Charles Fort (Ireland)
Encyclopedia
Charles Fort is a star fort
located on the water's edge, at the southern end of the village of Summer Cove
, on Kinsale
harbour, County Cork
, Ireland
. James' Fort is located on the other side of the harbour.
Charles Fort is built on the site of an earlier stronghold
known as Ringcurran Castle, which featured prominently during the Siege of Kinsale
in 1601. The fort, which is named after Charles II
, was designed by the Surveyor-general
Sir William Robinson
- architect of the Royal Hospital Kilmainham. The fort was built in the 1670s and 1680s to a star fort
ification design - a layout specifically designed to resist attack by cannon.
The in-land bastions of the fort however are overlooked by higher ground. A fact which was of critical importance when the fort was besieged
by John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough
(then 1st Earl) in 1690 during the Williamite War in Ireland
. Repairs were made following the siege, and the fort remained in use as a British Army
barracks
for several hundred years afterwards.
An early lighthouse was established here in the 17th century by Robert Reading
.
The fort was relinquished by British forces following the Anglo-Irish Treaty
, but it fell out of use after being burned by the retreating anti-Treaty forces during the Irish Civil War
in 1922. The complex was named a National Monument of Ireland
in 1971 and has been partly restored by Dúchas
, the Irish heritage service.
Star fort
A star fort, or trace italienne, is a fortification in the style that evolved during the age of gunpowder, when cannon came to dominate the battlefield, and was first seen in the mid-15th century in Italy....
located on the water's edge, at the southern end of the village of Summer Cove
Summer Cove
Summer Cove part of Kinsale town on the Kinsale harbour, on the south coast of Ireland; it faces westwards across the entrance of the harbour to the Castlepark peninsula. Charles's Fort is located on the southern edge Summercove, at the water's edge...
, on Kinsale
Kinsale
Kinsale is a town in County Cork, Ireland. Located some 25 km south of Cork City on the coast near the Old Head of Kinsale, it sits at the mouth of the River Bandon and has a population of 2,257 which increases substantially during the summer months when the tourist season is at its peak and...
harbour, County Cork
County Cork
County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. James' Fort is located on the other side of the harbour.
Charles Fort is built on the site of an earlier stronghold
Fortification
Fortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defence in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs...
known as Ringcurran Castle, which featured prominently during the Siege of Kinsale
Siege of Kinsale
The Siege or Battle of Kinsale was the ultimate battle in England's conquest of Gaelic Ireland. It took place during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, at the climax of the Nine Years War - a campaign by Aodh Mór Ó Néill, Aodh Rua Ó Dónaill and other Irish clan leaders against English rule...
in 1601. The fort, which is named after Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
, was designed by the Surveyor-general
Surveyor General of Ireland
The office of Surveyor General of Ireland was an appointed office under the Dublin Castle administration of Ireland in the 17th and 18th centuries. The Surveyor General was typically responsible for the surveying, design and construction of civic works, and was often involved in overseeing the...
Sir William Robinson
William Robinson (architect)
William Robinson was the Surveyor General of Ireland from 1670/71 until 1700. Born in England, Robinson was appointed to the post of Surveyor General by John Berkeley in his first year of office as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland....
- architect of the Royal Hospital Kilmainham. The fort was built in the 1670s and 1680s to a star fort
Star fort
A star fort, or trace italienne, is a fortification in the style that evolved during the age of gunpowder, when cannon came to dominate the battlefield, and was first seen in the mid-15th century in Italy....
ification design - a layout specifically designed to resist attack by cannon.
The in-land bastions of the fort however are overlooked by higher ground. A fact which was of critical importance when the fort was besieged
Siege of Cork
The Siege of Cork took place during the Williamite war in Ireland in the year of 1690, shortly after the Battle of the Boyne when James II attempted to retake the English throne from King William III....
by John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, Prince of Mindelheim, KG, PC , was an English soldier and statesman whose career spanned the reigns of five monarchs through the late 17th and early 18th centuries...
(then 1st Earl) in 1690 during the Williamite War in Ireland
Williamite war in Ireland
The Williamite War in Ireland—also called the Jacobite War in Ireland, the Williamite-Jacobite War in Ireland and in Irish as Cogadh an Dá Rí —was a conflict between Catholic King James II and Protestant King William of Orange over who would be King of England, Scotland and Ireland...
. Repairs were made following the siege, and the fort remained in use as a British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
barracks
Barracks
Barracks are specialised buildings for permanent military accommodation; the word may apply to separate housing blocks or to complete complexes. Their main object is to separate soldiers from the civilian population and reinforce discipline, training and esprit de corps. They were sometimes called...
for several hundred years afterwards.
An early lighthouse was established here in the 17th century by Robert Reading
Robert Reading
Sir Robert Reading, first and last Baronet Reading, built several privately owned lighthouses in Ireland under letters patent from Charles II of England.He was educated at Christ Church, Oxford, receiving a BA in 1658....
.
The fort was relinquished by British forces following the Anglo-Irish Treaty
Anglo-Irish Treaty
The Anglo-Irish Treaty , officially called the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was a treaty between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and representatives of the secessionist Irish Republic that concluded the Irish War of...
, but it fell out of use after being burned by the retreating anti-Treaty forces during the Irish Civil War
Irish Civil War
The Irish Civil War was a conflict that accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State as an entity independent from the United Kingdom within the British Empire....
in 1922. The complex was named a National Monument of Ireland
National Monument (Ireland)
The Irish state has officially approved the following List of National Monuments of Ireland. In the Republic of Ireland, a structure or site may be deemed to be a "National Monument", and therefore worthy of state protection, if it is of national importance...
in 1971 and has been partly restored by Dúchas
Dúchas
Dúchas – The Heritage Service was the Irish State body responsible for national monuments and historic properties. It was established under the Heritage Act 1995 and took over responsibility for the management of national parks and wildlife from the Office of Public Works...
, the Irish heritage service.