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The Fort of Cego is located in the municipality of Arruda dos Vinhos, in the
The Fort of Cego was designated ''Military Work No. 9'' of the 152 works. At 353 metres above sea level, it was on the first, or most northerly, of the three Lines of Torres Vedras, exchanging crossfire with the nearby Fort of Carvalha, with the aim of protecting the Arruda Valley. The fort was designed with an irregular star shape and, among the forts constructed on the Lines, it was notable for having an elaborate drainage system in order to avoid accumulation of water in its interior. Its floor consisted of stones bonded with mortar, while the gun positions also used flagstones. Protection from enemy fire was provided by earth ramparts. It was originally named São Sebastião by the Portuguese Major Brandão de Sousa, but subsequently became known as the Fort of Cego. The fort had a garrison of 280 men, with three nine-pounder cannon.
Lines of Torres Vedras Information Centre at the Centro Cultural do Morgado
Arruda dos Vinhos
Friends of the Lines of Torres Vedras
Cego Lines of Torres Vedras
Lisbon District
Lisbon District () is a district located along the western coast of Portugal. The district capital is the city of Lisbon, which is also the national capital. From its creation until 1926, it included the area of the current Setúbal District.
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of Portugal. It is also known as the Fort of Saint Sebastian (). The fort was built in 1809-10 as part of the first of the three Lines of Torres Vedras
The Lines of Torres Vedras were lines of forts and other military defences built in secrecy to defend Lisbon during the Peninsular War. Named after the nearby town of Torres Vedras, they were ordered by Arthur Wellesley, Viscount Wellington, c ...
, which were defensive lines to protect the Portuguese capital Lisbon
Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...
from invasion by the French during the Peninsular War
The Peninsular War (1808–1814) was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French ...
(1807–14) or, in the event of defeat, to safely embark a retreating British Army.
Background
Despite the defeat of French forces in earlier invasions of Portugal during the Peninsular War, the threat of further invasions led the commander of the British troops in Portugal,Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field marshal (United Kingdom), Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (; 1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was a British Army officer and statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures in Britain during t ...
, to order on October 20, 1809 the construction of defensive lines to the north of the capital, between the Atlantic Ocean and the River Tagus
The Tagus ( ; ; ) is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. The river rises in the Montes Universales between Cuenca and Teruel, in mid-eastern Spain, flows , generally westward, and empties into the Atlantic Ocean in Lisbon.
Name
T ...
. The Lines of Torres Vedras, consisting of 152 forts, redoubts and other military installations, were built rapidly and in great secrecy, under the overall supervision of Colonel Richard Fletcher who was commander of the Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is the engineering arm of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces ...
.
The fort
The Fort of Cego was designated ''Military Work No. 9'' of the 152 works. At 353 metres above sea level, it was on the first, or most northerly, of the three Lines of Torres Vedras, exchanging crossfire with the nearby Fort of Carvalha, with the aim of protecting the Arruda Valley. The fort was designed with an irregular star shape and, among the forts constructed on the Lines, it was notable for having an elaborate drainage system in order to avoid accumulation of water in its interior. Its floor consisted of stones bonded with mortar, while the gun positions also used flagstones. Protection from enemy fire was provided by earth ramparts. It was originally named São Sebastião by the Portuguese Major Brandão de Sousa, but subsequently became known as the Fort of Cego. The fort had a garrison of 280 men, with three nine-pounder cannon.
Restoration
With resources from EEA and Norway Grants, the Fort of Cego was one of the military works of the Lines of Torres Vedras that was restored in 2010 to mark the 200th anniversary of the construction of the Lines. The fort, together with the nearby Fort of Carvalha, can be easily visited. There is also a Lines of Torres Vedras Information Centre in the nearby town of Arruda dos Vinhos.See also
*List of forts of the Lines of Torres Vedras
The Lines of Torres Vedras were lines of Fortification, forts and other military defences built in secrecy to defend Lisbon, capital of Portugal, from the French during the Peninsular War. Named after the town of Torres Vedras, their construction ...
References
External links
*{{Commons category-inlineLines of Torres Vedras Information Centre at the Centro Cultural do Morgado
Arruda dos Vinhos
Friends of the Lines of Torres Vedras
Cego Lines of Torres Vedras