Fort Charles was built between 1650 and 1660, the first fort constructed in Port Royal,

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

Location

Fort Charles is located in the small town of Port Royal in Jamaica. The town was founded on a natural harbour and Fort Charles was constructed to guard its entrance. According to Donny L. Hamilton, the fort was situated at the tip of the sand spit separating Kingston Harbour from the Caribbean.3. Hamilton, Donny L. "Background History of Port Royal." Background History of Port Royal. Nautical Archaeology Program, Texas A&M University, 2000. Web. 03 May 2015. The fort is almost completely surrounded by water.

History

In 1654, Jamaica was under Spanish control and

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

was at war with

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...

, Lord Protector of England, sent an expedition to invade the Spanish island Hispaniola. When the expedition failed, its leaders did not want to return home in shame. They turned their attention to capturing Jamaica, which was poorly defended. The buccaneer

Henry Morgan Sir Henry Morgan ( cy, Harri Morgan; – 25 August 1688) was a privateer, plantation owner, and, later, Lieutenant Governor of Jamaica. From his base in Port Royal, Jamaica, he raided settlements and shipping on the Spanish Main, becoming wea ...

was a member of the invading force led by William Penn and Venables. By May 1655, the English gained control of the island, and began construction of a fortified stronghold to defend their new acquisition. The fort was completed in 1655 and was the first of six forts to be built and manned by a garrison in Jamaica. It was initially referred to as Passage Fort and after it was finished it was given the name "Fort Cromwell" in honour of the patron of the expedition and leader of the Commonwealth at the time. However, it received its present name after the restoration of the monarchy under Charles II. By 1667 it had 40 guns while in 1765 it had 104 guns and a garrison of 500 men. It was damaged by both the 1692 Jamaica earthquake and the

1907 Kingston earthquake The 1907 Kingston earthquake which shook the capital of the island of Jamaica with a magnitude of 6.2 on the moment magnitude scale on Monday January 14, at about 3:30 p.m. local time (20:36 Coordinated universal time, UTC), is described by t ...

, which later resulted in the tilting of the

Giddy House First built in 1880 near Fort Charles (Jamaica), Fort Charles, Jamaica, Giddy House was originally a Royal Artillery House meant to store weapons and gunpowder for the adjacent Victoria and Albert Battery. After Port Royal, Jamaica, Port Royal ...

, now a minor tourist attraction.

Scenery

Fort Charles was built in the shape of a ship. According to Don Philpott, the fort is very well preserved with its rows of semi-circular gun ports. Along every other row of the outer wall of the fort are cannons lined adjacently. According to Amitabh Sharma, “The red-bricked asymmetrical fortification once stood guard, warding off intruders and intimidating them with a battery of high calibre guns that were strategically mounted in the periphery”.

The Fort today

Today, Fort Charles is still standing tall. After the numerous hurricanes and earthquakes, the fort did undergo some natural changes. The set up of the lined cannons on the outside wall is fairly the same. The only thing that differs from before the earthquake in 1692 is that there is now a museum located inside of the fort.

References

{{Use dmy dates, date=April 2017 National Heritage Sites in Jamaica Forts in Jamaica Buildings and structures in Kingston Parish Tourist attractions in Kingston Parish Museums in Jamaica Monuments and memorials in Jamaica 1660 establishments in the British Empire