Early Artillery Fortifications in England and Wales: a preliminary survey and reappraisal

Abstract

The growth of the study of English artillery fortification, coupled with the various inadequacies of B. H. St J. O'Neil's Castles and Cannon, mean that a reappraisal of the development of these defences is long overdue. The scattered evidence, both architectural and documentary, for pre–1539 works is brought together to form a background against which studies of individual sites may be made. The emphasis is on castles, town defences and blockhouses, but there is a separate section relating to fortified manor-houses. The major fortifications are studied in three sections, each reflecting a stage in the development of artillery fortification. The effectiveness of the defences is assessed based on surviving buildings as well as the capabilities of early ordnance, on which there is a section. 1539 is the terminal date for the study, for in that year Henry VIII's coastal forts marked the end of the basically medieval ideas that went into the planning of the first forts.

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