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Board of Ordnance
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==Origins of the Board== The introduction of gunpowder to Europe led to innovations in offensive weapons, such as cannon, and defences, such as fortifications. From the 1320s a member of the [[Royal Households of the United Kingdom|Royal Household]], the 'Keeper of the [[Privy Wardrobe]] in the Tower of London', became increasingly responsible for the procurement, storage and distribution of weapons. His office and main arsenal were located in the [[White Tower (Tower of London)|White Tower]].<ref>[http://www.remuseum.org.uk/corpshistory/rem_corps_part2.htm Royal Engineers Museum - The Corps, Ordnance and its Train (1370-1713) - Part 2<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100204084632/http://www.remuseum.org.uk/corpshistory/rem_corps_part2.htm |date=2010-02-04 }}</ref> This 'Privy Wardrobe in the Tower' grew, both in size and significance, after the start of the [[Hundred Years' War]]. During the following century, the influence of the Privy Wardrobe and its staff receded, and no new Keepers were appointed after 1476. In its place, a distinct '''Office of Ordnance''' began to establish itself at the Tower; this body was responsible for firearms and artillery, and was staffed in the 1460s by a Master, a Clerk and a Yeoman.<ref name=Tomlinson79 /> In the 1540s, during the reign of [[Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII]], the Ordnance Office was expanded, with new officers appointed and their principal duties clarified. In 1671, the Office of Ordnance took over the work of the [[Royal Armouries|Office of Armoury]] at the Tower; the Armoury had been a parallel body which was originally responsible for armour and [[edged weapons]], but its activities had gradually widened over time, causing a degree of duplication.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.royalarmouries.org/visit-us/tower-of-london/power-house/institutions-of-the-tower/ordnance-office |title=Royal Armouries detailed historical overview |access-date=2014-08-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160325031604/https://royalarmouries.org/visit-us/tower-of-london/power-house/institutions-of-the-tower/ordnance-office |archive-date=2016-03-25 }}</ref> At this time, the Ordnance Office also began to conduct oversight of the nation's forts and fortifications. In 1683, the board of management (first assembled in 1597) was formally constituted as the '''Board of Ordnance''' by Warrant of King Charles II; it consisted of five Principal Officers meeting under the chairmanship of the Master-General. At the same time it was given a new constitution ('Instructions') by [[George Legge, 1st Baron Dartmouth|Lord Dartmouth]], the Master-General. These detailed Instructions continued, with relatively little change, to provide the working framework for the Board and its officers until the early 19th century.<ref name=Tomlinson79 /> The Board was a decision-making body, answerable to the Master-General who had power of veto. (He was also empowered to act independently of the Board). They were required to meet at least twice a week (8am every Tuesday and Thursday) at the Tower in order to transact business. ===Principal officers=== [[File:Richard Hussey Vivian, 1st Baron Vivian by William Salter.jpg|thumbnail|[[Richard Hussey Vivian, 1st Baron Vivian|Lord Vivian]] in uniform of Master-General of the Ordnance. The two senior officers of the Ordnance wore uniforms as for a general and lieutenant-general respectively, but of blue cloth with scarlet facings (rather than scarlet with blue).<ref>Confirmed 'by command of the Prince Regent', General Orders, July 1811.</ref>]] By the mid-16th century the Master was assisted by five 'Principal Officers' who later went on to form the Board, which thus consisted of: Two overseers: *[[Master-General of the Ordnance|Master (later Master-General) of the Ordnance]] (head of the board and commander-in-chief of the corps) *[[Lieutenant-General of the Ordnance|Lieutenant (later Lieutenant-General) of the Ordnance]] (deputy to the Master and second-in-command of the corps) And four heads of department: *[[Surveyor-General of the Ordnance|Surveyor (later Surveyor-General) of the Ordnance]] (in charge of quality) *[[Clerk of the Ordnance]] (in charge of purchasing) *[[Storekeeper of the Ordnance|Storekeeper (later Principal Storekeeper) of the Ordnance]] (in charge of storage) *[[Clerk of the Deliveries of the Ordnance]] (in charge of issuing) The offices of Master of the Ordnance and Clerk of the Ordnance may be said to date from 1414, when Letters Patent were issued on behalf of [[Henry V of England]] to 'Nicholas Merbury, Master of our Works, Engines, Cannons and other kinds of Ordnance for War, and to John Louth, Clerk of the same Works'<ref name=arrows /> (though it appears that these were appointments for service in the field of war rather than to a permanent position).<ref name=Tomlinson79 /> Merbury was present at the [[Siege of Harfleur]] and (albeit without his guns) at the [[Battle of Agincourt]].<ref>[http://homepage.ntlworld.com/mike.comerford/ORDNANCE/01.htm Part 01 β Arms of the Board of Ordnance<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080623233400/http://homepage.ntlworld.com/mike.comerford/ORDNANCE/01.htm |date=2008-06-23 }}</ref> By 1450 Master of Ordnance was a permanent appointment, firmly based at the Tower of London. The office of Yeoman of the Ordnance (established in 1430 to oversee both the storage of weapons and accoutrements and their delivery for use in the field) was abolished in 1543 and its duties were split between two new officers: the Storekeeper of the Ordnance and Clerk of the Deliveries.<ref name="Sharpe93">{{cite book |last1=Sharpe |first1=L. C. |title=The Field Train Department of the Board of Ordnance |date=1993 |publisher=Royal Logistics Corps Museum}}</ref> At the same time the office of Surveyor of the Ordnance was also established. Until 1544 the Master had generally managed the day-to-day activities of the Ordnance Office. In that year, however, [[King Henry VIII]] appointed his brother-in-law [[Thomas Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley|Thomas Seymour]] as Master of the Ordnance, displacing the incumbent [[Christopher Morris (Master of the Ordnance)|Sir Christopher Morris]], who continued his previous work but with a new title: Lieutenant of the Ordnance. Thereafter the Lieutenant (or Lieutenant-General) had day-to-day oversight of the Board's activities, while Master (or Master-General) had more the role of a statesman and supervisor (albeit still with specific responsibilities to the Board and its work).<ref name=Tomlinson79 /> From the 17th century through till 1828 the Master-General routinely had a seat in [[Cabinet (United Kingdom)|Cabinet]], and thus served as ''de facto'' principal military adviser to the government. Some of the most illustrious soldiers of their generation served as Master-General: [[John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough|Marlborough]], [[William Cadogan, 1st Earl Cadogan|Cadogan]], [[Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis|Cornwallis]], [[Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 1st Marquess of Hastings|Hastings]], [[Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington|Wellington]], [[Henry Hardinge, 1st Viscount Hardinge|Hardinge]].<ref name=arrows/> While the offices of Master-General and Lieutenant-General were almost always filled by prominent soldiers, the Ordnance Office was a largely civilian organisation up until the formation of its Artillery and Engineer corps in the early 18th century. Prior to 1716, civilians were generally employed as gunners and engineers by the Board; Storekeepers and their subordinates were also civilians (and remained so through till the Board's demise in the 1850s) as were those engaged in manufacturing. Having established the [[Royal Artillery]] and [[Royal Engineers]], however, the Board had parallel oversight of both a Military and a Civil Establishment. The Master-General was head of both Establishments; on a practical level, the Lieutenant-General had day-to-day oversight of the military personnel and the Surveyor-General oversaw the civil departments.<ref name="Roper1998" /> ===Other personnel=== From its earliest years, the Ordnance Office was staffed by a large number of Clerks to manage its substantial administrative functions. A number of other officials reported to the board, including furbishers, proofmasters, keepers and fireworkers. Two appointments stand out, as they (like the six Board members) were appointed by [[Letters Patent]] under the [[Great Seal of the Realm]]: namely the [[Master Gunner]] of England and the [[Chief Royal Engineer|Chief Engineer]].<ref name=Tomlinson79 /> These were the senior technicians on the staff. The appointment of Master Gunner was first made as early as 1485, though it ceased after the establishment of the Regiment of Artillery in the 18th century; that of Chief Engineer was instituted in 1660. The [[Treasurer of the Ordnance]] was another important officer of the department, although he did not sit on the board.<ref name=Tomlinson79>{{cite book|last1=Tomlinson|first1=H. C.|title=Guns and Government: the Ordnance Office under the later Stuarts|date=1979|publisher=Royal Historical Society|location=London}}</ref> This office was instituted in 1670 (its duties having previously been discharged by the Lieutenant-General); the post was consolidated with several others in 1836 to form that of [[Paymaster General]]. The [[Master of Naval Ordnance]] was a specific office established in 1546 who was assigned to the [[Council of the Marine]] and acted as a liaison between both boards.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Fissell|first1=Mark Charles|title=English Warfare, 1511β1642|date=2016|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781136349133|page=192|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZnMWDAAAQBAJ&q=master+of+naval+ordnance%2C+navy+board&pg=PA192|language=en}}</ref> The Board also had a network of officers in place in key forts, ordnance yards and other installations throughout the Realm (including overseas). The senior Ordnance officer in these locations was usually termed the Storekeeper, and he was responsible directly to the Board. Prior to the [[Union of the Crowns]] there was a Master of the Ordnance in the North (with oversight of Berwick, Newcastle and the nearby coastal forts) who had greater autonomy, though he was reliant on the London office for most supplies. Moreover, a Master of the Ordnance in Dublin oversaw a largely independent [[Irish Board of Ordnance]] until [[Acts of Union 1800|1801]].<ref name=Stewart96 /> ===Coat of Arms=== [[File:New Armoury, June 2014 (6).JPG|thumb|Full coat of arms, with crest and supporters, at the Tower of London]] The Arms of the Board of Ordnance first appeared in the seventeenth century, and were given royal approval in 1806, confirmed by a grant from the [[College of Arms]] in 1823. The [[blazon]] is as follows:<ref>[http://homepage.ntlworld.com/mike.comerford/ORDNANCE/01.htm Reproduced copy of the grant of arms] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080623233400/http://homepage.ntlworld.com/mike.comerford/ORDNANCE/01.htm |date=2008-06-23 }}</ref> *Arms: [[Azure (heraldry)|Azure]] - 3 Field Pieces in [[Pale (heraldry)|pale]], or; on a [[Chief (heraldry)|chief]], argent, 3 cannonballs, proper. *Crest: Out of a mural crown, argent, a dexter cubit arm, the hand grasping a thunderbolt, winged and inflamed, proper. *Supporters: On either side a Cyclops, in the exterior hand of the dexter a Hammer, and in that of the sinister a pair of Forceps, resting on the shoulder of each respectively, all proper. *Motto: ''sua tela tonanti''. ['To the thunderer his weapons'; also more loosely translated as 'To the warrior his arms']. The old Board's coat of arms is remembered today in the cap badge of the [[Royal Logistic Corps]], which has the shield at its centre (it was previously used, along with the Board's motto, by the [[Royal Army Ordnance Corps]]). The crest appears on the [[Ensign (flag)|ensign]] of the [[Corps of Royal Engineers]]. ===Broad Arrow=== [[File:Ammunition Box - Spit Sand Fort - geograph.org.uk - 1391115.jpg|thumb|Ammunition box with Board of Ordnance shield, initials and broad arrow.]] The [[broad arrow]] was the Board's mark, used as such from the 17th century. Stamped on guns, papers, buildings and all kinds of equipment, it originally signified royal ownership. A proclamation of 1699 clarified its use on stores of war belonging to the Board of Ordnance; just over a hundred years later, in 1806, the Board directed its Storekeepers and others to mark "all descriptions of Ordnance Stores ... with the broad arrow as soon as they shall have been received as fit for His Majesty's Service".<ref>{{cite web|title=History of the Broad Arrow|url=http://www.raaoc.com/?q=node/53|website=Royal Australian Army Ordnance Corps|access-date=6 August 2016}}</ref> ===The 'Ordnance Regiment'=== In the 16th century, the [[Constable of the Tower|Constable of the Tower of London]] routinely exercised his right (as ''ex-officio'' [[Lord Lieutenant of the Tower Hamlets]]) to summon local citizens to form a [[garrison]] to guard the Tower; by the early 17th century this had been formalised into a standing [[Militia (English)|militia]].<ref name="FusilierOrigins">{{cite web |title=The Fusilier Origins in Tower Hamlets |url=https://www.fusiliermuseumlondon.org/download?id=19229 |website=Fusilier Museum, London |access-date=16 December 2019}}</ref> During the reign of [[Charles II of England|Charles II]], the Tower was still consistently being guarded by two garrison [[Company (military unit)|companies]] of militia.<ref name="FusilierOrigins" /> Then in 1685, following Charles's death, the new King [[James II of England|James II]] asked [[George Legge, 1st Baron Dartmouth|Lord Dartmouth]] (who was Constable of the Tower at the time, as well as Master-general of the Ordnance) to form a new Ordnance Regiment 'for the care and protection of the cannon':<ref name="Cannon1847">{{cite book |last1=Cannon |first1=Richard |title=Historical Record of the Seventh Regiment, or the Royal Fusiliers |date=1847 |publisher=Parker, Furnivall & Parker |location=London}}</ref> as well as guarding the stocks of guns, arms and ammunition in the Tower more effectively, it was envisaged that the new regiment would provide protection for the [[artillery train]]s, which were formed when necessary to deliver ordnance (e.g. to the battlefield at time of war).<ref name="NAMRFOrigins">{{cite web |title=The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment): Origins |url=https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/royal-fusiliers-city-london-regiment |website=National Army Museum |access-date=16 December 2019}}</ref> The old guard companies formed the core of this new regiment, but they were soon augmented by a further ten companies of 100 men each (again drafted from the [[Tower division|Tower Hamlets]]); there was in addition a company of [[Miner (military occupation)|miners]]. The regiment was to be housed in the Grand Storehouse, then under construction in the Tower.<ref name="FusilierOrigins" /> As a precaution against the risk of igniting the Ordnance stores of gunpowder, it was equipped with modern [[flintlock]] fusils, rather than with the [[matchlock]] muskets borne by most other regular troops. As such, the King referred to it as 'Our Royal Regiment of Fusiliers'.<ref name="NAMRFOrigins" /> In its formative years, the regiment accompanied the royal artillery train to [[Hounslow Heath]] each summer (where the Army remained encamped for several weeks);<ref name="Cannon1847" /> there they guarded the guns, and the [[Gunner (artillery)|gunners]] and [[matross]]es who had been drafted in to operate them. In due course, after the [[Glorious Revolution]] of 1688, the Fusiliers ceased to be an Ordnance Regiment and became a regular Infantry regiment (the 7th Foot, later renamed [[the Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment)]]); but they continued to retain a base at the Tower. In 1949, the [[regimental depot]] (which had been located in [[Hounslow Barracks]] since 1873) returned to the Tower, to [[Waterloo Barracks]] (which had been built on the site of the old Grand Storehouse following a fire); it remained there for the next eleven years.<ref name="FusMus">{{cite web |title=The Fusilier Museum: The story of a British infantry regiment from its formation to the present day |url=https://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/whats-on/the-fusilier-museum/#gs.m7u3c4 |website=Tower of London |publisher=Historic Royal Palaces |access-date=16 December 2019}}</ref> Today, the Tower remains the Regimental Headquarters of the [[Royal Regiment of Fusiliers]].<ref name="FusilierHistory">{{cite web |title=Regimental History |url=https://www.fusiliermuseumlondon.org/regimental-history |website=Fusilier Museum London |access-date=16 December 2019}}</ref>
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