In the early 1600s, England was at peace with France and Spain, and the country's coastal defences received little attention.
The Gorges family continued as captains at Hurst, with Sir Edward Gorges taking up the post in 1610, but the castle was neglected.
In 1628, the castle was unable to prevent Flemish ships from passing along the Solent, as only four or five of the castle's twenty-seven guns were functional, and the fort had no ammunition or powder for them.
The government replaced all the brass ordnance in the castle, which were preferred, particularly on ships, as they could fire faster and more safely, with iron guns in 1635.

At the beginning of the English Civil War in 1642 between the supporters of Charles I and Parliament, the castle was occupied by Captain Richard Swanley, a supporter of Parliament.
In December 1648 it was briefly used to detain the King before his trial and execution.
During the interregnum, it remained in use under the command of Colonel Thomas Eyre and was reinforced in 1650 to deal with the threat of a Royalist invasion.

After Charles II was restored to the throne in 1660, Eyre was dismissed and replaced by Edward Strange.
The future of the castle was uncertain; Charles gave orders to demobilise the garrison and briefly considered having the fortress demolished altogether.
Instead of maintaining a regular garrison, in 1666 it was decided to staff the castle using soldiers deployed from the Isle of Wight instead, from a unit belonging to Sir Robert Holmes, the island's governor.
Hurst had meanwhile fallen into disrepair, delaying the plans to deploy Holmes' men until 1671.
Repairs were carried out and, by 1675, a conventional garrison and almost thirty guns were stationed at Hurst.
In the early 1600s, England was at peace with France and Spain, and the country's coastal defences received little attention. The Gorges family continued as captains at Hurst, with Sir Edward Gorges taking up the post in 1610, but the castle was neglected. In 1628, the castle was unable to prevent Flemish ships from passing along the Solent, as only four or five of the castle's twenty-seven guns were functional, and the fort had no ammunition or powder for them. The government replaced all the brass ordnance in the castle, which were preferred, particularly on ships, as they could fire faster and more safely, with iron guns in 1635.
At the beginning of the English Civil War in 1642 between the supporters of Charles I and Parliament, the castle was occupied by Captain Richard Swanley, a supporter of Parliament. In December 1648 it was briefly used to detain the King before his trial and execution. During the interregnum, it remained in use under the command of Colonel Thomas Eyre and was reinforced in 1650 to deal with the threat of a Royalist invasion.
After Charles II was restored to the throne in 1660, Eyre was dismissed and replaced by Edward Strange. The future of the castle was uncertain; Charles gave orders to demobilise the garrison and briefly considered having the fortress demolished altogether. Instead of maintaining a regular garrison, in 1666 it was decided to staff the castle using soldiers deployed from the Isle of Wight instead, from a unit belonging to Sir Robert Holmes, the island's governor. Hurst had meanwhile fallen into disrepair, delaying the plans to deploy Holmes' men until 1671. Repairs were carried out and, by 1675, a conventional garrison and almost thirty guns were stationed at Hurst.
Hurst Castle