Fort Barrington, Antigua and Barbuda

Fort Barrington (previously Goat Hill Fort, Cripplegate Battery, and Queen’s Battery) is a historic military fort in Antigua and Barbuda. It is located on Goat Hill in St. John's, Antigua, at the western entrance to St. John's Harbor.^[1][2] The fort was built in 1779, and was named for Admiral Samuel Barrington.^[3] Remains of the fort include a circular battery, small magazine, and barracks.^[4]

Fort Barrington
St. John's, Antigua
Remains of Fort Barrington on Goat Hill (left), with cruise ship passing behind it
Fort Barrington Show map of Antigua Fort Barrington Show map of Caribbean
Coordinates	17.129853°N 61.886257°W / 17.129853; -61.886257
Type	Fortification
Site information
Open to the public	Yes
Condition	Ruins
Site history
Built	1779
In use	No
Materials	Stone

History

In the 17th century, the British built a battery on Goat Hill in St. John's.^[5][1] Sitting at the most southwestern point of St. John's Harbor, the battery's location was ideal for protecting the harbor's entrance as well as the anchorage outside the harbor.^[1] The battery was attacked multiple times, and in the 18th century it was often described as being in disrepair.^[6] It was abandoned after Queen Anne’s War.^[1]

In 1779, a new fort was built at the location of the previous battery.^[1][4] Its purpose was to assist Fort James (located at the harbor's opposite entrance) with protecting St. John's Harbor.^[1] The fort was completed under the administration of General William Mathew Burt,^[7] who was governor of the Leeward Islands from 1776 to 1781. It served as a major fortification for the British during the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.

The fort's previous names were Goat Hill Fort,^[7][8] Cripplegate Battery,^[5][6] and Queen’s Battery.^[5][2] It was renamed Fort Barrington for the British royal navy admiral Samuel Barrington.^[1][5] Barrington was commander in chief of the Leeward Islands station during the time of the fort's construction.^[9]

References

1. "Historical Sites: Forts". www.nationalparksantigua.com. Antigua & Barbuda National Park. Archived from the original on 2023-01-31. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
2. The United Service Magazine and Naval and Military Journal. Henry Colburn. 1842.
3. Buisseret, David (1970). "A Brief Assessment of the Chief Military Monuments of: Grenada, Saint Vincent, Saint Lucia, Antigua". Caribbean Quarterly. 16 (1): 58–67. doi:10.1080/00086495.1970.11829040. ISSN 0008-6495. JSTOR 40653135.
4. Clements, Bill (2019-04-30). Britain's Island Fortresses: Defence of the Empire 1756–1956. Pen and Sword. ISBN 978-1-5267-4031-1.
5. Waters, Christopher (December 2018). Putting Forts in their Place: The Politics of Defense in Antigua, 1670-1785 (Thesis). S2CID 195487452.
6. DeCorse, Christopher (2019-04-01). Power, Political Economy, and Historical Landscapes of the Modern World: Interdisciplinary Perspectives. SUNY Press. ISBN 978-1-4384-7343-7.
7. Antigua and the Antiguans: a Full Account of the Colony and Its Inhabitants from the Time of the Caribs to the Present Day, Interspersed with Anecdotes and Legends. Saunders and Otley. 1844.
8. The West Indies. Book 1: The Leeward and Windward Islands and Trinidad. S. W. Silver & Co. 1880.
9. West Jr., Richard S. (September 1942). "Barrington On The Leeward Station". Proceedings. U.S. Naval Institute. Retrieved 2023-09-20.