News from the Wessex Region, April 2011.
The second meeting of the Wessex Region took place on Saturday 19th February, less than a
month after the highly successful Civil War inaugural visit to Alton and Cheriton of 29th
January. This second trip saw about twenty of us gather for elevenses at Fort Nelson in
Portsmouth to focus on artillery! Fort Nelson was one of Lord Palmerston’s coastal defensive
forts. Palmerston (Prime Minister twice: 1855-1858 and 1859-1865 and the last PM to die in
office) was concerned about the territorial ambitions of Napoleon III’s Second French Empire
and this led to a Royal Commission of 1859 which oversaw the construction of many
fortifications, although some had been started as early as 1852. They were nicknamed
‘Palmerston’s Follies’ by those who regarded them as an unnecessary expense and by others
who wanted the money to be spent instead on improving the Royal Navy, not least on iron
hull ships such as HMS Warrior (commissioned in 1861). The fortis one of five built along
the 7 miles of the ridge to prevent a French land attack on the Portsmouth dockyard only 5
miles away. A garrison of around 200 volunteers accompanied by regular army officers
would have manned the fort in time of war. Those interested in learning more about the
Palmerston Forts could do no better than contacting the Palmerston Forts Society whose
website is easily found.
The fort was disarmed in 1907 and then used for accommodation. In 1938, it was converted
to an area anti-aircraft ammunition store; ten large magazines were built on the parade ground
to supply the ant-aircraft batteries of Portsmouth and the surrounding area in World War
Two. The Fort was abandoned in the 1950s before severe vandalism caused it to be sold in
1988 to Hampshire County Council who restored and opened the fort to the public in 1994,
becoming part of the Royal Armouries in 1995. It houses their substantial collection of
artillery and is well worth a look, not least
because it has free admission! There are
many highlights, not least the one o’clock gun
firing, but you have to go a long way to see
anything as magnificent as the mighty Turkish
Bombard, an Ottoman bronze cannon from
1464 which was powerful enough to fire stone
balls with a diameter of 63 cm. Opposite it is a
section from the so-called ‘Supergun’
commissioned by Saddam Hussein.
We then moved on to Portchester Castle which is only ten minutes from Fort Nelson and
cared for by English Heritage. The castle’s commanding location has made it a major factor
in the Solent's defences for centuries.Its Roman walls are simply stunning and worth the visit
on their own! Though it is uncertain exactly when the fort was constructed, it is thought it
was built by Marcus Aurelius Carausius (the later pretender to the Roman Imperium) on the
instructions of emperor Diocletian between 285 and 290 as one of several forts built along the
British coast in the period to combat raids by pirates. It is the best preserved Roman fort
north of the Alps.
In 904, Portchester came into the possession of King Edward the Elder and became a burgh
to help defend the country against Vikings. After the Norman Conquest, a castle was built
with the pre-existing Roman stone walls of the fort acting as the walls of the outer bailey.
Eventually Henry II took over possession of the castle which remained in royal ownership for
several centuries. Henry II regularly visited Portchester and it was here that he is reported to
have met with the Bishop of Évreux who spoke on Thomas Becket's behalf in his protracted
dispute with the king. King John often stayed at Portchester and was there when he heard of
the loss of Normandy in 1204; Portchester was the departure point of missions to France in
1205 and 1213 as John tried to recover Normandy from Philip Augustus of France. During
the reign of Edward II a French invasion was anticipated and Portchester garrisoned. There
was also major rebuilding work during the 14th century and Edward III assembled his 15,000
strong army at Porchester before leaving for France and victory at the Battle of Crecy.
Richard II turned the castle into a magnificent palace and Henry V spent the night at the
castle before travelling to Southampton, then to France
and the Battle of Agincourt. It was while staying here
that he is supposed to have been told of the
Southampton Plot in favour of Edmund Mortimer, 5th
Earl of March. After Henry VII founded the Royal
Dockyard at Portsmouth, the castle lost its importance.
It was last used in the 19th century as a gaol for over
7000 French prisoners of the Napoleonic Wars. This
aspect is very well presented, not least by English
Heritage’s imaginative audio tour.
On 9th April members who had braved the cold at our first two gatherings were rewarded
with a beautiful sunny day for our third – a fascinating walk led by Ian Chard around the
Civil War battlefield of Lansdown, near Bath. The battle, which was fought on 5th July1643,
saw two old friends- Royalist Ralph Hopton and Roundhead William Waller – pitted against
eachother in a struggle to control the high ground north of Bath. After hours of inconclusive
skirmishing the Royalists launched a seemingly suicidal attack up the steep slopes of
Lansdown Hill and, remarkably, pulled it off.
Waller’s forces eventually fell back into Bath but the
Royalists who had suffered heavy casualties and were
running short of ammunition, were unable to follow up
their success. Pursued by Waller, they made for
Devizes where they were briefly besieged before a
Royalist relief force from Oxford came to their rescue,
routing Waller’s army on Roundway Down.
On 30th April 2011 this remarkable battle will be the
subject of a conference in Devizes which has been organised by Devizes Heritage. A number
of Battlefields Trust members will be speaking and it promises to be an absolutely fascinating
day. More details can be found on the Battlefields Trust website.
(Matthew Christmas and Julian Humphrys)