Bronze gun on replica carriage, merman lifting ring and coat of arms

Each gun was cast individually and was a symbol of royal power and wealth, as well as being a weapon. As such they were often highly decorated and inscribed. Even mundane parts of the guns such as the lifting rings on the barrel were formed from lions and leopards heads, and one gun has rings in the shape of mermen.

The ship was equipped with two different types of light guns. The majority of these were swivel guns. These were mounted on stirrups cut into the rails on the castle and upper decks. They had a tail-like tiller which enabled them to be trained and elevated by the gunner. They were of wrought iron construction and had a bore of between 46 and 65mm.All the loaded guns found contained a lead shot with an offset iron dice inside.

 

The other type of light gun found recovered was the hailshot piece, also known as the murderer. This is a cast iron gun with a rectangular muzzle, and is muzzle loading, not breach loading like the swivel guns.

They were used to fire small iron cubes and were an anti-personnel weapon. There is a fin beneath the gun, enabling it to be hooked over a rail to absorb the considerable recoil. These guns had a short wooden tiller at the rear. There are twenty of them listed in the Anthony Roll inventory.

 

 

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