What’s in a Name? Martello
The generally accepted explanation for the origin of this name for the early
19th century defensive towers along our coast is that it derives from Cape
Mortella in Corsica. For it was here in 1793 that the Royal Navy laid siege to a
round fortified tower for several days before taking it. So impressed were the
military that the design of this tower was replicated for the defence of Britain
against Napoleon, leading to the construction of numerous such towers, many of
which are still standing today. There are 8 martello towers in Folkestone (9 if
you include the adapted central keep of Sandgate Castle ).
It
has long been believed that ‘Mortella was corrupted to ‘martello’ to describe
this type of structure. This seems reasonable enough but for the existence of
some awkward facts. The tower at Cape Mortella was just one of many such towers
built in the western Mediterranean area. Originally inspired by Phoenician
watchtowers many were constructed over the years and generally acted as a means
of observing the approach of pirates or unknown vessels, a fire being lit at the
top to convey warning to those in the vicinity.
In western Italy this type of tower became known as a ‘torri di martello’ which
of course is exactly the same name as ’martello tower’. These were not named
after the tower at Cape Mortella but had a descriptive tag. Martello in Italian
means ‘hammer’. Therefore the original martello towers were ‘hammer towers’.
Since they did not have an offensive role militarily speaking the hammer
appellation is not descriptive of cannon fire for instance. No, it is thought to
be a name originating from the use of a bell (struck by a hammer) to warn of
pirates rather than the usual lighting of a fire. I do not know if anyone has
proved that any of these towers had a bell mounted on them but if so would they
not more likely have been called bell towers?
A more convincing explanation I think is that, as some sources maintain
(according to W H Clements in his recent book Towers of Strength- Martello
Towers Worldwide,) the towers looked in outline like hammerheads from a
distance. This I find quite convincing, the Cape Mortella tower for instance was
wider at top and bottom, narrower in the middle, and it would be quite easy to
imagine this as a giant hammerhead.
Interestingly the Mediterranean fleet besieging Cape Mortella in 1793 had just
come straight from one of these islands, Elba, where these ‘ torri di martello’
towers were prevalent.
So is it possible that Cape Mortella gained its name from the presence of the
tower so that actually Mortella is a corruption of ‘martello’ not the other way
round? Unfortunately it is not that easy, Mortella as a name apparently refers
to the thick growth of wild myrtle to be found on the Cape suggesting that the
similarity of name is just a remarkable coincidence, or is it? One way out of
this conundrum is provided by a comment by one naval officer noted by Sheila
Sutcliffe in her 1972 book Martello Towers. He apparently wrote home describing
this vicinity as Myrtello Point, so perhaps we can see how myrtle may have once
been more significantly part of the name.
Perhaps someone well versed in Italian could enlighten us on this but my hunch
is that the location known as Cape Mortella did indeed undergo a change of name
spelling in recognition of the existence of the tower which was already
recognised as being a ‘martello tower’ because of its hammer head like shape.
Paul Harris
Article from Go Folkestone Newsletter March 2008
