Fort Shirley (Dominica)

This article is about a historic fort located in Dominica. For the historic fort in Pennsylvania, U.S., see Fort Shirley. For the historic fort located in Antigua, see Shirley Heights, Antigua and Barbuda.
Fort Shirley
Cabrits National Park, Dominica
Mountain top view of Fort Shirley
Fort Shirley is located in Dominica
Fort Shirley
Fort Shirley
Fort Shirley is located in Caribbean
Fort Shirley
Fort Shirley
Coordinates15°35′00″N 61°28′25″W / 15.5834°N 61.4735°W / 15.5834; -61.4735
TypeFortification
Site history
Built1765
In useNo
MaterialsStone and brick

Fort Shirley is a historic military outpost on the Caribbean island of Dominica. It was built by the British in 1765, and was named for Sir Thomas Shirley.[1] The fort was the location of the 1802 revolt of the 8th West India Regiment.[2] Today, Fort Shirley is part of Cabrits National Park, which was established as a national park in 1986.[2][3]

View from Fort Shirley

Location

Fort Shirley is located on a peninsula just north of Portsmouth, in an area known as Prince Rupert's Head.[4][5] The fort overlooks two bays: Prince Rupert's Bay and Douglas Bay.[2]

History

The British began Fort Shirley's construction in 1765 as a garrison to defend north Dominica.[2] The fort was named for Sir Thomas Shirley, Governor of the Leeward Islands at the time.[1] From 1778 to 1784, the fort was extended by the French during their occupation of Dominica.[2] The fort was built of brick and stone in the Georgian architectural style. It consisted of more than 50 buildings,[6][2] including seven gun batteries, seven cisterns, powder magazines, and ordnance storehouses, as well as barracks that could house over 600 men.[6][2][7]

In April 1802, the revolt of the 8th West India Regiment took place at Fort Shirley.[8][9] African soldiers, who were recruited as slaves and stationed at Fort Shirley, mutinied and took over the garrison for three days.[2] They did so in protest of poor conditions, lack of pay, and fears of being sold back into slavery.[10][2] The revolt influenced the Mutiny Act 1807,[2][11] under which all serving soldiers recruited as slaves in the West India Regiments of the British Army were freed.[12]

By the 1850s, the fort had fallen out of use. It was abandoned in 1854,[6][13] but remained in the hands of the British Admiralty.[2] In 1901, the fort's ownership was transferred to the government of the Dominica and it remained designated as Crown Land.[2] The fort and the land around were sometimes used as a quarantine station and agricultural station,[14][2] as well as an experimental teak forestry project.[14]

Painting of Prince Rupert's Bay, with Prince Rupert's Head and Fort Shirley in the distance, c. 1780.
Plans for Fort Shirley at Prince Rupert's Head, surveyed in 1770s.

Restoration

After years of deterioration, Dr. Lennox Honychurch began restoration of the fort's structures in 1982.[2][15] Several of the buildings have been completely restored, while ruins of the rest can be found scattered around the peninsula.[15][16]

References

  1. ^ a b Philpott, Don (1999). Antigua and Barbuda. Hunter Publishing, Inc. ISBN 978-1-901522-02-0.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Fort Shirley". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 2023-09-23.
  3. ^ "Laws of Dominica: National Parks and Protected Areas Act, 1975". FAOLEX Database: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 1975. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
  4. ^ Marshall, Lydia Wilson (2015). The Archaeology of Slavery: A Comparative Approach to Captivity and Coercion. SIU Press. ISBN 978-0-8093-3397-4.
  5. ^ DeCorse, Christopher R.; Beier, Zachary J. M. (2018-03-14). British Forts and Their Communities: Archaeological and Historical Perspectives. University Press of Florida. ISBN 978-0-8130-5223-6.
  6. ^ a b c "Cabrits National Park". national-parks.org. Global Alliance of National Parks. Retrieved 2023-09-23.
  7. ^ Christian, Gabriel J. (2013-11-03). "Emancipation, Independence and the Resurrection of Dominica's Fort Shirley". Dominica News Online. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
  8. ^ Iverson, Justin (2022-11-01). Rebels in Arms: Black Resistance and the Fight for Freedom in the Anglo-Atlantic. University of Georgia Press. ISBN 978-0-8203-6278-6.
  9. ^ Hart, Richard (1998). From Occupation to Independence: A Short History of the Peoples of the English-speaking Caribbean Region. Pluto Press. ISBN 978-0-7453-1382-5.
  10. ^ Lockley, Tim (November 16, 2017). "Mutiny! The story of the 8th West India Regiment". British Library.
  11. ^ Beier, Zachary (2017-06-30). "All the King's Men: Slavery and Soldiering at the Cabrits Garrison (1763-1854)". Dissertations - Syracuse University.
  12. ^ "Slavery reparations: An historian's view". www.bbc.co.uk. BBC Caribbean. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
  13. ^ Myers, Robert A. (1987). A Resource Guide to Dominica, 1493-1986. Human Relations Area Files.
  14. ^ a b Dominica. The Caribbean Conservation Association. 1991.
  15. ^ a b "Years of Investment in Fort Shirley Paying Off". news.gov.dm. January 28, 2021. Archived from the original on 2023-09-29. Retrieved 2023-09-23.
  16. ^ Byron, Anglina (2023-05-21). "Dominica: How Fort Shirley in Cabrits National Park offers extensive experience". Associates Times a Caribbean News website. Retrieved 2023-09-23.