Surveyor-General of the Ordnance
Encyclopedia
The Surveyor-General of the Ordnance was a subordinate of the Master-General of the Ordnance
and a member of the Board of Ordnance
from its constitution in 1597. Appointments to the post were made by the crown under Letters Patent
. His duties were to examine the ordnance received to see that it was of good quality. He also came to be responsible for the mapping of fortifications and eventually of all Great Britain
, through the Ordnance Survey
, and it is this role that is generally associated with surveyor-generalship.
The office survived the dissolution of the Board of Ordnance in 1855, but was for some time vacant, the last holder, Lauderdale Maule
, having died of cholera
in the Crimea
. The War Office
Act of 1870 revived the office, making the Surveyor-General responsible for all aspects of Army logistics
. The office was filled until 1888, when it was abolished.
22 June 1660: Francis Nicholls
28 July 1669 (or before): vacant
13 November 1669: Jonas Moore
(knighted 28 January 1673)
25 August 1679: Jonas Moore
(II) (knighted 9 August 1680)
13 July 1682: vacant
29 July 1682: Sir Bernard de Gomme
23 November 1685: vacant
2 December 1685: Sir Henry Sheer
19 July 1689: John Charlton
29 June 1702: William Bridges
30 October 1714: vacant
2 December 1714: Michael Richards
5 February 1722: vacant
10 February 1722: John Armstrong
25 April 1742: vacant
30 April 1742: Thomas Lascelles
10 April 1750: Charles Frederick
13 May 1782: The Hon. Thomas Pelham
20 May 1783: John Courtenay
22 May 1784: The Hon. James Luttrell
23 December 1788: vacant
20 April 1789: The Hon. George Cranfield Berkeley
10 July 1795: Alexander Ross
22 November 1804: James Murray Hadden
20 July 1810: Robert Moorsom
(knighted 2 January 1815)
16 March 1820: Sir Ulysses Bagenal Burgh (succeeded as 2nd Baron Downes 3 March 1826)
18 May 1827: Sir Edward William Campbell Rich Owen
1 April 1828: Sir Herbert Taylor
16 April 1829: Sir Henry Fane
15 January 1831: William Leader Maberly
4 December 1832: Charles Richard Fox
30 December 1834: Lord Edward Somerset
25 April 1835: Sir Rufane Shaw Donkin
1 May 1841: vacant
11 May 1841: Charles Richard Fox
13 September 1841: Jonathan Peel
14 July 1846: Charles Richard Fox
3 July 1852: Sir George Henry Frederick Berkeley
18 January 1853: The Hon. Lauderdale Maule
1 August 1854: vacant
5 August 1870: Sir Henry Storks
26 February 1874: Lord Eustace Cecil
1 June 1880: Sir John Miller Adye
17 January 1882: Henry Robert Brand
27 June 1885: Guy Dawnay
6 February 1886: William Woodall
4 August 1886: Sir Henry Northcote
The office was abolished in 1888.
Master-General of the Ordnance
The Master-General of the Ordnance was a very senior British military position before 1855, when the Board of Ordnance was abolished.-Responsibilities:...
and a member of the Board of Ordnance
Board of Ordnance
The Board of Ordnance was a British government body responsible for the supply of armaments and munitions to the Royal Navy and British Army. It was also responsible for providing artillery trains for armies and maintaining coastal fortresses and, later, management of the artillery and engineer...
from its constitution in 1597. Appointments to the post were made by the crown under Letters Patent
Letters patent
Letters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch or president, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or corporation...
. His duties were to examine the ordnance received to see that it was of good quality. He also came to be responsible for the mapping of fortifications and eventually of all Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, through the Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
, and it is this role that is generally associated with surveyor-generalship.
The office survived the dissolution of the Board of Ordnance in 1855, but was for some time vacant, the last holder, Lauderdale Maule
Lauderdale Maule
Lauderdale Maule, DL was a Scottish soldier, the second son of the Lord Panmure.Born at Brechin Castle, he entered the 39th Regiment of Foot as an ensign on 24 August 1825. In 1835, he was promoted to captain in the 95th Regiment of Foot, and transferred into the 79th Regiment of Foot on 21 August...
, having died of cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
in the Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
. The War Office
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
Act of 1870 revived the office, making the Surveyor-General responsible for all aspects of Army logistics
Logistics
Logistics is the management of the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of destination in order to meet the requirements of customers or corporations. Logistics involves the integration of information, transportation, inventory, warehousing, material handling, and packaging, and...
. The office was filled until 1888, when it was abolished.
Surveyors of the Ordnance
- 5 February 1538: Henry JohnsonHenry JohnsonHenry Johnson may refer to:*Henry Johnson , member of Parliament for Aldeburgh 1689–1719*Henry Johnson , American jazz musician*Henry Johnson...
- 23 January 1549: Anthony AnthonyAnthony RollThe Anthony Roll is a record of ships of the English Tudor navy of the 1540s, named after its creator, Anthony Anthony. It originally consisted of three rolls of vellum, depicting 58 naval vessels along with information on their size, crew, armament, and basic equipment. The rolls were...
- 25 June 1565: Henry Iden
- 2 December 1568: Thomas Pynner
- 10 April 1570: vacant
- 13 April 1570: William Jurden
- 21 June 1595: William PartridgeWilliam PartridgeWilliam Partridge was born in Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire on 27 June 1858. William moved to Blaina when he was a young boy with his parents. He enlisted into the 24th Regiment of Foot at Newport on 7 June 1877 having previously served in the Royal Monmouthshire Militia.- From Blaina to South Africa...
- 21 June 1598: vacant
- 3 February 1599: John DaviesJohn Davies (poet)Sir John Davies was an English poet and lawyer, who became attorney general in Ireland and formulated many of the legal principles that underpinned the British Empire.-Early life:...
(knighted 12 July 1599) - 17 July 1602: John Linewray (knighted 10 July 1604)
- 11 June 1606: Joseph Earth
- 5 September 1609: Sir John Kaye
- 1 May 1624: Richard KayeRichard KayeRichard Kaye is a British former auto racing driver. He comes from a family heavily involved in motor-sport. His older brother James is a driver and his father Peter, worked as his engineer and team principal...
- 28 November 1624: vacant
- 27 September 1625: Sir Alexander Brett
- 29 October 1627: vacant
- 3 December 1627: Sir Thomas BludderThomas BludderSir Thomas Bludder was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1621 and 1640.Bludder was the son of Sir Thomas Bludder of Flanchford Reigate, a commissioner of the Victualling Office. He matriculated at Christ's College, Cambridge, in 1614 and graduated BA in 1617...
- 8 April 1628: Sir Paul Harris (succeeded as 2nd Baronet January 1629)
- Interregnum; post occupied by:
- George Payler, March 1643 to December 1658
- Elia Palmer, in 1660
Jonas Moore
Sir Jonas Moore, FRS was an English mathematician, surveyor, Ordnance Officer and patron of astronomy. He participated in two of the most ambitious English civil engineering projects of the 17th century: the draining of the Great Level of the Fens and the building of the Mole at Tangier...
(knighted 28 January 1673)
Jonas Moore
Sir Jonas Moore, FRS was an English mathematician, surveyor, Ordnance Officer and patron of astronomy. He participated in two of the most ambitious English civil engineering projects of the 17th century: the draining of the Great Level of the Fens and the building of the Mole at Tangier...
(II) (knighted 9 August 1680)
Bernard de Gomme
Sir Bernard de Gomme was a Dutch military engineer. By some he is considered the most important figure in 17th century English military engineering.-Early life:...
William Bridges (MP)
William Bridges was a British politician. He was the Member of Parliament for Liskeard, Cornwall 26 Oct 1695-1714 and member of the Board of Ordnance.He was the son of Robert Bridges and his wife Mary...
John Armstrong (surveyor)
Major-General John Armstrong was a British Engineer and Soldier.-Military career:Armstrong joined the Williamite Army of Ireland in 1691...
Charles Frederick
Sir Charles Frederick KB was a British Member of Parliament.He was a younger son of Sir Thomas Frederick, sometime Governor of Fort St David, and a younger brother of Sir John Frederick, 4th Baronet....
Thomas Pelham, 2nd Earl of Chichester
Thomas Pelham, 2nd Earl of Chichester PC, PC , FRS , styled The Honourable Thomas Pelham from 1768 until 1783, The Right Honourable Thomas Pelham from 1783 to 1801, and then known as Lord Pelham until 1805, was a British Whig politician...
Robert Moorsom
Admiral Sir Robert Moorsom KCB was an officer of the Royal Navy who served during the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars...
(knighted 2 January 1815)
Edward Owen (Royal Navy officer)
Admiral Sir Edward William Campbell Rich Owen GCB GCH was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet. He was the son of Captain William Owen and elder brother of Vice-Admiral William Fitzwilliam Owen....
William Leader Maberly
William Leader Maberly spent most of his life as a British army officer and Whig politician.He was the eldest child of John Maberly , a currier, clothing manufacturer, banker and MP, who had made and lost a fortune in a lifetime....
Charles Richard Fox
General Charles Richard Fox was a British army general, and later a politician.Fox was born at Brompton, the illegitimate son of Henry Richard Vassall-Fox, 3rd Baron Holland, through a liaison with Lady Webster, whom Lord Holland would later marry.After some service in the Royal Navy, Fox entered...
Lord Edward Somerset
General Lord Robert Edward Henry Somerset GCB was a British soldier.He was the third son of the 5th duke of Beaufort, and elder brother of Lord Raglan....
Rufane Shaw Donkin
Sir Rufane Shaw Donkin GCH KCB , was a British army officer of the Napoleonic era and later Member of Parliament.-Family:Rufane Donkin came of a military family and was the eldest child...
Charles Richard Fox
General Charles Richard Fox was a British army general, and later a politician.Fox was born at Brompton, the illegitimate son of Henry Richard Vassall-Fox, 3rd Baron Holland, through a liaison with Lady Webster, whom Lord Holland would later marry.After some service in the Royal Navy, Fox entered...
Jonathan Peel
Jonathan Peel was a British soldier, Conservative politician and racehorse owner.-Background and education:...
Charles Richard Fox
General Charles Richard Fox was a British army general, and later a politician.Fox was born at Brompton, the illegitimate son of Henry Richard Vassall-Fox, 3rd Baron Holland, through a liaison with Lady Webster, whom Lord Holland would later marry.After some service in the Royal Navy, Fox entered...
Lauderdale Maule
Lauderdale Maule, DL was a Scottish soldier, the second son of the Lord Panmure.Born at Brechin Castle, he entered the 39th Regiment of Foot as an ensign on 24 August 1825. In 1835, he was promoted to captain in the 95th Regiment of Foot, and transferred into the 79th Regiment of Foot on 21 August...
Lord Eustace Cecil
Lord Eustace Brownlow Henry Cecil was a British, Conservative Party politician.Cecil was the youngest son of the 2nd Marquess of Salisbury and was educated at Harrow and Sandhurst. He served with the Coldstream Guards in the Crimean War from 1855–56, rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in 1861...
John Miller Adye
General Sir John Miller Adye GCB was a British general.-Military career:Born the son of Major James P. Adye, he was born at Sevenoaks, Kent, on 1 November 1819...
Henry Brand, 2nd Viscount Hampden
Henry Robert Brand, 2nd Viscount Hampden, GCMG was Governor of New South Wales from 1895 to 1899.-Background:Hampden was the son of Henry Brand, 1st Viscount Hampden...
Guy Dawnay (politician)
Guy Cuthbert Dawnay was a British soldier and Conservative politician.Dawnay was the fourth son of William Dawnay, 7th Viscount Downe, and his wife Mary Isabel, daughter of the Right Reverend the Hon. Richard Bagot, Bishop of Oxford...
Henry Northcote, 1st Baron Northcote
Henry Stafford Northcote, 1st Baron Northcote GCMG, GCIE, CB, PC , known as Sir Henry Northcote, Bt, between 1887 and 1900, was a Conservative politician and colonial administrator...
The office was abolished in 1888.