From a Corsican headland to Canada
Where the idea came from, why Britain built so many towers so fast, and what happened to them afterwards.
Jump to: Mortella, 1794 | The name | The invasion scare | The south coast | The east coast | Ireland, Orkney and Canada | Later lives | For teachers
Mortella, 1794
The name and the shape come from a small defensive tower at Punta Mortella, in the bay of San Fiorenzo in Corsica. Historic England, Heritage Calling blog: A Brief Introduction to Martello Towers The Corsican towers had first been built to protect coastal villages from North African pirates. Wish Tower Friends: 1794 to 1808, design inspiration and construction
Royal Museums Greenwich says the tower beat off two British ships by firing red-hot shot from the large gun on its roof. Royal Museums Greenwich: Mortella Tower, Corsica (elevation), 1794 The red-hot shot started a fire in the Fortitude, which also had six men killed. Royal Museums Greenwich: Mortella Tower, Corsica (elevation), 1794
English Heritage gives HMS Fortitude 74 guns and HMS Juno 32 guns, against a tower with just three guns. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower Royal Museums Greenwich calls the two ships, Juno and Fortitude, “two British 74-gun ships”. Royal Museums Greenwich: Mortella Tower, Corsica (elevation), 1794
Historic Environment Scotland says two small cannon on the tower beat off two British warships with a combined firepower of 106 guns. Historic Environment Scotland: Hackness Battery and Martello Tower, history and stories
The Wish Tower Friends date the ships’ attack to 8 February 1794. Wish Tower Friends: 1794 to 1808, design inspiration and construction The Wish Tower Friends say the tower’s two large 18-pounder guns fired back and set off an ammunition box on HMS Fortitude, killing six sailors and wounding 56. Wish Tower Friends: 1794 to 1808, design inspiration and construction
The big 18-pounders could only fire out to sea; only the smaller six-pounder could fire towards land. Wish Tower Friends: 1794 to 1808, design inspiration and construction
The tower was held by a small French force under a determined army ensign called Thomas Le Tellier. Royal Museums Greenwich: Mortella Tower, Corsica (elevation), 1794
Royal Museums Greenwich says the tower was taken on 10 February 1794, after bombardment from sea and land. Royal Museums Greenwich: Mortella Tower, Corsica (elevation), 1794 The British Army struggled to capture the Mortella tower in 1794, and when they left Corsica in 1796 they demolished most of it. Historic England, Heritage Calling blog: A Brief Introduction to Martello Towers
Lord Hood wrote that the walls of the tower “were of a prodigious thickness”. Wish Tower Friends: 1794 to 1808, design inspiration and construction
English Heritage says gun towers were not a new idea, but Corsica in 1794 had just shown how well they could defend a coast. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower After Mortella, the first towers of this kind were built on Minorca, in Ireland and in Guernsey. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
The name
Letters written at the time misspelt Mortella as “Martello”, and the misspelling has stuck. Historic England, Heritage Calling blog: A Brief Introduction to Martello Towers In a letter of 5 August 1794 Hood spelt “Mortella Bay” as “Martello Bay” again and again. Wish Tower Friends: 1794 to 1808, design inspiration and construction
Historic Environment Scotland says Martello towers take their name from Mortella Point, Corsica. Historic Environment Scotland: Hackness Battery and Martello Tower, history and stories The James Joyce Tower says the word “Martello” is a mishearing of “Mortella”. James Joyce Tower: The Martello Tower
Royal Museums Greenwich says “mortella” is Italian for myrtle, and that “martello” meaning hammer is just a coincidence. Royal Museums Greenwich: Mortella Tower, Corsica (elevation), 1794
The Wish Tower Friends think Lord Hood is probably responsible for the name “Martello”. Wish Tower Friends: 1794 to 1808, design inspiration and construction They give another possible explanation: a mix-up with Italian watchtowers called “Torri di Martello”, whose warning bells were struck with a hammer, or “martello”. Wish Tower Friends: 1794 to 1808, design inspiration and construction
Historic England’s list entry for tower 24 says the design was based on a tower at Mortella in Sicily that held out against British forces in 1793. Historic England: Martello tower no 24 at Dymchurch (list entry 1014626)
The invasion scare
In 1803 Britain went to war with France again. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower Napoleon gathered “the Army of the Ocean Coasts” around Boulogne, on the Channel coast. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
French shipbuilders made barges to carry this army across the Channel. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower The French aim was to capture London. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
In 1803 Britain’s army was about 30,000 short of the French 160,000. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
In July 1803 Captain William Ford, the Commanding Royal Engineer at Dover, proposed square towers along the south coast. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
At a national defence conference at Rochester in October 1804, a scheme for towers was agreed in principle. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower The plan settled on 74 Martello towers of elliptical shape and two larger round forts, called redoubts. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
Major General William Twiss, the military engineer for the whole Southern District, was in general charge of the work. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower The building work went to a London builder, William Hobson. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
They were built to strengthen batteries, protect coast where landings were likely, and guard estuaries and marshland sluices. Historic England, Heritage Calling blog: A Brief Introduction to Martello Towers
Historic England says 194 towers were built in Britain and its dependencies between 1796 and 1815. Historic England, Heritage Calling blog: A Brief Introduction to Martello Towers
The immediate threat of invasion was over late in 1805, but a possible threat lasted until 1812 and work went on. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
The south coast
English Heritage says 74 towers were built along the south coast in Kent and East Sussex, largely between 1805 and 1808. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower The south coast towers were numbered 1 to 74, from east to west. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
There were three main groups: between Folkestone and Dungeness, along Winchelsea Beach, and between Rye and Eastbourne, with one tower further west at Seaford. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
Kent had 27 towers, from Folkestone west to St Mary’s Bay; Sussex had 47 more, from no. 28 at Rye to no. 74 at Seaford. Wish Tower Friends: 1794 to 1808, design inspiration and construction
So many landings were feared at Eastbourne that 17 towers were built from Pevensey Bay to Eastbourne. Wish Tower Friends: 1794 to 1808, design inspiration and construction
There were plans for more towers, as far west as Littlehampton, but they were never built. Wish Tower Friends: 1794 to 1808, design inspiration and construction
Tower 24 and its twin were built in 1805 to 1806, in a chain of 21 towers guarding Romney Marsh between Hythe and Rye. Historic England: Martello tower no 24 at Dymchurch (list entry 1014626)
Three large round ten-gun forts called redoubts were also built; two survive, at Eastbourne and Dymchurch. Historic England: Martello tower no 24 at Dymchurch (list entry 1014626)
The east coast
Between 1809 and 1812, 29 more towers were built along about 60 miles of coast from Point Clear, near St Osyth in Essex, to Aldeburgh in Suffolk (English Heritage). English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower Historic England’s blog dates the 29 east coast towers to 1808 to 1812. Historic England, Heritage Calling blog: A Brief Introduction to Martello Towers
The east coast towers have letters, not numbers: A at St Osyth to CC at Slaughden, just south of Aldeburgh, starting again at AA after Z. Historic England, Heritage Calling blog: A Brief Introduction to Martello Towers
The east coast towers are thought better built: builders had more experience by then, and less hurry. Historic England, Heritage Calling blog: A Brief Introduction to Martello Towers
Historic England says the Aldeburgh tower is the most northerly and the largest built during the Napoleonic War. Historic England: Martello Tower, Aldeburgh (list entry 1269724)
Ireland, Orkney and Canada
The order to build Martello Tower No. 11 at Sandycove was made in June 1804. James Joyce Tower: The Martello Tower Around 50 towers were built along the Irish coast. James Joyce Tower: The Martello Tower
Dublin alone had 28 towers, 16 south of the city and 12 north, a chain of lookouts from Bray to Balbriggan. James Joyce Tower: The Martello Tower The Dublin towers were built within sight of each other, to pass on warnings quickly. James Joyce Tower: The Martello Tower
Hackness Battery and Martello Tower in Orkney were built in 1813 to 1814, at the height of the Napoleonic Wars. Historic Environment Scotland: Hackness Battery and Martello Tower, history and stories French and American warships were attacking British and Scandinavian merchant ships going “north about”, round Orkney. Historic Environment Scotland: Hackness Battery and Martello Tower, history and stories
Apart from a tower guarding the port of Leith, Hackness and Crockness were the only Martello towers built in Scotland. Historic Environment Scotland: Hackness Battery and Martello Tower, history and stories
Parks Canada calls the Prince of Wales Tower, part of the Halifax Defence Complex in Nova Scotia, the first and oldest Martello tower in North America. Parks Canada: Activities and experiences, Prince of Wales Tower National Historic Site Parks Canada dates its building to 1796 to 1799, on the orders of Edward, Duke of Kent. Parks Canada, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations: Prince of Wales Tower
It was changed in the early 1800s to look more like the Martello towers that had become standard in British coastal defence. Parks Canada, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations: Prince of Wales Tower
Carleton Martello Tower in Saint John, New Brunswick, was begun by the British Army in the War of 1812 and finished in 1815. Parks Canada, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations: Carleton Martello Tower
The Kingston Fortifications in Ontario include Fort Henry, Fort Frederick, Murney Tower, Shoal Tower and Cathcart Martello Tower, built between 1832 and 1848. Parks Canada: Kingston Fortifications National Historic Site
Later lives
The towers were never tested in battle. Historic England, Heritage Calling blog: A Brief Introduction to Martello Towers Historic England says the design was soon made out of date by new, heavier guns. Historic England: Martello tower no 24 at Dymchurch (list entry 1014626)
Towers 1 to 27 had all been disarmed by 1817. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
After the threat passed, some towers were pulled down for their materials, and some became coastguard stations watching for smugglers. Historic England, Heritage Calling blog: A Brief Introduction to Martello Towers
From 1819, or earlier, until 1832, tower 24 was a station for the Coast Blockade, a naval force set up in 1816 to fight smuggling. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower In 1832 the Coastguard took over, and tower 24 became a Coastguard station. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
Its first gun was a 24-pounder, replaced in 1866 by a 68-pounder. Historic Environment Scotland: Hackness Battery and Martello Tower, history and stories The 1866 upgrade was a response to a feared threat from the American Fenian Brotherhood. Historic Environment Scotland: Hackness Battery and Martello Tower, history and stories
Because of the Fenian threat, Carleton was armed for the first time, with two 32-pounder guns on its flat roof. Parks Canada: The 1840s to Confederation, Carleton Martello Tower By the 1860s, rifled guns had badly weakened what Martello towers could stand up to. Parks Canada: The 1840s to Confederation, Carleton Martello Tower
In 1864 it became a defended gunpowder store, which is why it survived. Parks Canada, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations: Prince of Wales Tower
Some were used again in the 20th century, as wireless stations and observation posts in the World Wars and the Cold War. Historic England, Heritage Calling blog: A Brief Introduction to Martello Towers
On 13 June 1944, Royal Observer Corps observers on top of the tower reported the first V1 flying bomb to enter the UK. English Heritage: History of Dymchurch Martello Tower
Many have been lost to erosion, and many survivors are now private homes. Historic England, Heritage Calling blog: A Brief Introduction to Martello Towers
Historic Environment Scotland says the Mortella fight so impressed the British that they built more than 100 towers. Historic Environment Scotland: Hackness Battery and Martello Tower, history and stories Historic Environment Scotland says more than 100 similar towers were built along England’s south coast when Napoleon threatened to invade in 1803. Historic Environment Scotland: Hackness Battery and Martello Tower, history and stories
For teachers: where this fits
At KS2 the national curriculum includes a local history study, which can be a site from a period beyond 1066 that is significant in the locality. Department for Education: National curriculum in England, history programmes of study (GOV.UK) KS2 also includes a study of an aspect or theme in British history that goes beyond 1066. Department for Education: National curriculum in England, history programmes of study (GOV.UK)
At KS3 pupils study ideas, political power, industry and empire: Britain, 1745 to 1901. Department for Education: National curriculum in England, history programmes of study (GOV.UK) The KS3 examples include the French Revolutionary wars. Department for Education: National curriculum in England, history programmes of study (GOV.UK)
Pupils should discern how and why contrasting arguments and interpretations of the past have been constructed. Department for Education: National curriculum in England, history programmes of study (GOV.UK) The curriculum names concepts such as continuity and change, cause and consequence, similarity, difference and significance. Department for Education: National curriculum in England, history programmes of study (GOV.UK)
Our sources give dates and totals in different ways, and some disagree by a year or count different groups of towers. We copy each figure as its source gives it, rather than converting, so every figure matches its link. Things that can change, like whether entry is free, show the date we checked them. See when sources disagree for the open questions side by side.
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