Fort Tantumquery is a

military structure Military organization or military organisation is the structuring of the armed forces of a State (polity), state so as to offer such military capability as a military policy, national defense policy may require. In some countries paramilitary ...

designed to facilitate the

slave trade Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

. The

Royal African Company The Royal African Company (RAC) was an English mercantile (trade, trading) company set up in 1660 by the royal House of Stuart, Stuart family and City of London merchants to trade along the West Africa, west coast of Africa. It was led by the J ...

built it in the 1720s, at

Otuam Otuam (also Tantum) is a town in Ekumfi District, Central Region, Ghana. ''Nana'' Amuah-Afenyi VI (born Peggielene Bartels in 1953), known informally as King Peggy, is the reigning chief of a clan (Ebriadze Abusua) of the town. She is the head of ...

in the

Mfantsiman Municipal District Mfantsiman Municipal District is one of the twenty-two districts in Central Region, Ghana, Central Region, Ghana. Originally created as an ordinary district assembly in 1988 when it was known as Mfantsiman District, which was created from the for ...

, Central Region, Ghana, in what was known at the time as the

Gold Coast Gold Coast may refer to: Places Africa * Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana: ** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642) ** Dutch G ...

. In 1727 William Smith surveyed it after the RAC had appointed him to review their castles in Africa following disturbing reports that they were unprofitable. Smith described it as follows: :"The next Day, at Noon we anchor'd at ''Tantumquery'' in Nine Fathoms Water. I went ashore and finding their Tank pretty low, could get but Four Casks of Water which I sent off in our Yaul. This is a pretty litte regular Fort having Four Flankers, on which are mounted Twelve Pieces of Ordnance. It is pleasantly situated near the Sea Side. The Landing-place, indeed, is but very indifferent, I have seen Eight fishing Canoes out of Fifteen overset at their Landing here, by which unlucky accident they lost all their fish. "

References

{{coord missing, Ghana History of Ghana Castles in Ghana Dutch Gold Coast Tantumquery African Company of Merchants