Tercentenary Cannons

Brass cannon like these were named by Bradford and Winslow in the annals of Plymouth as mounted on the First Fort in 1621 and were still in use in 1645, when the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts under Major General Gibbons joined the Plymouth Company under Captain Myles Standish to fight the Narragansett Indians. These pieces came from the collection in the British National Artillery Museum and were the only cannon of that period and of English manufacture in the collection. In consideration of the greatness of the occasion, the tercentenary celebration of the landing of the Pilgrims, and the good will of the English nation, the government, on behalf of the British people, made this gift to the town of Plymouth, Massachusetts. On the right is a minion from the time of Mary, 1554, with a rose and the letters M.R., Maria Regina, inscribed, "John and Thomas Mayo, brethern, made this pece anno dni. 1554." On the left is a sakeret from the time of Edward the Sixth with a shield and three lions passant, inscribed, "Tomas Owen made this pece for the ye'l of carnse vhan ser Peter Mevtas vas governor and captayn, anno dni. 1550." They were transmitted through the Honourable Artillery Company of London, chartered 1537, and placed here by the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts, chartered 1638, and dedicated on October 4, 1921, as a tribute to amicable relations.

Plymouth, Massachusetts · United States