Maurice Thompson and other English merchants orchestrate a hostile takeover of the English Guinea Company and revamp its operations

After a decade of reluctantly tolerating Dutch legger trading ships anchored nearby, the Guinea Company purges Cormantine Village of its pro-Dutch faction. This forces Ammadou, their captain, to negotiate with Dutch West India Company Director General Jacob van der Well to create a new village for them on the north side of the Benya River adjoining Elmina Castle.  The Guinea Company replaced Crispe’s earlier post with Cormantine Castle, a substantial stone fortification with multiple gun batteries, ample warehouse space, and living quarters for several dozen company factors, craftsmen, and garrison soldiers. The sole surviving image for Cormantine Castle portrays a square keep with a large centrally positioned square tower, surrounded by a lower battery with either round or faceted ramparts in each corner. The castle was situated atop the seaward-facing cliffs on a promontory extending into the Atlantic Ocean.  The sketch also shows a detached round tower some distance to the west of the main fort, but it is not known whether this was constructed at the same time as the core of Cormantine Castle or at a later date.