Reasons for Designation
The Isles of Scilly, the westernmost of the granite masses of south west
England, contain a remarkable abundance and variety of archaeological remains
from over 4000 years of human activity. The remote physical setting of the
islands, over 40km beyond the mainland in the approaches to the English
Channel, has lent a distinctive character to those remains, producing many
unusual features important for our broader understanding of the social
development of early communities.
Throughout the human occupation there has been a gradual submergence of the
islands' land area, providing a stimulus to change in the environment and its
exploitation. This process has produced evidence for responses to such change
against an independent time-scale, promoting integrated studies of
archaeological, environmental and linguistic aspects of the islands'
settlement.
The islands' archaeological remains demonstrate clearly the gradually
expanding size and range of contacts of their communities. By the post-
medieval period (from AD 1540), the islands occupied a nationally strategic
location, resulting in an important concentration of defensive works
reflecting the development of fortification methods and technology from the
mid 16th to the 20th centuries. An important and unusual range of post-
medieval monuments also reflects the islands' position as a formidable hazard
for the nation's shipping in the western approaches.
The exceptional preservation of the archaeological remains on the islands has
long been recognised, producing an unusually full and detailed body of
documentation, including several recent surveys.
Artillery castles were constructed as strong stone defensive structures
designed specifically to house heavy guns. Most date from the period of Henry
VIII's maritime defence programme between 1539 and 1545, though the earliest
and latest examples date from 1481 and 1561 respectively. They were usually
sited to protect a harbour entrance, anchorage or similar feature.
These monuments represent some of the earliest structures built exclusively
for the new use of artillery in warfare and can be attributed to a relatively
short time span in English history. Their architecture is specific in terms of
date and function and represents an important aspect of the development of
defensive structures generally.
Although documentary sources suggest that 36 examples originally existed, all
on the east, south and south east coasts of England, only 21 survive, all
examples of which are considered to be of national importance. Two of these
are situated on the Isles of Scilly: Harry's Walls on St Mary's and King
Charles' Castle on Tresco; both originating in the same phase of fortification
during the reign of King Edward VI. The islands also contain a third
fortification, the Star Castle on St Mary's, which is closely related to, but
slightly later than, the artillery castles.
Standing stones are prehistoric ritual monuments dating to the later Neolithic
and Bronze Age (c.2500-700 BC). They comprise single or paired upright slabs,
ranging in height from uder 1m to over 6m where still erect. Although often
conspicuously sited, many are located in relatively sheltered settings.
Excavations have demonstrated sub-surface features adjacent to standing
stones, including funerary cists, spreads of pebbles and various pits and
hollows. In addition to having a ritual function, standing stones may have
acted as markers for routeways, territorial boundaries, graves and meeting
points. Standing stones are important for our understanding of ritual,
territoriality and land use among prehistoric communities. Estimates suggest
that about 250 standing stones are known nationally. Seven examples are known
to survive on the Isles of Scilly, all of which are considered to be of
national importance.
This artillery castle, known as `Harry's Walls', has survived well to the
point where its initial construction was abandoned. Despite some subsequent
robbing of facing stone, it displays clearly the essential details of its
design. As the earliest fort in this country whose plan was wholly based on
Italian-derived designs of angled bastions and orillons, this monument
occupies an important place in the development of military fortifications that
is reflected in its mention in national reviews of the subject. In this
respect, the survival of the detailed contemporary ground plan of this
artillery castle's intended form is a rare and valuable supplement to the
uncompleted physical remains. This is further strengthened by the other
surviving contemporary documentation giving both specific and broader
historical details surrounding the commencement of this castle. The premature
abandonment of this artillery castle preserves rare evidence for the manner in
which such strongholds were constructed, evidence usually masked or destroyed
in a completed structure. The poor siting and resulting failure to complete
the artillery castle, coupled with its wealth of related historical
documentation, also gives a rare insight into how fortifications were planned
in this period and the degree of central control and bureaucracy involved.
The standing stone in this monument has also survived well, despite its modern
support cladding. Its situation on a small cairn is rare and the antiquity of
this association receives unusually early confirmation in its mention by
Borlase. The failure of the workers on the artillery castle to topple this
standing stone for use in their structure demonstrates a respect for such
antiquities that has sometimes persisted in the folklore of recent
communities. The stone's survival is also considered to reflect its useful
siting as a navigational aid for seamen entering St Mary's Pool, a role now
superseded by the modern marker adjacent to the standing stone.
Details
The monument includes an unfinished artillery castle, known as Harry's Walls,
dating to the mid-16th century and situated on the shallow-domed summit of
Mount Flagon, overlooking St Mary's Pool, on south western St Mary's in the
Isles of Scilly. A prehistoric standing stone is situated adjacent to the
north west side of the artillery castle. The artillery castle and the land
including the standing stone are in the care of the Secretary of State.
The artillery castle is defined along its south west side by a massive stone
curtain wall terminating in a pointed bastion at each end, facing west and
south respectively. The north west side of the artillery castle is defined by
an unfinished rock-cut ditch.
The curtain wall along the south west side of the castle measures 27m long
along its outer face, by up to 6.6m wide, and rises up to 1.7m high externally
and 1m high internally. It is faced on each side by granite blocks, generally
0.5m long by 0.2m high, with granite rubble infilling the wall core. Many of
the facing blocks have been robbed in later periods for use as building
material elsewhere, exposing the rubble core in the sides. A drain passes
through the curtain wall near its midpoint; its inner-face opening is above
the present ground surface there but indicates the intended floor level within
the finished structure.
At the ends of the curtain wall are large pointed bastions, both of similar
design and built of faced rubble walling, similar to the curtain wall. Each
bastion is defined by a massive acutely-angled wall pointing directly away
from the corner of the castle, the outer faces of the point set well forward
of the lines of the existing and projected curtain walls. The bastion walls
average 21m long along the outer faces and 5m wide. These walls rise up to
2.3m high externally, in the castle's west bastion, though their height varies
considerably to accommodate changes in the slope around the hill. Along the
base of the walls, footing slabs project up to 0.6m from the faces. The angled
outer walls of each bastion are joined to the ends of the curtain wall by a
short linking wall. These linking walls are set slightly back from the
projecting ends of the bastions' outer faces, those projections being termed
`orillons'. The linking walls, surviving from 1.2m to 1.9m high, were designed
to mount guns which would provide flanking fire along the outside of the
curtain wall. These guns would be protected by the generally higher level of
the bastions' outer walls and by their situation at the base of the recesses
created by the orillons. Within each bastion is a small subtriangular internal
area linked to the castle's interior by a narrow entry passage through the
walls. These passage remains incomplete in the west bastion, which retains
evidence for paved internal flooring. In the south bastion the entry passage
measures 1.2m wide, defined on its east side by a small stub of the south east
curtain wall, the only part of that wall to have been built.
Apart from the stub of the south east curtain, work on the artillery castle
was abandoned before the curtain walls facing north west, north east and south
east, or the north and east bastions were constructed. However along the north
west side, immediately beyond the projected line of the north west curtain
wall, work was commenced on a broad ditch cut into the granite bedrock. The
ditch, also unfinished, survives over 25m long and is generally 8m wide at
ground level and 1.2m deep. Fractured outcrops of bedrock are visible along
its sides and similarly irregular bedrock protrusions occur along the roughly
flattened floor.
The surviving south west curtain wall, the stub of the south east curtain wall
and the north west ditch indicate an intended square interior for the castle
measuring approximately 30m from side to side. No surface remains of internal
buildings are presently visible though traces of such, parallel to the
south west curtain wall, have been recorded by a previous observer.
During preparation for public display, clearance of some deposits overlying
the masonry at the artillery castle revealed a spherical iron shot, 8.25cm
diameter, appropriate to have been used in a 16th century form of small cannon
called a saker. This clearance also revealed that after abandonment the
castle's site was used as a dump for rubbish, which filled the bastions and
contained quantities of 17th and 18th century pottery. This clearance episode
also confirmed that the extant remains of the artillery castle are incomplete
because the structure was not finished, rather than as a result of
stone-robbing in subsequent periods.
In addition to its physical remains, our knowledge of this artillery castle is
considerably amplified by reference to it in several contemporary and later
documents. Of especial importance among these is an undated but broadly
contemporary detailed measured plan identified as depicting the intended final
form and manner of armament of this artillery castle. The dimensions given on
the plan correspond closely, and often exactly, with the visible physical
remains at this monument. The plan is entitled: `This fortress begonne in oure
ladies ilande for the defence of the whole Isles, and not finished, the tymber
work for the same alredy framid to the setting up, with a brew house and a
milne lying in South Wales, redy to be conveyed to the saide Isles, when order
may be given as touching the same'. The plan confirms the intended square
curtain wall with acutely-pointed bastions at each corner, each with orillons
to protect guns giving flanking fire along the curtain wall. A parapet is
shown along the top of the bastion walls, while the curtain wall is depicted
as having a stepped inner profile. Within the curtain wall is a range of
internal buildings along each side, around a square central courtyard, 12.8m
across.
Historical research has demonstrated that this artillery castle was begun in
1551, during the reign of Edward VI, as part of a major phase of fortification
of the Isles of Scilly undertaken from 1547-1554 to counter threats from
France. A letter of instruction survives dated 27 May 1551 ordering John
Killigrew, the paymaster of the fortification works, to `make the fort in our
Ladies Isle on Scilly uppon the little hill betwixt the freshe water and St
Marie Roode ...', according to a plan being sent with his son, and with
supplementary instructions for a brew house and horse mill outside the castle.
This location identifies the site of this monument precisely, and the latter
structures conform to the intended arrangements given on the plan mentioned
above; the use of timber from Wales as stated on the plan is also confirmed in
documents ordering supplies for this phase of fortification. Further documents
relate to the building work continuing in 1552 and 1553. In May 1554, two
sakers were referred to as mounted `apon the wales of the new forte or plott
to beat the harbour ... ', which has been identified with this monument. By
1554, some of the garrison on St Mary's was transferred to Tresco, reflecting
a shift to that island in the focus of fortification that resulted in the
completion of King Charles' Castle as the principal stronghold built in this
phase. No further mention of this artillery castle is present in later
accounts of the islands' defences.
This artillery castle is the first fortification in this country to have been
provided entirely with angled-bastions and straight orillons. This style of
bastioned defence was developed in Italy and was at the forefront of military
engineering design when it was used for the plan here. The failure to complete
this artillery castle has been ascribed to the unsuitability of the site,
whose features were clearly not understood when the plan was drawn up. The
crown of Mount Flagon is too small to accommodate the size of this artillery
castle as intended on its plan; the bastions needed to have been built high
above the steeply sloping hill to maintain cover along the curtain wall, and
this would have rendered the bastion faces both conspicuous and vulnerable to
attackers. The site was also strategically poor, covering only the bay itself
of St Mary's Pool but masked by surrounding promontories and headlands from
covering the important approaches to the anchorage.
The prehistoric standing stone is situated near the summit of the hill, 0.5m
beyond the outer edge of the artillery castle's rock cut ditch, towards its
northern end. The standing stone is visible as an upright granite slab, 2.75m
high, whose lowermost 0.6m above the ground is embedded within a modern
cladding of concreted rubble to assist in the slab's support. Where it emerges
from the cladding, the slab measures 0.8m WNW-ESE by 0.3m thick, and it tapers
to 0.4m WNW-ESE by 0.2m thick at the tip. The faces and edges are heavily
weathered and irregular. Each principal face bears a small subtriangular pit,
2cm in diameter and located 1.5m above the ground, resulting from a relatively
recent unfinished attempt to perforate the slab. The base of the slab, with
the modern cladding, is situated within a slightly raised sub-circular cairn
whose mound measures 7m north east-south west by 4.5m north west-south east,
rising up to 0.7m high on the north west. The south east edge of this cairn is
truncated by the rock-cut ditch of the artillery castle, where it can be seen
to be underlain by the granite bedrock, however much of the remainder of this
cairn supporting the standing stone is considered to be artificial. This
standing stone was recorded by the antiquary Borlase in 1756, describing it as
`on a little tumulus near Harry's Battery'. A modern navigation aid with
cross-arms on a steel post and set in a concrete plinth also stands on the
cairn immediately north west of the cladding around the standing stone.
All English Heritage notices, fittings, stored materials, the modern
navigation aid north west of the standing stone, together with its concrete
base, power line and service trench, the gate, telegraph pole, guy and supply
lines at the north east edge of the monument are excluded from the scheduling,
although the ground beneath is included.
MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.
It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features,
considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.
