RUSSIAN CANNON IN LUDLOW, SHROPSHIRE, ENGLAND
After the Crimean War, October 1853 - March 1856, a total of 300 captured Russian cannon were shipped back to England. Some of these were distributed to towns and cities in the British Empire (including Australia, Canada, Gibraltar and New Zealand), others were requested by towns throughout Britain. Many of the cannon were melted down and made into other memorials marking the Crimean War - best remembered in Britain today for the “Charge of the Light Brigade”, maladministration in the British army and Florence Nightingale.
Ludlow’s cannon arrived at the town’s railway station on 25th November 1857. I can find no record if it was delivered with its carriage, probably not - many of the captured cannon were from arsenals waiting deployment rather than the battle field. The carriage it is currently mounted on, although looking “old”, is more than likely purely for show - it looks totally non-functional.
It is recorded as being “Captured 1855 at Sevastopol” and is a 24-pount frigate cannon (ie made for naval use, but apparently removed from its ship for use as a field piece).
It was made at the Aleksandrovskii Zavod [Alexander Foundry] in Petrozavodsk, Russian Karelia. The foundry was established by Catherine the Great (Yekaterina Alexeyevna) becoming operational in 1774. In 1786 the Englishman Sir Charles Gascoigne (Karl Karlovich Gaskoin) was appointed manager; the Ludlow cannon was made during his tenure. Ironically, a great number of the Russian cannons used at Sevastopol owed their technology to the British.
On its barrel, the Ludlow cannon bears the Russian Imperial crest.
Right trunion, inscribed: “24-[pounder]: / ФРЕГАТ: / weighting 122 ½ -П [poods](approximately 2000kg) / 1799-Г ”
Left trunion, inscribed “ No.6599 / АЛКСНД-ЗВД / Д.ГАСКОИНЪ"
For a full account of this and other Crimean War cannon, see
http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1471065/1/Payne,%20R.%20Britain’s%20Crimean%20War%20.pdf
Ludlow’s cannon arrived at the town’s railway station on 25th November 1857. I can find no record if it was delivered with its carriage, probably not - many of the captured cannon were from arsenals waiting deployment rather than the battle field. The carriage it is currently mounted on, although looking “old”, is more than likely purely for show - it looks totally non-functional.
It is recorded as being “Captured 1855 at Sevastopol” and is a 24-pount frigate cannon (ie made for naval use, but apparently removed from its ship for use as a field piece).
It was made at the Aleksandrovskii Zavod [Alexander Foundry] in Petrozavodsk, Russian Karelia. The foundry was established by Catherine the Great (Yekaterina Alexeyevna) becoming operational in 1774. In 1786 the Englishman Sir Charles Gascoigne (Karl Karlovich Gaskoin) was appointed manager; the Ludlow cannon was made during his tenure. Ironically, a great number of the Russian cannons used at Sevastopol owed their technology to the British.
On its barrel, the Ludlow cannon bears the Russian Imperial crest.
Right trunion, inscribed: “24-[pounder]: / ФРЕГАТ: / weighting 122 ½ -П [poods](approximately 2000kg) / 1799-Г ”
Left trunion, inscribed “ No.6599 / АЛКСНД-ЗВД / Д.ГАСКОИНЪ"
For a full account of this and other Crimean War cannon, see
http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1471065/1/Payne,%20R.%20Britain’s%20Crimean%20War%20.pdf