SOUTH ATLANTIC FORTRESS The unique fortifications built by the East India Company on the Island of St. Helena, including the period of Napoleon's captivity, and subsequent defence strategy under Crown Rule. By Ken Denholm Published by the St Helena National Trust, 2006 On 5th May 1659 the English East India Company established their first settlement on St. Helena which remained under Company rule until 22nd April 1834 when the Island was proclaimed a British Crown Colony. The above is an imprint from the original East India Company stamp which is kept in the Archives at the Castle, Jamestown. Translation from the Latin:- "UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE KING AND PARLIAMENT OF ENGLAND" ii CONTENTS Chapter page Introduction 1 1 James Fort and the Castle (including Patton's Battery) 3 2 High Peak Fort 14 3 Munden's Hill sector:- Munden's Battery; Chubb's Lower, Middle, and Upper Batteries; Munden's Hill East and West Batteries. 16 4 Lemon Valley sector:- Lemon Valley Fort; Half Moon Battery; Friar's Ridge Battery; High Point Battery. 26 5 Banks Lines:- Banks Platform; Half Moon Battery; Middle Point Battery; Repulse Point Battery; Buttermilk Point Upper and Lower Batteries. 34 6 Prosperous Bay sector:- Holdfast Tom Battery; Prosperous Bay Battery and Martello Tower; Prosperous Bay Signal Station 45 7 Rupert's Valley sector:- Rupert's Line; Bunker's Hill Battery; Saddle Battery; Sampson's Battery. 50 8 Walled-up Valleys:- Breakneck Valley; Friar's Valley; Old Woman's Valley; Thompson's Valley. 59 9 Sandy Bay sector:- Sandy Bay Line; Beach Hill Battery; Horse's Head Battery; Seale's Battery; Four Gun Battery. 62 10 Turks Cap Battery:- Turks Cap Battery; Gregory's Battery; Cox's Battery. 71 11 High Knoll Fort 76 12 Ladder Hill Fort 81 13 Coleman's Tower 89 14 Powell's Batteries 91 iii 15 Thompson's Valley sector;- Thompson's Valley Battery and Martello Tower; Eagle's Eyrie Battery; High Hill Guard House. 94 16 Goat Pound Ridge 99 17 Cockburn's Battery (Egg Island) 101 18 Horse Pasture sector:- Horse Pasture Battery and Martello Tower; Guard House at Horse Pasture. 105 19 Hooper's Ridge Magazine and Guard House. 107 20 Summary of Military Units that served on St. Helena 108 Bibliography 112 ILLUSTRATIONS Maps: Global position for St. Helena vi Island of St. Helena vii Sketches: 4 Phases of James Fort 4 James Line 8 Munden's Battery 16 Lemon Valley Fort 26 Banks's Line (Platform) 34 Half Moon Battery (Banks Line) 38 Rupert's Line 51 Sandy Bay Line 62 Horse's Head Battery 66 Turks Cap Battery 72 High Knoll Fort 77 Ladder Hill Fort 83 Plates: 1 Entrance to the Castle 7 2 James Fort and the Castle 7 3 Patton's Battery 12 4 Guns lying on the rocks below Munden's Battery 19 iv 5 Munden's Battery - casemate type 19 6 View of north coast showing Chubb's Battery 22 7 Chubb's Lower Battery 23 8 Munden's Hill West Battery 23 9 Munden's Hill East Battery 24 10 Lemon Valley Fort 27 11 Lemon Valley Bay showing the Fort 27 12 Half Moon Battery above Lemon Valley Bay 30 13 A Carronade at Friar's Ridge Battery 32 14 Ruins of Banks Platform 36 15 Gun barrels lying on Banks Platform 36 16 Half Moon Battery on Banks Point 39 17 Gun platform at Half Moon Battery 40 18 Repulse Point Battery 41 19 Buttermilk Point Upper Battery 42 20 Ruins of Martello Tower at Prosperous Bay 46 21 Prosperous Bay Battery 47 22 Rupert's Bay and the ruins of Rupert's Line 53 23 Rupert's Line curtain wall 53 24 Bunker's Hill Battery 55 25 Saddle Battery 56 26 Sampson's Battery 57 27 Walled up entrance to Old Woman's Valley 61 28 Sandy Bay Line 63 29 Sea view of Sandy Bay Line 64 30 Horse's Head at Sandy Bay 67 31 Ruins of Horse's Head Battery 67 32 Ruins of Carronades at Horse's Head 68 33 Ruins of Seale's Battery 69 34 Four Gun Battery 70 35 The Turks Cap 71 36 Turks Cap Battery 73 37 Ruins of Cox's Battery 75 38 High Knoll Fort 76 39 Northern end of High Knoll Fort 78 40 Loopholed platform at High Knoll Fort 78 41 Gun platform on High Knoll Fort 79 42 Ladder Hill Fort - old gun platform 82 43 Round Tower Magazine 84 44 Ladder Hill Fort - perimeter wall 85 45 Ladder Hill Fort - naval gun 87 46 Ruins of Coleman's Tower 89 47 Ruins of Powell's East Battery 91 48 Ruins of Powell's West Battery 92 49 Thompson's Valley Battery 94 50 Martello Tower above Thompson's Valley Bay 95 51 View of Thompson's Valley Bay 96 52 Eagle's Eyrie Battery 97 53 Old gun barrel at Goat's Pound Ridge 99 v 54 Egg Island 101 55 Newly hatched sooty tern near Cockburn's Battery 102 56 Ruins of Cockburn's Battery 102 57 Ruins of shot-heating furnace at Cockburn's Battery 103 58 Ruins of Martello Tower at Horse Pasture 106 vi Global position for St. Helena vii Island of St. Helena viii South Atlantic Fortress INTRODUCTION Consisting of only about 47 square miles, the Island of St. Helena was formed in the South Atlantic Ocean from volcanic upheavals of great magnitude which are believed by geologists to have occurred 17 million years ago, resulting in an extremely rugged external appearance, but its central ridge of high peaks is remarkably scenic. It was also given a situation of extreme isolation, as the nearest land at more than 700 miles to the north-west is Ascension Island of an even smaller size, while the nearest continent is Africa at about 1200 miles due east to a position on the coast of Angola. St. Helena was discovered on 21st May 1502, St. Helena's Day, by the Portuguese navigator, Juan da Nova Castella, who named the Island in honour thereof. For a long period the Portuguese were content to merely use the Island as a water provisioning point on their long voyages, while at the same time trying to keep its existence a secret to prevent other emerging maritime nations from using it. By 1633 the Dutch were laying claim to the Island, but seemingly did not take possession as their interests became focused on other colonies. However the English East India Company having realised the Island's strategic value, seized the initiative in 1659 by establishing a settlement under the command of Captain John Dutton who became the first Governor. Under his direction the building of the first small fort, later named James Fort, was considered sufficient to defend the Island from attack. This view was certainly reinforced by the nature of the Island which had a natural defence barricade of an almost inaccessible surround of high rocky cliffs. As events were to prove, both the Fort and the natural defences were not formidable enough to prevent invasion by the Dutch, but after re-taking the Island in 1673 the East India Company soon began developing a defence strategy which involved a system of fortified lines across the entrances to the very few possible landing places, and when these were all sealed up together with some less vulnerable entrances that only required an unfortified wall, by the mid 18th century St. Helena had become a Fortress that has never been invaded again. This work covers all sectors of the Island's defences that ultimately made St. Helena the South Atlantic Fortress and gave reason for the British Government to select it as the most suitable place for Napoleon's captivity, during which period the Island's garrison was strongly reinforced with British Army regiments. The final chapter gives details of the military units that served on St. Helena. Records appear to be scarce in respect of all those who worked on building the fortifications, but Records of the East India Company reveal that at least up until the early 19th century the penal system enforced a form of punishment whereby many offenders were ordered to work on the fortifications for a period, and there can be no doubt that slaves were often pressed into service. The St. Helena Regiments certainly participated in a supervisory - 1 - South Atlantic Fortress capacity, and the Royal Engineers who served intermittently on the Island from 1816 until 1945, were actively involved. Very good examples of the stonemasons' craft are evident at many of these old fortifications which were basically built from local stone, but Portland and Purbeck stone brought out from England as ballast in sailing ships, was often used in selective positions, especially for gun platforms because of its load bearing advantage. Many gaps in the period of origin for forts and batteries were narrowed down from information given by a Report on the Fortifications of the Island, made by Major James Rennell in 1777. He was an eminent geographer and military engineer who served in India for a long period with the East India Company as Surveyor-General. Equally valuable was the data for spot heights above sea level of many fortifications, these being obtained from large scale elevation charts of the Island made in 1823 by Major Robert Seale of the St. Helena Artillery Regiment. The author visited every fortification in this work and can vouch for the great difficulty of access to many of them. How much more difficult was their actual construction can only be left to the imagination.