page_title: Deal Castle
section_title: 17th century
hierarchical_section_title: Deal Castle / History / 17th century
caption_attribution_description: English: Exterior view of Deal Castle in Kent.
context_page_description: Deal Castle is an artillery fort constructed by Henry VIII in Deal, Kent, between 1539 and 1540. It formed part of the King's Device programme to protect against invasion from France and the Holy Roman Empire and defended the strategically important Downs anchorage off the English coast. Comprising a keep with six inner and outer bastions, the moated stone castle covered 0.85 acres and had sixty-six firing positions for artillery. It cost the Crown a total of £27,092 to build the three castles of Deal, Sandown and Walmer, which lay adjacent to one another along the coast and were connected by earthwork defences. The original invasion threat passed but, during the Second English Civil War of 1648–49, Deal was seized by pro-Royalist insurgents and was only retaken by Parliamentary forces after several months' fighting.
  Although it remained armed, Deal was adapted by Sir John Norris and Lord Carrington during the 18th and 19th centuries to form a more suitable private house for the castle's captain, which was by now an honorary position.
context_section_description: In the early 1600s, England was at peace with France and Spain and coastal defences received little attention. Deal Castle was in a poor state of repair by 1615, the outer walls damaged by storms and coastal erosion and a 1616 survey suggested that repairs estimated at £396 were necessary. The problems persisted, with the winter storms filling the moat with water and stones from the beach and undermining the foundations. The castle's captain, William Byng, sent numerous complaints about this to his superiors. By 1634, surveys were suggesting that the repairs would now cost £1,243; a suggestion was put forward by the George Villiers, the Duke of Buckingham, that nearby Camber Castle should be demolished to help provide materiel for the work at Deal. Most of the garrison were now living in the town of Deal and complaints were made by the Lord Warden in 1618 that only a small guard force was being left to secure the castle at night. As the condition of the castle waned, fighting between Dutch, French and Spanish ships in the Downs became common. Some repairs were probably finally carried out in the late 1630s.
  Deal Castle was seized by Parliamentary forces at the start of the first English Civil War between the supporters of King Charles I and Parliament, resulting in the dismissal of Byng as a suspected Royalist and his replacement by Colonel Rainsborough, a vice-admiral. The castle did not play a significant role in the remainder of the initial conflict. After the few years of unsteady peace after 1645, the Second Civil War broke out in 1648, this time with Charles' Royalist supporters joined by their Scottish allies. The Parliamentary navy was based in the Downs, protected by Walmer and the other Henrician castles, but by May a Royalist insurrection was under way across Kent.
  Vice-Admiral William Batten had been forced to resign from his post as Commander of the Fleet the previous year by Parliamentary officials and he now encouraged the fleet to join the Royalist faction. Sir Henry Palmer, a former sailor, accompanied by other members of the Kentish gentry, also called on the fleet to revolt, taking advantage of the many fellow Kentish men in the crews. Walmer and Deal Castle declared for the King, shortly after the garrisons at Sandown. Rainsborough was removed from his post as captain. With both the coastal fortresses and the navy now under Royalist control, Parliament feared that foreign forces might be landed along the coast or aid sent to the Scots.
  Parliament defeated the wider insurgency at the Battle of Maidstone at the start of June and then sent a force under the command of Colonel Nathaniel Rich to deal with Deal and the other castles along the Downs. Walmer Castle was the first to be besieged and surrendered on 12 July. Deal, which had been resupplied by the Royalists from the sea, was besieged in July. A Royalist fleet bombarded the Parliamentary positions and temporarily landed a force of 1,500 Flemish mercenaries in support of the revolt, but a shortage of money forced their return to the Continent. The garrison then carried out a surprise attack on their besiegers but were fought back with some losses. The fleet, under the command of Prince Charles, attempted to land a fresh force in August, but despite three attempts the operation failed and suffered heavy losses. After news arrived of the Royalist defeat at Preston, Deal surrendered on 20 August and artillery assaults then began on Sandown, leading to the surrender of the remaining fortification.
  The castle had been badly damaged during the conflict — Colonel Rich reported it to be "much torn and spoiled with the granades" – and it was estimated by Rich, responsible for carrying out the repairs, that work would cost at least £500. A governor, Samuel Taverner, was appointed, supported by a corporal and twenty soldiers. In light of the Dutch threat, Deal Castle was maintained and kept equipped with powder, and was reinforced with earthworks and soldiers at the start of the First Dutch War in 1652. Charles II was restored to the throne in 1660 and reduced
caption: The east side of the castle, showing the moat and the sequence of gun-ports at ground level
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