Archangelo Arcano

Last updated

Archangelo Arcano was an Italian military engineer who worked for Henry VIII of England from 1523.

Contents

Archangelo Angelo designed modern artillery defences for Wark on Tweed Castle Wark Castle - geograph.org.uk - 270096.jpg
Archangelo Angelo designed modern artillery defences for Wark on Tweed Castle
Detail of a cannon made by the Arcano family for the Mary Rose, recovered from the wreck by John Deane in 1840 Mary Rose Bronze Cannon 3 (5695930580).jpg
Detail of a cannon made by the Arcano family for the Mary Rose , recovered from the wreck by John Deane in 1840

His name appears in various forms in records and correspondence, including "Arkan", "Master Archan", and "Arkaungell Arcan". Arcano was one of the royal "gunners". He had a servant, and was accompanied in 1529 by Raphael Arcano, who had the same fee and may have been his brother. Raphael and a third member of the family, Francesco, their father, are identified as gun-founders. [1] One surviving cannon is engraved "Franciscus Arcanus, Italus", and a brass culverin recovered from the Mary Rose has "Arcanus de Arcanis, Cesenem". The family worked at the royal gun foundry at Salisbury Palace, [2] and Archangelo Arcano is thought to have designed iron guns cast at Buxted in the Weald, including a saker recovered from Padstow harbour in 1895. [3]

The family is thought to have originated from Cesena, and recruited to English service by Gregory da Casale. [4] Francesco Arcano had worked on the defences of Cesena with the painter and architect Girolamo Genga, and his portrait is said to be included in an altarpiece by Genga now at the Pinacoteca di Brera. As an architect, Genga is known for his works for Eleonora Gonzaga, Duchess of Urbino. [5]

In England, Francesco was listed in 1541 as an alien in Farringdon Ward Without. [6] His son, Archangelo Arcano was made a denizen of England in August 1541. [7] He presented Henry VIII with a pair of perfumed gloves as a New Year's Day gift in January 1540. [8]

Names of Italian gunners in 1523 were listed in the account of the treasurer of King's Chamber for a payment of £206-9s-10d., made to "Fraunces Archano, Archan his son, Christofer Florent', Jacono Florent', Jerom de Milan, Anthony de Napoll, Michaell de Manna, Magnus de Monfera, Buttesago de Cezena, Italyons, gonners, retyned to do the kynges servyce in his warres". [9] Another record of this army, at Calais, commanded by Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, mentions "Francisco Arcano, master of the Mynes" and "Angelo de Racavado". [10]

Arcano and Giovanni Portinari demolished Lewes Priory for Thomas Cromwell.

War with Scotland

Arcano worked with another Italian, Antonio da Bergamo, at Lindisfarne and Berwick-upon-Tweed. He served with Lord Hertford during the war with Scotland known as the Rough Wooing. In November 1544 he went to assess the potential of Coldingham Priory as a fortress with the Master Mason and Master Carpenter of Berwick. Coldingham was occupied by the English soldiers Henry Eure and George Bowes. [11] [12] Aracano made a sketch plan for defences at Coldingham, known as a "platt", to be sent to Henry VIII for approval. [13]

Arcano was sent to advise on repairs at Wark on Tweed Castle in February 1545. He sent a plan to the Earl of Shrewsbury, noting particularly that the roofs were leaking. Lead could be brought from Kelso Abbey, which Arcano was also fortifying. [14] A plan of Kelso Abbey drawn by Arcano survives, showing planned corner bastions for artillery in the style known as trace Italienne . [15]

In August and September 1545 there were discussions involving both of the Italian engineers and Richard Lee about siting a new fort either at Kelso or at Roxburgh Castle. A fort was built at Roxburgh in the last months of 1547. [16]

Scottish Protestants held St Andrews Castle in 1547 against the forces of Regent Arran. Arcano and another Italian engineer, Guillaume de Rossetti, were sent to help defend the castle. [17]

Italian military engineers also served the Scots during this conflict, including Migliorino Ubaldini. Lorenzo Pomarelli of Siena worked for Mary of Guise during her regency. These other military architects do not seem to have had a background in the manufacture of cannon. [18]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelso Abbey</span> Ruined abbey in Kelso, Scotland, UK

Kelso Abbey is a ruined Scottish abbey in Kelso, Scotland. It was founded in the 12th century by a community of Tironensian monks first brought to Scotland in the reign of Alexander I. It occupies ground overlooking the confluence of the Tweed and Teviot waters, the site of what was once the Royal Burgh of Roxburgh and the intended southern centre for the developing Scottish kingdom at that time. Kelso thus became the seat of a pre-eminently powerful abbacy in the heart of the Scottish Borders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Hamilton, 3rd Earl of Arran</span> Scottish earl and regent (1537–1609)

James Hamilton, 3rd Earl of Arran (1537–1609) was a Scottish nobleman and soldier who opposed the French-dominated regency during the Scottish Reformation. He was the eldest son of James Hamilton, Duke of Châtellerault, sometime regent of Scotland. He was of royal descent, and at times was third or fourth in succession to the Scottish crown; several royal marriages were proposed for him, but he eventually never married. He went to France with Mary, Queen of Scots, where he commanded the Scots Guards. After returning to Scotland, he became a leader of the Protestant party against Mary and her French supporters. However, he went insane in 1562 and was confined for the rest of his life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dunbar Castle</span> Fortress overlooking the harbour of Dunbar, Scotland

Dunbar Castle was one of the strongest fortresses in Scotland, situated in a prominent position overlooking the harbour of the town of Dunbar, in East Lothian. Several fortifications were built successively on the site, near the English-Scottish border. The last was slighted in 1567; it is a ruin today.

Berwick Pursuivant of Arms in Ordinary was an English office of arms created around 1460 for service on the Scottish Marches based at Berwick-upon-Tweed. In the 16th century there was also a Herald or Pursuivant based at Carlisle on the west border.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coldingham Priory</span> Church in Scottish Borders, Scotland, UK

Coldingham Priory was a house of Benedictine monks. It lies on the south-east coast of Scotland, in the village of Coldingham, Berwickshire. Coldingham Priory was founded in the reign of David I of Scotland, although his older brother and predecessor King Edgar of Scotland had granted the land of Coldingham to the Church of Durham in 1098, and a church was constructed by him and presented in 1100. The first prior of Coldingham is on record by the year 1147, although it is likely that the foundation was much earlier. The earlier monastery at Coldingham was founded by St Æbbe sometime c. AD 640. Although the monastery was largely destroyed by Oliver Cromwell in 1650, some remains of the priory exist, the choir of which forms the present parish church of Coldingham and is serviced by the Church of Scotland.

William Levett was an English clergyman. An Oxford-educated country rector, he was a pivotal figure in the use of the blast furnace to manufacture iron. With the patronage of the English Crown, furnaces in Sussex under Levett's ownership cast the first iron muzzle-loader cannons in England in 1543, a development which enabled England to ultimately reconfigure the global balance-of-power by becoming an ascendant naval force. William Levett continued to perform his ministerial duties while building an early munitions empire, and left the riches he accumulated to a wide variety of charities at his death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francis Stewart, 5th Earl of Bothwell</span> Scottish nobleman (1562–1612)

Francis Stewart, 5th Earl of Bothwell, was Commendator of Kelso Abbey and Coldingham Priory, a Privy Counsellor and Lord High Admiral of Scotland. He was a notorious conspirator who led several uprisings against his first cousin, King James VI, all of which ultimately failed, and he died in poverty in Italy after being banished from Scotland. Francis's maternal uncle, the 4th Earl of Bothwell, was the chief suspect in the murder of James VI's father, Lord Darnley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Migliorino Ubaldini</span> Italian military engineer

Ubaldini Migliorino, known also as "Captain Mellerin," was an Italian military engineer working in Scotland. He designed new fortifications at the entrances of Edinburgh Castle, Dunbar Castle, and possibly the walled town of Leith.

Sir George Bowes (1517–1545) was an English commander in border warfare. He was knighted for his services during the Burning of Edinburgh (1544).

Sir Ralph Bulmer of Wilton in Yorkshire, was an English knight and soldier active on the Scottish border and during the war of the Rough Wooing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Eure, 1st Baron Eure</span> English nobleman in 16th century

William Eure, 1st Baron Eure (c.1483–1548) of Witton was an English knight and soldier active on the Anglo-Scottish border. Henry VIII of England made him Baron Eure by patent in 1544. The surname is often written as "Evers". William was Governor of Berwick upon Tweed in 1539, Commander in the North in 1542, Warden of the Eastern March, and High Sheriff of Durham. During the Anglo-Scottish war called the Rough Wooing, Eure and his sons Henry and Ralph made numerous raids against towns and farms in the Scottish Borders.

The Burning of Edinburgh in 1544 by an English army was the first major action of the war of the Rough Wooing. The Provost of Edinburgh was compelled to allow the English to sack Leith and Edinburgh, and the city was burnt on 7 May. However, the Scottish artillery within Edinburgh Castle harassed the English forces, who had neither the time nor the resources to besiege the Castle. The English fleet sailed away loaded with captured goods, and with two ships that had belonged to James V of Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of St Andrews Castle</span> 1546–47 Siege of St Andrews Castle during the Rough Wooing

The siege of St Andrews Castle (1546–1547) followed the killing of Cardinal David Beaton by a group of Protestants at St Andrews Castle. They remained in the castle and were besieged by the Governor of Scotland, Regent Arran. However, over 18 months the Scottish besieging forces made little impact, and the Castle finally surrendered to a French naval force after artillery bombardment. The Protestant garrison, including the preacher John Knox, were taken to France and used as galley slaves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Layton</span>

Sir Brian Layton, also spelled Laiton, Leyton, or Leighton, was an English soldier and Captain of Norham Castle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wark on Tweed Castle</span> Ruined C12 castle in Northumberland, England

Wark on Tweed Castle, sometimes referred to as Carham Castle, is a ruined motte-and-bailey castle at the West end of Wark on Tweed in Northumberland. The ruins are a Grade II* listed building.

Perfumed gloves, also referred to as sweet gloves, are perfumed gloves, often embroidered, introduced to England from Spain and Venice. They were popular as gifts in the 16th and 17th-centuries. Stories describe them as a conveyance of poison for Jeanne d'Albret, Gabrielle d'Estrees, and Gilbert Talbot, 7th Earl of Shrewsbury.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Stewart, Commendator of Coldingham</span> Scottish landowner

John Stewart, Commendator of Coldingham (1531–1563) was a Scottish landowner.

James Stewart, Commendator of Kelso and Melrose was a member of the Scottish royal family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mangerton Tower</span> Tower house, now ruined, in Scottish Borders, Scotland, UK

Mangerton Tower is a ruined Scottish tower castle house formerly belonging to the Armstrong family.

Sir Pedro de Negro or Sir Pedro Negro was a Spanish soldier who fought for Henry VIII of England and Edward VI of England in France and Scotland.

References

  1. ↑ Edmund Lodge, Illustrations of British History, vol. 1 (London, 1791), pp. 101: Letters & Papers Henry VIII, vol. 5 (London, 1880), p. 310.
  2. ↑ Samantha Nelson & Catharine Fletcher, 'Mercenaries, Migration and the Crew of the Mary Rose', History (2022), p. 23
  3. ↑ Brian Awty & Christopher Whittick, 'The lordship of Canterbury, iron-founding at Buxted, and the continental antecedents of cannon-founding in the Weald', Sussex Archaeological Collections 140 (2002), p. 76: Brian Awty, 'A cast-iron cannon of the 1540s', Sussex Archaeological Collections, 125 (1987), p. 115-123 The cannon with the inscription is held by the Royal Artillery Museum.
  4. ↑ Charles Trice Martin, 'John Daunce's Account', Archaeologia, 47:2 (1883), p. 335.
  5. ↑ Catherine King, 'Architecture, Gender and Politics: The Villa Imperiale at Pesaro', Art History, 29: 5 (November 2006), pp. 796-826
  6. ↑ R. G. Laing, Two Tudor Subsidy Rolls for the City of London (London Record Society, 1993).
  7. ↑ B. G. Awty, 'The Arcana Family of Cesena as Gunfounders and Military Engineers', Transactions of the Newcomen Society, 59:1 (1988), pp. 61-80.
  8. ↑ Maria Hayward, Dress at the Court of King Henry VIII (Maney, 2007), p. 115.
  9. ↑ Charles Trice Martin, 'John Daunce's Account', Archaeologia, 47:2 (1883), p. 332.
  10. ↑ Letters & Papers Henry VIII, vol. 3 (London, 1867), no. 3288.
  11. ↑ Edmund Lodge, Illustrations of British History, vol. 1 (London, 1791), p. 65: Edmund Lodge, Illustrations of British History, vol. 1 (London, 1828), pp. 78–79, 81–82
  12. ↑ Joseph Bain, Hamilton Papers, 2 (Edinburgh, 1892), pp. xxvii, 512 no. 366.
  13. ↑ Joseph Bain, Hamilton Papers, 2 (Edinburgh, 1892), p. 522 no. 375.
  14. ↑ Joseph Bain, Hamilton Papers, vol. 2 (Edinburgh, 1892), pp. 537, 548-9.
  15. ↑ See external links.
  16. ↑ Marcus Merriman, The Rough Wooings (Tuckwell, 2000), pp. 149-150, 251-2.
  17. ↑ Marcus Merriman, The Rough Wooings (East Linton, 2000), pp. 226-7.
  18. ↑ Amadio Ronchini, 'Lorenzo Pomarelli' in Atti e memorie delle RR. Deputazioni di storia patria per le provincie Modenesi e Parmensi (Modena, 1868), pp. 264-5, 271.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.