THE ROYAL ARTILLERY INSTITUTION 
241 
The Magna Britannia et Hibernia, Antigua-et Nova , 1720, mentions 
“Woolwich, where are kept Magazines of Bombs, Carcases, Mortars, and 
other Materials of the Artillery for the Navy Boy at” and the “ Tour through 
the Island of Great Britain brought down to 1778," (begun by Daniel De 
Poe, continued by Mr Samuel Bichardson and others) describe how, in 
Woolwich, “on the east or lower part of the town is the gun yard commonly 
called the Bark or the Gun Park, where is a prodigious quantity of cannon 
of all sorts for the ships of war, every ship's guns apart; heavy cannon for 
batteries, and mortars of all sorts and sizes; insomuch that, as I was 
informed, here have been sometimes laid up at once between 7 and 8000 
pieces of ordnance, besides mortars, and shells almost beyond number. 
Here also is the house where the firemen and* engineers prepare their fire¬ 
works, charge bombs, carcasses, and grenadoes, for the public service. 
The royal regiment of artillery does duty at Woolwich!’ 
The Boyal Dockyard at Woolwich was commenced early in the reign of 
Henry VIII., and Camden writing (in his Britannia, anno 1695) concerning 
“the Arsenals for the Boyal Navy in Kent,” speaks of Woolwich having 
given birth to the— 
in 3° Hen. VIII. 
8° Jac. I. 
18° Car. I. 
Harry Grace de Dieu.. 
Prince Boyal .. 
Soveraign Boyal ... 
Nazeby, afterwards the Charles 
Bicliard, afterwards the James 
St Andrew . 
so that men of war must have been constructed there at least as early as the 
year 1512. The “ Henrye Grace a Dieu," (as she was sometimes called) was 
burnt at Woolwich in 1553. Prom this dockyard were launched most of 
the ships celebrated in the victories of Drake and Cavendish, and in the 
voyages of Hawkins and Probisher. 
Mr Pepys, as Secretary to the Admiralty, often paid official visits of 
inspection to Woolwich, where he “viewed well all the houses and stores 
there, which lie in very great confusion, for want of storehouses."— [Diary, 
11 July, 1662). The public roads about Woolwich appear, in his time, to 
have been somewhat dangerous for travellers, as testify the following extracts 
from his Diary, “ 19th Sept. 1662, To Deptford and Woolwich yard. At 
night, after I had eaten a cold pullet, I walked by brave moonshine, 
with three or four armed, to guard me, to Bedriffe,*—it being a joy 
to my heart to think of the condition that I was now in, that people 
should of themselves provide this for me, unspoke to. I hear this 
walk is dangerous to walk by night, and much robbery committed 
there." Again, he writes, “ 30th June, 1664. By water to Woolwich, 
and walked back from Woolwich to Greenwich all alone; saw a man 
that had a cudgell in his hand, and, though he told me he laboured in 
the King's yard, and many other good arguments that he is an honest 
* De Foe, in Lis Journal of the JBlague Year speaks of “the houses which we call Ratcliff and 
Re dr iff, which they name the pool.” 
