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Summary

A battery of irregular five sided plan consisting of a platform behind stone footed turf walls, associated with the C18 curtain wall.

Protected Status

• Listed Building (I) 62521: OUTER WALLS AND GATEWAY
• Scheduled Monument 15434: POST-MEDIEVAL BREASTWORK, CURTAIN WALL AND ASSOCIATED DEFENSIVE STRUCTURES ON THE PERIPHERY OF THE GARRISON, ST MARY'S

Other References/Statuses

• National Mapping Programme (Morph No.): 60.1.2-3
• National Monuments Record: SV 81 SE 499
• National Record of the Historic Environment to Historic Environment Records data transfer
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 1445072
• NBR Index Number: 111235
• Primary Record No. (1985-2009): 7906.03

Monument Type(s):

• BATTERY (18th Century - 1701 AD to 1800 AD)

Full description

Prior to the 1994 revision of the Garrison defences SMR, this site was recorded under PRN 7423.07 (b13).
A battery of irregular five sided plan consisting of a platform behind stone footed turf walls, associated with the C18 curtain wall (7906.01), is situated at Newman Point, the northern tip of the Garrison. The site was previously used for a platform known as Newman, this name being initially retained for the new battery (7904.21). This site is Scheduled and a Listed Building, Grade I (h2). The OS (h1) note Newman Battery is depicted on a 1715 plan (b1); this is presumably the early platform predating Tovey's works (b13). A 1741 plan indicates that the battery was rebuilt by that date (b2); it is named as Newman's platform in 1742 (b3). A 1750 plan again names it Newman battery (b5) but Heath's account of that year recalls the new name, "the Store House battery" (b4). Troutbeck's 1796 survey lists guns here including a warning 9-pdr moved here from King George's battery (7906.11) since Heath's visit (b6). The 1888 OS indicates turf walling as at King Charles battery (7906.02) and describes the battery as dismantled (b9). The 1907 map also shows the turf walls (b10). Thomas notes that the original name refers to the Newman Rock just off the point, and the mid-C18 name to the Garrison store (7905.01) just to thesouth (b11). The 1978 OS fieldworker found the battery walls, up to 2.0m wide, now retaining a private garden (h1). In 1984 the wall was in poor condition (h3). The site was visited in 1988 and surveyed in 1991 (h4, h6). In 1990, paving inside the walls and indications of two embrasures on each of the west, NW and NE faces were recorded; with the hinged gateway near the centre of the stone built rear wall, which is built up against the corner of the battery and curtain at the east end (h5). The poor construction of the upper walls, stepped up from the partially rebuilt but clearly original C18 ashlar footing, was observed in 1993 (h7). This work, using beach boulders and an earth core, may be an earlier C20 shelter hedge replacing the original turf; the apparent embrasures perhaps being erosion damaged (b13). Garden features include ornamental stones; the present tenant's mother removed several courses of walling to improve views (h7). The monument was included in the Schedule on 19/3/1998. The site is visible on aerial photographs (p1, p2) and was plotted as part of the NMP.
(b13) - Parkes, C, 1994, Pers Comm, ,

The site was visited by the MPP Archaeologist in 1995 (15): The battery is assymetrical, with near parallel east and west flanks, longer on the west, and forward walls facing NE and NW. It level interior measures up to 19m by up to 30m. Except for a portion of rebuilt upper walling along the east flank, the interior is defined by a broad earthen rampart originally 5m wide and rising 1.75m above the interior. The rampart includes a series of marked but poorly formed hollows which are ambiguous - they may be former embrasures . The outer side of the rampart is revetted against the boulder foreshore by a vertical wall; on the NE face this is of rather irregular and poor quality ashlar rising 4.5m high, but at a butt joint by the forward apex this changes to a very neatly coursed large- slab ashlar which continues to the west flank . Behind this outer revetment the eroded outer face of the rampart rises a further 2m above the top of the wall. The inner side of this rampart has been re-profiled for the garden. The rear wall is1m high and of poorly jointed ashlar construction with numerous trig stones. It has central wide entrance gap.

Visited by English Heritage in 2005: The battery was constructed on the granite strata. Its thick walls, reinforced by an earthen cap, include masonry that has been disturbed or replaced. The interior which is partially paved with neatly laid granite slabs and partially as a lawn serves as the garden for Newman House (13, 14).

--------------------------------
Site history:
1: 1978. NJA/OS
2: 1982. UNKNOWN/EH
3: 1984. UNKNOWN/MSC-ICS
4: 1988. WATERS, A/CAU
5: 1990. JOHNSON, N/CAU
6: 1991. UNKNOWN/EH
7: 1993. RATCLIFFE, J/CAU
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National Monument Record, Defending the Isles of Scilly (Survey). SCO29941.

National Monument Record, The Garrison Survey, St. Mary's, Isle of Scilly (Survey). SCO29940.

<1> Lilly, C, 1715, A Plan of the Hugh (Unpublished document). SCO3869.

CA, 199, GBP 424 7A, SA (Photographic Record). SCO18033.

<2> UNKNOWN, 1741, A PLAN OF HUGH GARRISON IN ST MARY'S ISLAND AT SCILLY (Unedited Source). SCO5540.

CAU, 1987, CAU/F14/106,149 (Photographic Record). SCO17007.

<3> UNKNOWN, 1742, A PLAN OF HUGH FORT ALIAS THE STAR CASTLE (Unedited Source). SCO5544.

<4> Heath, R, 1750, A Natural and Historical Account of the Islands of Scilly, 76-77 (Bibliographic reference). SCO3486.

<5> Tovey, A, 1750, A Plan of the Peninsula and Fortifications on St Mary's (Bibliographic reference). SCO4950.

<6> Troutbeck, J, 1796, Survey of the Ancient and Present State of the Scilly Islands, 49 (Bibliographic reference). SCO4965.

<7> Birch, JF, 1974, Plan of the Garrison on the Island of Saint Mary, Scilly (Bibliographic reference). SCO2851.

<8> North, IW, 1850, A Week in the Isles of Scilly (Bibliographic reference). SCO4004.

<9> Ordnance Survey, 1880s, 1st Edition 1:2500 Map (Cartographic materials). SCO4048.

<10> Ordnance Survey, 1900s, 2nd Edition 1:2500 Map (Cartographic materials). SCO4050.

<11> THOMAS, AC, 1989, THE NAMES OF THE BATTERIES ON THE GARRISON, ST MARY'S, ISLES IF SCILLY (Unedited Source). SCO8924.

<12> Carpenter, AC, 1984, The Cannon of Pendennis and St. Mawes Castles, Cornwall, 64 (Bibliographic reference). SCO5087.

<13> Field Investigator's Comments, EH/Fletcher, M. 2005. (Survey). SCO29739.

<14> Brodie, A, 2011, The Garrison, St Mary's Isles of Scilly: The Defences of the Garrison 1500-1945 - survey report, 36 (Bibliographic reference). SCO24047.

<15> Field Investigator's Comments, MPPA/Hooley, D. 1995. (Survey). SCO29739.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• ECO3128 - Garrison Walls, Isles of Scilly, conservation plan
• ECO6309 - The Garrison, St. Mary's: Survey
• ECO3819 - Isles of Scilly Military Defences, 1540-1951 (Ref: RDRS 56-2011)

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