Great Britain. Board of Ordnance

During the mid-eighteenth century the British government was alarmed by French incursions into western settlements of the American colonies in New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia. In 1754, the French and Indian War broke out in America. This led to the Seven Years War in Europe (1756–1763). The British prepared for war, and started to replace depleted military stores, particularly because it was decided to try to regain land from the French in the American colonies. English ports such as Plymouth, Portsmouth, and Chatham were vital to British forces because they supplied, refitted, and inventoried military arms which were conveyed by ship to the West Indies, the American colonies, and the Mediterranean Sea.

Located at the prominent port on the west coast of England, the Plymouth Office of Ordnance managed military arms. The Citadel of Plymouth, with a magazine for gunpowder and an arsenal, was repaired along with other outer line defenses at the outset of the Seven Years War. When ships came to port at Plymouth, the Office of Ordnance issued orders for the artillery and small arms to be removed to the arsenal for inventory. Further orders conveyed that any necessary painting was to be done to maintain ships. Gunpowder was to be accounted for and then removed to the magazine while the ships were to be refitted.

During the couse of the Seven Years War, the supply of gunpowder was greatly limited due to the amount of time it took to be manufactured. In addition, unconventional war tactics were used for combat in colonial America, and a great deal of powder was expended against the French and Native Americans during the course of the war. The Royal Navy was ordered not to fire salutes in response to growing gunpowder shortages as early as the beginning of the war. Captured enemy were brought to England at various times during the war. In April of 1757, sixty French officers were brought to Petersfield. The captured French garrison from Fortress Louisbourg was brought to the port at Plymouth the very next year.

West, Jenny. Gunpowder, Government and War in the Mid-Eighteenth Century. London: The Boydell Press, 1991. pp. 33, 83. Stewart, Richard W. The English Ordnance Office. London: The Boydell Press, 1996. Walling, R.A.J. The Story of Plymouth. London: Westaway Books, 1950. p.159. Stapleton, Barry. The Portsmouth Region. Gloucester, UK: Allan Sutter Publishing, 1989. p. 63. Hargreaves, Reginald. The Narrow Seas. London: Sidjwick and Jackson Limited, 1959. p. 368

From the guide to the Great Britain. Board of Ordnance. Record Book of the Plymouth Office of Ordnance, 1756–1757, [bulk date span], (University of Delaware Library - Special Collections)