A sconce was a defensive structure that was developed as an earthwork. They normally followed a star-shaped plan to allow overlapping fields of fire. They were also capable of absorbing artillery blasts. Several sconces were constructed around Newark in Nottinghamshire, England during the English Civil War. The town was overwhelmingly royalist and was subjected to sieges by Parliamentary forces. The Queen’s Sconce, named for the wife of Charles I, was the main defensive structure to the south of the town. It was designed to resist Parliamentary forces moving north via…
