▁ 1 5 5 9 ▁survey ▁commented ▁that ▁Hur st ▁Castle ▁was ▁essential ▁for ▁sending ▁rein for c ements ▁from ▁the ▁main land ▁to ▁the ▁island , ▁and ▁noted ▁that ▁it ▁was ▁equ ipped ▁with ▁eleven ▁br ass ▁and ▁iron ▁guns , ▁with ▁nine ▁further ▁broken ▁guns , ▁along ▁with ▁hand g uns , ▁b ows ▁and ▁ar rows , ▁p ikes ▁and ▁b ills . ▁The ▁survey ▁observed ▁that ▁the ▁castle ▁was ▁vulner able ▁to ▁attack ▁because ▁it ▁lack ed ▁fl ank ing ▁protection ▁and ▁had ▁rounded ▁walls , ▁and ▁that ▁it ▁was ▁expensive ▁to ▁g arrison ▁because ▁of ▁its ▁size , ▁requiring ▁a ▁captain , ▁his ▁deput y , ▁twelve ▁g unn ers , ▁nine ▁soldiers ▁and ▁a ▁por ter . ▁The ▁historian ▁John ▁Ken y on ▁notes , ▁however , ▁that ▁its ▁considerable ▁arm ament ▁made ▁it ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁most ▁powerful ▁for ts ▁in ▁the ▁south , ▁even ▁if ▁it ▁was ▁equ ipped ▁with ▁l ighter ▁guns ▁than ▁would ▁have ▁been ▁ideal ▁for ▁its ▁" ship - k illing " ▁role . ▁ ▁Meanwhile , ▁the ▁invasion ▁threat ▁from ▁France ▁had ▁passed ▁and ▁a ▁last ing ▁peace ▁was ▁made ▁in ▁ 1 5 5 8 ; ▁government ▁concerns ▁shift ed ▁away ▁from ▁the ▁south ▁coast ▁towards ▁the ▁Spanish ▁threat ▁to ▁the ▁south - west ▁of ▁England . ▁By ▁ 1 5 6 9 , ▁when ▁Thomas ▁Care w ▁was ▁serving ▁as ▁Hur st ' s ▁captain , ▁there ▁were ▁less ▁than ▁ten ▁guns ▁but ▁the ▁same ▁size ▁of ▁g