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{{Template:Origin|text=This article describes some famous artillery pieces with connections to the era of the British in India. See also article [[British Guns in Burma]].<br>The information and images have been provided by Elizabeth Hancox, a FIBIS member with a special interest in artillery, and acknowledged expert on gunsthe [http://www.angloburmeselibrary.com/ Anglo-Burmese Library].}} [[Image:0001 Woolwich Barracks.jpg|600px|thumb|left|The Barracks of the Royal Arsenal Woolwich]]<div style="clear:both"></div>

Named '''‘’’"The Father of Victory"''' this gun, captured during the [[Siege of Bhurtpore 1826|Siege of Bhurtpore]] in 1826, stands stood for many years outside the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Artillery_Barracks Royal Artillery Barracks] at Woolwich. It is 16ft 4ins long and weighs about 17.5 tons; the calibre is 8ins. Tradition has maintained that precious metals were included in its composition; but analysis of metal taken from three places dispelled this idea. The metal is variable; it contains 9% to 15% lead, with traces of arsenic and antimony; the other components are 3% to 5% of tin, and the remainder copper. It is remarkable, however, that the exterior of the breech is of a totally different metal from the body of the gun, being in fact brass, containing nearly 37% of zinc, and has been cast over the body of the gun subsequently to the first completion of it, as one of the ornamental scrolls is partly covered by it.

<gallery caption= widths="300px250px" heights="300px250px" perrow="3">Image:0010 Tiger howitzer.jpg|Tiger howitzerImage:0009 Tiger howitzer.jpg|Tiger howitzerImage:0010a Tipu artillery.jpg|Capture of Seringapatam showing one of Tipu Sultan's Tiger guns

<gallery caption= widths="300px" heights="200px" perrow="3">

Transferred from the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich 1968. This gun together with a similar one now in the Rotunda Museum Woolwich which may have formed part of another gift, is similar in form and decoration to the above but bears the name D PREGRAVE . Presgrave and is dated 1839 (its companion at Woolwich is illustrated as fig, 85 in ‘plans of ordnance captured by the Army of the Sutledge during the campaign of 1845-46’. Drawn by Capt Ralph Smyth, Bengal Artillery.n.d)

=== Bronze Tiger Mortar ===

The muzzle, trunnion ends and cascable button are formed as ‘tigers heads’. Two tigers stripes appear on the chase and the reinforce rings are edged with engrailed bands in relief. The gun is unfinished, the vent has never been drilled, a cartouche on the second reinforce intended for inscription is blank, and a lump of metal below the cascable button intended to provide a fixing for an elevating screw has never been pieced pierced for the securing bolt.

[[Image:0046 Belvoir gun.jpg|300px|right|thumb|Gun at Photo courtesy of Belvoir Castle]]

<gallery caption= widths="300px" heightsBackground to the Casting of Iron Guns in the Weald of Sussex ="300px" perrow="3">Image:0049 Moulmein Mon Museum.jpgImage:0050 Moulmein.jpgImage:0051 Moulmein-detail.jpg</gallery>

''See you the dimpled track that runs all hollow through the wheat?'This smooth-bore cast iron gun'<br /> ''Oh, dated 1826 and bearing the elaborate ‘Crown & P’ mark of George IV, signifying that was where they hauled the gun had passed proof in the Royal Navy yards as fit and ready for service, is of the Blomefield pattern, named after Thomas Blomefield, Inspector of Artillery at Woolwich between 1780 and 1822. It has the characteristic breeching loop above the button, typical of naval guns of this pattern, also carried by Nelson’s VICTORY at Trafalgarthat smote King Philip's fleet. The loop had a heavy duty hawser passed through it, lashing the gun to the ship to prevent too much unpredictable recoil demolishing the mast and occasionally demolishing members of the gun crew as well. Formerly masts were padded at the base using ‘soft substance’ but this was never satisfactory, especially in the case of very heavy cannon.[[Image:0052 Victory.jpg|300px|right|thumb| A 32pr. on board the VICTORY]]''<br />

Below is a drawing and extract from ‘The story of the Gun’ Lt AW Wilson RA first published 1944:<blockquote> 'PUCK'S SONG'‘The drawing shows a 32pr. on board the VICTORY. Compare it with any piece of 200 years before and notice the similarity. Elevation was still obtained by means of the quoin or wedge, while the only advance on checking recoil by means of ‘soft substance’ around the mast, seems to be that of anchoring the piece to the ship by a breeching passed through the eye of the cascable. The number in the detachments for these guns was decided by allowing one man for each 500lbs of metal. The 32-pounder weighed 32 cwt (3,584 lbs) and therefore had a crew of seven. It is interesting to consider that were we to use the same system today we should require a detachment of 70 for one of our modern heavy guns.’''Rudyard Kipling<br /blockquote> The gun at Moulmein is marked as 17-1-0, indicating a weight of 17cwt 1 qtr and 0lbs. Which is a much lighter weight that might be expected for an approximately 9ft long, 32-pounder cannon. This is indicative of a carronade.

'''Carronades''' were a revolutionary concept in naval gunneryAs the population of England doubled between 1520 and 1620 more tradespeople connected with the iron industry moved into Waldron. For 150 years the Sussex Weald, known by to the sailors Romans as ‘Smashers’. They were first produced at the Carron Ironworks at Falkirk, ScotlandForest of Anderida, was possibly the foremost industrial area in 1770the country. They fired a 32lbBlast furnace techniques using water-powered bellows to heat the iron ore had been imported from France and the high temperatures obtained allowed molten ore to be poured into moulds. hollow shell filled with 500 musket ballsFrom 1540 the first English cannon were cast in wealden furnaces. The idea was to approach enemy shipping This freed the Royal Navy from dependence on foreign guns. Most of the rear ordnance produced had to be dragged on rough and, aimed at the stern, the shell would explode muddy tracks on impact causing a shower sleds or special carts drawn by teams of bullets oxen to small coastal ports from whence they would be transported by sea to fly along the decks towards the bow naval dockyards at Portsmouth or Chatham. It could take over a year to cast and deliver guns, killing as many enemy crew and troops as possibleallowing for several months for a newly fired furnace to reach 'full blast'. The ultimate 18th century naval anti=personnel weapon!<br />

During the [[2nd Burma War]]Waldron furnace, constructed at Furnace Farm, Commodore Tarlton was in charge of the naval operations at operation by 1560 and remained in business for some 200 years, producing first cannonballs and iron bars ready for the [[Battle of Martaban]] forge (on known as pig-iron) but by the opposite bank of 18th century, cannon. The water wheel powering the Salween River to Moulmein) and also at [[Capture of Pegu June 1852|Pegu]]. His ship was HMS Fox. This ship furnace bellows was driven by a vessel of 1pond fed by the millstream,131 tons, built at Portsmouth in June 1821, re-fitted in September 1850, she was a 5th rate ship of and the linelarge pond, indicating a complement of 46 guns. On her quarterdeck she was armed with 10 32-pounder carronadesor dam, one of which corresponds exactly to the weight marked on the Moulmein piececan still be seen.<br />

<gallery caption=widths= Guns found at Mandalay Palace "350px" heights="350px" perrow="2">File:0075-Furnace-House-Waldern.jpg|''For 'Furnace Farm, Waldron.''' This was the wind is site of Harrison's Foundry and Furnace. Gun trunnions were marked with a 'W'.File:0076-Large-furnace-pond.jpg|'''Large furnace pond in front of the palm trees and the temple bells they say "come you back you British soldier, come you back to Mandalay".house'''<br /gallery>from 'MANDALAY' by Rudyard Kipling

<gallery caption=widths="350px" heights="350px" perrow= The Pair "2">File:0077-Cannon-proving-bank.jpg|'''Cannon proving bank'''. Many cannon balls have been found at the foot of the bank by metal detectors. There was an older proving bank in a nearby wood.File:0078-Upstream-from-boring-mill.jpg|'''Site of the Boring Mill upstream.''' There are 20 tons or so of Guns iron borings in the stream at the Entrance ====Boring Mill site. In the photo: Douglas Anderson, wheelwright, and Peter Davies, retired civil servant and assistant to landowner Peter Reed. Mr Davies has a special interest in muzzle loading guns such as Brown Bess.</gallery>

These two guns are similarMost landowners, but cast by different foundries. They are Royal Navy cast iron smooth bore muzzle-loading cannon, as are particularly the other pairFullers, had interests in iron founding and the bear the Crown and 'P' signifying they have passed proof, that is managed their woodland as coppice to say test fired, and they are stamped with produce the Royal Cipher enormous amounts of George ll (reigned 1727-1760)charcoal needed for the blast furnaces. One gun It has a weight been estimated that between four and five thousand acres of 57cwt-0qrs-8lbs. Quarters refer coppice was needed to one quarter of one hundredweight (20cwt. equals one ton). The other gun would seem to be of very similar weight. Both are 32pdr. demi-cannon of nine keep each forge and a half feetfurnace combination in continuous use.<br />

The cannon Fuller's forge at Entrance 1, marked W on the trunnion (the trunnions are short iron protuberances which balance the cannon on the gun carriage enabling it to be tilted upwards as necessary) Old Heathfield was cast at the Waldron foundry near Heathfield built in Sussex, 1693 and lasted about a hundred years. The site is very large and has a huge man-made 'proving' bank at the time base of John Harrison, Ironmasterwhich many cannonballs have been found. The It also had a small quarry for test firing cannon at Entrance 2 was cast a short distance away at the Heathfield foundry by John Fuller (marked JF and two boring mills on the trunnion)stream. This trunnion mark was used between 1722 and 1745. Gun founders were a tight-knit communityAs at Waldron, often inter-related, and were these streams still run red with iron oxide from the massive deposits of congealed borings left in the habit of sub-contracting work to a neighbouring foundry if they were over-committed with orders. This may well have happened with these two cannonstream beds.<br />

The question that we all want to knowFullers also employed a Master Wheelwright among other highly skilled craftsmen, of course, how did these two pairs of Royal Navy cannon find themselves guarding and interestingly there is still a Burmese potentatefully-functioning wheelwright's palace in Mandalay ? Wellshop on the site today, that will be another story .........operated by Douglas Andrews, who has himself constructed a new gun-carriage for an Islamic trophy gun ordered by the Colonel of the Royal Engineers. work in progress!<br />

The Fuller''''Gold is for s forge and foundry was constructed on a particularly difficult site. If it rained too much the mistress, silver for the maid, site would flood and copper for if it was too dry there was a lack of fast-flowing water in the craftsman, cunning at his tradestream to generate power. "Good" said In a reply dated 17th October 1754 to the BaronPrince of San Severino, sitting in his hall, "but iron, cold ironwho was pressing for a firm delivery date for some guns he had ordered, is master of them all."John Fuller wrote: ''<br />from my furnace is a fickle mistress and must be humoured, her favours are not to be depended upon'COLD IRON' by Rudyard Kipling.

== Background to the Casting The Manufacture of Iron Guns in the Weald of Sussex Gunpowder ==

''See ''To understand guns you the dimpled track that runs all hollow through the wheat ? Oh, that was where they hauled the guns that smote King Phillipmust understand gunpowder's fleet - Adrian B.Caruana''<br />from 'PUCK'S SONG' by Rudyard Kipling<br />

As the population [[File:Production of England doubled between 1520 and 1620 more tradespeople connected with the iron industry moved into Waldron. For 150 years the Sussex Weald, known to the Romans as the Forest of Anderida, was possibly the foremost industrial area in the country. Blast furnace techniques using water-powered bellows to heat the iron ore had been imported from France and the high temperatures obtained allowed molten ore to be poured into moulds. From 1540 the first English cannon were cast in wealden furnaces. This freed the Royal Navy from dependence on foreign guns. Most of the ordnance produced had to be dragged on rough and muddy tracks on sleds or special carts drawn by teams of oxen to small coastal ports from whence they would be transported by sea to the naval dockyards at Portsmouth or Chatham. It could take over a year to cast and deliver guns, allowing for several months for a newly fired furnace to reach 'full blast'gunpowder.jpg|750px|left|]]<div style="clear:both"><br /div>

Waldron furnace, constructed Sanitary arrangements were still primitive in the reign of Henry Vlll and latrines were dug out at Furnace Farmnight by dung farmers and scavengers, was but in operation the reign of Elizabeth l they were superseded by 1560 and remained in business officials dignified by the name of Royal Saltpetre Men, who collected excrement specifically for some 200 yearsthe making of gunpowder. This was manufactured using a formula of 75 parts saltpetre, producing first cannonballs 15 parts carbon (charcoal) and iron bars ready for the forge10 parts sulphur, known or brimstone as it was once called. This last name is very evocative as pig-iron,but by the 18th century, cannonbright yellow sulphur was indeed collected in lumps from the brims of volcanoes in extremely hazardous conditions. The water wheel powering first two materials produced the explosion and the third added ignition and consistency to the furnace bellows grains of black powder which was driven by a pond fed by milled to the millstreamsize of corn, and hence the large pondname 'corned' powder, or dam, can still be seenas opposed to fine powder. Fine powder was needed to prime the cannons and was also used for small arms.<br />

Most landowners, particularly the Fullers, had interests in iron founding and they managed their woodland as coppice to produce the enormous amounts 0f charcoal needed for the blast furnaces. It has been estimated that between 4 and 5 thousand acres of coppice was needed to keep each forge and furnace combination in continuous use.<br /gallery caption= widths="200px" heights="200px" perrow="3">File:0080 Weir.jpeg|WeirFile:0081 Millstone.jpeg|MillstoneThe Fuller's forge at Old Heathfield was built in 1693 and lasted about a hundred yearsFile:0082 Millstones. The site is very large and has a huge man-made 'proving' bank at the base jpeg|MillstonesFile:0083 Remains of which many cannonballs have been found. It also had a small quarry for test firing cannon and two boring mills on the streamwharf. As at Waldron, these streams still run red with iron oxide from the massive deposits jpeg|Remains of congealed borings left in the stream bedswharfFile:0084 Mill. <br />jpeg|Mill The Fullers also employed a Master Wheelwright among other highly skilled crafsmen, File:0085 Remains of Corning House and interestingly there is still a fully-functioning wheelwright's shop on the site today, operated by Douglas Andrews, who has himself constructed a new gun-carriage for an Islamic trophy gun ordered by a Colonel in the EngineersMixing House.jpeg|Remains of Corning House and Mixing House<br /gallery>

The Fuller's forge and foundry was constructed on a particularly difficult site. If it rained too much quantities of gunpowder loaded onto an 80 gun ship varied according to the site theatre of war but would flood be about 288 barrels of cannon powder and if it 41 barrels of fine powder. Each barrel weighed 90lbs. Gunpowder was too dry there not used loose, but made up into cartridges, first of parchment and later of special cartridge paper. The method of priming a cannon was as follows: The cartridge of gunpowder would be placed down the muzzle, rammed home using a lack of fastramrod, wadded, and then the cannonball similarly. A sharp-flowing water pointed metal rod would be inserted into the vent to pierce the cartridge and the vent would then be filled up with fine powder. A portfire rod would be used to ignite the fine powder in the stream vent. This in turn ignited the cartridge, the resultant heat causing the gases generated to generate speedily build up into an explosive power. In a reply dated 17th October 1754 sufficient to propel the cannonball up the barrel towards the Prince target at high speed. The optimum amount of Severino, who was pressing gunpowder needed per cartridge for a firm delivery date for some guns he had ordered, John Fuller wrote , 'my furnace is 32-pounder cannon would be 14lbs (1 stone). Any excess could cause such a fickle mistress massive build-up of gases in the barrel thereby risking the destruction of the cannon and must be humoured, her favours are not to be depended probably most of those attending upon'it.<br />

== The Manufacture gunpowder mills at Chilworth near Guildford were founded by the East India Company in 1625. They were forced to leave their previous site near Woolwich because frequent explosive accidents caused havoc among the local population. There were, of Gunpowder ==course, accidents at Chilworth but it was not a heavily populated area. On one occasion a spark from a workman's hobnailed boot striking on a stone path caused an explosion which killed six men. The mills used the fast-flowing Tillingbourne stream to power the heavy grinding stones of the incorporating process. There were many stages involved in the manufacture and thus it was very labour-intensive. As far as the ingredients were concerned, local alder trees provided the finest charcoal, sulphur was imported from Sicily, and saltpetre imported from India cost £45 per ton. A sufficient supply to last seven years in July 1752 cost £9,000. The discovery that saltpetre could be manufactured from earth gathered from dovecots, to which dung, urine and lime were added, meant that it could be collected locally.

The 12th to 13th century chapel of St. Martha'To understand guns you must understand gunpowder' - Adrian Bs built on a 600ft hill above the mill and half a mile distant, was considerably reduced by successive explosions, finally to a heap of stones, and only rebuilt in 1850. A massive explosion later on split the mill walls open, shattered the glass in the windows of the ancient manor and even severely damaged the village of Albury a short distance away, not to mention the deaths of the workmen and the terrible injuries caused by the volatile black powder, ignited by the slightest friction and spark. Caruana<br />

Sanitary arrangements were still primitive in the reign of Henry Vlll == Sources and latrines were dug out at night by dung farmers and scavengersadvice obtained for research =='''People'''<br />*Mr Philip McGrath - Curator, but in the reign of Elizabeth l they were superseded by officials dignified by the name of Royal Saltpetre MenArmories, who collected excrement specifically for the making Fort Nelson.*Mr Derek Gurney - 'Explosion', Museum of gunpowderNaval Firepower.*Mr Paul Evans - Librarian, Firepower Museum. This was manufactured using a formula *Mrs Bridget Clifford - Keeper of 75parts saltpetre, 15parts carbon Records (charcoalSouth) Tower of London.*Mr David Brown - Wealden Iron Research Group.*Ms Zoe Edwards - Information and 10parts sulphurLocal Studies Librarian, or brimstone as it was once calledHastings Library. This last name is very evocative as the bright yellow sulphur was indeed collected in lumps from the brims of volcanoes in extremely hazardous conditions. The first two materials produced the explosion and the third added ignition *Mr Peter Reed, Farmer and consistency to the grains owner of black powder which was milled to the size site of corn, hence the name 'corned' powderFullers furnace and foundry.*Mr Peter Davies, as opposed to fine powder. Fine powder was needed to prime the cannons and was also used for Assistant - special interest - smooth bore muzzle-loading small arms.*Mr Douglas Andrews - Wheelwright<br />

'''Books'''<br />*The quantities Age of gunpowder loaded onto an 80 gun ship varied according to the theatre of war but would be about 288 barrels of cannon powder and 41 barrels of fine powderSystem 1715-1815 by Adrian B. Each barrel weighed 90lbsCaruana*Arming the Fleet - U. Gunpowder was not used loose, but made up into cartridges, first of parchment and later of special cartridge paperS. Navy Ordnance in the Muzzle-Loading Era by Spencer Tucker*The method of priming a cannon was as follows: The cartridge of gunpowder would be placed down the muzzle, rammed home using a ramrod, waddedWealden Iron Industry by Jeremy Hutchinson, and then the cannonball similarlyhis Dissertation for M. A sharp.-pointed metal rod would be inserted into the vent to pierce the cartridge Brighton*The Arming and the vent would then be filled up with fine powder. A portfire rod would be used to ignite the fine powder in the vent. This in turn ignited the cartridgeFitting of English Ships of War, the resultant heat causing the gasses generated to speedily build up into an explosive power sufficient to propel the cannonball up the barrel towards the target at high speed. 1600-1815 by Brian Lavery*Wealden Iron by Ernest Straker*Weale Manuscript*The optimum amount Art of gunpowder needed per cartridge for a 32pdr. cannon would be 14lbs. (1 stone). Any excess could such a massive buildGunfounding by Carol de Beer*The Fuller Family Archive -up Lewes Record Office*The Fullers of gasses in the barrel thereby risking the destruction Waldron, Heathfield and Brightling by Alec Parks*Waldron, Portrait of the cannon a Sussex Village by Susan Russell, Rosalie Parker and probably most Valerie Chidson*The History of those attending upon it.the Ironmongers Company by Elizabeth Glover*Walks into History by David Weller<br />

The gunpowder mills at Chilworth near Guildford were founded by the East India Company in 1625. They were forced to leave their previous site near Woolwich because frequent explosive accidents caused havoc among the local population. There were, of course, accidents at Chilworth but it was not a heavily populated area. On one occasion a spark from a workman's hobnailed boot striking on a stone path caused an explosion which killed six men. The mills used the fast-flowing Tillingbourne stream to power the heavy grinding stones of the incorporating process. There were many stages involved in the manufacture and thus it was very labour-intensive. As far as the ingredients were concerned''Libraries'''<br />*Science Library, local alder trees provided the finest charcoalImperial College, sulphur was imported from SicilyLondon*Public Record Office, Kew*India Office Library and saltpetre imported from India cost £45 per ton. A sufficient supply to last seven years in July 1752 cost £9Records,000. The discovery that saltpetre could be manufactured from earth gathered from dovecots, to which dung, urine and lime were addedBritish Library, meant that it could be collected locally.London