Fort George, Jamaica
Encyclopedia
Fort George is situated on the Titchfield Peninsula in the town of Port Antonio
, in the parish of Portland, Jamaica
. The proposal for a fort in Port Antonio was first discussed in 1728, when a committee of the House of Assembly
met to consider measures to be taken in the face of a possible Spanish
invasion. In 1729, Christian Lilly was assigned the task of building a fort which, after being built, became known as Fort George in honour of King George I of Great Britain. Lilly had built the some of the walls at the Royal Citadel, Plymouth
, and the bastion
at Fort George was designed as a smaller version of the Citadel.
Fort George’s construction served a dual purpose, first as a source of defence against foreign invasion and, second, to deal with the menace of the maroons
in the area. The area between Fort George and Fort Haldane
in nearby Port Maria
had a very large population of freedom fighters in the mid-eighteenth century. One of the most notable was Tacky, who led an insurgency, known as Tacky's rebellion against the British which lasted over five months.
Fort George was built to hold 22 guns including 8 large cannons, and has walls ten feet thick. The fort was used during World War I
as a training base and supply depot for the British Navy. The barracks
of the fort now house classrooms for the Titchfield High School. Much of the fort has been lost over the almost 300 years since its original construction, and all that remains are the Munitions Building, the defence walls and a line of cannons.
Port Antonio
Port Antonio is the capital of the parish of Portland on the northeastern coast of Jamaica, about 60 miles from Kingston. It had a population of 12,285 in 1982 and 13,246 in 1991...
, in the parish of Portland, Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
. The proposal for a fort in Port Antonio was first discussed in 1728, when a committee of the House of Assembly
House of Assembly
House of Assembly is a name given to the legislature or lower house of a bicameral parliament. In some countries this may be at a subnational level....
met to consider measures to be taken in the face of a possible Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
invasion. In 1729, Christian Lilly was assigned the task of building a fort which, after being built, became known as Fort George in honour of King George I of Great Britain. Lilly had built the some of the walls at the Royal Citadel, Plymouth
Royal Citadel, Plymouth
The Royal Citadel in Plymouth, Devon, England, was built in the late 1660s to the design of Sir Bernard de Gomme. It is at the eastern end of Plymouth Hoe overlooking Plymouth Sound, and encompasses the site of the earlier fort that had been built in the time of Sir Francis Drake.During the Dutch...
, and the bastion
Bastion
A bastion, or a bulwark, is a structure projecting outward from the main enclosure of a fortification, situated in both corners of a straight wall , facilitating active defence against assaulting troops...
at Fort George was designed as a smaller version of the Citadel.
Fort George’s construction served a dual purpose, first as a source of defence against foreign invasion and, second, to deal with the menace of the maroons
Maroon (people)
Maroons were runaway slaves in the West Indies, Central America, South America, and North America, who formed independent settlements together...
in the area. The area between Fort George and Fort Haldane
Fort Haldane
Fort Haldane is located near Port Maria in the parish of St Mary, Jamaica and was erected in 1759. It was named after General George Haldane, then Governor of Jamaica. The fort was constructed to protect the harbour of Port Maria from Spanish raids. It was also used as a garrison to keep the...
in nearby Port Maria
Port Maria
Port Maria is the capital town of the Jamaican parish of Saint Mary. It has a population of approximately 7,500 people and is the seat of the Saint Mary Parish Council. The Mayor of Port Maria is Richard Creary...
had a very large population of freedom fighters in the mid-eighteenth century. One of the most notable was Tacky, who led an insurgency, known as Tacky's rebellion against the British which lasted over five months.
Fort George was built to hold 22 guns including 8 large cannons, and has walls ten feet thick. The fort was used during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
as a training base and supply depot for the British Navy. The barracks
Barracks
Barracks are specialised buildings for permanent military accommodation; the word may apply to separate housing blocks or to complete complexes. Their main object is to separate soldiers from the civilian population and reinforce discipline, training and esprit de corps. They were sometimes called...
of the fort now house classrooms for the Titchfield High School. Much of the fort has been lost over the almost 300 years since its original construction, and all that remains are the Munitions Building, the defence walls and a line of cannons.