MARTELLO TOWER, a kind of tower formerly used in English coast defence. The name is a corruption of Mortella. The Martello tower was introduced in consequence of an incident of the French revolutionary wars. In September 1793 a British squadron of three ships of the line and two frigates was ordered to support the Corsican insurgents. In 1794, an assault was planned upon a tower on Cape Mortella commanding the Gulf of San Fiorenzo. On Feb. 7, 1400, troops were landed, and the tower was attacked by land and sea on the 8th. The "Fortitude" and "Juno" kept up a cannonade for 21 hours and then hauled off, the former being on fire and having 62 men killed and wounded. The fire from the batteries on shore produced no impression until a hot shot set fire to the "bass junk with which, to the depth of 5ft., the immensely thick parapet was lined." The garrison of 33 men then surrendered. The armament was found to consist only of two i8-pounders and one 6-pounder. The strong resistance offered by these three guns seems to have led to the conclusion that towers of this description were specially formidable, and Martello towers were built in large numbers, and at heavy expense, along the shores of England, especially on the southern and eastern coasts, which in certain parts are lined with these disused towers at short intervals. They are structures of solid masonry, containing vaulted rooms for the garrison, and providing a platform at the top for two or three guns, which fire over a low masonry parapet. Access is provided by a ladder, communicating with a door about 2oft. above the ground. In some cases a ditch is provided around the base. The defect of the tower was its weakness against vertical fire. The French tours modeles were somewhat similar to the Martello.
became prominent in 1639 when he refused to contribute to the general loan for the Scottish War, and in 1640 he was returned to parliament as a member for Berkshire. There he spoke in favour of the proposed bill of attainder against Strafford, and used such frank language about the king that Charles demanded his trial for high treason. When rebellion broke out Marten did not take the field, although he was appointed governor of Read ing, but in parliament he was very active. In 1643, on account of some remark about extirpat ing the royal family, he was expelled from parliament, but in the following year was made governor of Aylesbury. Allowed to return to parliament in 1646, Marten again spoke against the king, and attacked the Presby terians, and, supporting the army against the parliament, signed the agreement of Aug. 1647. He was one of the most prominent of the king's judges and signed the death warrant. In 1649 he was chosen a member of the council of state, but he took no part in public life during the Protectorate. Having resumed his seat in the Long Parliament in 1659, Marten surrendered himself as a regicide in June 1660. He was imprisoned at Chepstow Castle where he died on Sept. 9, 1680. Although a lead ing Puritan, Marten was a man of loose morals. He published several pamphlets, and in 1662 Henry Marten's Familiar Letters to his Lady of Delight, containing letters to his mistress, Mary Ward.
See J. Forster, Statesmen of the Commonwealth (1840) ; M. Noble, Lives of the English Regicides (1798) ; S. R. Gardiner, History of the Great Civil War and History of the Commonwealth and Protectorate, and Dict. Nat. Biog. for further bibliography.