fcROWNSEA ISLANl). iQl 



from its old malady of neglect. The State, careless of its 

 defences, and Poole, offended at the continued disregard of its 

 protestations to Whitehall, refused any longer to provide men to 

 watch and ward the island fortress, and so from that time 

 Brownsea Castle, as a defence, became useless. 



It is doubtful if Sir Robert ever occupied the castle, and it 

 seems more probable that he built for himself, or inhabited at 

 any rate, the old-time wrecked dwelling-house mentioned by 

 Hutchins, a remnant of which remains in the brick columns 

 near the present dairy. 



Charles the Second, owing to the plague, fled from London in 

 1663 with his Court, and his visit to Brownsea Island was 

 doubtless due to that fact. " His Majesty took an exact view of 

 the said Island, Castle Bay, and Harbour to his great content- 

 ment." So says the record. Sir Robert Clayton re-opened the 

 copperas works, which were finally closed in 1 704. 



The next proprietor of Brownsea was " Mr. Auditor Benson," 

 who bought it in 1772 for the not too extravagant sum of ^300. 

 Mr. Benson re-placed Sir Christopher Wren as first surveyor of 

 works. When he bought the Island he also took possession of 

 the castle, about which nothing had been said in the negotiation, 

 and began to alter it into a residence for himself. At this the 

 Poole burgesses interfered with objections that it was a national 

 defence and Crown property, and that they were its legitimate 

 custodians. He, in reply, asserted that he had bought the 

 Island and everything upon it, which of necessity included the 

 castle. The Poole Municipality then appealed to King George 

 the Second, probably in 1720, and we next hear of the business 

 in 1723, when Mr. Benson and his counsel appeared before the 

 Attorney-General, Poole being represented by Messrs. Bond 

 and Trenchard. The proceedings were adjourned for further 

 consideration, and were never resumed, but why they were 

 dropped is a mystery. Probably Mr. Benson procured a grant 

 of the castle from the Crown. Mr. Benson did a great deal of 

 the work on the castle, and built the great hall, where is now the 

 music-room. He also brought the Island into a better state of 



