Andrew Schalch (1692 – 5 February 1776), born in Switzerland, was the first gun-founder at the

Royal Arsenal The Royal Arsenal, Woolwich is an establishment on the south bank of the River Thames in Woolwich in south-east London, England, that was used for the manufacture of armaments and ammunition, proofing, and explosives research for the Britis ...

Woolwich Woolwich () is a district in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was maintained throu ...

, London.

Life

Schalch was born in

Schaffhausen Schaffhausen (; gsw, Schafuuse; french: Schaffhouse; it, Sciaffusa; rm, Schaffusa; en, Shaffhouse) is a list of towns in Switzerland, town with historic roots, a municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in northern Switzerland, and the ...

, Switzerland, in 1692. After being employed in the cannon foundry at

Douai Douai (, , ,; pcd, Doï; nl, Dowaai; formerly spelled Douay or Doway in English) is a city in the Nord département in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. Located on the river Scarpe some from Lille and from Arras, D ...

he came to England, and in August 1716 he was engaged to build the furnaces and provide the utensils for the new brass foundry at the

, Woolwich, then called the Warren. Up to that time it had been used as a depot for stores, and cannon had been proved there, but not manufactured. The only place for casting brass ordnance in England was Matthew Bagley's foundry in

Moorfields Moorfields was an open space, partly in the City of London, lying adjacent to – and outside – its northern wall, near the eponymous Moorgate. It was known for its marshy conditions, the result of the defensive wall acting like a dam, i ...

. A number of people assembled there on 10 May 1716 to see some captured French guns melted down and recast; an explosion occurred in which seventeen people, including Matthew Bagley, were killed and others injured. It was in consequence of this accident that the

Board of Ordnance The Board of Ordnance was a British government body. Established in the Tudor period, it had its headquarters in the Tower of London. Its primary responsibilities were 'to act as custodian of the lands, depots and forts required for the defence ...

decided on a government foundry. There is a story that Schalch, a young and unknown man, predicted this explosion, having noticed the dampness of the moulds; that after it had taken place he was advertised for, and that the selection of a site for the new foundry was left to him. He has therefore been reckoned the father of the Arsenal. However, the story is unauthenticated. On the contrary, an advertisement has been found (10 July 1716) inviting competent men to offer themselves, after the site had been chosen and the building begun. A good report of Schalch's capacity having been obtained through the British minister at Brussels, his appointment to Woolwich was confirmed in October. A warrant of the

Duke of Marlborough General (United Kingdom), General John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, 1st Prince of Mindelheim, 1st Count of Nellenburg, Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, (26 May 1650 – 16 June 1722 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.) was an Engl ...

as Master-General of the Ordnance formally nominated Schalch master-founder of His Majesty's brass foundry on 16 May 1718. He cast cannons,

mortars Mortar may refer to: * Mortar (weapon), an indirect-fire infantry weapon * Mortar (masonry), a material used to fill the gaps between blocks and bind them together * Mortar and pestle, a tool pair used to crush or grind * Mortar, Bihar, a villag ...

howitzer A howitzer () is a long- ranged weapon, falling between a cannon (also known as an artillery gun in the United States), which fires shells at flat trajectories, and a mortar, which fires at high angles of ascent and descent. Howitzers, like ot ...

s and machine parts. From the 1740s relations between Schalch and the Board deteriorated, because of delays and dissatisfaction with the quality of the guns. Since guns were required for the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754� ...

(from 1754), Schalch was not dismissed. The Board continued to criticise Schalch's slowness during the 1760s. Government demands were met by two Southwark brassfounders, William Bowen and Richard Gilpin. Schalch retired in January 1770, after the Board began to employ Pieter and

Jan Verbruggen Jan Verbruggen (1712 – 27 October 1781) was a Dutch master gun-founder in the Netherlands and later at the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich, London. He was also an artist. Early life and career He was born in 1712 in Enkhuizen in the Netherlands, so ...

. He died at the age of eighty-four, and was buried in Woolwich churchyard. ''

The Gentleman's Magazine ''The Gentleman's Magazine'' was a monthly magazine founded in London, England, by Edward Cave in January 1731. It ran uninterrupted for almost 200 years, until 1922. It was the first to use the term ''magazine'' (from the French ''magazine'' ...

'' records his death as Andrew Schutch (sic), esq., at Greenwich on 5 February 1776.

References

Attribution * {{DEFAULTSORT:Schalch, Andrew 1692 births 1776 deaths People from Schaffhausen Government munitions production in the United Kingdom