110 THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB.
Mr. Beaumont directed the geologists to several gravel-pits in the parish
and sections showing the Boulder Clay (e.g., those in fields Nos. 190 and 297
O.S., see map in "History of Coggeshall"). The large brickfields north-west
of Coggeshall (No. 300) are in Boulder Clay resting on London Clay. In the
former occurs a wide variety of rocks, every formation being represented, and the
heaps of stone from the washing mills are worth looking over for fossils or rock
specimens.
A pleasant evening walk across the fields (during which a very large flock of
Fieldfares was noticed) to catch the 7.19 train at Kelvedon, brought a very
successful meeting to an end.
Meeting at Waltham Abbey, and 114TH Ordinary Meeting,
Saturday, May 3rd, 1890.
This was the second visit of the Club to Waltham Abbey ; a meeting was held
in the town on April 2nd, 1881, Mr. Birch then, also, acting as cicerone.
The members assembled at Waltham about 3 o'clock, and on the kind invita-
tion of Col. W. H. Noble, R.A., a visit was first made to the Royal Gunpowder
Factory, the party entering the main gateway and walking down the fine avenue
of poplars to the laboratory, where they were met by Col. Noble, who gave the
Club a cordial reception.
The first distinct reference to gunpowder in England as an article of war
occurs in the 12th Edward III. (1338) when it is mentioned as being among
the stores in the Tower. It was used with great effect in four pieces of ordnance
at the battle of Cressy (1346), and contributed not a little to that famous victory.
We learn from Mr. W. Winters' excellent and interesting historical account of the
Gunpowder Mills at Waltham Abbey,1 that the Gunpowder Factory at this place was
probably erected about the year 1540, by Sir Anthony Denny, Knt., who was the
chamberlain and friend of King Henry VIII. The story goes that Sir Anthony,
who by royal favour inherited a good slice of the Abbey lands, founded a gun-
powder factory with the object first of blowing up the monks and their monas-
tery and afterwards supplying his royal master with gunpowder for war purposes.
Be that as it may, from that day to this, Waltham Abbey has been the seat of
one of the most celebrated gunpowder factories in the world.
The Walton family, of whom Izaak Walton, the well-known angler, was one,
succeeded the Denny family in the possession of the Waltham Mills, and in the
year 1787 the property was purchased by the Government and the mills became a
Royal Factory.
For many years the mills at Waltham Abbey were attached to the Royal Labora-
tory at Woolwich, but in August, 1855, the factory took rank as a separate establish-
ment. The present superintendent, Colonel W. H. Noble, assumed command in
July, 1885. Colonel Noble was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, of which
university he holds the degree of M.A. He entered the Royal Artillery in 1856
and served for many years on the late Ordnance Select Committee and in the
Department of the Director of Artillery. He also served during the Afghan War
of 1878-9 as staff-officer of the siege train of the Kandahar Field Force (medal)
and, previous to his present appointment, he was a member of the Ordnance
Committee for three years.
1 "Centenary Memorial of the Royal Gunpowder Factory, Waltham Abbey, compiled from
original sources, by W. Winters, F.R. Hist. Soc," Waltham Abbey, 1887.