122 
A MASTER-GUNNER OP ENGLAND. 
tlie artillery garden.” 1 2 And on the following day we find another 
Royal Warrant to Sir John Heydon “ for carrying such quantity of 
earth to Mr. Wemyss' garden at Foxhall as should suffice for making 
a butt to prove ordnance at and likewise to furnish bricklayers for 
some brick-work for the same.” 3 Encouraged by the patronage of 
his sovereign, Wemyss pursued the even tenour of his inventive life 
for another three years when he had the misfortune to have his house 
at Vauxhall burnt down. This misfortune deprived him of his scientific 
instruments and the tools he had acquired, at his own expense, for the 
furtherance of his inventions. He also had acquired considerable debt 
which pressed heavily upon him. At this crisis (1637) Wemyss 
addressed a humble petition to Charles I. which sets forth :— 
“ That he hath taken much pains, and been at great charges, in 
performing of several orders which your Majesty hath been pleased to 
give him from time to time this seven years by past, the particulars of 
which he put in divers proportions, and gave to your Majesty, offering 
to make them good before a Council of War which your Majesty hath 
been graciously pleased to approve at his suit, but the petitioner sees 
no appearance of their meeting to determine upon the business, before 
your Majesty returns from Progress, which hath caused your petitioner 
to be grievously dealt with by his creditors insomuch that he is in great 
danger to be cast into prison. Your Majesty would be pleased to 
remember of a bill of his disbursements which he gave you, before his 
house was burnt down, of about £1,100.Your petitioner 
hath likewise been at great charges these two years past in repairing, 
or making, instruments and tools which he lost by fire; also for 
furnishing materials for performance of those charges which he lately 
showed your Majesty. The petitioner prays that he be not in a worse 
estate than the mackannikest [mechanicalest ?] man that serves the King 
as he has these seven years, without receiving one penny, which will 
redound to his utter ruin if your Majesty take not a speedy way for 
payment of his debts which amount to above £2,000.'' 3 
This petition is endorsed :— 
“ At the Court at Greenwich, 9 July, 1637. His Majesty is pleased 
to refer this petition, and the annexed account, to the Lord Treasurer 
who is to consider thereof and, making such abatement as his Lordship 
shall find fit, to give order for Privy Seal for a speedy payment of the 
rest to the petitioner.” 
Brighter days were coming. The following year James Wemyss 
was appointed to the honourable, and responsible, post of Master- 
Gunner of England, for which he was in every way fitted. On 10 
September, 1638, we find him appearing with Sir John Heydon before 
the Council “ concerning a dwelling-house and the artillery garden 
where his Majesty's feed gunners and others practice to discharge 
1 S.P. Dom.— 25 February, 1634. 
2 Ibid .—26 February, 1634. 
3 S.P. D*m. —1637. 
