Fort Barrington, Antigua and Barbuda

In the 17th century, the British built a battery on Goat Hill in St. John's.[5][1] Sitting at the most southwestern point of St. John's Harbor, the battery's location was ideal for protecting the harbor's entrance as well as the anchorage outside the harbor.[1] The battery was attacked multiple times, and in the 18th century it was often described as being in disrepair.[6] It was abandoned after Queen Anne’s War.[1]

In 1779, a new fort was built at the location of the previous battery.[1][4] Its purpose was to assist Fort James (located at the harbor's opposite entrance) with protecting St. John's Harbor.[1] The fort was completed under the administration of General William Mathew Burt,[7] who was governor of the Leeward Islands from 1776 to 1781. It served as a major fortification for the British during the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.

The fort's previous names were Goat Hill Fort,[7][8] Cripplegate Battery,[5][6] and Queen’s Battery.[5][2] It was renamed Fort Barrington for the British royal navy admiral Samuel Barrington.[1][5] Barrington was commander in chief of the Leeward Islands station during the time of the fort's construction.[9]