Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 107, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 May 1919 — FAMOUS OLD ENGLISH FORT [ARTICLE]

FAMOUS OLD ENGLISH FORT

Porcheeter Castle, Obsolete Now, Must Have Been Place of Great Strength in Its Day. Far away, behind all that the majority of people know of Portsmouth (Eng.) harbor — the outer basin with the ships of all kinds and descriptions coming and going in it, from the great battle cruisers to the steamers plying to and from from the isle of Wight—far from all the bustle of the harbor side, at the extreme end of a great stretch of tidal water, backed by the long, low line of the downs, stands Porchester castle. Roman as its name denotes, Porchester Is said to have been one of the nine fortresses built by the Romans to defend the British coasts against marauding pirates from across the North sea. However this may happen to be, the walls which face the huge expanse of mud flats at low tide and water at high tides are really the work of Roman builders, which is a great deal more than can be said for -many of the socalled “Roman walls” in other places. Wonderful walls they are, too —Roman builders never did things by halves — fully ten feet thick and built of flint and concrete with courses of limestone slabs. The strength of the place before artillery came into use, or against an enemy unprovided with it, must have been enormous, and its situation must -have made it almost impregnable. The Normans recognized its value and Henry I added the great keep and many of the other buildings.