Fort Purcell facts for kids

Fort Purcell, often called The Dungeon, is an old ruined fort on Tortola island in the British Virgin Islands. It's a cool historical spot near Pockwood Pond. Even though it's called "The Dungeon," it was never actually used as a prison!

History of Fort Purcell

Inside Fort Purcell, also known as "The Dungeons"

Building the Fort

The Dutch built Fort Purcell around the late 1500s or early 1600s. The Spanish in Puerto Rico called it "donjon." This is where the English name "The Dungeon" comes from. At first, it was just a simple fort made of earth. A Dutch privateer (a sailor hired by a government to attack enemy ships) named Joost van Dyk repaired it in 1625 or 1626.

Spanish Attacks on Tortola

Records from Spain tell us about two attacks on Tortola. These happened in 1646 and 1647. Spanish warships came to Soper's Hole and Road Harbour. Soldiers landed and attacked Fort Purcell by walking from the land. The Dutch defenders were defeated. After this, the Spanish soldiers moved overland to Road Town.

Wars and New Owners

The fort fell apart for a while. But it was fixed again in the early 1650s. This was during the Anglo-Dutch Wars, which were wars between England and the Netherlands.

Later, during the Third Anglo-Dutch War, the Dutch owner of Tortola, Willem Hunthum, asked England for protection. He put Tortola under the care of Sir William Stapleton, the English Governor-General of the Leeward Islands. An English officer, Colonel William Burt, was sent to take control. The plan was to give the island back to the Dutch when the war ended.

However, the British decided Tortola was important. They kept control of the island. Before leaving, Colonel Burt destroyed the Dutch forts. He also took all their cannons. This was to stop the Dutch settlers from trying to fight back.

Another story says that Colonel Burt attacked Tortola with only 100 men. The Dutch quickly gave up. Burt knew he could not hold the island. So, he took apart the forts and removed the weapons. He then went back to Saint Kitts. After the war, the Dutch asked for their island back. But the British said no. Fort Purcell was not rebuilt for a long time.

Rebuilding and Decline

Part of Fort Purcell, also known as "The Dungeons"

In 1686, pirates attacked a new British settlement. There was no fort, so the island was easily taken. By 1715, the fort was still not rebuilt. Captain Chandler of HMS Winchelsey wrote a report about the islands. He noted the lack of defenses.

As more people came to Tortola, protecting the island became very important. In the early 1750s, Governor Purcell wrote that he had rebuilt a fort. It had four strong points. This new fort was on the same spot as the old Dutch fort. It was likely named after the Purcell brothers, James Purcell and John Purcell. They were important leaders in the British Virgin Islands. Their farms were in this area. They rebuilt the fort to protect their land. At that time, landowners often had to build their own defenses.

After the end of the slave trade, the islands faced hard economic times. The Purcell farm was left empty. The fort then fell into ruin again.

Fort Structure

You can see different types of stone in the fort's walls. This shows that it was built and rebuilt over many years.

Inside one of the rooms, you can find old drawings carved into the wall. A bored soldier probably made them. One drawing shows a dancing girl. Another shows an officer in a long coat. By looking at the clothes in the drawings, we can tell the fort was used during the Seven Years' War (1756-1763).

A red brick staircase leads to the gun battery. This part of the fort would have held six cannons. These cannons could cover the whole area of the Sir Francis Drake Channel. There is also a water tank. You can also see stone platforms where wooden buildings once stood. These buildings were for the officers and soldiers living at the fort.

Fort Purcell Today

Fort Purcell is on private land. This is common for old buildings in the British Virgin Islands. The land used to belong to Cyril Romney, who was a former chief minister (a top leader) of the Territory. However, you can still visit the fort for free. Many tourists come to see it.

People sometimes suggest that the government should buy the site. They think it should be cleaned up and protected. But this has not happened yet.

Sadly, the ruins are not always treated well today. There are no laws to protect or preserve them. The area around the fort is often used as a place to dump trash. This is ironic because the place to burn trash is less than half a mile away! The ruins also get very overgrown during the rainy season. There are also stories of people using metal detectors. They sometimes take old items from the ground around the fort.