Port Louis: An Archaeological and Historical Survey of the First Capital of the Falkland Islands

Port Louis, a key archaeological site in the Falkland Islands, was the main settlement for four colonial powers from 1764 to 1844. Abandoned in 1844, it has well-preserved remains. Surveys from 1994-1996 and 2023 used advanced technology to map the site, revealing its historical and geopolitical significance.

The settlement of Port Louis is the most important archaeological and historical site in the Falkland Islands with a unique colonial history. For eighty years, from its foundation by the French aristocrat Louis-Antoine de Bougainville in 1764 until the capital was moved by the British to Stanley in 1844, Port Louis served successively as the principal settlement of the four occupying powers, France, Spain, United Provinces of the River Plate, and Britain. The settlement was virtually abandoned in 1844, leaving extensive earthworks and structural remains from all phases of occupation often in an excellent state of preservation. This monograph presents the detailed evidence from the first archaeological survey of this important site, mapping the remains by conventional surveying techniques, undertaken largely from 1994 to 1996. In 2023, new technology using drone photography and 3D photogrammetry was used to enhance the archaeological record. The monograph sets out the historical context for the foundation and development of the colonial settlement under successive administrations, integrating the rich cartographic and documentary record in European and South American archives to interpret the physical remains. Together, they show how the remote location, the influence of topography, the difficult climate and the overriding need for defence all contributed to the layout and character of the settlement, while the geopolitical manoeuvres of the European powers fractured the continuity of this remote establishment.

Acknowledgements

Chapter 1: Early Discoveries in the Falklands and Introduction to Port Louis

The Falkland Islands

The Pre-Colonial Era: A Prehistoric Human Presence?

Discovery and Early Sightings

18th-Century Voyages of Exploration

Introduction to the Settlement History

Chapter 2: The Archaeological Survey

Origin of the Project

Aims of the Project

The Survey Methodology

Geology and Soils

The Topography of Port Louis

Condition of the Site

Technological Advances: Drone Mapping and Photogrammetry

Chapter 3: Natural Resources

Introduction

Wildlife

Introduced Livestock

Impact of Human Settlement

Chapter 4: Foundation and French Occupation, 1764-7

The Origin of the French Settlement

Bougainville’s arrival at Port Saint-Louis

The British Expeditions

The Final Form of the French Settlement

Le Moine’s Projected Town and Citadel

The Spanish Objection

The French Settlement: the archaeological survey

The French Defences: the Fort (F5), Powder Magazine (F89) and Battery (F108)

The Apartment House (F93, F11, F9)

Turf Building (F8)

The Projected Buildings

The Commandant’s House (F103) and Garden (F102)

Other French Buildings

Trackways and Ramps (F115, F125, F96, F121)

The Tannery (F118, F138, F100)

The Boatyard

Gardens and Plantations

Garden (F84, F85)

Garden on Main Headland (F110, F111)

Other Gardens (F24, F148)

The Tanning Process in the 18th Century

Chapter 5: The Spanish Occupation, 1767-1811

The Spanish Garrison

Thomas Falkner’s Account, 1774

Food Supply

Conflict with Britain 1770-71: Port Egmont

Puerto Soledad: the First Decades

Presidios in Spanish North America

The Buildings

Malaspina’s Expedition at Puerto de la Soledad

The Final Years of Puerto Soledad

Spanish Estancias and Other Establishments in East Falkland

The Spanish Settlement 1767-1811: the archaeological survey

The Spanish Governor’s House (F103)

Presidio and Quartel (F109)

Defensive Works: the Spanish Fort (F6)

The Hospital (site of F12)

Group of Official Buildings near the Jetty

The Archaeological Evidence

The First Spanish Chapel (F70)

A Further Group of Official Buildings

Spanish Buildings to the West of the Careenage Entrance

Gardens

Observations on the Buildings

Building Materials: Clay Bricks

The Settlement during the Abandonment

Chapter 6: Abandonment of the Settlement (1811-1820)

Argentine Report of 1816

The Uranie Shipwreck, 1820

The Coquille Expedition 1822

Duperrey’s Plan, 1820

The Ruined House of the Governor (F103)

Chapter 7: United Provinces at Port Louis, 1820-21, 1824 and 1826-1833

David Jewett and The United Provinces at Port Louis

Vernet and Pacheco, 1823

Vernet as Military and Political Commander

British Visitors to Port Louis

Vernet and the Lexington Incident

Joseph Addyman’s House

The British Reaction to the Events of 1832

The Settlement under the United Provinces: the archaeological survey

María Sáez de Vernet’s Diary 1829

References to Earlier Buildings

House of Louis Vernet (F109)

Corral (F46)

New Building Work under Vernet

The Cemetery (F37)

Gardens and Tree-planting under Vernet

Vernet’s Claim against the British Government

Vernet’s Corrals

Chapter 8: The British Occupation at Port Louis, 1833-1844

The British Assertion of Sovereignty

FitzRoy at Port Louis

The Beagle and Charles Darwin at Port Louis

The Settlement, 1834-1837

Vernet’s Claim against the British Government

Vernet and the Lafones

The British at Port Louis: Robert Lowcay 1838-39

Naval Officer Lieut. John Tyssen, 1839-42

The Problem of Accommodation

George Whitington’s Attempts to Colonise the Islands

The British Government Proposal, 1840

Moody at Port Louis, 1842-44

James Clark Ross’s Visit, 1842

The Government Livestock

The Projected Town of Anson

The Initial Survey

Sales of Town and Country Plots

Planning the New Town

The Transfer of Government from Port Louis to Stanley

A Letter from Charles Darwin

Port Louis after 1844

Decline of the Settlement at Port Louis

The Division of Port Louis and the Lafones

The Robson Era (1876-1997)

Port Louis South

Manning’s Portable Colonial Cottages

The British Settlement: the archaeological survey

Sources

Government House (F109)

Other British Houses

Other Structures

The Corrals

The Visit of James Clark Ross, 1842

Buildings probably Constructed by Ross

Other Buildings

Further New Buildings in 1842-3

Gardens

Structures and Installations of Uncertain Date

Livestock Installations

Maritime Features

Gardens

Buildings of Uncertain Date

Chapter 9: The Fishing Establishment at Salthouse Point, Fish Creek

Location and Topographical Situation

Historical Background

Vernet’s Fishing Establishment

Fish-House Creek under the British

The Archaeological Survey

Boundary Bank and Ditch (F130)

Turf building (F127)

Turf building (F128)

Structure (F129)

Turf building (F131)

Dam? (F132)

Turf building (F133)

Turf building (F134)

Turf building (F135)

Fish-Trap (F139)

Hollows (animal enclosures?) (F140, F141)

Chapter 10: Material Culture: The Potential of Finds Assemblages

The Potential of Material Culture

The Material Culture of the Gauchos

Flora and Fauna

Artefact Assemblages from Port Louis: Case Studies

The Ceramic Finds – an Overview

Leather recovered during survey at Port Louis

Chapter 11: Concluding Themes

References

Abbreviations

Appendix 1: The Archaeological Features

• By (author) Robert A. Philpott
• Contributions by David Barker
• Contributions by Quita Mould