BattlefieldsHastings — Tudor Coastal Blockhouse 1542
Tudor

Hastings — Tudor Coastal Blockhouse 1542

1542
Sussex, England
Also known as: Hastings blockhouse 1542 · Hastings harbour defence 1542
Era
Tudor
Battle Type
Skirmish
Location
Sussex, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Forces
Not recorded in historical accounts
Forces
Hastings militia as supporting infantry
VS
Victor
Henry VIII (crown)
Forces
Small blockhouse garrison
Outcome
A small blockhouse constructed at Hastings in 1542 to provide close-range artillery cover of the beach approaches; the work complemented the wider system of Sussex coastal defences centred on Camber Castle at Rye
The Battle

History & Significance

The Hastings blockhouse of 1542 addressed the long-standing vulnerability of this ancient Cinque Port to direct beach attack. Hastings had been burned by French raiders on multiple occasions during the Hundred Years War and the construction of the blockhouse was a belated acknowledgement that the town needed some form of permanent coastal artillery presence. The blockhouse was a modest structure but represented the extension of Device Fort principles to secondary ports.

Casualties & Losses

None recorded

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

Aubrey Research

Explore the landscape around Sussex

Aubrey generates in-depth historical research for any location in Britain — drawing on Domesday records, scheduled monuments, Victorian OS maps, geological data and archaeological archives to tell the full story of a place.

Research a location near Sussex