Fort England as a military base

Abstract

Fort England, today a mental institution in Grahamstown, was originally known as the East Barracks. It was a focal point of the infant settlement of the unit which evolved into the Cape Mounted Rifles. Though it never became more than a barracks in effect, its name was changed to Fort England in 1832. For fifty years the 'fort' served as the military headquarters of the Eastern Frontier (except for a brief spell when the headquarters was at King William's Town). It was closely integrated not only with military defence, but with the medical, social, and civic development of Grahamstown, until the Imperial troops withdrew in 1870.