Quarr Abbey on the Isle of Wight was fortified in 1365 to protect it from French attack; other defences, called fortalices, were built in the immediate area, probably including Elmsworth, Fishbourne, Gurnard, and Hamstead. The defences contain possibly the oldest surviving gunports in Britain.
History
Early in the Hundred Years War, French forces raided the south coast of England, targeting Southampton and Portsmouth in 1338, and attacking up and down the coast the following year, including the Isle of Wight, which was weakly defended. Fears of a renewed French assault persisted and, in 1365, William, the Abbot of Quarr Abbey, sought royal permission to fortify the north-east corner of the Isle of Wight. This was granted through two Licenses to Crenellate, granted between 1365 and 1366.
The abbey was surrounded with a enceinte stone wall, in which gunports for gunpowder weapons were constructed; two of these survive, and are possibly the oldest surviving gunports in Britain. The wall is protected under UK law as a Scheduled Monument and a Grade II* listed building. Other sites near to the abbey were also fortified, probably including the construction of forts called fortalices along the coast at Elmsworth, Gurnard, and Hamstead, and the possible fortification of a warehouse at Fishbourne. These have since been lost, probably due to coastal erosion.
Bibliography
- Basford, V. (2006). Medieval Resource Assessment for the Isle of Wight.
- Renn, D.F. (1954). “The enceinte wall of Quarr Abbey”. Proceedings of the Isle of Wight Natural History and Archaeological Society Vol. 4 pp.350-351.
Attribution
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