The Master-General of the Ordnance (MGO) was a very senior British military position from 1415 to 2013 (except 1855–1895 and 1939–1958) with some changes to the name, usually held by a serving general. The Master-General of the Ordnance was responsible for all British artillery, engineers, fortifications, military supplies, transport, field hospitals and much else, and was not subordinate to the commander-in chief of the British military. In March 2013 the holder was titled as "Director Land Capability and Transformation", but still sat on the Army Board as Master-General of the Ordnance; in September 2013 the post was eliminated.
Contents
History
The Office of Armoury split away from the Privy Wardrobe of the Tower (of London) in the early 15th century. The Master of the Ordnance came into being in 1415 with the appointment of Nicholas Merbury by Henry V. The Office of Ordnance was created by Henry VIII in 1544 and became the Board of Ordnance in 1597. Its head was the Master-General of the Ordnance; his subordinates included the Lieutenant-General of the Ordnance and the Surveyor-General of the Ordnance. Before the establishment of a standing army or navy, the Ordnance Office was the only permanent military department in England. In 1764 it established the British standard ordnance weights and measurements for the artillery, one of the earliest standards in the world.
The position of Master-General was frequently a cabinet-level one, especially in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, when it was normally a political appointment. In 1855 the post was discontinued and certain of the ceremonial aspects of the post were subsequently vested in the Commander-in-Chief of the Forces. In 1904, the post was re-established, and until 1938 the Master-General of the Ordnance was the Fourth Military Member of the Army Board.
In 1913, the control of military aviation was separated from the responsibilities of the Master-General of the Ordnance. A new Department of Military Aeronautics was established and Brigadier-General Henderson was appointed the first director.
In March 2013, the holder was titled as "Director Land Capability and Transformation" but still sat on the army board as Master-General of the Ordnance. In September 2013, the post was abolished.
Masters of the Ordnance 1415–1544
Nicholas Merbury, 1415–1420
John Hampton 1429
William Gloucestre, 1435
Gilbert Par, 1437
Thomas Vaughan 1450
John Judde 1456–1460 (murdered 1460)
Philip Herveys c.1461
Richard Guildford 1485–1494
Robert Clifford 1495– (died 1508)
Sir Sampson Norton 1511–1513
Sir Henry Willoughby 1513
Sir William Skeffington 1529–1535
Bernardin de Valois (Bernadyne de Wallys) 1536
Sir Christopher Morris 1537–1544
Masters-General of the Ordnance, 1544–1855
Source: Institute of Historical Research
Sir Thomas Seymour 1544–1547
Sir Philip Hoby 1547–1554
Sir Richard Southwell 1554–1559
Ambrose Dudley, 3rd Earl of Warwick 1560–1585
Ambrose Dudley, 3rd Earl of Warwick jointly with Sir Philip Sidney 1585–1586
Ambrose Dudley, 3rd Earl of Warwick 1586–1590
Sir Henry Lee 1590–1597
Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex 1597–1601
vacant 1601–1603
Charles Blount, 1st Earl of Devonshire 1603–1606
vacant 1606–1608
George Carew, 1st Lord Carew, 1st Earl of Totnes (1626) 1608–1629
Horace Vere, 1st Lord Vere of Tilbury 1629–1634
Mountjoy Blount, 1st Earl of Newport 1634–1661
Sir William Compton 1661–1663
in commission 1664–1670
William Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley
Sir John Duncombe
Thomas Chicheley
1855–1894
The post did not exist for the period 1855 to 1894.
Inspector-General of the Ordnance 1895 to 1899
In 1895 the post was revived, but re-styled Inspector-General.
Included:
Lieutenant-General Sir Edwin Markham, April 1895 – December 1898
Director-General of the Ordnance 1899 to 1904
Included:
General Sir Henry Brackenbury, February 1899 – February 1904
Master-General of the Ordnance 1904 to 1938
Holders of the post have included:
Lieutenant-General Sir James Murray (1904–1907)
Major-General Sir Charles Hadden (1907–1913)
Major-General Sir Stanley von Donop (1913–1916)
Lieutenant-General Sir William Furse (1916–1919)
Lieutenant-General Sir John Du Cane (1920–1923)
Lieutenant-General Sir Noel Birch (1923–1927)
Lieutenant-General Sir Webb Gillman (1927–1931)
Lieutenant-General Sir Ronald Charles (1931–1934)
Lieutenant-General Sir Hugh Elles (1934–1938)
1939–1958
The post was abolished by Leslie Hore-Belisha, the Secretary of State for War, as he perceived it to be a block on production, transferring tank development responsibility to the Director General of Munitions Development. It was not re-instated until 1959.
Master-General of the Ordnance 1960 to 2013
Lieutenant-General Sir John Cowley (1960–1962)
General Sir Cecil Sugden (1962–1963)
Lieutenant-General Sir Charles Jones (1963–1966)
Lieutenant-General Sir Charles Richardson (1966–1971)
General Sir Noel Thomas (1971–1974)
General Sir John Gibbon (1974–1977)
General Sir Hugh Beach (1977–1981)
General Sir Peter Leng (1981–1983)
General Sir Richard Vincent (1983–1987)
General Sir John Stibbon (1987–1991)
General Sir Jeremy Blacker (1991–1995)
Lieutenant-General Sir Robert Hayman-Joyce (1995–1998)
Major-General David Jenkins (1998–2000)
Major-General Peter Gilchrist (2000–2004)
Major-General Andrew Figgures (2004–2006)
Major-General Dick Applegate (June 2006 – November 2006)
Major-General Chris Wilson (2006–2010)
Major-General Bill Moore (2010–2011)
Post holders official dual title was: Director Land Capability and Transformation and Master-General of the Ordnance