Device Forts
From Warlike
Q5267014
The Device Forts, also known as Henrician castles and blockhouses, were a series of artillery fortifications built to defend the coast of England and Wales by Henry VIII. Traditionally, the Crown had left coastal defences in the hands of local lords and communities but the threat of French and Spanish invasion led the King to issue an order, called a "device", for a major programme of work between 1539 and 1547. The fortifications ranged from large stone castles positioned to protect the Downs anchorage in Kent, to small blockhouses overlooking the entrance to Milford Haven in Pembrokeshire, and earthwork bulwarks along the Essex coast. Some forts operated independently, others were designed to be mutually reinforcing. The Device programme was hugely expensive, costing a total of £376,000 ; much of this was raised from the proceeds of the Dissolution of the Monasteries a few years before.
1539
Wikimedia, Wikidata
Henrician Castles
United Kingdom, Kingdom of England, 
fortification,
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Location: KML, Cluster Map, Maps,
1 places
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Hurst Castle ⓘ
Device Fort in Hampshire, England
Blockhouse 1901Blockhouse 1901
Fort Blockhouse - Gosport
Crazy Erosion of Camber Castle Walls- Henry VIII's Castles at Sandown, Deal, Walmer, Sandgate and Camber - article published in Archaeologia Cantiana in 1898, online
- The Castles of Henry VIII - book published in 2013, English
| Type | Subtype | Date | Description | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| site | fort | 1541 | Hurst Castle | fort, English Heritage, military museum, Device Forts | Wikidata |
| commons | image | Blockhouse 1901 | Commons | ||
| commons | image | Blockhouse 1901 | Commons | ||
| commons | image | Fort Blockhouse - Gosport | Commons | ||
| commons | image | Crazy Erosion of Camber Castle Walls | Commons | ||
