The Life, Times, and Scientific Labours of the Second Marquis of Worcester / To which is added a reprint of his Century of Inventions, 1663, with a Commentary thereon.

by Henry Dircks

A way in one nights time to raise a Bulwork twenty or thirty foot high, Cannon-proof, and Cannon mounted upon it, with men to overlook, command and batter a Towne; for though it contain but four Pieces, they shall be able to discharge two hundred Bullets each hour.

[A Rising Bulwork.] Grose, in his “Military Antiquities,” Vol. I. Page 355, notices a moveable tower, the use of which was revived by the Royalists in their attack on Gloucester, during the Civil War.

In 1644, Edmond Felton, gentleman, published a pamphlet entitled, “Engins invented to save blood and moneys;” the nature of which he “discovered unto the Committee for the fortifications of the City of London.” The Honourable Major General Skippon attested in respect of it, that the engine “was of three tiers of ten muskets in a tier, to shoot arrows withal.” The inventor satisfied the Committee, “how an engine will secure the foot from the horse, and the soldiers from musket shot, which engine in fair ways two men may manage at pleasure.”

He complains of a piracy of his invention, observing, “There was about twenty of the said engines made at Oxford, and from thence carried to Gloucester, to go up to the walls. And had not his Excellency the Earl of Essex so happily arrived to raise the siege as he did, it was reported by some of the army, the city was in great fear to be taken thereby; most of which said engines the besiegers burnt, because they should not be taken.”

In the second volume of “Bibliotheca Gloucestrensis: a collection of scarce and curious tracts, by John Washbourn, jun. Gloucester. 4to. 1825,” there is a reprint of “Corbet’s Historicall relation of the Military Government of Gloucester, 1645,” which contains this passage: “Wherefore besides their mine and battery, they framed great store of those unperfect and troublesome engines to assault the lower parts of the city. Those engines ran upon wheels, with planks musket-proof placed on the axle-tree, with holes for musket-shot and a bridge before it, the end whereof (the wheels falling into the ditch) was to rest upon our breast works.” Page 54.

And in the reprint of “A briefe and exact diurnall of the siege before Gloucester, by John Dorney, Esquire, 1643,” we meet with the following:—“Munday, September 4. We understood likewise that the enemy had by the direction of that Jesuitticall Doctor Chillingworth, provided great store of engines after the manner of the Romane Testudines cum Pluteis, with which they intended to have assaulted the parts of the city, between the south and west gates. These engines ran upon cart wheeles, with a blinde of plankes musquet proofe, and holes for foure musquetiers to play out of, placed upon the axeltree to defend the musquetiers and those that thrust it forward, and carrying a bridge before it; the wheeles were to fall into the ditch, and the end of the bridge to rest upon our brest-workes, so making severall compleat bridges to enter the city. After the raising of the siege, we tooke all these engines, and brought them into the towne.”—Page 225.

In the first volume of this work there is a note on the two preceding passages, in which the editor observes:—“The plan of these machines was borrowed from the ancients. Various contrivances of this kind were also employed in the middle ages, before and for a considerable time after the invention of fire-arms. Sometimes they used them for undermining the walls. At the siege of Ribadavia in Spain, during the reign of Richard II. similar moveable machines were used. See Froissart, viii. c. 26. Such an engine is also mentioned by the Marquis of Worcester in his Century of Inventions.”

31.

A way how safely and speedily to make an approach to a Castle or Town-wall, and over the very Ditch at Noon-day.

[An approaching Blinde.] Vegetius, in “De re militari,” 1535, depicts and describes several kinds of these ancient military blinds, screens, and other contrivances and machines for protecting the attacking party. At page 15 he shows a ponderous advancing screen or shield on four wheels, and at two pages further a side view of the same, covering a large body of soldiers. Some have raised, hinged platforms, to be lowered for crossing a ditch.