Master of the Ordnance is in Master.
In 1512 Henry Willoughby [aged 61] was appointed Master of the Ordnance.
In 1515 William Skeffington [aged 50] was appointed Master of the Ordnance which office he held until 1534.
In 1545 Philip Hoby [aged 40] was appointed Master of the Ordnance in the North.
After 12th November 1555 Jacques Wingfield [aged 36] was appointed Constable of Dublin Castle and Master of the Ordnance.
On 31st August 1634 Mountjoy Blount 1st Earl Newport [aged 37] was appointed Master of the Ordnance; a very lucrative position. From his sale of gunpowder to the Spanish he received £1000, the King £5000.
In June 1660 William Compton [aged 35] was appointed Master of the Ordnance which position he held for life.
John Evelyn's Diary. 1st October 1661. I sailed this morning with his Majesty [aged 31] in one of his yachts (or pleasure boats), vessels not known among us till the Dutch East India Company presented that curious piece to the King; being very excellent sailing vessels. It was on a wager between his other new pleasure boat, built frigate-like, and one of the Duke of York's [aged 27]; the wager £100; the race from Greenwich, Kent [Map] to Gravesend, Kent [Map] and back. The King lost it going, the wind being contrary, but saved stakes in returning. There were divers noble persons and lords on board, his Majesty sometimes steering himself. His barge and kitchen boat attended. I brake fast this morning with the King at return in his smaller vessel, he being pleased to take me and only four more, who were noblemen, with him; but dined in his yacht, where we all ate together with his Majesty. In this passage he was pleased to discourse to me about my book inveighing against the nuisance of the smoke of London, and proposing expedients how, by removing those particulars I mentioned, it might be reformed; commanding me to prepare a Bill against the next session of Parliament, being, as he said, resolved to have something done in it. Then he discoursed to me of the improvement of gardens and buildings, now very rare in England comparatively to other countries. He then commanded me to draw up the matter of fact happening at the bloody encounter which then had newly happened between the French and Spanish Ambassadors near the Tower, contending for precedency, at the reception of the Swedish Ambassador; giving me orders to consult Sir William Compton [aged 36], Master of the Ordnance, to inform me of what he knew of it, and with his favorite, Sir Charles Berkeley [aged 31], captain of the Duke's life guard, then present with his troop and three foot companies; with some other reflections and instructions, to be prepared with a declaration to take off the reports which went about of his Majesty's partiality in the affairs, and of his officers' and spectators' rudeness while the conflict lasted. So I came home that night, and went next morning to London, where from the officers of the Tower [Map], Sir William Compton, Sir Charles Berkeley, and others who were attending at this meeting of the Ambassadors three days before, having collected what I could, I drew up a Narrative in vindication of his Majesty, and the carriage of his officers and standers-by.
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 8th November 1664. At noon, I and Sir J. Minnes [aged 65] and Lord Barkeley [aged 62] (who with Sir J. Duncum [aged 42], and Mr. Chichly [aged 50], are made Masters of the Ordnance), to the office of the Ordnance, to discourse about wadding for guns.
John Evelyn's Diary. 11th June 1683. The Lord Dartmouth [aged 10] was elected Master of the Trinity House; son to George Legge [aged 36], late Master of the Ordnance, and one of the grooms of the bedchamber; a great favorite of the Duke's [aged 49], an active and understanding gentleman in sea affairs.
The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy
The Gesta Normannorum Ducum [The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy] is a landmark medieval chronicle tracing the rise and fall of the Norman dynasty from its early roots through the pivotal events surrounding the Norman Conquest of England. Originally penned in Latin by the monk William of Jumièges shortly before 1060 and later expanded at the behest of William the Conqueror, the work chronicles the deeds, politics, battles, and leadership of the Norman dukes, especially William’s own claim to the English throne. The narrative combines earlier historical sources with firsthand information and oral testimony to present an authoritative account of Normandy’s transformation from a Viking settlement into one of medieval Europe’s most powerful realms. William’s history emphasizes the legitimacy, military prowess, and governance of the Norman line, framing their expansion, including the conquest of England, as both divinely sanctioned and noble in purpose. Later chroniclers such as Orderic Vitalis and Robert of Torigni continued the history, extending the coverage into the 12th century, providing broader context on ducal rule and its impact. Today this classic work remains a foundational source for understanding Norman identity, medieval statesmanship, and the historical forces that reshaped England and Western Europe between 800AD and 1100AD.
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John Evelyn's Diary. 1st August 1693. Lord Capel [aged 55], Sir Cyril Wyche [aged 61], and Mr. Duncomb, made Lord Justices in Ireland; Lord Sydney [aged 52] recalled, and made Master of the Ordnance.
John Evelyn's Diary. 13th November 1695. Famous fireworks and very chargeable, the King [aged 45] being returned from his progress. He stayed seven or eight days at Lord Sunderland's [aged 54] at Althorpe [Map], where he was mightily entertained. These fireworks were shown before Lord Romney [aged 54], Master of the Ordnance, in St. James's great square, where the King stood.
John Evelyn's Diary. 8th December 1700. Great alterations of officers at Court, and elsewhere, - Lord Chief Justice Treby died; he was a learned man in his profession, of which we have now few, never fewer; the Chancery requiring so little skill in deep law-learning, if the practicer can talk eloquently in that Court; so that probably few care to study the law to any purpose. Lord Marlborough [aged 50] Master of the Ordnance, in place of Lord Romney [aged 59] made Groom of the Stole. The Earl of Rochester [aged 58] goes Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.
In June 1725 John Campbell 2nd Duke Argyll [aged 44] was appointed Master of the Ordnance.