- Deal Castle
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Deal Castle.
Deal Castle is located in Deal, Kent, England, between Walmer Castle and the now lost Sandown Castle (grid reference TR378521).
Contents
History
Construction
Aerial depiction of the castleIt is one of the most impressive of the Device Forts or Henrician Castles built by Henry VIII between 1539 and 1540 as an artillery fortress to counter the threat of invasion from Catholic France and Spain. It is shaped like a Tudor rose, being perfectly symmetrical, with a low, circular keep at its centre. Around the circumference of the keep are six bastions, with a further series of six bastions in the curtain wall, one of which serves as the gatehouse. All the outer walls of the castle and bastions are rounded to both provide strength and to deflect shot more efficiently than flat walls. Over 200 cannon and gun ports were set within the walls and the entire structure was completely surrounded by a very deep, wide moat.
Anne of Cleves
According to various sources, Anne of Cleves stayed at Deal following her long voyage from Europe. From Deal, Anne left for London and her fateful meeting with King Henry.
Later life
See also: Second English Civil War#The DownsIn 1648, during the Civil War, Deal Castle was besieged but after that it never engaged in any further military action. Fortified during the Napoleonic Wars, many alterations were made during the 18th and 19th centuries. The Governor's lodgings were rebuilt at the beginning of the 19th century, only to be destroyed again in 1941 by German bombs in the Second World War. It was the official residence of the Captain of the Cinque Ports,[1] but since 1951 has been owned by English Heritage.
Captains
Since it was first built, Deal Castle has had a Captain. Until the early 18th century, the captain commanded the garrison. However, since that time the title has become purely honorary.
Year Captain 1540 Thomas Wingfield 1551 Thomas Boys 1569 John Baker 1572 Peter Hammond 1599 Matthew Bredgate 1611 Erasmus Finch 1611 William Byng 1625 Thomas Pulnetby 1643 William Batten 1648 Thomas Rainsborough 1648 Captain Wyne 1648 Re. Maj. Samuel Kemm 1648 Col. Nathaniel Rich 1653 Samuel Taverner 1660 William Byng 1661 Col. Silius Titus 1671 Capt. Francis Digby 1672 Francis, Lord Hawley 1673 Sir John Berry, Bt. 1690 Lt. Col. Sir John Granville 1690 Sir Francis Wheeler, Kt. (died 1694) 1745 John Norris 1777 Francis Godolphin Osborne, Marquis of Carmarthen 1786 George Augustus, 9th Lord North 1799 Hon. Francis North 1802 Robert Smith, 1st Baron Carrington 1838 William Wellesley-Pole, Lord Maryborough 1843 James Andrew Broun-Ramsay, Earl of Dalhousie 1847 Richard Charles Francis Meade, Earl of Clanwilliam 1879 John Robert Townshend, Earl of Sydney 1890 Farrer Herschell, 1st Baron Herschell 1899 Rt. Hon. Lord George Francis Hamilton, P.C. 1923 Field Marshal, The Earl of Ypres, John French 1925 Field Marshal Lord Allenby 1927 Rufus Isaacs, Marquis of Reading 1934 Field Marshal Lord Birdwood 1951 vacant 1972 General Sir Norman Tailyour, K.C.B., D.S.O. 1980 Maj. Gen. Ian Harrison 2009 Maj. Gen. G S Robison, and henceforth tied to the appointment of Commandant General Royal Marines References
Further reading
- Coad, Jonathan (1998). Deal Castle, Kent. London: English Heritage. ISBN 1850746974
- Colvin, H.M. (ed) (1982). The History of the King's Works, Vol. IV, 1485–1600, Part II.
- Fry, Plantagenet Somerset (1980) The David & Charles Book of Castles. David & Charles. ISBN 0-7153-7976-3
- 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
- English Heritage site
- Read a detailed historical record of Deal Castle
- Britain Express, brief summary
- Brief history of Deal Castle www.dealweb.org.uk/history-deal/dealcastle.html
- History of Deal Castle & Location & Car parking. Also lots more on the surrounding town.
Device Forts Kent and Sussex Solent South West Coordinates: 51°13′07″N 1°24′14″E / 51.21854°N 1.40390°E
Categories:- Castles in Kent
- Device Forts
- Forts in Kent
- Visitor attractions in Kent
- English Heritage sites in Kent
- Dover (district)
- Museums in Kent
- Military museums in England
- England castle stubs
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