were neglected and fell into disrepair, with their garrisons' wages left unpaid. Castles such as Deal and blockhouses like Gravesend were all assessed as needing extensive repairs, with Sandgate reported to be in such a poor condition that "neither habitable or defensible against any assault, nor any way fit to command the roads". Lacking ammunition and powder, and with only a handful of its guns in adequate repair, Hurst was unable to prevent Flemish ships from passing along the Solent. Pendennis's garrison's pay was two years in arrears, reportedly forcing them to gather limpets from the shoreline for food. Some of the forts fell out of use; Camber Castle, whose original function of protecting the local anchorage had by now been made redundant by the changing shoreline, was decommissioned by King Charles I in 1637, while Sharpenrode Bulwark lay in ruins by the 1620s. First English Civil War Civil war broke out across England in 1642 between the supporters of King Charles I and Parliament. Fortifications and artillery played an important role in the conflict, and most of the Device Forts saw service. The south and east of England were soon largely controlled by Parliament. The blockhouses at Gravesend and Tilbury were garrisoned by Parliament and used to control access to London. The castles along the Sussex and Kentish coastline were seized by Parliament in the opening phase of the war, Camber Castle then being decommissioned to prevent it being used by the enemy, the remainder continuing to be garrisoned. The royal fleet, which had been positioned in the Downs anchorage, sided with Parliament. The Device Forts along the Solent also fell into Parliamentary hands early in the conflict. Calshot was garrisoned throughout, as was Brownsea, which was strengthened and equipped with additional guns. West Cowes was rapidly taken after firing on a nearby Parliamentary ship, and the Royalist commander at Yarmouth quickly negotiated a surrender of his tiny garrison. The heavily outnumbered garrison at Southsea Castle was stormed by Parliamentary forces in a night attack. Like Camber, St Andrew's and Netley were rapidly occupied and then decommissioned by Parliament. In the north-east, Hull also sided with Parliament, and its castle and blockhouses were used as part of the town's defences during multiple sieges. Much of the south-west sided with the King; Device Forts such as St Catherine's were held by the Royalists from the beginning of the conflict. The