Гернси аралындағы Корне заманындағы қамал

Island castle in Guernsey

Castle Cornet is a large island castle in Guernsey, and former tidal island, also known as Cornet Rock or Castle Rock. Its importance was as a defence not only of the island, but of the roadstead. In 1859 it became part of one of the breakwaters of Guernsey's main harbour, St Peter Port harbour.

The island measures about in area, with a length of and a width of It lies not quite east of the coast of Guernsey.

Formerly a tidal island, like Lihou on the west coast of Guernsey, it was first fortified as a castle between 1206 and 1256, following the division of the Duchy of Normandy in 1204. In 1338, when a French force captured the island, they besieged Cornet, capturing it on 8 September; the French then massacred the garrison of eleven men at arms and 50 archers. The island was retaken in 1340 and the castle was recaptured in August 1345 which he found strong and well supplied with artillery.

During the first, second and third English Civil Wars (1642–1651), the Castle had four commanders, It is estimated that ten thousand cannonballs were fired at the town during this period. For nine years the Castle held out, supported from the Royalist Island of Jersey.

The castle was a prison for Civil War parliamentary leader, Colonel John Lambert from 1662 to 1670.

Constructed over a period of 800 years, on a small islet, there is little order in its construction. There are six gateways to negotiate to get to the citadel at the top. The main gate is concealed from cannon fire from the island. The coat of arms above the gate is that of Queen Elizabeth I. The original curtain wall was built around 1570 but has been refaced to strengthen it since.

The whole of Castel Cornet and the islet upon which it stands was listed as a Protected Monument on 26 March 1938, reference PM74.