The Thundering Guns of Derry

The
Thundering
Guns
of
Derry
“ the great guns, like thunder,
have shaken our walls”
Rev. Seth Whittle, London-Derry, 1689

Are you a
cannon
expert?
“ All our great pieces
of one name are not
of one length nor of
one weight, nor of
one height in their
mouths”
Blackmore 1977, 391
quoted in the Tartaglio’s
Arte of Shooting 1588
Did You
Know?
The longest cannon on
the Derry Walls are just
over 3 metres.

In over 400 years the cannon
on the Derry Walls have
not moved from the place
they were commissioned
for and represent the finest
collection of cannon of their
period in Ireland or Britain.
The Derry Walls with their
bastions and ramparts
were designed in the early
1600s to accommodate the
cannon.
Each of the guns tells us
about the history of the
defence of the City and is
a unique record of 16 th and
17 th century metalwork.
They can also tell us much
about the skills of the
people employed to fire and
maintain them.
The oldest cannon on
the Derry Walls are two
Tudor period cannon, both
marked with rose-andcrown
emblems. These
cannon are mounted on
replica block carriages. The
wheels at the front allowed
the cannon to be moved
and a solid block of wood at
the rear acted as a brake to
curtail recoil.

In the 1620s the Corporation
in London sent over
ten cannon complete
with carriages, shot and
equipment. You can still see
five of these on the Walls,
emblazoned with the City of
London shield and mounted
on replica block carriages.
Did You
Know?
The heaviest cannon on
the Derry Walls is a
Merchant Taylor
Company gun, weighing
1,830 kilograms.

The most impressive
cannon are the seven
London Company cannon,
mounted on the large
replica field carriages and
located on the bastions.
These were among a
batch of fifteen sent here
in 1642. Each of their
barrels had been inscribed
with the name of the
London Company that
commissioned them.
Did You
Know?
Gunner’s Bastion was so named
because it once stood opposite the house
of the Master Gunner. The bastion has
since been demolished and the site sits
next to Butcher Gate at the top
of Waterloo Street.

Thundering Guns
The Guns on the Derry Walls were brought over in the
17th Century, either in 1622 as part of the plantation
or in 1642 from the City of London for the defence of
the City. They have remained an important feature on
the Walls ever since.
19th Century Cannon
City of London Cannon
Fishmongers and
Vintners Company
Cannon
Merchant Taylors Company
Cannon

of Derry Locations
City of London Cannon
Tudor Cannon
Grocers and Mercers
Company Cannon
City of London and Salters
Company Cannon

Did You
Know?
To fire a cannon, a length of slowburning
cord, impregnated with
saltpetre, was held at the end of a very
long stick. The stick was called a linstock
and helped put distance between the
gunner and his cannon.
Cannon
in
action

Even with a carriage,
powder, shot and all the
accessories, cannon were
ineffective unless operated
by skilled gun crews. It
could take up to six men
to fire a large cannon. Two
packed the gunpowder into
the barrel and inserted the
cannon ball. A third lit the
fuse while a fourth aimed
the cannon at the target.
The force of the explosion
could cause the gun
carriage to roll back up to
six metres. The last two men
pushed it back into position,
ready to load again.
Most shot (cannon balls)
were solid, made from
stone, cast iron or lead.
Mortars shells were hollow
spheres, usually made
of cast iron, filled with
gun powder. It was the
mortars which caused most
casualties and damage to
buildings during the 1689
siege.

Impress your
descendants
Knowing more about
the Thundering Guns
of Derry will ensure
their preservation for
future generations.
Did You
Know?
In the 1980’s when the bore of the
Fishmongers Company cannon was
cleaned out, the concreted contents
included a cannon ball, a pottery
beer bottle, a pocket watch and the
skeleton of a rat.

From the 18th century
onwards, a few continued to
be fired during celebrations
but most fell into disuse.
Others were removed
from the Walls, ending up
as bollards on the street
corners and along the quays
for mooring ships. An 1837
inventory noted 50 cannon;
the fate of the missing ones
are yet to be uncovered.
Today the surviving cannon
have a more peaceful role in
ornamenting the bastions
and ramparts of Ireland’s
most famous Walled City.
Derry City and Strabane
District Council and the
Friends of the Derry Walls
are working together to
restore the cannon on the
City Walls, making them
even more impressive for
future generations.

The
Thundering
Guns
of
Derry