Archaeology Notes
Event ID 642186
Category Descriptive Accounts
Type Archaeology Notes
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/642186
HU44SE 3 47552 41516
HU44SE 3.01 HU 47563 41556 North Barracks
HU44SE 3.02 HU 47566 41484 South Block
EXTERNALREFERENCE:
The Port is under the charge of the Commissioners of H.M.Works.
The National Library of Scotland hold a series of Military Maps and
Drawings (many coloured) of the Board of Ordnance, relating to the 18th
Century. Reference 'MSS. 1645-1652'.
Included in Case, or Volume, No 1649, are the following drawings of Fort Charlotte:-
Number. Year.
Z.3/48 1781 'Plan of Fort Charlotte, March 1781', and profiles.
Scale 100 feet to 2 inches. Signed Edinr, Jany 1783 by
A. Fraser. (2 copies)
Z.3/42 1783 'Plan of Fort Charlotte at Lerwick in Shetland Jany 1783'
With explanation. Scale 100 feet to 2 inches. Signed
Edinburgh January 1783 A. Frazer. 1 copy
Z.3/55 1783 'Plans, Section and Elevations, Barracks and Store Rooms,
Fort Charlotte, Shetland'. Scale 15 feet to 1 inch. Signed
Edinr Jany 1783 A. Frazer.
Z.3/44 1786 'Plans and Elevations of the Barracks at Fort Charlotte,
Scale, 15 feet to 1 inch. Docketted as'Brought by Major
Frazer Jany 1786'. (2 copies)
Z.3/44 1786 'Plans of buildings at Fort Charlotte, Shetland' Scale 10
feet to 1 inch. Docketted as 'Brought by Major Frazer '86'.
Note: Photostat copies of plans held in NMRS - 3 sheets
(Undated) information in NMRS.
(HU 4755 4152) A. Fort Charlotte. A fort roughly pentagonal in shape with bastions projecting from each corner.
It is recorded that the fort was begun in 1665 to protect the Sound of Bressay against the Dutch. In 1673 it was burned with the town of Lerwick by the Dutch, but in 1781 it was repaired.
The north and south-west bastions have the appearance of early 17th century work and suggest the existence of a fort previous to that recorded.
Although in the W and NW bastions there is evidence of rough course with pinnings, Fort Charlotte, which was built to house 300 men,appears to be an outstanding example of 18th century military architecture and still maintains its original pentagonal shape. All the bastions apart from the W and NW, already mentioned, have been repaired at various times. Of the original 25 gunports only 5 remain along the east bastion wall facing Bressa Sound. In addition to the three entrances shown on the plan of 1783 there is a small entrance in the NW wall. The fort was supplied with water from a 30ft deep timber framed well, still intact, though now unused.
Visible on GPs: A0/64/ 211-7-8 and GP: AO/64/202/2 and 3.
Visited by OS (RD) 7 September 1964.
Due to the need for restoration of both rampart and gun platforms of the 18th-century fort along its seaward (eastern) defences, a limited programme of survey and excavation was completed in May 1993. In all, four gun platforms were completely excavated and a further two were partially revealed. It was found that the extensive remains of the platforms as well as the associated rampart, overlaid and were cut against an extensive earthwork, possibly part of the 17th-century fort, which was rebuilt in 1781.
In addition, a late 18th-century latrine channel was excavated but was found to contain exclusively modern debris over a modern wastepipe.
Sponsor: Historic Scotland.
G Ewart 1993k.
A second season of excavation and survey was completed along the seaward [eastern] battery of the fort. The sites of five gun platforms from the fort as laid out in the 1780s, were exposed and in general they confirmed the findings of the 1993 season. The extent of surviving 18th-century masonry and associated features varied considerably over the five sites, with those lying immediately to the SE of the Magazine being heavily disturbed. It is likely that a late 19th-century gun platform was constructed in this area, removing much of the 18th-century work, and this in turn was disturbed by a 20th-century building.
As in 1993, some evidence was found of a slumped earthwork against which the 1780s masonry was cut, and which appears to date from the earliest fort, built in the 1650s. Further evidence was also found to show that the 18th-century gun platforms were in fact of wood over a slightly raked mortared masonry base.
Sponsor: Historic Scotland.
G Ewart 1994e.
HU 476 415 Kirkdale Archaeology was contracted by Historic Scotland to expand two of their trenches in the NE corner of the battery from the 1994 season of excavation.The brief was to:
(a) extend trench 14 to the E by up to 2m to expose the footings of the masonry surrounding embrasure 1 and obtain a section through the remnants of the turf revetment and possible firing step to the E of the embrasure.
(b) extend trench 13 to the N by 1m to obtain a section through the remnants of the turf revetment and ?firing step to the N of embrasure 2 and to allow the ground level to be lowered in that area to a level consistent with the timber gun platform.
The excavations revealed that this NE corner of Fort Charlotte had been hugely disturbed by late Victorian and 20th-century activity. The remnants of the earlier turf revetments, although badly damaged by the use of this area, lay below the levels of the surfaces of the gun platforms and those required for the installation of new platforms, therefore remaining securely undisturbed by the current work on the battery. The revelation of the full extent of the embrasure in plan showed the possibility of slight variations in construction, a fact which was also reflected in the shapes and sizes of the gun platforms, with one example having sides more parallel than the usual wedge shape. It may be that the peculiarities in shape of this N facing platform and embrasure reflect some sort of structural necessity required in order to fit into this corner behind the magazine enclosure.
Sponsor: Historic Scotland
G Ewart and P Sharman 1996.
HU 476 415 A probe survey and investigative excavation down to bedrock were carried out during September 2006 in advance of consolidation work to secure the foundations of the curtain wall in response to concerns over structural integrity. A probe survey was carried out across the site to ascertain the depth of the bedrock. Four main trenches were opened, three against the E curtain wall and one against the W. A further six smaller trenches were opened to investigate the extent of deposits within the fort. Excavations revealed the earliest phase of construction - a 17th-century earth rampart as well as the earliest 17th- to early 18th-century curtain wall and subsequent phases of construction and demolition.
Archive to be deposited in NMRS.
Sponsor: Historic Scotland.
A Radley 2006.
