CORNISH-GEN-L Archives

Archiver > CORNISH-GEN > 2001-08 > 0997020836


From: "Richard Polkinghorne" <>
Subject: Re: [CON-GEN] Pendennis Castle
Date: Sun, 5 Aug 2001 15:13:56 +0100
References: <02a101c11d58$c4b972e0$f08dfcd8@merritt>


Hello Rhonda
Afraid Uncle was mislead. He probably was not allowed into much of what was
there
From "The Castles of Pendennis and St Mawes" by Dick Linzey , ISBN 1 85074
723 7 [English Heritage publication] :
A Regular Garrison ~ This modernisation of Falmouth's defences between 1894
and 1904 reasserted the port's significance and gave it the distinction of
being the only mercantile harbour on the south coast to be made a defended
port. As a mark of the new importance, the batteries were given a garrison
of regular soldiers, the 105th Regiment of Royal Garrison Artillery, and a
new barracks at Pendennis, with service buildings, such as a cookhouse and
bath house, built to accommodate them. In front of the Henrician castle a
headquarters building for the Miners Militia was built in extravagant
mock-Tudor style. Both regular and militia troops held practice exercises to
train with the guns.
1904 saw improvements with the installation of 12" guns, and in 1909 further
6-inch guns were installed. In 1911 the 105th Regiment were withdrawn and
responsibly for the guns fell to the newly created Territorial Army regiment
formed from the Miners Militia. After the outbreak of war in 1914 Falmouth
itself became a training camp, and the land by the castle would have been
important as a land base for the anti-submarine booms, and the operation of
a "secret" series of "Electric minefields" operated in the mouth of the
entrance to the harbour.
You might like to look at
http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/discovery/trails/falmouth.asp

Since you have the date of g-g-grandmother's father's death, why not get
his death certificate from http://www.aha.ndirect.co.uk and see if his
occupation was anything military. Even if there is no obvious connection he
may have been in the Territorial Army, whereby civilians of many occupations
were a sort of "part time" army of reservists. There are people on the list
who are more expert than I on where you would go to get details of any
Territorial Army records, or indeed those of the 105th regiment. You mght
strike lucky and find some service records for you relative
The actual castle and surrounding grounds, gun emplacements, etc etc are
being opened up more to the public, and were you to re-visit you would
probably find the staff there, at a much improved visitor centre, more
interested than in uncles time.

regards
Richard Polkinghorne
CFHS 10327

----- Original Message -----
From: "Rhonda Merritt" <>
To: <>
Sent: Sunday, August 05, 2001 3:13 AM
Subject: [CON-GEN] Pendennis Castle


> Hi,
>
> I am new to the list and thought I would ask if anyone on the list knows
anything about Pendennis Castle. I have an obituary from 1915 that lists my
g-g-grandmother's father as having lived at some stage at Pendennis Castle.
I have done some searching on the net and found that the castle is really
just a fort, and my uncle went there years ago and said that he didn't
anyone would have ever lived there. Does anyone have any advice they can
offer me please?
>
> Thanks in Advance,
>
> Rhonda, in Mareeba QLD Australia.
>
>
> ==== CORNISH-GEN Mailing List ====
> To contact Yvonne Bowers, Listmom, send email to <> or
> <>
>
>

This thread: