Prince Edward's Gate is a city gate at the entrance to

Prince Edward's Road Prince Edward's Road is a one-way road in the British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. It mostly runs between Town Range and Flat Bastion Road. It starts at the northern end of Europa Road by Hargrave's Parade to G ...

in the British Overseas Territory of

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

. It cuts through

Charles V Wall The Charles V Wall is a 16th-century defensive curtain wall that forms part of the fortifications of the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. Originally called ''Muralla de San Benito'' (English: St. Benedict's Wall), it was built in 1540 ...

, one of the 16th century fortifications of Gibraltar at the former southern limit of the city. The gate is adjacent to the west wall of the

Flat Bastion Flat Bastion is a bastion which projects southward from the Charles V Wall in the British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. Once known as the St. Jago's Bastion or the Baluarte de Santiago in Spanish language, Spani ...

, another 16th-century

fortification A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere' ...

. The gate was named after Prince Edward, the future

Duke of Kent Duke of Kent is a title that has been created several times in the peerages of Great Britain and the United Kingdom, most recently as a royal dukedom for the fourth son of King George V. Since 1942, the title has been held by Prince Edwar ...

, and was opened in 1790, the same year the prince arrived at Gibraltar as commander of the

7th Regiment of Foot (Royal Fusiliers) The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in continuous existence for 283 years. It was known as the 7th Regiment of Foot until the Childers Reforms of 1881. The regiment served in many wars ...

. While the gate now has a limited role in the defence of Gibraltar, it continues to provide vehicular and pedestrian access through Charles V Wall. Prince Edward's Gate is

listed Listed may refer to: * Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm * Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic * Endangered species in biology * Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historicall ...

with the

Gibraltar Heritage Trust The Gibraltar Heritage Trust is a non-profit charity established by statute on 1 May 1989 to preserve and promote the cultural natural heritage of the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. Funding and responsibilities The Trust collaborates wit ...

History

Prince Edward's Gate ''(pictured at right and below)'' is located on Prince Edward's Road in Gibraltar, the British Overseas Territory at the southern end of the

Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, def ...

. The gate is in the Charles V Wall, one of the sixteenth-century fortifications of Gibraltar that formed the early southern defences of the city. Prince Edward's Gate, which was constructed in 1790, extends from the northwest corner of the Flat Bastion, another sixteenth-century fortification which projects southward from the Charles V Wall. The gate was positioned adjacent to the retired flank of the bastion, behind the

orillon An orillon, also known as an orillion, is an architectural element of a military fortification. The ear-shaped projection of masonry provided defense for guns and soldiers at the flank of a bastion. However, an orillon could also shield a city ...

of its west wall ''(pictured in OS map at right)'', to aid in its defence. Prince Edward's Gate overlooked

Trafalgar Cemetery The Trafalgar Cemetery is a cemetery in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. Formerly known as the Southport Ditch Cemetery, it occupies a small area of land just to the south of the city walls, in what had been a defensive ditch durin ...

to the southwest and the former St. Jago's Cemetery to the northwest. There are two guardhouses next to the Prince Edward's Gate. A plaque ''(link below)'' adjacent to the

sentry box A sentry box is a small shelter with an open front in which a sentry or person on guard duty may stand to be sheltered from the weather. Many boxes are decorated in national colours. Compare: In literature The sentry box at the entrance to Buck ...

on the north side of Prince Edward's Gate indicates that it was formerly the site of an inscription: "God and the soldier all men adore in time of trouble and no more, for when war is over and all things righted God is neglected and the old soldier slighted."

Prince Edward

Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn by Sir William Beechey

The gate was named after Prince Edward (2 November 1767 – 23 January 1820), the fourth son of

King George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...

, and later the Duke of Kent (1799) and the father of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

(1819). At the time that the gate was opened, in 1790, the prince ''(pictured at right)'' was serving with the military in Gibraltar, as commander of the 7th Regiment of Foot (Royal Fusiliers). There, he developed a reputation as a strict disciplinarian; the prince and his regiment left Gibraltar for Québec the following year, in 1791. However, the Duke of Kent returned as

Governor of Gibraltar The governor of Gibraltar is the representative of the British monarch in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. The governor is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the British government. The role of the governor is to act as the ...

in May 1802, following the death of Governor General Charles O'Hara who had died the previous February. General Barnett had served as acting governor in the interim. Prince Edward had orders from his brother Prince Frederick, the Duke of York, to restore a sense of military discipline at the garrison. The soldiers had become slovenly, and spent much of their time inebriated. Following his closure of taverns, a mutiny broke out on Christmas Eve 1802. The mutiny and his intended murder had been planned at the Three Guns Tavern, one of only three that the new governor had not closed. The mutiny was unsuccessful but, combined with his general reputation as a harsh disciplinarian, culminated in the duke's forced departure from Gibraltar in 1803. However, he refused to give up his position as governor, which he retained in name only. Subsequently, lieutenant governors served in Gibraltar until the duke's death in 1820.

Legacy

Prince Edward's Gate was the subject of stamps issued by the Gibraltar Philatelic Bureau in 1971 and 1993. The issue in 1971 ''(link below)'' consisted of a pair of stamps, with two versions of the same view of the gate, one from an early nineteenth century print and the other from a twentieth-century photograph. The issue in 1993 ''(link below)'' featured an image of the north side of the gate. Prince Edward's Gate continues to provide access through the Charles V Wall. The gate and its two adjacent guardhouses have been listed with the Gibraltar Heritage Trust.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Google map of Prince Edward's Gate

Photograph of plaque adjacent to Prince Edward's Gate sentry box

Photograph of 1971 stamps

Photograph of 1993 stamp
Transport in Gibraltar City gates in Gibraltar