Roaring Meg (cannon): Difference between revisions

'''Roaring Meg''' was the name of several powerful cannons used in the 17th century. It is not to be confused with [[Mons Meg]], a [[medieval]] [[Bombard (weapon)|bombard]] preserved at Edinburgh Castle.

Roaring Meg was a [[Mortar (weapon)|mortar]] cast in 1646 for the siege of [[Goodrich Castle]].<ref>[http://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:RoaringMegPlaque.jpg&oldid=42401259 Plaque on Roaring Meg]</ref> With a {{convert|15.5|in|adj=on}} barrel diameter and firing a {{convert|2|long cwt|abbr=on}} hollow ball filled with gunpowder, Roaring Meg was the largest mortar of the [[English Civil War]]. The weapon and its ammunition is believed to have been manufactured near [[Lydbrook]] at Howbrook furnace and forge whose then owner, John Browne, is known to have supplied weapons to the Parliamentarians.<ref>[http://www.deanweb.info/civilwar.html Civil War Around the Forest of Dean]</ref>

It was instrumental in the capture of [[Goodrich Castle]] in 1646 by [[Sir Thomas Fairfax]].<ref name=autogenerated1>[http://nds.coi.gov.uk/Content/Detail.asp?ReleaseID=102312&NewsAreaID=2 NDS – News Distribution Service<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> During the siege the Roundhead commander, Colonel Birch, was so excited with his new weapon he personally fired the last 19 balls.<ref name=autogenerated1 /> Following Roaring Meg's success at Goodrich, it was subsequently deployed at the bombardment of [[Raglan Castle]]. Roaring Meg is preserved by [[Herefordshire Council]] and has been on display at Goodrich Castle since 2004.<ref>[http://www.hereford.gov.uk/html/roaring_meg.html Roaring Meg<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

Roaring Meg was also the name of a cannon used earlier in the war by the [[Cavalier]] [[Spencer Compton, 2nd Earl of Northampton|Earl of Northampton]]'s Regiment.<ref>[http://www.northamptons.org.uk/arty.html Earl of Northampton's Artillery page<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090906011151/http://www.northamptons.org.uk/arty.html |date=2009-09-06 }}</ref>

==The Siege of Derry==

[[File:Roaring Meg, Derry City, Co. Derry (18827107786).jpg|thumb|Roaring Meg as seen on Derry's walls around the turn of the century]]

Another Roaring Meg protected the Irish city of [[Derry]] during the [[Siege of Derry|siege of 1689]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Roaring Meg to get a makeover |url=http://www.derrycity.gov.uk/Press%20Releases/060904-roaring.htm |publisher=Derry City Council |access-date=5 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040919182315/http://www.derrycity.gov.uk/Press%20Releases/060904-roaring.htm |archive-date=19 September 2004 |date=6 September 2004 |url-status=dead}}</ref> One of several cannon given to Derry by the City of London in the aftermath of the earlier siege of 1641, Roaring Meg became famous for "the loudness of her voice", which was said to bring cheer to the townspeople and terror to the besiegers. An inscription upon its barrel, which fired shot weighing eighteen pounds, indicates that it was cast in 1642 and that it was the gift of the [[Fishmongers' Company]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Ireland: its Scenery, Character, etc.|date=1843|last=Hall|first=Samuel Carter|location=London|publisher=Jeremiah How|url=https://archive.org/details/irelanditsscene00unkngoog|page=[https://archive.org/details/irelanditsscene00unkngoog/page/n249 213]}}</ref> It remains in place on top of the city walls, and was still used to fire ceremonial salutes into the 19th century.

A tributary of the [[River Beane]] is called the Roaring Meg, a rock band and a retail park in [[Stevenage]] have been named after this.

Ablonde beer brewed by the Springhead brewery in [[Sutton on Trent]] takes its name from the cannon.

Alluded to by [[Monty Python]] with the [[double entendre]], "The whole garrison banged Roaring Meg and shot their balls into the French"

*https://web.archive.org/web/20090906011151/http://www.northamptons.org.uk/arty.html