Port Louis: An Archaeological and Historical Survey of the First Capital of the Falkland Islands

The settlement of Port Louis is the most important archaeological and historical site in the Falkland Islands with a unique colonial history. For eighty years, from its foundation by the French aristocrat Louis-Antoine de Bougainville in 1764 until the capital was moved by the British to Stanley in 1844, Port Louis served successively as the principal settlement of the four occupying powers, France, Spain, United Provinces of the River Plate, and Britain.

The settlement was virtually abandoned in 1844, leaving extensive earthworks and structural remains from all phases of occupation often in an excellent state of preservation. This monograph presents the detailed evidence from the first archaeological survey of this important site, mapping the remains by conventional surveying techniques, undertaken largely from 1994 to 1996. In 2023, new technology using drone photography and 3D photogrammetry was used to enhance the archaeological record. The monograph sets out the historical context for the foundation and development of the colonial settlement under successive administrations, integrating the rich cartographic and documentary record in European and South American archives to interpret the physical remains. Together, they show how the remote location, the influence of topography, the difficult climate and the overriding need for defence all contributed to the layout and character of the settlement, while the geopolitical manoeuvres of the European powers fractured the continuity of this remote establishment.

Robert A. Philpott is a research associate in the Department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology at the University of Liverpool, and an archaeological consultant. He has been researching the archaeology of the Falkland Islands since 1992. An initial survey of the first British colony at Port Egmont was followed by investigations of the Patagonian Missionary Society settlement on Keppel Island, Falkland Islands Company cattle ranching sites and the company headquarters at Darwin.

Other research interests include the colonial archaeology of the Leeward Islands, and the Iron Age and later archaeology of the North West of England. He is a Member of the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London.

Robert Philpott is a research associate in the Department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology at the University of Liverpool, and an archaeological consultant. He has been researching the archaeology of the Falkland Islands since 1992. An initial survey of the first British colony at Port Egmont was followed by investigations of the Patagonian Missionary Society settlement on Keppel Island, Falkland Islands Company cattle ranching sites and the company headquarters at Darwin. Other research interests include the colonial archaeology of the Leeward Islands, and the Iron Age and later archaeology of the North West of England. He is a Member of the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London.