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Melcombe Cotton Fort

In the civil parish of Weymouth.
In the historic county of Dorset.
Modern Authority of Dorset.
1974 county of Dorset.
Medieval County of Dorset.

OS Map Grid Reference: SY681797
Latitude 50.61613° Longitude -2.45224°

Melcombe Cotton Fort has been described as a probable Artillery Fort.

There are no visible remains.

Description

North of Melcombe is Cotton Fort, a rampart on which are three guns, designed to defend the town (apparently one of the defences erected during the reign of Henry VIII) (Hutchin).
The area is covered by a modern building and roadway. No trace of antiquity was found (F1 JR 12-AUG-54). (PastScape)

erected northward of the town, there was a rampart on which there were mounted three guns, it was called Cotton fort. (Ellis)
Comments

Presumably mainly built by the town of Melcombe (The area north of the harbour was town of Melcombe, with Weymouth being a separate town south of the harbour, until 1571 when they were united as one borough), rather than a royal defence. Could be any late medieval date but more probably Elizabethan than earlier. Ellis mentions other 'forts' at the harbour mouth and Grosvenor Place but these are not dated by him and were probably C17.
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This record last updated 26/07/2017 09:21:28

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