London (England) -- Description and travel; London (England) -- History -- 18th century
The small arms were placed in this beautiful order by one Mr. Harris,
originally a blacksmith, who was properly the forger of his own fortune,
having raised himself by his merit: he had a place or pension granted him
by the government for this piece of service in particular, which he
richly deserved, no nation in Europe being able to show a magazine of
small arms so good in their kind, and so ingeniously disposed. In the
place where the armoury now stands was formerly a bowling-green, a
garden, and some buildings, which were demolished to make room for the
grand arsenal I have been describing.
In the horse-armoury the most remarkable things are some of the English
kings on horseback in complete armour, among which the chief are Edward
III., Henrys V. and VII., King Charles I. and II., and King William, and
a suit of silver armour, said to belong to John of Gaunt, seven feet and
a half high. Here also they show us the armour of the Lord Kingsale,
with the sword he took from the French general, which gained him the
privilege of being covered in the king’s presence, which his posterity
enjoy to this day.
The office of ordnance is in the Tower, with the several apartments of
the officers that belong to it, who have the direction of all the arms,
ammunition, artillery, magazines, and stores of war in the kingdom.
The White Tower is a lofty, square stone building, with a turret at each
angle, standing on the declivity of the hill, a little below the armoury,
and disengaged from the other buildings, where some thousand barrels of
powder were formerly kept; but great part of the public magazine of
powder is now distributed in the several yards and storehouses belonging
to the government, as at Woolwich, Chatham, Portsmouth, Plymouth, &c., to
prevent accidents, I presume; for should such a prodigious quantity of
powder take fire, it must be of fatal consequence to the city, as well as
the Tower. The main guard of the Tower, with the lodgings of the
officers, are on the east side of this building.
In the chapel of the White Tower, usually called Cæsar’s Chapel, and in a
large room adjoining on the east side thereof, sixty-four feet long, and
thirty-one broad, are kept many ancient records, such as privy-seals in
several reigns, bills, answers, and depositions in chancery, in the
reigns of Queen Elizabeth, King James I., and King Charles I., writs of
_distringas_, _supersedeas_, _de excommunicato capiendo_, and other writs
relating to the courts of law; but the records of the greatest importance
are lodged in the Tower called Wakefield Tower, consisting of statute
rolls from the 6th of Edward I. to the 8th of Edward III.
Parliament rolls beginning anno 5 of Edward II. and ending with the reign
of Edward IV.
Patent rolls beginning anno 3 of John, and ending with the reign of
Edward IV. In these are contained grants of offices, hands, tenements,
temporalities, &c., passing under the great seal.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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