Coastguard Blockade Stations and Martello Towers

+Compiled from the Original Admiralty records c.1830 - many of the stations being taken over by the Coast Guard when the blockade disbanded.

This data formed the background research to enable the writing of a paper on

Migration Pattern of HM Coastguard in to Sussex  from the 1851 Census Enumerators Returns.

as part of the Open University, DA 301 Course in Family and Community History.

Martello Towers built between 1805 and 1812.  73 towers erected along the south east coast by 1808.  On flat open beaches the towers were positioned 600 yards apart.  After 1815 4 were taken over as signal stations along with thirteen more stations newly built to link deal with Beach Head thus permitting rapid (visual) transmission of intelligence and orders along the coast. Most were used against the smuggling trade by the preventive services. Estimated cost of Towers was £2000, but inflation and strikes pushed it up to £3000.

Each Tower called for 500,000 bricks which were made at various sites in London, Kent and Essex and brought by barge to be dumpded on the nearest beach.

Their walls were 13ft maximum and bonded and covered with a substance produced after many rigorous tests by the best brains of the Army - The Royal Engineers at Woolwich.  Reseult was a mixture of lime, ash and hot tallow so sesilient that a cannon-ball fired at close range merely bounced harmlessly off.

The  coastal blockade men were usually landsmen and often lacked the true sea-going experience, many were Irish Labourers, ‘unskilled but hardy’ signing on for a limited period of three years with the force, to which they were posted after a short course of seamanship under the Bosun of a traininf ship.  It was run by the navy until 1831 when it was replaced by the coast guard who used the towers as lookouts.   The Martello towers continued to provide accommodation for the coast guard servicemen and their families until the 1850’s when duty on many goods was lowered.

+Jury Gap

+Camber Watch House

+Guard Boat Conga , then Adder, then Dwarf

+Enchantress (beached in Rye Harbour) see further note

+Martello Tower No 30 (still standing)

+Winchelsea

+Martello Tower No 31 - Pett Level

+Martello Tower No 32 - Pett/Fairlight

+Martello Tower No 33 - Pett Level

+Martello Tower No 34 - Pett

+Martello Tower No 35 - Pett

+Martello Tower No 36 - Pett Level

+Martello Tower No 37 - Pett

+Martello Tower No 38 - Pett Level

+Haddocks

+Fairlight

+Ecclesbourne

+Town Watch House - Hastings

+Priory - Hastings  (St Michael :- Coastguard Station)

+Martello Tower No 39 - St Leonards  (Part of St Leonards :- No 39 Tower and Cottages)

+Martello Tower No 40 - Hospital  (St Mary Bulverhythe :- No 40 Tower and 11 cottages)

+Maretello Tower No 41 - Bulverhythe (demolished by 1842)

+Martello Tower No 42 - Bulverhythe (demolished by 1842)

+Martello Tower No 44 - Galley Hill

+Bexhill

*Martello Towers south of the main road from Gyne Gap

*Martello Towers 46 - 47        Folios 31       

*Martello Tower 48                 Folio 42       

*Martello Tower 49                 Folio 41 - 42

*Martello Tower 50 - 53        Folio 40 - 41

*Martello Tower 54                 Folio 38 - 39

*Martello Tower 55                 Folio 38       

*Coast Guard Station               Folio 30 - 31

*Galley Hill, Numbers 1 - 6.     Folio 28 - 29

*Strawberry Bank                    Folio 45

Key:

+From ‘Smuggling, Flogging Joeys Warriors’ by John Douch, 1985

* - From 1851 Census

List of Supernumerary Lieutenants of the Blockade who elected to stay on to serve with the Coast Guard (1831)

Name                           Blockade Station            Coast Guard Station first posted

Caswell Thomas            Jurys Gap                  -

Chappel Edward            Bexhill                          -

Consuit John                 Winchelsea                  Winchelsea

Connor Samuel            Hastings                       Fairlight

Courtney Henry   Galley Hill                   -

Curtis john                    Fairlight                        -

Earle.E.G                     Camber                       Camber

Eversfield Thomas            -                                   Ecclesbourne

Hire Frederick              Haddocks                   Haddocks

McTavish Archibald            Rye                              Adder

Morgan Richard            Jury Gap                  Camber

Nickolls James H         Rye                              Enchantress

Palmer George            Tower No 48              Priory

Pennington Thomas            Rye                              Tower No 38

Raymond James G            Hastings                       Hastings

Servante Charles Tower No 42              Tower No 42

Stone ?                         Bexhill                          Galley Hill

Notes  

Enchantress 14

A sloop, 80ft long, carrying fourteen 6 pounders. Built Suttons Yard 1802, purchased 1804. Posted to harbour Service 1813, but in 1826 she was ballasted and beached at Old Rye Harbour to accommodate personnel of the Western Division of the Coast Blockade. Broken up in 1869.

Coast Guard Stations - H0107-1635, Folios No 1-232

Ore and All Saints Registration District

Folio     District          Location

   10   - Ore - Pett, Government House

   11   - Ore - Pett  Martello Tower No 33

   11   - Ore - Pett, Martello Tower No 34

   11   - Ore - Pett, Martello Tower No 35

   11   - Ore - Pett, Martello Tower No 36

   11   - Ore - Pett, Martello Tower No 37

   11   - Ore - Pett, Martello Tower No 38

   12   - Ore - Pett, Martello Tower No 31

   12   - Ore - Pett, Martello Tower No 32

   12   - Ore - Pett, Martello Tower No 33

   13   - Ore - Pett, Pett Level

   13   - Ore - Pett, Braggs Farm

   52   - Ore - Fairlight, Haddocks Coast Guard Station

   53   - Ore - Fairlight, Haddocks Coast Guard Station

   53   - Ore - Fairlight, 36 Coast Guard Station

   53   - Ore - Fairlight, 36 Coast Guard Station, Cliff End

   54   - Ore - Fairlight, 36 Coast Guard Station

   63   - Ore - Ecclesbourne Glen

   63   - Ore - Coast Guard Station

   63   - All Saints Coast Guard Station

   63   - Ore - Coast Guard Station

   64   - Ore - Coast Guard Station

   65   - Ore - Coast Guard Station

   66   - Ore - Ecclesbourne Station

   67   - Ore - Coast Guard Station

137   - All Saints, 2 Barley Lane

137   - All Saints, 3 Barley Lane

 Coast Guard Stations - H0107-1634, Folios No 233-476

All Saints and St Mary in the Castle Registration District

277 - All Saints - St Clements, 10 High Street

327 - All Saints - St Clements, Old London Road

366 - St Mary-in-Castle - St Mary in Castle, Government House

367 - St Mary-in-Castle - St Mary in Castle, Government House

473 - St Mary-in-Castle - St Mary in Castle, Longfield

 Coast Guard Stations - H0107-1635, Folios No 477-653

St Mary in the Castle Registration District

483 - St Mary in Castle - St Michael’s, Coast Guard Station

484 - St Mary in Castle - St Michael’s, Coast Guard Station

541 - St Mary in Castle - St Mary Magdalen, Clenstone

650 - St Mary in Castle - St Leonards, Sea Side Tower

650 - St Mary in Castle - St Leonards, Station Tower

650 - St Mary in Castle - St Leonards, Station Cottage

652 - St Mary in Castle - St Mary Bulverhythe, Martello Tower No 39

652 - St Mary in Castle - St Mary Bulverhythe, Martello Tower No 43

653 - St Mary in Castle - St Mary Bulverhythe, Martello Tower No 42

653 - St Mary in Castle - St Mary Bulverhythe, Martello Tower 42 Cottage

653 - St Mary in Castle - St Mary Bulverhythe, Tower Cottage

653 - St Mary in Castle - St Mary Bulverhythe, Roadside Cottage

Number 39 and 40 were pulled down in the 1880`s.

Number 41 and 42 were demolished in 1845 when making the railway

Furter details of the history of the Martello Towers are given in “Sussex County Magazine, 27, page 48-50;  Sussex Agricultural Express of 5th March 1842 gives details that Tower No 41 had been almost washed away by a heavy storm , and had lately been purchased by a builder for building materials.