Why did Henry VIII build Southsea Castle and what has it to do with his wives and the Mary Rose?
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The Cowdray Engraving.
Why did Henry VIII build Southsea Castle?
The simple answer to this question is that Henry’s marital and succession problems resulted in England being faced with invasion from the two biggest powers at the time, France and Spain who were supported by the Pope. If their invasion hopes had happened, England would have been easily defeated. Diplomatically he could try to split this alliance and militarily he decided to strengthen his fleet and build castles all along the coast from Kent to Cornwall. Southsea castle was at the centre of a line of castles and overlooked Portsmouth harbour, Henry’s naval base.
Henry’s castles were lower with thicker walls compared to medieval castles. Typical medieval castles were not built to withstand cannon balls and the effects of gunpowder. With the invention of gunpowder and cannons, castle building had come to an end. Portcullises and wooden doors could be blown to pieces with a petard, a small bomb made of a wooden or metal box of gunpowder or even a simple bag of it, that is placed next to the doors and set alight. Henry now brought back castles but with lower and very thick walls that make a smaller target. Firing from the castle could keep the attackers at a distance. They would shoot canon balls but could also shot wooden caskets of flint that would shatter mid air and be a kind of anti-personal device.
Most of Henry’s castles were a kind of flower shape, made of a central building like the centre of a flower surrounded by adjoining low, thick-walled, round towers. In Southsea’s case Henry experimented with a new design developed in Italy. This had triangular walls sticking out of the front and back, known as angled bastions, based on the idea that there would not be any blind spots for the defenders.
What had it to do with his wives?
Henry was desperate for a son and sadly Catherine of Aragon had not provided him with one and by the late 1520s was not able to become pregnant. Henry was desperate for a son because he sincerely believed that a daughter only had three options, all of which were bad. Either marry an Englishman and then possibly see another civil war like the Wars of the Roses. This would mean also that the Tudor line was at an abrupt end. The second option was to marry a foreigner but this would mean being taken over by another country in his view. The last one was to try to rule but be pushed aside like one of Henry’s ancestors, Matilda, the only surviving child of Henry I who ended up seeing Henry I’s nephew, Stephen being crowned despite the fact that she was in Henry I’s mind, his rightful heir! England had never had a “crowned queen”, ie a queen that ruled the country. Queens were only ever queen because they had married a king, hence “queen consort”. Henry therefore required a new wife and his eyes fell on Anne Boleyn.
Catherine of Aragon
Originally, Catherine was married to Henry’s elder brother in November 1501 but sadly Arthur died April 1502! Henry VII, keen to hold onto Catherine’s large dowry (payment on marriage from the bride’s father) and also to maintain good relations with Spain (Aragon being part of Spain), called for Catherine to marry his second son Henry. They had to get permission from the Pope because the Bible and church laws forbade a man to marry his brother’s widow. However in another part of the Bible, it suggests that the man should marry his brother’s widow! Permission was granted but the marriage only resulted in one short lived son. In January 1511, she gave birth to a boy who was christened Henry but after 52 days he died! She did produce a daughter, Mary who went on to become Queen Mary I but Henry’s wish to have a legitimate son was never fulfilled in this marriage. Henry blamed Catherine for this especially as he had acknowledged the birth of an illegitimate son, Henry Fitzroy (Fitz means son of and roy stands for “roe” or king).
Henry had to get a divorce from the head of the Church, the Pope and the Pope steadfastly refused! Henry’s chief minister, his Mr Fixer, at that time was Cardinal Wolsey. Wolsey’s religious boss was the Pope and so he could not challenge his judgement despite having Henry as his secular boss. It didn’t help that the Pope was under the influence of “the Holy Roman Emperor”, Charles V (he ruled Spain, Germany, Austria, Holland and Belgium) and he was not going to allow his Auntie Catherine (of Aragon) to be cast aside. Henry was stating that his marriage had never been legal and thus Catherine had simply lived with him “in sin”!
Henry VIII
Henry, therefore needed a divorce and, as the Pope would not grant one despite Wolsey’s efforts, Henry created his own Church or denomination, “The Church of England” and in 1533 was able to grant himself a divorce. This was followed up in 1534 with the Act of Supremacy where Henry was declared Head of the Church of England. Obviously, the Pope was furious that the had lost all of his power in England as well as his income. Henry then followed this up by “dissolving” (closing) the monasteries which cut the Pope’s loyal following in England. All the monks and nuns in England now did not have a place to live or carry out their religious pursuits, and so could no longer be an organised opposition to Henry’s plans. The Pope now called on King Charles V of Spain and King Francis of France to overthrow Henry VIII and bring England back into the Catholic fold. To make matters worse Henry was excommunicated by the Pope, his ultimate sanction. Now France and Spain would be fighting for God as well as themselves!
As a sign of how serious Henry took threat, he not only built castles, he also had the Mary Rose refitted and drove up the price of bronze in his quest to purchase bronze for the manufacture of numerous cannons.
The Truce of Nice, 1538 with Francis I of France on the left, Charles V of Spain on the right and Pope Paul III in the middle.
Fortunately for Henry, alliances between France and Spain never lasted long but in 1538 The Truce of Nice was signed committing both sides to a 10 year truce which raised the prospect of invasion. Again this did not last with Henry coming to terms with Charles V. France, however, continued to be England’s enemy and it was in a battle off the coast of Portsmouth that the Mary Rose mysteriously sank.
What has Southsea Castle got to do with the Mary Rose?
If you look at the Cowdray engraving below, you can see Henry VIII on his horse arriving at Southsea Castle only to see his beloved Mary Rose sinking. The Mary Rose can be seen toppling to one side as it sinks to the bottom of the estuary with a few bodies floating and one man waving for help from a crow’s nest. The Mary Rose carried a crew and soldiers numbering over 400 but sadly, only 35 survived. There are many theories as to why she sank, of which a plausible one is that when she turned, the lower gun flaps were left open and water flooded in making her topple and go under. Why were the flaps left open? Possibly with loads of soldiers on the ship, the extra noise meant key sailors did not hear the order to close them. The extra 185 soldiers also made the ship heavier and lower down in the water and so the open flaps were close to the water level even when staying upright and not attempting to turn, a manoeuvre that requires the ship to tilt to one side.
The numbers and the orange lights highlight various features on the noticeboard and associated information eg. 4= a French rowing boat preparing to fight because there was no wind for the big ships to sail, 5 = Southsea Castle, 6=the Mary Rose sinking 7 = Henry VIII, and 8= Henry’s flagship the Henry Grace a Dieu.
What is there to see in Southsea Castle nowadays?
A cannon dated 1853 at the time of the Crimean War against Russia. It could shoot a cannon ball weighing 68 pounds and was one of the largest guns to be cast.
Above. In 1814 the castle was brought back from a dilapidated state to safeguard Portsmouth harbour during the Napoleonic wars (see later in this blog) and given new features such as the flanking gun platforms. The lighthouse was added in the 1820s to aid navigation for ships using the deep water channels to enter Portsmouth harbour.
Below you can see on the left of the photo a new features known as the “counterscarp gallery”. Soldiers can use these slits in the wall to shoot people attempting to climb the walls in the dry moat. Defending soldiers could use a “caponier”, a bomb-proof passage under the moat, linking the castle to the counterscarp gallery.
Having entered the castle, you can see where the original castle walls were if you look at the ground in the courtyard in front of the keep.
Above. Walking out of the first floor of the keep onto the later gun (cannon) platform. You can see just how thick these walls were, strong enough to withstand cannon balls.
Above When you come out on the first floor of the keep, if you turn around you can see where the the original gun ports were for the Tudor canons before being bricked up in the 17th c.
If you then turn back round you will skip 300 years and face canons and defences from the 19th century. Note the size of the canon and that it can swivel in its position shoot in numerous directions. In front of the cannon is a brick, rather than stone wall.
A walk around to the left (when facing the keep), you will notice that there is a difference in the stonework. You can see the old, weathered, original stone blocks of the Tudor keep and the, more unweathered, modern blocks.
Above. A reconstructed well built against the inside of the Tudor curtain wall.
Below. On many of the bricks in the castle there are arrows. This is to signify that they were government bricks.
Inside the keep is a fascinating exhibition. see below
Above. A model of the original Tudor castle in response to the combined threat from France and Spain.
Above and below is a replica of a Tudor cannon. If you look closely you can see stripes in the barrel. This is because the early cannons were made out of strips of bronze and held together with a set of bronze rings. This was similar to the way coopers made barrels with staves of wood being held together with iron hoops. The new technology of having solid cast cannons had not yet replaced all of these older type. This cannon would be breech loaded, ie loaded at the back, and not down the barrel. They were also quite dangerous because sometimes the strips of bronze were not held together enough to withstand the explosion inside the barrel and as a consequence, the cannon simply blew to pieces killing the surrounding cannoneers and soldiers.
Southsea castle after the Tudors
1642 The English Civil War
When the English Civil War began in 1642, Portsmouth declared for the King. However, Parliamentarians were desperate to capture Portsmouth and the navy based there to move vital supplies and troops around the country. In September 1642, 400 Parliamentarian soldiers camped outside the castle in readiness for an assault. The position seemed hopeless for the Royalists because Inside the castle, guns outnumbered troops with 14 cannons and only 12 soldiers. Captain Chaloner, the castle’s commander had a plan , move all the cannons to face the north where the besieging Parliamentarians were based. Unfortunately, Parliamentarian soldiers simply moved to the south and invaded the castle from the undefeated coastal side! Eigthy men jumped into the dry moat and climbed up the walls and easily captured the castle. Fortunately, no-one was killed and the only injuries were sustained when the attackers jumped down into the moat.
1759. The big explosion
One evening, soldiers families were cooking the evening meal when some sparks slipped between the floor boards down into the room where the gunpowder was stored! One huge explosion later 17 men, women and children were killed and the castle was damaged to the point that the authorities considered demolishing it.
1814 and the war against Napoleon.
A year before the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo, the castle was reconstructed and given extra strength as well as more quarters to garrison extra troops. More space was created for extra cannons and new bigger swivel type cannons were employed so that larger cannon balls could be fired further and in several directions. The government had realised how important it was to guard the entrance to Portsmouth harbour in case of a French attack. This was the case ever since that time until 1960 when stone castles were considered to be outdated.
Essential information
Southsea Castle is free to enter
Getting there
Address
Clarence Esplanade
Portsmouth
PO5 3PA
By car: Take the M275 into Portsmouth, following signs for City Centre. Then take the A3, signposted for Seafront, before joining the A288 – Kings Terrace and Pier Road. Turn left on the Pier Road Roundabout onto Clarence Esplanade. Southsea Castle will be on your right in 0.6 miles. Parking is available at The D-Day Story car park.
By train: Southsea Castle is 1.8 miles from both Fratton and Portsmouth and Southsea railway stations. Each route can be walked in around 35 minutes.
By bus: The nearest bus stop to Southsea Castle is on Palmerston Road. It’s operated by First Bus on the 3 and 18 routes, and Stagecoach on the 23. These bus stops are a 0.5 mile walk from the castle, along Palmerston Road and Avenue de Caen.
Opening hours
Summer season: April – September
Winter season: October – March
Southsea Castle is now open to visitors from 10am to 5pm, Tuesday to Sunday. All visitors will need to register on arrival in line with NHS Test and Trace requirements. Along with the keep, castle ramparts and shop, the Courtyard café will be open for outdoor service.
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