A ''Pierrier à boîte'' was an early type of small

wrought iron Wrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon content (less than 0.05%) in contrast to that of cast iron (2.1% to 4.5%), or 0.25 for low carbon "mild" steel. Wrought iron is manufactured by heating and melting high carbon cast iron in an ...

cannon A cannon is a large-caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder during th ...

developed in the early 15th century, and a type of breech-loading swivel gun. It was part of the artillery of France in the Middle Ages, and the artillery of the Middle Ages in general. Perrier is the historical term in English for such weapons, literally a stone thrower. The pierrier was a

breech-loading A breechloader is a firearm in which the user loads the ammunition from the breech end of the barrel (i.e., from the rearward, open end of the gun's barrel), as opposed to a muzzleloader, in which the user loads the ammunition from the ( muzzle ...

weapon, using a powder chamber similar to a

beer Beer is an alcoholic beverage produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches from cereal grain—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize (corn), rice, and oats are also used. The grain is mashed to convert starch in the ...

mug for loading of individual shots, without having to load from the front or lose time ramming charges in. The pierrier allowed for extremely fast loading and firing, as it expended charges prepared in advance. On the downside, it leaked easily, leading to loss of power and safety issues for the gunners. The pierrier was often used with a

swivel A swivel is a connection that allows the connected object, such as a swivel gun, gun, swivel chair, chair, Caster, swivel caster, or an anchor rode to rotate horizontally or vertically. Swivel designs A common design for a swivel is a cylindr ...

. It was a weapon of choice on

warship A warship or combatant ship is a naval ship that is used for naval warfare. Usually they belong to the navy branch of the armed forces of a nation, though they have also been operated by individuals, cooperatives and corporations. As well as b ...

s for intense and close encounters. It remained in use until the 19th century. Note: it should not be confused with the 18th-century ''pierrier'' as described in the ''

Encyclopédie , better known as ''Encyclopédie'' (), was a general encyclopedia published in France between 1751 and 1772, with later supplements, revised editions, and translations. It had many writers, known as the Encyclopédistes. It was edited by Denis ...

'' of

Diderot Denis Diderot (; ; 5 October 171331 July 1784) was a French philosopher, art critic, and writer, best known for serving as co-founder, chief editor, and contributor to the along with Jean le Rond d'Alembert. He was a prominent figure during t ...

, which was a thin-walled wide-mouthed stone-throwing mortar (see the lower image in his Pl. X).

Gallery

File:Perrier_a_boite_cal_72mm_length_140cm_weight_110kg_seized_in_Constantine_in_1837.jpg, Pierrier à boîte, cal 72 mm, length 140 cm, weight 110 kg, seized in Constantine in 1837.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pierrier a boite Artillery of France Medieval artillery

Gallery

See also

Notes