Bernard de Gomme
Encyclopedia
Sir Bernard de Gomme was a Dutch
military engineer. By some he is considered the most important figure in 17th century English military engineering.
as the son of Maria Huybrechts and perhaps Pieter de Gomme, who in 1631 was in charge of supplies at the Dutch fortresses of Lillo and Liefkenshoek on either side of the mouth of the Scheldt
near Terneuzen. In his youth he served in the campaigns of Frederick Henry
, prince of Orange
, for example in the Gennep
campaign of 1641. He afterwards accompanied Prince Rupert
to England, and was knighted by Charles I
. He served with conspicuous ability in the royalist army as engineer and quartermaster-general from June 1642 to May 1646, leaving England after the 1646 defeats of the first English Civil War
. His plan of the fortifications and castle of Liverpool
, dated 1644, is preserved in the British Museum
.
s in Flanders. On 15 June 1649, Gomme received a commission from Charles II
, then at Breda
, to be quartermaster-general of all forces to be raised in England and Wales. On 16 September 1654 at Middelburg
he married Catharina van Deynse, widow of Johannes Beverland, by whom he had a daughter, Anna.. Gomme was present as military engineer at the Battle of the Dunes
near Dunkirk in 1658.. After the English Restoration
he was restored to favor in England and was appointed there Surveyor-General of Fortifications in 1660.
pier, the erection of fortifications at Dunkirk, and the surveying of Tilbury Fort
. In August 1665 instructions were given for making the fortifications at Portsmouth according to the plans prepared by Gomme. On 14 November of the same year the king directed him to give his assistance to commissioners for making the Cam
navigable, and establishing a communication with the Thames
. Three days later he received a commission to build a new citadel
on the Hoe
of Plymouth
. In March 1667, he accompanied the Duke of York
to Harwich
, which it was proposed to entrench completely all round. On returning to London he was summoned to give advice for fortifying the Medway
and Portsmouth
, as well as Harwich. In 1673 and 1675 he was making surveys about Dublin. A reference to Gomme's design of building a fort-royal on the strand near Ringsend, in the neighbourhood of Dublin, occurs in the report of the elder Sir Jonas Moore, surveyor-general of ordnance, drawn up in 1675. In July 1682, Gomme was appointed surveyor-general of ordnance. He died on 23 November 1685, and was buried on the 30th of that month in the chapel of the Tower of London
. He left liberal legacies to the Dutch Church in London and to Christ's Hospital
. After Katherine's death, Gomme had remarried, by license dated 15 October 1667, Catherine Lucas of Bevis Marks, a widow of fifty who died a few weeks before him, and was also buried in the Tower chapel, 19 October 1685.
Dutch Republic
The Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...
military engineer. By some he is considered the most important figure in 17th century English military engineering.
Early life
De Gomme was born in Terneuzen, ZeelandZeeland
Zeeland , also called Zealand in English, is the westernmost province of the Netherlands. The province, located in the south-west of the country, consists of a number of islands and a strip bordering Belgium. Its capital is Middelburg. With a population of about 380,000, its area is about...
as the son of Maria Huybrechts and perhaps Pieter de Gomme, who in 1631 was in charge of supplies at the Dutch fortresses of Lillo and Liefkenshoek on either side of the mouth of the Scheldt
Scheldt
The Scheldt is a 350 km long river in northern France, western Belgium and the southwestern part of the Netherlands...
near Terneuzen. In his youth he served in the campaigns of Frederick Henry
Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange
Frederick Henry, or Frederik Hendrik in Dutch , was the sovereign Prince of Orange and stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel from 1625 to 1647.-Early life:...
, prince of Orange
Prince of Orange
Prince of Orange is a title of nobility, originally associated with the Principality of Orange, in what is now southern France. In French it is la Principauté d'Orange....
, for example in the Gennep
Gennep
Gennep is a municipality and a city in the southeastern Netherlands.- Population centres :Aaldonk, Dam, De Looi, Diekendaal, Gennep, Heijen, Hekkens, Milsbeek, Ottersum, Smele, Ven-Zelderheide and Zelder.- The city of Gennep :...
campaign of 1641. He afterwards accompanied Prince Rupert
Prince Rupert of the Rhine
Rupert, Count Palatine of the Rhine, Duke of Bavaria, 1st Duke of Cumberland, 1st Earl of Holderness , commonly called Prince Rupert of the Rhine, KG, FRS was a noted soldier, admiral, scientist, sportsman, colonial governor and amateur artist during the 17th century...
to England, and was knighted by Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
. He served with conspicuous ability in the royalist army as engineer and quartermaster-general from June 1642 to May 1646, leaving England after the 1646 defeats of the first English Civil War
First English Civil War
The First English Civil War began the series of three wars known as the English Civil War . "The English Civil War" was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations that took place between Parliamentarians and Royalists from 1642 until 1651, and includes the Second English Civil War and...
. His plan of the fortifications and castle of Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, dated 1644, is preserved in the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
.
Return to Netherlands
In 1646, Gomme returned to the Netherlands, where he worked as civil engineer, amongst others at the construction of polderPolder
A polder is a low-lying tract of land enclosed by embankments known as dikes, that forms an artificial hydrological entity, meaning it has no connection with outside water other than through manually-operated devices...
s in Flanders. On 15 June 1649, Gomme received a commission from Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
, then at Breda
Breda
Breda is a municipality and a city in the southern part of the Netherlands. The name Breda derived from brede Aa and refers to the confluence of the rivers Mark and Aa. As a fortified city, the city was of strategic military and political significance...
, to be quartermaster-general of all forces to be raised in England and Wales. On 16 September 1654 at Middelburg
Middelburg
Middelburg is a municipality and a city in the south-western Netherlands and the capital of the province of Zeeland. It is situated in the Midden-Zeeland region. It has a population of about 48,000.- History of Middelburg :...
he married Catharina van Deynse, widow of Johannes Beverland, by whom he had a daughter, Anna.. Gomme was present as military engineer at the Battle of the Dunes
Battle of the Dunes (1658)
The Battle of the Dunes, fought on 14 June , 1658, is also known as the Battle of Dunkirk. It was a victory of the French army, under Turenne, against the Spanish army, led by John of Austria the Younger and Louis II de Condé...
near Dunkirk in 1658.. After the English Restoration
English Restoration
The Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
he was restored to favor in England and was appointed there Surveyor-General of Fortifications in 1660.
Restoration
In March 1661 he was promoted to engineer-in-chief of all the king's castles and fortifications in England and Wales. Among his first tasks were the repairs of DoverDover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
pier, the erection of fortifications at Dunkirk, and the surveying of Tilbury Fort
Tilbury Fort
Tilbury Fort is on the north, Essex, bank of the River Thames in England and was built to defend London from attack from the sea, particularly during the Spanish Armada and the Anglo-Dutch Wars...
. In August 1665 instructions were given for making the fortifications at Portsmouth according to the plans prepared by Gomme. On 14 November of the same year the king directed him to give his assistance to commissioners for making the Cam
River Cam
The River Cam is a tributary of the River Great Ouse in the east of England. The two rivers join to the south of Ely at Pope's Corner. The Great Ouse connects the Cam to England's canal system and to the North Sea at King's Lynn...
navigable, and establishing a communication with the Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
. Three days later he received a commission to build a new citadel
Royal Citadel, Plymouth
The Royal Citadel in Plymouth, Devon, England, was built in the late 1660s to the design of Sir Bernard de Gomme. It is at the eastern end of Plymouth Hoe overlooking Plymouth Sound, and encompasses the site of the earlier fort that had been built in the time of Sir Francis Drake.During the Dutch...
on the Hoe
Plymouth Hoe
Plymouth Hoe, referred to locally as the Hoe, is a large south facing open public space in the English coastal city of Plymouth. The Hoe is adjacent to and above the low limestone cliffs that form the seafront and it commands views of Plymouth Sound, Drake's Island, and across the Hamoaze to Mount...
of Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
. In March 1667, he accompanied the Duke of York
James II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
to Harwich
Harwich
Harwich is a town in Essex, England and one of the Haven ports, located on the coast with the North Sea to the east. It is in the Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the northeast, Ipswich to the northwest, Colchester to the southwest and Clacton-on-Sea to the south...
, which it was proposed to entrench completely all round. On returning to London he was summoned to give advice for fortifying the Medway
River Medway
The River Medway, which is almost entirely in Kent, England, flows for from just inside the West Sussex border to the point where it enters the Thames Estuary....
and Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
, as well as Harwich. In 1673 and 1675 he was making surveys about Dublin. A reference to Gomme's design of building a fort-royal on the strand near Ringsend, in the neighbourhood of Dublin, occurs in the report of the elder Sir Jonas Moore, surveyor-general of ordnance, drawn up in 1675. In July 1682, Gomme was appointed surveyor-general of ordnance. He died on 23 November 1685, and was buried on the 30th of that month in the chapel of the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
. He left liberal legacies to the Dutch Church in London and to Christ's Hospital
Christ's Hospital
Christ's Hospital is an English coeducational independent day and boarding school with Royal Charter located in the Sussex countryside just south of Horsham in Horsham District, West Sussex, England...
. After Katherine's death, Gomme had remarried, by license dated 15 October 1667, Catherine Lucas of Bevis Marks, a widow of fifty who died a few weeks before him, and was also buried in the Tower chapel, 19 October 1685.