BlockhouseA blockhouse is a small fortification, usually consisting of one or more rooms with loopholes, allowing its defenders to fire in various directions. It is usually an isolated fort in the form of a single building, serving as a defensive strong point against any enemy that does not possess siege equipment or, in modern times, artillery, air force or cruise missiles.
Bernard de GommeSir Bernard de Gomme (1620 – 23 November 1685) was a Dutch military engineer. By some he is considered the most important figure in 17th-century English military engineering. Early lifeDe Gomme was born in Terneuzen, Zeeland as the son of Maria Huybrechts and Pieter de Gomme, who in 1631 was in charge of supplies at the Dutch fortresses of Lillo and Liefkenshoek on either side of the mouth of the Scheldt near Antwerp.
BastionA bastion is a structure projecting outward from the curtain wall of a fortification, most commonly angular in shape and positioned at the corners of the fort. The fully developed bastion consists of two faces and two flanks, with fire from the flanks being able to protect the curtain wall and the adjacent bastions.
MoatA moat is a deep, broad ditch dug around a castle, fortification, building or garrisonedtown, either dry or filled with water, historically to provide the site with a preliminary line of defence, particularly against siege engines. Moats typically deny all direct land access except at a few narrow locations traversed by drawbridges, bridges or causeways, into which a siege will be funneled and thus easier to defend against.
River Thames0Thames Head1A433 Fosse Way/Tetbury Road Thames Bridge 2bridleway bridge 3A429 Bridge 4Parker's Bridge for Thames Path ("TP") 5unnamed (the south) lane, Ewen (to/from Poole Keynes) & for TP 6Former Washburn's Mill footbridge for TP 7footbridge above Old Mill Farm 8footbridge 9footbridge above Neigh Bridge Lake for TP 10Neigh Bridge 11Oaksey Road Bridge for TP 11Cul de sac bridge Cotswold Water Park hamlet 12Lower Mill Estate bridge 1 13Lower Mill Estate bridge 2 14Lower Mill…
Anglo-Dutch warsSeries of wars during the 17th and 18th centuries Anglo-Dutch warsThe Four Days' Battle, by Abraham StorckDate 1652–1654 First Anglo-Dutch War 1665–1667 Second Anglo-Dutch War 1672–1674 Third Anglo-Dutch War 1780–1784 Fourth Anglo-Dutch WarLocationEnglish Channel, North Sea The Anglo–Dutch wars (Dutch: Engels–Nederlandse Oorlogen) were a series of four conflicts fought between the Dutch Republic and the states of England and Great Britain between 1652 and 1784.
Artillery batteryIn military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit or multiple systems of artillery, mortar systems, rocket artillery, multiple rocket launchers, surface-to-surface missiles, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, grouped to facilitate better battlefield communication and command and control, as well as to provide dispersion for its constituent gunnery crews and their systems. The term is also used in a naval context to describe groups of guns on warships.
Spanish ArmadaFleet sailing against England in 1588Belligerents EnglandDutch RepublicSpainPortugalCommanders and leadersCharles HowardFrancis DrakeJohn HawkinsJustinus van Nassau7th Duke of Medina SidoniaJuan de Recalde †Miguel de Oquendo †Diego de Medrano †Pedro de Valdés Strength34 warships163 armed merchant vessels (30 more than 200 tons)30 flyboatsTotal197 ships16,000 menArmada24 warships44 armed merchant vessels38 auxiliary vessels31 supply vessels2,431 artillery pieces10,138 sailors19,315 soldiers (90% Spaniards, 10% Portuguese)Spanish Netherlands31,800 soldiers170 bargesTotal55,000 men137 shipsCasualties and lossesEnglish Channel actionsNo ships lostBattle of Gravelines:50–100 dead400 wounded8 fireships burntDisease: 2,000–3,000 dead English Channel actions2 galleons captured397 capturedBattle of Gravelines:More than 600 dead800 woundedFive ships sunk or capturedOverall:c. 44 ships lost(10 scuttled)11,000–20,000 deadThe Spanish Armada (often known as Invincible Armada, or the Enterprise of England, Spanish: Grande y Felicísima Armada, lit.
GunpowderGunpowder, referred to as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, charcoal (which is mostly carbon), and potassium nitrate (saltpeter). The sulfur and charcoal act as fuels, while the saltpeter is an oxidizer.
Napoleonic Wars1803–1815 series of wars led by NapoleonBelligerentsCoalition forces: United Kingdom Habsburg monarchy Holy Roman Empire HanoverLiechtensteinand others... Austria Hungary Russia PrussiaSpainPortugalSwedenand others...
Device FortsThe Device Forts, also known as Henrician castles and blockhouses, were a series of artillery fortifications built to defend the coast of England and Wales by Henry VIII. Traditionally, the Crown had left coastal defences in the hands of local lords and communities but the threat of French and Spanish invasion led the King to issue an order, called a "device", for a major programme of work between 1539 and 1547.
English Civil WarThe English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Royalists and Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Three Kingdoms, the struggle consisted of the First English Civil War and the Second English Civil War. The Anglo-Scottish war of 1650 to 1652 is sometimes referred to as the Third English Civil War.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.