Scheduled Monuments›England›Fort Charles

Fort Charles

England
List entry 1020165
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1020165
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
0.11 hectares
Grid reference
SX 73372 38055
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic England (NHLE)

Overview

History & significance

Fort Charles is a seventeenth-century fortification located in Plymouth, Devon. Built during the English Civil War period, the fort was constructed as part of Plymouth's defensive scheme and represents the military architecture of the mid-1600s. The surviving remains consist of substantial earthwork fortifications that reflect the geometric bastion design characteristic of early modern military engineering. The fort occupies a strategic position overlooking the approaches to Plymouth harbour and demonstrates the importance placed on coastal defence during this turbulent period of English history.

Fort Charles is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1020165. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Fort Charles?

Fort Charles is a seventeenth-century fortification located in Plymouth, Devon. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1020165.

Who is responsible for protecting Fort Charles?

Fort Charles is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1020165.

What other scheduled monuments are near Fort Charles?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Coaxial field system, hut circles and medieval farm buildings at Starehole Bottom (1.8 km), Post-medieval animal pound 430m south of East Soar Farm (1.9 km), Hilltop enclosure 380m east of Middle Soar (2.1 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Fort Charles

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Fort Charles's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Coaxial field system, hut circles and medieval farm buildings at Starehole Bottom
1.8 km
Post-medieval animal pound 430m south of East Soar Farm
1.9 km
Hilltop enclosure 380m east of Middle Soar
2.1 km
Medieval farmstead, boundary work and earthwork enclosures 350m south east of Middle Soar
2.3 km
Field systems, hut circles and four beacons, 510m south of Middle Soar
2.6 km
Bowl barrow 210m south of West Soar
3.1 km
Coaxial field systems and associated later remains between Deckler's Cliff and Gammon Head
3.2 km
Medieval farmstead and field system at Warren Barn, 500m south and 400m south west of West Soar
3.3 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Fort Charles

Fort Charles stands on Early Devonian sandstone, bedrock that formed in the Early Devonian. The rock here is sandstone.

Domesday entry for Batson, Devon →
All Scheduled Monuments