 16th-18th Centuries
In 1543, King Henry VIII joined Spain in a war against France. France and Spain later made peace. This left England open to a French invasion. Henry ordered improvements to the country's defences. Dartmouth Castle got three new gun batteries. One was on each side of the gun tower. Another, Lamberd's Bulwarke, was in the fort's south-east corner.
In 1597, with a Spanish invasion possible, the gun tower was improved. Lamberd's Bulwarke was repaired. A Spanish spy in 1599 said the castle had "24 pieces and 50 men." He noted the harbour was well protected.
The English Civil War started in 1642. Dartmouth first supported Parliament. The castle had five guards. In 1643, Prince Maurice attacked the town. The castle was captured by artillery on the hill behind it. An earthwork fort, Gallants Bower, was then built to protect this weak spot. In January 1646, Sir Thomas Fairfax led a Parliamentary army to retake Dartmouth. He took the town, then Gallants Bower. The castle's commander surrendered the next day.
After the war, Gallants Bower was closed. But the castle stayed in use. A governor was put in charge of the castle. He also managed local defences and stopped smuggling. King Charles II became king in 1660. He first gave Dartmouth Castle back to the town. But by 1662, a royal force of 23 men guarded the castle. Fears of Dutch and French attacks kept the castle active until the 1690s.
The castle was not looked after well in the early 1700s. A report in 1715 said it was "ruinous." None of its guns were maintained. A new threat from France led to more work. In 1741, Lamberd's Bulwarke was made stronger. In 1748, it was renamed the Grand Battery. It became a two-level platform with twelve guns. The older parts of the castle were used for living and storage. Dartmouth's port became less important. Nearby Plymouth took over much of its trade.
Modern Times: 19th-21st Centuries
Dartmouth Castle was guarded during the Napoleonic Wars. It was manned by the Dartmouth Artillery volunteers. But it saw no fighting. After the war, the castle had fewer guns. The guards were cut to just one caretaker. In 1820, only two guns worked. By 1847, a writer said the castle was "picturesque" but small. It had "but a few guns."
New shell guns and steam ships in the 1840s created new risks. There were fears of a French attack. Worries about France grew in the 1850s. New rifled cannon and iron-clad warships also appeared. This led to a Royal Commission in 1859. It worried about the south coast's safety.
So, the Grand Battery at Dartmouth Castle was rebuilt. It was renamed the Dartmouth Point Battery. It had strong granite defences against shells. It had three gun positions facing the sea. These were for large guns. Two more big guns were on the roof. A smaller gun protected the harbour entrance. It was manned by three soldiers and over fifty-five reservists. The castle was not a top military priority. It was only important if the harbour was used to attack Plymouth. The guns it got were old-fashioned. An upgrade in 1888 also installed outdated artillery.
By 1909, most of the castle was considered old. The War Office gave it to the Office of Works. They restored it and opened it to visitors. It was used again during the Second World War. It got two 4.7-inch quick-firing guns. These were from the First World War. They were in concrete gun houses. They protected merchant ships and the Philips' shipyard. British Army members manned the castle.
In 1955, the castle was given back to the Ministry of Works. It was repaired. The Dartmouth Point Battery, now called the Old Battery, was rented to the town for a restaurant. The site was reopened to the public. Today, English Heritage manages it. The Grand Battery looks like it did in the 1800s. The 14th-century gun tower is a Grade I listed building. The 19th-century gun battery is a Grade II* listed building.
Castle Design
Dartmouth Castle sits on a rocky spot. It looks over the entrance to Dartmouth harbour. On the north side is the main gun tower. It faces across the River Dart. Also there is Saint Petrox Church. To the south-east is the Old Battery, facing the sea. In the south-west are parts of the first fort's defences. These include a corner tower, part of the moat, and parts of the wall. The wall is about 7 feet 6 inches (2.3 m) thick and up to 23 feet (7 m) high.
The gun tower was built in the late 1400s. It is the oldest fort in Britain built just for coastal artillery. The tower has three floors. One part is semi-circular and made of limestone rubble. It held the parts for the harbour chain. The other part is square and made of slate. It held the guns. Each floor has two main rooms, one round and one square. This design might have changed during building.
The basement first held the castle's artillery guns. These had simple gun-ports. Wooden shutters protected them from the sea. The ground floor rooms were offices and living spaces for the soldiers. They also had the chain room. This room had a pulley and capstan to raise the chain defence. The first floor was for sleeping and had an oven. Small openings called Gunloops for handguns were on all floors for close defence. Lighter artillery would have been on the roof. The roof's battlements were made taller later. This was to deal with musket fire from higher ground behind the castle. An 18-foot (5.5 m) high turret rises above the roof.
Two gun platforms from the mid-1500s are on either side of the main gun tower. They were changed in the 1700s for newer guns. Just behind the gun tower is Saint Petrox Church. This church, as it looks today, dates from 1641. It had some changes when it was restored in 1833.
The Old Battery dates from 1861. It was then called the Dartmouth Point Battery. It is where the Grand Battery and Lamberd's Bulwarke used to be. On the north-east side is a guard room. This room was above the magazines (where ammunition was stored). A ditch, rifle-loops, and murder-holes protected it from land attacks. In the main part of the battery, there are three vaulted casemates. These held heavy guns that pointed out to sea. A smaller gun position covered the harbour entrance. Two more heavy guns would have been on the roof. A white concrete building, once a disguised gun position, is now the ticket office. Behind the Old Battery is a 19th-century tower. It was a lighthouse from 1856 to 1886.
In Art and Books
Letitia Elizabeth Landon wrote a poem called Dartmouth Castle in 1833. It went with a picture by Thomas Allom showing the Castle and Harbour. The poem talks about how the castle, once a place of war, became a holiday spot.
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