Cannonball
Production date
Circa 1860s
Description
An eight inch (20cm) rusted cannonball which weighs approximately 20 kilograms. A fuse hole is evident on the cannonball which is also covered in surface rust.
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Object detail
Production date
Circa 1860s
Production place
Subject person
Credit line
This
cannonball,
thought
to
have
been
associated
with
one
of
two
eight
inch
naval
guns
used
by
the
British
Army
during
the
Taranaki
Wars
was
unearthed
on
farmland
off
Pennington
Road,
Waitara
by
Troy
Hawkins
who
was
carrying
out
excavations
as
part
of
groundwork
on
the
property.
The
guns
were
used
in
various
engagements
during
the
wars
and
according
to
William
Irwin
Grayling,
were
used
to
bombard
Puketakauere
pa
in
the
days
after
the
British
defeat
there
on
27
June
1860.
See
The
War
in
Taranaki
p.36
on
the
Early
New
Zealand
books
project
by
the
University
of
Auckland
Library.
http://www.enzb.auckland.ac.nz/document?wid=2055&page=0&action=searchresult&target=
Military historian Richard Taylor, writing in his thesis British Logistics in the New Zealand Wars 1845-66 notes the transport challenges these weapons posed. "Throughout the war, the army's transport requirements were far in excess of the capacity of the limited numbers of draft animals and carts available locally. For example, the two 8-inch naval guns used by the British during the second half of the war each required a team of 18 bullocks, as well as those required for the limbers. The British initially met their land transport requirements by leasing bullocks and carts from local settlers, contracting civilians as carters, or occasionally impressing carts for short periods of service."
Military historian Richard Taylor, writing in his thesis British Logistics in the New Zealand Wars 1845-66 notes the transport challenges these weapons posed. "Throughout the war, the army's transport requirements were far in excess of the capacity of the limited numbers of draft animals and carts available locally. For example, the two 8-inch naval guns used by the British during the second half of the war each required a team of 18 bullocks, as well as those required for the limbers. The British initially met their land transport requirements by leasing bullocks and carts from local settlers, contracting civilians as carters, or occasionally impressing carts for short periods of service."
Accession number
PA2012.146
Collection type
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