While researching some historical stuff for another post I came across a letter from an alchemist, chemist and inventor called Ralph Rabbards writing to Queen Elisabeth I some time in the latter half of the 1500s. In the letter Rabbards offers the Queen a series of military inventions, many of them associated with explosives. Some of these may be bluff on the part of Rabbards, but some will raise your eyebrows, I guarantee. Stick with the archaic language and plough through it, it’s worth it. These are some extracts from the letter listing the inventions he is offering. My comments in bold
Speciall Observations concerninge the preparations for fireworks
An excellente kinde of salt-peter of great force
Saltepeter might be so refined that the powder made thereof mighte be of double the force, so that one pounde maye serve as manye shotte, and as stronge as two pounde of that is comonly used, and lesse chardge in cariage and many other wayes apter and better for service
(Improved gunpowder)
A strange kinde of flyinge fire many wayes serviceable
A flyinge fire which shall , without ordynance, and farre of, wonderfully annoye any battayle, towne, or campe, and disperse even as if it did rayne fire; and the devydinge fires, being coted and made flyinge, may touch many places, and leave them all burninge; very terrible both to men and horse.
(Napalm?)
Balls of mettle serving to many purposes
Balls of mettle to throwe into shippes, to enter in campes in the nightes, likewise in streights or breaches, especially in battayles; and to have said balls of all heightes diamiters and quantities, of a righte composition to devide in as many partes, and of such thickness as it should; and to delyver a thousand at once amongst the enemyes with small charge of ordynance, or other instrumentes, and to powre as much fire as your Majestie will upon any place.
(Carrier shells? Cluster munitions?)
A shotte to fire in passinge
A shotte for greate ordnance to pierce deeper then any other shotte, and sett on fire whatsoever it strike throughe or sticketh in. A moste noble ingen, specialy for sea service.
(Armour piercing incendiary rounds)
A firy chariott to be forc’d by engine of great service
A firy chariot without horses to runne upon the battaile and and disorder it, that no man shal be able to abide or come nighe the same, and wil be directed even as men will to tourne, to staye, or come directly backe upon any presente danger, or elles to followe and chase the enemye in theor flighte.
(An Armed ROV?)
A rare invention
A musket of calyver, with dyvers strange and forcible shotte, which no armor will holde out, at three quarters of a mile or more; and will also become a most forcible weapon in the hande, as good as a pollox, and with a teice, become a perfitt shotte again.
(An anti- armour sniper rifle with a hand to hand capability?)
There’s a manuscript with diagrams by Rabbards of his military inventions in a collection at Yale University – I can’t wait to find a way to see that.
In regards to black powder, he was probably onto something. We know early black powder was just a lose mix of sulfur, charcoal, and salt peter. It was not until the 1800s that manufacturers learned to emulsify it, dry it, and then powder the product, making it a cogent material. Perhaps had she invested some in him, the improved BP may have appeared much earlier!