An archaeological survey of Port Egmont, the first British settlement in the Falkland Islands

AbstractIn 1992 the Falkland Islands Museum and National Trust commissioned the first land-based archaeological survey in the Islands of the earliest British settlement, Port Egmont. Founded in 1765 as a base to secure passage round Cape Horn and abandoned by the British nine years later, Port Egmont was occupied briefly by the Spanish in 1770-71. Apart from sporadic visits by sealers and whalers in the 19th century the site remained deserted. The survey located nearly 50 separate features, which include defensive works such as batteries, a harbour complex, houses, barracks, and storehouses, gardens and a cemetery. A detailed study of contemporary maps and documents confirmed the function of many of these and illuminated the historical and economic context of the shortlived settlement.