Office of Ordnance

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'. The Board also maintained and directed the Artillery and Engineer corps, which it founded in the eighteenth century. By the nineteenth century, the Board of Ordnance was second in size only to HM Treasury among government departments. The Board lasted until 1855, at which point (tarnished by poor performance in supplying the Army in Crimea) it was disbanded.

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 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. This 'Privy Wardrobe in the Tower' grew, both in size and significance, after the start of the Hundred Years' War.

In the following century, the influence of the Privy Wardrobe and its staff receded, and no new Keepers were appointed after 1476. A distinct Office of Ordnance began to establish itself at the Tower, staffed in the 1460s by a Master, a Clerk and a Yeoman. (). In the 1540s, under Henry VIII, the Ordnance Office was expanded, new officers were appointed and their principal duties clarified.

In 1671, the Ordnance Office took over the work of the Office of Armoury at the Tower, a body originally responsible for armour and edged weapons whose activities had gradually widened. At this time the Ordnance Office began to take on oversight of the nation's forts and fortifications. In 1683, by now increasingly known as the Board of Ordnance, it was given a new constitution ('Instructions') by Lord Dartmouth as 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.

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