THE ROYAL ARTILLERY INSTITUTION. 
283 
necessity bee psently done to make y e Stoare-bouses wind and water tite 
for y e keeping dry of y e Powder Match and other provisions, and to keepe 
y e said store-houses from falling downe and utter Ruin,” of which estimate 
one item provides for "floaring a Stoareliouse att Woolwich to keepe 
shipp Carriages dry."” It is probable that this was the old shed referred to 
in the following orders of the 5th October, 1680. "That y e Sheds at 
Woolw ch along y e Proofe house and y e Shedds for Carriages there be 
forthw tlx Repaired;” and 14th November, 1682, " That y e Officers of y e 
Board do Contract with all convenient speed w t]l Artificers at y e reasonablest 
rates for his Maj ties Service for building of a new Shedd 18 fo* broad and 
100 fo* long at Woolw ck for lodging of Ship Carriages iny e place^ where 
y e old one is fallen down, according to y e Survey thereof this day dd to y e 
Board by S r . Ber. de Gome dated 13 Nov. 1682.” (Sir Bernard de Gomme 
was then Surveyor to the Ordnance, and His Majesty's Chief Engineer). 
It appears, from General Borgard's above-mentioned plan, that in the 
year 1701 there stood in the Woolwich Warren a "New Carriage Yard” 
and an " Old Carriage Yard;” which latter contained a south building 
100 feet long and 18 feet wide, agreeing with the dimensions particularized 
in the foregoing Board's Order. 
Not storage only, but workmanship also, was at that time found for 
gun carriages at Woolwich. Early in 1683, Mr Peach the storekeeper 
broke up 89 condemned carriages and took out all their iron work. 
In 1668 it was ordered that " all y e Gunns Carriages and Stores now 
att Deptford be removed from thence to Woolw ch , and from henceforth new 
Ordnance and Carr s be layd there.” 
The laboratory establishment was apparently moved from Greenwich to 
Woolwich in 1695. On the 3rd of December in that year, a warrant was 
issued " to Willia'm Edge to fetch Gravell, and raise and Levell the Ground 
at the new Labouratory att Woolwich, takeing the Surveyor’s direction 
therein to be according to agreement made with him by Mr Boulter.” 
On the 23rd January 1696 Mr Boulter was desired "to goe to Woolwich 
tomorrow to give direcons for fitting up the Laboratory.” Lt.-General 
Borgard records, in his autobiography,* that in 1718, "I likewise laid 
before the Board the Ill state of the Laboratory, which the Board order’d 
me to put in some better order and to be at as little expense as possible, 
which I did accordingly.” 
Saltpetre stores are mentioned in the Ordnance " Journall Bookes ” as 
existing in the Minories in 1663, and at Woolwich in 1680, when they 
were in charge of a " storekeeper of saltpetre.” But in the Record Office 
there lies a petition dated 1662, from one Owen Hurst "for the charge of 
the saltpetre house at Woolwich, and the refining thereof, not yet committed 
to the special charge of any person.” 
In Eebruary 1681 Sir William Warren was invited "to contract for the 
making of Two Butts at Woolwich for the Tryall of a fire sliott prepairing 
of Caph Leake Master Gunner of England,” the estimates for which butts 
had been previously submitted to, and approved by. Sir Bernard de 
Gomme. 
* In the Royal Artillery Library at Woolwich, 
