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The genius who realised that gunpowder could be used as a propellant remains unknown. All we do know is that the first illustration of a piece of ordnance occurs in a treatise by one Walter de Millemete entitled De Officiis Regum (On the Duties of Kings). Dated 1326, it is preserved in the library of Christ Church, Oxford.
The gun was called a vaso from the Italian for a vase which it closely resembled. The Gunner is pictured in the act of firing the piece by inserting a red-hot iron into the vent. The projectile leaving the muzzle was a species of arrow known as a dart, carreau or quarrel. The gun has no carriage; it simply lies on a trestle table.
England lagged behind the rest of Europe in gun-making during the 14th century. Judging from the name vaso, Walter's gun was probably made in Italy which led Europe in metal-working at that time. Also, the earliest known reliable reference to guns occurs in a decree of 11 Feb 1326 by the Council of Florence ordering the casting of a quantity of brass pieces and iron shot. Guns were probably in use before 1326 but claims to that effect as yet lack supporting evidence.
Unfortunately the text of Walter's work makes no reference to the illustration. As he was chaplain to King Edward I, possibly he inserted it out of deference to the King who is said to have been a keen artilleryman.
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WL Ruffell Issue 76 December 1992 |
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