Royal Armouries facts for kids
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| Non-departmental public body overview | |
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| Formed | 1983 (42 years ago) |
| Jurisdiction | United Kingdom |
| Headquarters | Leeds |
| Non-departmental public body executives |
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| Parent department | Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport |
The Royal Armouries is a special place in the United Kingdom. It holds the country's main collection of arms (weapons) and armour (protective clothing). It started as an important part of England's military.
This collection became the UK's oldest museum. It was first kept in the Tower of London way back in the 15th century. This makes it one of the oldest museums in the whole world.
The Royal Armouries has one of the largest collections of weapons and armour anywhere. It includes the UK's National Collection of Arms and Armour. It also has the National Artillery (big guns) Collection and the National Firearms (smaller guns) Collection.
While its historic home is the Tower of London, the collection is now spread out. You can see parts of it at three different places. These are the Tower, the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds, and Fort Nelson near Portsmouth.
For a while, from 2004 to 2015, some items were shown in Louisville, Kentucky, in the United States. This was done with the Frazier History Museum.
Contents
The Story of the Royal Armouries
The Royal Armouries is one of the very old parts of the Tower of London. It used to make armour for the Kings of England and their armies. The office in charge of the Armoury grew from a department called the King's Privy Wardrobe in the mid-1400s.
From 1423, a person called the Master of the King's Armour was in charge. This office was based in the White Tower. Their job was to make armour and sharp weapons for the king and his soldiers. It worked alongside the Office of Ordnance, which handled firearms.
The Armoury also looked after storage places and workshops. These were in places like Woolwich and Portsmouth. There were also workshops at royal palaces. The Greenwich Armoury was famous for making fancy ceremonial armour.
In 1545, a visitor from another country paid to see the Armoury collection. By the time King Charles II was ruling, there was a permanent public display. This display included the "Spanish Armoury" with torture tools. It also had the "Line of Kings," which were wooden statues of English kings. This made it the first museum in Britain.
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The Armoury's importance started to fade. This happened as firearms became more common in wars. In the 1620s, swords, lances, and armour were still used. But the Office of Ordnance, which was getting very big, usually provided them.
The Armoury still had staff and kept working until 1671. Then, it became part of the Ordnance Board. This board continued to look after the Armoury as a museum. They even made it bigger.
The Tower was involved in making and storing many types of weapons. This continued until the Board of Ordnance was closed in 1855. After that, the historic armoury collection stayed.
Only a small part of this collection could be shown at the Tower. So, in 1995, much of the artillery collection moved to Fort Nelson in Hampshire. The next year, a new Royal Armouries Museum opened in Leeds. The part of the collection still at the Tower is directly linked to its history.
In 1983, a law called the National Heritage Act 1983 was passed. This law made the Armouries a non-departmental public body. This means it's a public organization that works with the government. It is now supported by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
Leaders of the Royal Armouries
The person in charge of the Royal Armouries is called the Master of the Armouries. This was a very old job title. It was brought back in 1935 when the Royal Armouries became a national museum. The current Director General and Master of the Armouries is Edward Impey.
Early Masters of the Armoury
The Master of the Armoury was responsible for keeping weapons and armour ready for war. This person had an office in the Tower of London. The title was first used in 1462.
- Sir Richard Guildford (1485–1506)
- Sir Edward Guildford (1506–1533)
- Sir John Dudley (1533–1544)
- Thomas Darcy, 1st Baron Darcy of Chiche (1544–1553)
- Sir Richard Southwell (1554–1559)
- Sir George Howard (1560–1580)
- Sir Henry Lee (1580–1611)
- Sir Thomas Monson, 1st Baronet (1611–1616)
- William Legge (1636–1646)
- Robert Spaven (1647–?1648)
- Anthony Nicholl (1648–?1658)
- William Legge (returned to office 1660–1670)
- The job was stopped in 1671.
Modern Masters of the Armouries
The title was brought back in 1935.
- Charles John Ffoulkes (1935–1938)
- Sir James Mann (1938–1962)
- Arthur Richard Dufty (1963–1976)
- Alexander Vesey Bethune (Nick) Norman (1977–1988)
- Guy Wilson (1988–2002)
- Paul Evans (July 2003 – September 2008)
- Lieutenant-General Jonathon Riley (September 2009 – November 2012)
- Dr Edward Impey (October 2013 – present)
Images for kids
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The Hall of Steel in the Royal Armouries in Leeds
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Fort Nelson, the Artillery Hall gallery
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See also
In Spanish: Royal Armouries para niños
