Deal Castle is located in Deal, Kent, England, between Walmer Castle and the now lost Sandown Castle (grid reference TR378521).
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History
Construction
It 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 where she would be forever labelled the Flanders Mare.
Later life
In 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] until 1951 and is now owned by English Heritage.
Captains
Since it was first built, Deal Castle has had a Captain. Until the early 1700s, 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. |
| 1745 | John Norris |
| 1777 | Francis Godolphin Osborne, Marquis of Carmarthen |
| 1786 | George Augustus, 9th Lord North |
| 1802 | Robert Smith, 1st Baron Carrington |
| 1838 | William Wellesley-Pole, Lord Maryborough |
| 1843 | James Andrew Brown Ramsey, Earl of Dulhousie |
| 1847 | Richard Charles Francis Meade, Earl of Clanwilliam |
| 1879 | John Robert Townshend, Earl of Sydney |
| 1890 | Farbor Herschell, Baron |
| 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 Marshall, Lord Birdwood |
| 1951 | Interregnum |
| 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
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Coordinates: 51°13′07″N 1°24′14″E / 51.21854°N 1.40390°E
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