Fort Shirley (Dominica)
{{Short description|Historic military outpost on the island of Dominica}}
{{about|a historic fort located in Dominica|the historic fort in Pennsylvania, U.S.|Fort Shirley|the historic fort located in Antigua|Shirley Heights, Antigua and Barbuda}}{{Infobox military structure
| name = Fort Shirley
| native_name =
| location = Cabrits National Park, Dominica
| image = Mountain top view of Fort Shirley,Cabritts -Dominica (3235003959).jpg
| caption = Mountain top view of Fort Shirley
| map_type = Dominica#Caribbean
| map_size = 250
| map_alt =
| map_caption = Location in Caribbean
| type = Fortification
| coordinates = {{coord|15.5834|-61.4735|type:landmark|display=inline, title}}
| code =
| built = 1765
| site_area =
| height =
| used = No
| demolished =
| condition =
| ownership =
| open_to_public =
| battles =
| country =
}}
Fort Shirley is a historic military outpost on the Caribbean island of Dominica. It was built by the British in 1765, and was named for Sir Thomas Shirley.{{Cite book |last=Philpott |first=Don |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=51FSSY6JugwC&dq=%22Sir+Thomas+Shirley%22+%22fort+shirley%22+antigua&pg=PA52 |title=Antigua and Barbuda |date=1999 |publisher=Hunter Publishing, Inc |isbn=978-1-901522-02-0 |language=en}} The fort was the location of the 1802 revolt of the 8th West India Regiment.{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Fort Shirley |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/6020/ |access-date=2023-09-23 |website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |language=en}} Today, Fort Shirley is part of Cabrits National Park, which was established as a national park in 1986.{{Cite web |date=1975 |title=Laws of Dominica: National Parks and Protected Areas Act, 1975 |url=https://www.fao.org/faolex/results/details/en/c/LEX-FAOC007999/ |access-date=2023-09-25 |website=FAOLEX Database: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations}}
Location
Fort Shirley is located on a peninsula just north of Portsmouth, in an area known as Prince Rupert's Head.{{Cite book |last=Marshall |first=Lydia Wilson |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZyYsBgAAQBAJ&q=fort+shirley |title=The Archaeology of Slavery: A Comparative Approach to Captivity and Coercion |date=2015 |publisher=SIU Press |isbn=978-0-8093-3397-4 |language=en}}{{Cite book |last1=DeCorse |first1=Christopher R. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v37SEAAAQBAJ&q=Prince+Rupert's+Head |title=British Forts and Their Communities: Archaeological and Historical Perspectives |last2=Beier |first2=Zachary J. M. |date=2018-03-14 |publisher=University Press of Florida |isbn=978-0-8130-5223-6 |language=en}} The fort overlooks two bays: Prince Rupert's Bay and Douglas Bay.
History
The British began Fort Shirley's construction in 1765 as a garrison to defend north Dominica. The fort was named for Sir Thomas Shirley, Governor of the Leeward Islands at the time. From 1778 to 1784, the fort was extended by the French during their occupation of Dominica. The fort was built of brick and stone in the Georgian architectural style. It consisted of more than 50 buildings,{{Cite web |title=Cabrits National Park |url=https://national-parks.org/dominica/cabrits |access-date=2023-09-23 |website=national-parks.org |publisher=Global Alliance of National Parks |language=en}} including seven gun batteries, seven cisterns, powder magazines, and ordnance storehouses, as well as barracks that could house over 600 men.{{Cite web |last=Christian |first=Gabriel J. |date=2013-11-03 |title=Emancipation, Independence and the Resurrection of Dominica's Fort Shirley |url=https://dominicanewsonline.com/news/homepage/news/emancipation-independence-resurrection-dominicas-fort-shirley/ |access-date=2023-09-25 |website=Dominica News Online |language=en-US}}
In April 1802, the revolt of the 8th West India Regiment took place at Fort Shirley.{{Cite book |last=Iverson |first=Justin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XKGaEAAAQBAJ&dq=In+1802+mutiny+revolt+of+the+8th+West+India+Regiment+took+place+at+Fort+Shirley.&pg=PA91 |title=Rebels in Arms: Black Resistance and the Fight for Freedom in the Anglo-Atlantic |date=2022-11-01 |publisher=University of Georgia Press |isbn=978-0-8203-6278-6 |language=en}}{{Cite book |last=Hart |first=Richard |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=csR7AAAAMAAJ&q=In+1802+mutiny+revolt+of+the+8th+West+India+Regiment+took+place+at+Fort+Shirley. |title=From Occupation to Independence: A Short History of the Peoples of the English-speaking Caribbean Region |date=1998 |publisher=Pluto Press |isbn=978-0-7453-1382-5 |language=en}} African soldiers, who were recruited as slaves and stationed at Fort Shirley, mutinied and took over the garrison for three days. They did so in protest of poor conditions, lack of pay, and fears of being sold back into slavery.{{Cite web |last=Lockley |first=Tim |date=November 16, 2017 |title=Mutiny! The story of the 8th West India Regiment |url=https://www.bl.uk/west-india-regiment/articles/mutiny-the-story-of-the-8th-west-india-regiment |website=British Library}} The revolt influenced the Mutiny Act 1807,{{Cite journal |last=Beier |first=Zachary |date=2017-06-30 |title=All the King's Men: Slavery and Soldiering at the Cabrits Garrison (1763-1854) |url=https://surface.syr.edu/etd/713 |journal=Dissertations - Syracuse University}} under which all serving soldiers recruited as slaves in the West India Regiments of the British Army were freed.{{Cite web |title=Slavery reparations: An historian's view |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/caribbean/news/story/2007/03/070330_slaveryhonychurch.shtml |access-date=2023-09-24 |website=www.bbc.co.uk |publisher=BBC Caribbean}}
By the 1850s, the fort had fallen out of use. It was abandoned in 1854,{{Cite book |last=Myers |first=Robert A. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=huAmAQAAIAAJ&q=fort+shirley+dominica+mutiny |title=A Resource Guide to Dominica, 1493-1986 |date=1987 |publisher=Human Relations Area Files |language=en}} but remained in the hands of the British Admiralty. In 1901, the fort's ownership was transferred to the government of the Dominica and it remained designated as Crown Land. The fort and the land around were sometimes used as a quarantine station and agricultural station, as well as an experimental teak forestry project.{{Cite book |last= |first= |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DJmxAAAAIAAJ&q=fort+shirley+dominica+quarantine+and+agricultural+station |title=Dominica |date=1991 |publisher=The Caribbean Conservation Association |language=en}}File:Prince_Rupert's_Head_and_Bay_in_the_Island_of_Dominique_from_near_the_Tomb_003KTOP00000123U09700000(SVC2).jpgFile:Prince Rupert's Head, Dominica 1799 MPHH1-18-1.jpg
Restoration
After years of deterioration, Dr. Lennox Honychurch began restoration of the fort's structures in 1982.{{Cite web |date=January 28, 2021 |title=Years of Investment in Fort Shirley Paying Off |url=http://news.gov.dm/news/2238-years-of-investment-in-fort-shirley-paying-off |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230929124604/http://news.gov.dm/news/2238-years-of-investment-in-fort-shirley-paying-off |archive-date=2023-09-29 |access-date=2023-09-23 |website=news.gov.dm}} Several of the buildings have been completely restored, while ruins of the rest can be found scattered around the peninsula.{{Cite web |last=Byron |first=Anglina |date=2023-05-21 |title=Dominica: How Fort Shirley in Cabrits National Park offers extensive experience |url=https://associatestimes.com/dominica-how-fort-shirley-in-cabrits-national-park-offers-extensive-experience/ |access-date=2023-09-23 |website=Associates Times a Caribbean News website |language=en-US}}