Fort Monckton

Fort Monckton is a historic military fort on the eastern end of Stokes Bay, Gosport, Hampshire. Built to protect Portsmouth harbour at the start of the American War of Independence, it was rebuilt in the 1880s as a Palmerston fort.

Despite several previous plans which noted the exposed nature of Portsmouth harbour to attack, it was not until the American War of Independence that construction of a defensive fort was started on the site in 1779.

The Governor of Portsmouth Lt. General Sir Robert Monckton told his Commanding Engineer, Lt. Col. John Archer to draw up plans for the defence of Stokes Bay. In 1779 the Gilkicker Sea Mark was demolished to provide clear ground for a new temporary fort, which consisted of a 6 feet (1.8 m) thick earth bank, supported by fascines. So poor was the structure, that the tents of the billeted soldiers blew away in 1780, while the site was so exposed that it was used as a sighting point by ships entering Portsmouth harbour.

Archer proposed a new permanent structure, which was accepted in July 1780. Known as The Fort at Gilkicker, construction started in September 1780. However, using civilian and often supplemented by conscript labour, construction speed was slow and the design came under criticism from Charles Lennox, 3rd Duke of Richmond, who in 1782 was appointed as Master-General of the Ordnance. After Archer was removed from his post in 1783 construction was taken over by engineer officer James Glenie, who himself was removed in 1784.

Construction again slowed, and after much more controversy in its design and naming, it was renamed Fort Monckton after the now deceased Robert Monckton, and completed just before the French Revolution of 1793.

In 1872 the outdated armament was a mixture of smooth bore guns: two 8-inch, nine 32pr, two 24pr, six 18pr, two 12pr all Smooth Bore with two 7-inch Rifled Breech Loading guns. It was proposed to change this to five 7-inch R.M.L. guns and six 64pr R.M.L. guns. In 1886 the armament mounted was: eleven 8-inch S.B. five 7-inch R.B.L. guns and six 64pr R.M.L. guns. By 1891 the armament had been reduced to six 64pr R.M.L. guns, two on ordinary sliding carriages and the other four on standing carriages. These were mounted two to each of 1, 2 and 5 Bastions. By this time accommodation within the fort was for eight officers with 70 NCOs and men. There wer also quarters for 15 married soldiers.

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