The chapter begins with an investigation of the form and composition of the councils Henry VIII set up at Boulogne and New Haven. As well as being filled by members of loyal families who had experience of service on the frontiers of the realm, these councils provided a new generation of men with their formative experiences of border warfare. The garrisons formed the backbone of English rule in the Boulonnais, and the farms and estates granted to these men gave them a personal stake in the defending the king’s lands. The chapter also looks at the development of cutting-edge fortifications in the Boulonnais in 1540s, which cost vast amounts of money to build and maintain. Despite the enormous amount of money Henry VIII poured into the defence of Boulogne, the garrisons lived in dire conditions, which posed a serious threat to Henry’s efforts to secure the defence of this region. The chapter concludes by exploring the role which soldiers from the Boulogne garrison came to play in the Protestant history of England.