Editing Board of Ordnance (section)

{{Short description|English and British body responsible for forts}}
{{for|the U.S. body|United States Army Ordnance Corps}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
[[File:Badge of the Royal Army Ordnance Corps on a RML 10 inch 18 ton gun in Gibraltar.jpg|thumbnail|Shield of the Board of Ordnance preserved on a gun [[tampion]] in Gibraltar]]
The '''Board of Ordnance''' was a [[British government]] body. Established in the [[Tudor period]], it had its headquarters in the [[Tower of London]]. Its primary responsibilities were 'to act as custodian of the lands, depots and forts required for the defence of the realm and its overseas possessions, and as the supplier of munitions and equipment to both the Army and the Navy'.<ref>[http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/docs/ebooks/a-history-of-the-ordnance-survey/index.html History of the Ordnance Survey, quoting older sources]</ref> The Board also maintained and directed the Artillery and Engineer corps, which it founded in the 18th century. By the 19th century, the Board of Ordnance was second in size only to [[HM Treasury]] among government departments.<ref name=arrows>{{cite book|last1=Skentlebery|first1=Norman|title=Arrows to atom bombs: a history of the Ordnance Board|date=1975|publisher=Ordnance Board|location=London}}</ref> The Board lasted until 1855, at which point (tarnished by poor performance in supplying the Army in [[Crimean War|Crimea]]) it was disbanded.