Scarborough's Tudor town plan

Henry VIII clearly saw Scarborough as playing a key defensive role

A map from the archives of the British Library shows how Scarborough played an important role in the defence strategy of Henry VIII.

Scarborough was not only a northern stronghold but also a key part of the Tudor king's plans to defend against possible invasion from France and Spain.

The town plan, drawn in about 1539, shows the town and castle fortifications and places a cannon within the walls of the castle. Cannons were a fairly new advance in military technology in the Tudor period.

They were first used by the English against the Scots in the 14th century but it was not until Tudor times that the first cannon batteries were integrated into fortifications and then into the navy, with ships like the Mary Rose displaying considerable firepower against enemy fleets.

Jon Hogan from English Heritage says: "At this time, maps and plans of locations were relatively rare and would only be done to assess a site's importance. The fact that this cannon was on the map shows that it was likely meant to be a permanent fixture on the castle."

Scarborough played an important role in the defence strategy of Henry VIII

The map has helped inform the work of archaeologists both locally and further afield for a number of years.

It was brought out of the archives again this year when the British Library was preparing an exhibition on Henry VIII to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Tudor monarch's accession to the throne.