Forts

The book will use 100-150 documents from The National Archives, many of which have previously not been digitised and are not in the Image Library. This range includes: meticulously drawn original plans of forts from the 16th to 19th centuries, maps and original letters which tell the often turbulent stories of the forts and their inhabitants. Contents Early Forts Henry VIII first realised the potential of forts to protect England from the Catholic powers of Europe. The National Archives holds plans of some famous Tudor forts such as the rose-shaped Deal Castle, as well as subsequent fortresses erected under Elizabeth I. The beginnings of Empire Where British trade went, forts followed. Without them, the history of America might be very different as they were used in wars against the French and native populations. One of the most famous, Fort William-Henry, was subject to a siege in 1757 that was later immortalised in the film The Last of the Mohicans. Slavery Forts were instrumental in the slave trade, and were used to hold people in squalid conditions before they were transported to the Caribbean. The National Archives holds many drawings of forts in West Africa, along with letters and registers which give an important insight into the conditions in these buildings. Trade and Piracy The seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries were the heyday of piracy, when Captain Kidd and Blackbeard roamed the seas pillaging merchant vessels. To protect trade forts were built in the Caribbean, and to make an example of captured pirates they were often executed there in front of watching crowds. The National Archives holds a large collection of drawings along with contemporary accounts of the capture of Blackbeard and the death warrants issued to pirates. Home Defence In response to the threat from Napoleon, forts were upgraded and new defences built. Later in the nineteenth century a resurgent France prompted a huge programme of fort construction. Nicknamed ‘Palmerston’s Follies’ after the then Prime Minister, these forts featured new round designs and technology, but never had to be used. By the start of the twentieth century aircraft rendered them obsolete.