The Properties, Office and Duetie of a Gunner

Author

Editorial Staff

Subjects

History - general, Naval Technology

Tags

Gunnery, Venice

RAN Ships

None noted.

Publication

September 2024 edition of the Naval Historical Review (all rights reserved)

Introduction

While searching for another reference this small story from the September 2003 edition of this magazine came to attention. It was written by Cyprian Lucar (1544-1611) and is from an extract from The Anatomy of Neptune: From King Henry VIII to the Present Day, edited by Brian Tunstall and published by Routledge of London in 1936. As no attempt was made to discover more about this remarkable man we have now included further information as an addendum which may satisfy the reader’s curiosity and should be a sound example to all warfare officers. Note the original text retains the translation into Olde English.

Properties and Duties of a Gunner

A Gunner ought to be a sober, wakefull, lustie, hardie, patient, prudent and quick spirited man, he ought also to have good eyesight, a good judgement, and perfect knowledge to select a convenient place in the day of service, to plant his Ordinance where he may doe most hurt into the enemies, and be least annoyed by them, and where his Ordinance may not be surprised by the enemie.

A Gunner ought also to procure with all his power the friendship and love of every person, and to be careful for his own safetie, and for the preservation of all those that shall be about him.

Also he ought to be no surfeter, nor a great or sluggish sleeper, but he must gouverne himself in all times as a wise, modest, sober, honest, and skillfull man ought to doe, that through want of understanding he may never lose his credite, nor an universale victorie which oftentimes by the meanes of good Gunners well managing their peeces is gotten.

Also a Gunner ought at the receite of his charge to make an Invitorie of all such things as shall be committed to his charge as well to render an account, as to consider the want of such necessaries as to the Artillerie apperteineth.

And when a Gunner shall be appointed to do an exployte, he ought to want neither a fire stone, nor a tyndar box with a good steele, nor flintstones, nor tyndar, nor gunmatches, nor a flaske full of good touchpowder to kindle his gunmatch and fire, when need shall require.

Also a Gunner ought not to sleep much at any time of the day, or night, when he is appoynted to serve in the fielde, or in any other place, nor to eate or drinke in any other roome than where his peeces of artillery are planted, because in his absence the same peeces may be choked, poysoned, and harmed by divers wayes, and that he may many times uppon a sudden have good occasion to discharge all peeces.

A Gunner ought to knowe the names, length and waight of all manner of peeces, and be able to tell readilie how much gunpowder is a due charge for every peece, how many times in one day every peece may without harm be shot of, how many Gunners and assistantes or labourers ought to attend uppon every peece, how many horses, or oxen will drawe every peece, what sorte of peeces doe commonly carry pellettes of lead, what sorte of peeces do shoote pellettes of yron, what sorte of peeces are usually laden with pellettes of stone, and what sorte of peeces have chambers, and howe every kinde of peece should be charged with his powder, tampion, pellette and wadde.

Also a Gunner in time of service ought to forbyd with meeke and courteous speeches all manner of persons other than his appoynted assistantes, to come neere his peeces. In the ende that none of his peeces may be choked, poysened, or hurt, and he ought not for any prayers or rewarde to lend any peece of his gunmatch to another person, because it may be very hurtfull to him in time of service to lacke the same . . . Also a Gunner which shall serve uppon the sea in a Galleon, or other Ship, or in any great or small Galley, ought before his going to sea to consider well of the number of trunkes, pykes, dartes, earthen pottes halfe baked, copper cauldrons, morters, pestels, and searces that will be needefull for him in his sea service, and also of the measure of several oyles, and quantitie of gummes, camphire, and all other materiall and needefull things for firewoorkes.

Addendum

Emanuel Lucar was a successful London merchant, a member of the Merchant Taylor’s Company and a founding member of the Merchant Taylor’s School which is still in existence. His son Cyprian Lucar was born in 1544; he was admitted as a scholar at Winchester College in 1555 and entered New College Oxford in about 1563. He gained entry into the legal profession in 1568 when admitted to Lincoln’s Inn.

His classical education would have given him a sound understanding of Latin and Greek, and modern European languages. His interests also extended to mathematics, surveying and navigational devices, encouraged by his father and his half-brother, both named Emanuel Lucar. Emanuel junior had sailed with Sir Francis Drake. With these attributes he sought to better understand the science of artillery and translated works from the original Italian or Venetian into English.

In 1588 Lucar translated three books titled The Arts of Shooting in Great and Small Pieces of Artillery. These were authored by Nicholas Tartaglia (1499-1557), a mathematician, engineer and surveyor from the Republic of Venice. Tartaglia, who also designed fortifications, was the first to apply mathematics to investigate the paths in flight of cannonballs, known as ballistics. This proved that the maximum range of a projectile was achieved by directing the cannon at a 45 degree angle to the horizon. Lucar went on to give further detailed explanations of Tartaglia’s work.

The Republic of Venice was a sovereign state and maritime republic for more than a thousand years from 697 until 1797. Through its control of maritime trade throughout the Mediterranean it became an economic powerhouse in the western world and also influenced trade with the eastern world through its control of the Levant. Venice developed great ships, especially galleys, which were some of the largest and most heavily armed ships afloat. They also provided ships for the Byzantine Empire and the Crusades. To efficiently build and maintain these vessels and their ordnance, a system of mass production was created at the Venice Arsenal, when at its peak in about 1450, Venice controlled over 3300 naval and merchant ships manned by 36,000 men, including slaves. During this period Britain was a bystander and it is no wonder Lucar sought inspiration from the scientifically advanced Venetians.

In summary it is interesting to find that many of the intuitive qualities sought in a gunner over four centuries ago in 588 (when Lucar translated his books) have possibly not greatly changed. Of course 1588 was the year of the Spanish Armada and attempted invasion of England, then ruled by Elizabeth I and her fleet commanded by Lord Howard with Sir Francis Drake as his vice admiral. Students of amphibious warfare will be reminded that the Armada was a fine example of how not to run an invasion when the weather, lack of coordination with other Spanish forces in the Low Countries, and the superior firepower of smaller British ships all conspired against the invaders.