King Henry the eight being resolved to have his armorye alwayes stronge and richly furnished wt thirtie or fowertie thousand armes to be in Rediness to serve all the necessities of th times (how suddaine so evr) caused a batterie mill to be built at Detford nere Grenewch for the batteringe of plaetes for all sorts of armes but dyed before the bsiness was perfected.
In the time of Queen Elizabeth Captain John Martin and myself resolvinge on endeavors to the furtheringe so good a worke resolved yt I should go to Inspurge wch is uppon the Germaine Alpes and into Lukland likewise to bring over into England seven or eight plaeters, the beste that might be found (wch was donne to owr very great chardges) and im ediately ther uppo fallinge to worke in a batterie mill wch we likewise erected nere unto Erith in Kent and in yt place wrought as many plates of all sorts as served very nere for twentie thousand armors and targets never having the misterie of plaeting mills in England before. All wch plaeters formerly brought over are now dead save one, and he of so cunninge and obstinate a disposition that he would nevr yet be brought to teach any Englishman the true misterie of plaeting unto this day.
The beste plaetes that have been formerly knowen to be in Christendome have been made of Inspurg stuff wch place hath continually served Milan Naples and other nations, and latelie England also, wch place beinge so remote and in the Emperor his owne countrie, it is not possible that wth any conveniencey any stronge plaetes can be now bought from thence as formerly we have had. But if his Matie will be plesed to have his armorie continually furnished wth thirtie or fortie thousand armes or more to what number he shall be beste plesid as hath been the course and resolution of his Roiall pdecessors, yt may now be done wth Englishe Irone, by a misterie yet unknown, either to smolten plaetes or armour and to be of such strength and lightnes, for the ease and pservation of the life of the souldier as none can be better found in any nation in Christendome from the pistole to the musket.
It hath been observed in all antient histories and in the rule of our later moderne wars, that the goodness strength and lightness of armes hath been so great an incoradgement unto the souldier as hath made him stand faste in the time of great and strong chardges of the enemye, and to give valiant and couradgeous chardges, and assaults when they have been assured of the strength and goodness of theyre armes.
The raetes for Plaetes and armors exactly examined for the prices the strength and lightness considered are thus reduced.
| The chardge of a tun of Armor plaetes | £18 0 0 |
| Two chaldron of coles wt. carriage will be | 1 12 0 |
| The workmen for battering this tun of plaetes will have uppon every hundred 4/- | 4 0 0 |
| Reparation weekly for the mill | 12 0 |
| A clarke’s wages weekly | 12 0 |
| Extraordinary chardges toe & froe for carridges | 10 0 |
| ——— | |
| These particular chardges come to | £25 6 0 |
The true chardge of all such sorts of armor as they will stand you in wt. their severall pportions and such apporveable goodness as we never heretofore have had.
| Sixe hundred of iron will make five hundred of plaetes wch. will be a skore of ordinary curatts of pistoll proofs wch. cometh toe wth pouldrons | 5 10 0 |
| The Armourers may make them wt due shape black nayle and lether them for | 7 10 0 |
| These twentie armours will yeild | 26 0 0 |
| So in these twentie armours is clerely gained the sum of | 13 0 0 |
| Fower hundred of plates will make 20 paier of curatts wt out pouldrons | 3 12 0 |
| The Armorers may pportion them, black lether & naile them for | 6 0 0 |
| These 20 paire of curatts will yeld | 20 0 0 |
| In these 20 paire of curatts is clerely gained | 10 8 0 |
| The chardge of 20 lance armours. | |
| Sixteen hundred of plaetes will make twentie lance armours wch come to | 14 8 0 |
| The Armourers may finishe them upp for fourtie shillings the armour wch comes to | 40 0 0 |
| These 20 launce armours will yeld fower pounds a piece wch amounteth unto | 80 0 0 |
| So yt in these 20 launce armours is clerely gained | 25 12 0 |
| Five hundred of plaetes will make twentie proof targetts wch will come to | 4 10 0 |
| The armourers may finishe them lether them and blacke them with all other chardges for | 12 0 0 |
| Thes targets will yeld (24s.[147]) the piece | 26 0 0 |
| In these targetts may be cleared | 9 10 0 |
| Twelve hundred of plaetes will make 20 paire of stronge curatts with stronge capps wch will stand in | 10 16 0 |
| The Armourers may finishe them for (30s.) the paire wch amounteth unto | 30 0 0 |
| These 20 paier of stronge curatts wt their capps will yeld 4 li. the paier wch cometh toe | 80 0 0 |
| So that by these 20 paier of stronge curatts will be clerely gayned | 39 10[148] 0 |
| With fower plaeters may be wrought up in one weeke 3700 weight of plates. The pfitt of wch weekly, as by the particulars may appear will be | 98 14 0 |
| And if these fower plaeters be emploied the whole year (abating one month in the year for idle dayes) it amounteth unto per ann | 4737 li. 12 0 |
HALL-MARK OF THE ARMOURERS’ COMPANY
Carolus I, ann. 7, 1631. Rymer, Vol. XIX, 309
“John Franklin, William Crouch, John Ashton, Thomas Stephens, Rowland Foster, Nicholas Marshall, William Coxe, Edward Aynesley, Armourers & freemen of the company of Armourers ar ordered to deliver 1500 armours each month with arms, pikes &c. and to train prentices and to mend, dress & stamp armours.” The document goes on to state “you ar to approve of all such armour of the said common armes & trayned bands as shall be found fit for service, and shall trye all sorts of gunnes, pikes, bandaliers of the said common armes and trayned bands before they be used or excersied and to approve of such as are serviceable for warres at the owners charges and being proved shall allow as fit for service and allowing shall stamp the same with A. and a Crown being the hall mark for the company of workmen armourers of London which marke or stamp our pleasure is shall with consent of the lord lieutenant or his deputy lieutenant remayne in their custodye who shall have the charge to be intrusted with the execution of this service.... And because diverse cutlers, smythes, tynkers & othe botchers of armes by their unskilfulness have utterly spoiled many armes, armours gunnes and pykes, and bandoliers ... we doe hereby prohibit that noe person or persons whatever, not having served seven years or been brought up as an apprentice or apprentices in the trade and mysterie of an armourer, gun-maker, pyke-maker and bandolier-maker and thereto served their full tyme of seven years as aforesaid ... do make, alter, change, dress or repayr, prove or stamp any armes, armours, gunnes, pykes or bandoliers ... we do absolutely forbid that no ironmonger, cutler or chandler or other person whatsoever doe vent or sell any armours, gunnes, pikes or bandoliers or any part of them except such as shall be proved and stamped with the said hall marke of the company of workmen armourers aforesaid being the proofe marke ... that hereafter there shall be but one uniform Fashion of Armour of the said Trayned Bands throughout our said Kingdome of England & Dominion of Wales ... whereof the Patterns are and shall remayne from tyme to tyme in our said Office (of Ordinance).”
PETITION OF THE WORKMEN ARMOURERS OF LONDON TO THE COUNCIL
S.P.D. Car. I, cclxxxix, 93, May, 1635
Petitioners being few in number & most of them aged about 7 years past sued to Her Mtie for some employment for preservation of the manufacture of armour making within the kingdom. Her Mtie on advice & report of the Council of War granted petitioners a patent which 2 years passed the great seal & was then called for by the Council for further consideration. Pray them to take the same into consideration and the distress of petitioners & either to pass the patent or if there be any omission in it to give orders for drawing up another.
EXTRACT FROM SURVEY OF THE TOWER ARMOURY, 1660
Harl. MS. 7457
Wee doe find aswell upon our owne view as upon the information of diverse officers of the Armoury stoorekeeper and others That dureing the time of the late distraccions The severall Armes amunition and Habiliments of Warre formerly remaineing in the greene Gallery at Greenwich were all taken and carryed away by sundry Souldiers who left the doore open; That sundry of the said Armes were afterwards brought into the Tower of London by Mr. Anneslye where they are still remaineing; That the Wainescot in the said Gallery is now all pull’d downe and carryed away; and (as We are informed) was imployed in wainescotting the house in the Tower where the said Mr. Anneslye lived; That a great part of the severall Tooles and other utensils for makeing of Armour formerly remaineing in the Master Armourers workehouse there and at the Armourers Mill, were alsoe within the tyme of the said distraccions taken and carryed away (saving two old Trunkes bound about with Iron, which are still remaineing in the said workehouse, One old Glazeing wheele, still at the Mill, and one other glazeing wheele sold to a Cutler in Shoo lane): That sundry of the said Tooles and other utensills have since byn converted and sold to private uses, by those who within the tyme of the late distraccions had the Command and care of the said armes and Tooles, both at Greenwich and at the Tower: That diverse of the said Tooles are still in other private mens hands, who pretend they bought them: That the great Anville (called the great Beare) is now in the custodye of Mr. Michaell Basten, locksmith at Whitehall, and the Anville knowne by the name of the little Beare, is in the custodie of Thomas Cope, one of His Majesties Armourers; And one Combe stake in the Custody of Henry Keeme one other of his Majesties Armourers And that the said Mill formerly employed in grinding and glazeing and makeing cleane of Armes, is destroyed and converted to other uses by one Mr. Woodward who claims it by virtue of a Graunt from King James (of blessed memorye) but the officers of the Armorye (for his Majesties use) have it now in their possession.
That the severall distinguishments of the Armors and Furnitures before mencioned, vizt The first serviceable, The second defective, and to be repaired, The third unserviceable, in their owne kinds, yet may be employed for necessary uses, are soe reported by Richard Kinge and Thomas Cox, two of his Majesties Armorers at Greenwich, who were nominated and appointed in his Majesties Commission, under his signe Manual before recited, to be assistant in this Service: And we doe thinke the same to be by them faithfully and honestly soe distinguished.
Will. Legge, Master of his Majesties Armories.
J. Robinson, Lt: Ten: Toure.
Jo. Wood, Barth Beale.