Burrow Island (also known as 'Rat Island' or 'Ratty') is a

tidal island A tidal island is a raised area of land within a waterbody, which is connected to the larger mainland by a natural isthmus or man-made causeway that is exposed at low tide and submerged at high tide, causing the land to switch between being ...

Gosport Gosport ( ) is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hampshire, England. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 Census, the town had a population of 70,131 and the district had a pop ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. The island overlooks

Portsmouth Harbour Portsmouth Harbour is a / biological Site of Special Scientific Interest between Portsmouth and Gosport in Hampshire. It is a Ramsar site and a Special Protection Area. It is a large natural harbour in Hampshire, England. Geographically it ...

. At low tide a spit connects it with Priddy's Hard. It has been suggested that the name dates from the 17th century and is derived from being within the borough of Gosport. It has been claimed that King Stephen (1096–1154), built a fortification on the island, but this is unlikely to have been the case. Between 1678 and 1679, a fortification named Fort James was constructed on the island under the direction of

Bernard de Gomme Sir Bernard de Gomme (1620 – 23 November 1685) was a Dutch military engineer. By some he is considered the most important figure in 17th-century English military engineering. Early life De Gomme was born in Terneuzen, Zeeland as the son of Ma ...

. It took the form of a square tower 19 ft tall. The fortification was apparently allowed to decay with George Byng commenting on its poor condition in a letter written in either 1707 or 1708. It appears that a rebuilding to a new design was proposed on 1750 but this never took place. What were by then the ruins of the fort were partially demolished in 1827 and nothing now remains above ground level. Burrow Island OS map

Burrow Island is owned by the

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

, and public access is not permitted; despite this, at low tide some members of the public have ventured onto Burrow Island. It is a popular spot to go fishing. It is known that some have found unique coloured glass bottles that had been washed up on the island. Burrow Island was once used as a burial ground for convicts; several human skeletons were discovered on the island early in 2014. They are believed to be from the 19th century and are the remains of convicts or prisoners of war who had been buried on the island. Burrow Island is one of 43 (unbridged) tidal islands which can be walked to from the mainland of Great Britain.

References

{{Commons category, Burrow Island Uninhabited islands of England Tidal islands of England Portsmouth Islands of Hampshire