Records relating to the Office of the Armoury, the Ordnance Office (Board of Ordnance), and the Armouries museum comprising:
records of the Office of the Armoury including letter from Sir Henry Lee regarding the Office of the Armoury, c.1579; list of armourers at Greenwich, 1599; inventory of arms and armour in the Office of the Armoury, 1603; list of wages of armourers at Greenwich, 1610, 1612; list of armourers at Greenwich, 1612, 1624; list of wages of the armourers at the Tower of London, Greenwich and Woolwich, 1615; a petition from Francis Ingoldsby for his arrears of wages as Keeper of the Armoury at Greenwich, 1623; letter to Sir Robert Pye authorizing the payment of wages to the armourers at Greenwich, 1627; inventory of arms and armour in the Office of the Armoury, 1650; report by the Commissioners of the Admiralty concerning the wages of the armourers in the Tower of London, 1653;
records of the Ordnance Office/Board of the Ordnance records including Ordnance Office account book, 1547-1553; Ordnance Office debenture book, 1606-1607; Ordnance Office receipted indenture, 1633; extracts from a receipt of Stores ledger, 1645, 1648; warrant signed by John, Lord Berkeley to Col. William Legg, Lt. Governor of the Tower, authorizing the issue and replacement of weapons, 1668; ledger of receipts, returns and issues of arms from the Tower of London, 1675-79; proposed contract for brass guns, 1682; letters patent appointing William Meesters to be Keeper of the Stores of Ordnance at the Tower of London, 1691; warrant of appointment of John Harris to be furbisher of small arms at Hampton Court and St. James's, 1711; Rules, orders and instructions for the government of the Office of the Ordnance, 1760, 1769, 1804, 1829, 1841; regulations for official of the Ordnance Department, 1855; letters patent in favour of Stephen Remnant for the right to manufacture cannon, 1761; letter signed by the 3rd Duke of Richmond and Master of the Ordnance, 1784; An Act for transferring One of Her Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State the Powers and Estates vested in the Principal Officers of the Ordnance, 14th August 1855 [i.e. relating to the abolition of the Board of Ordnance]; proof books;
Corporate records relating to the management of the Tower Armouries under the control of the Board of Ordnance, the War Office, the Office of Works and the Department of the Environment comprising:
Visitor attendance records including: book listing daily attendance figures for the Tower Armouries, 1851; book listing daily attendance figures for the Tower Armouries, 1857-1864; warders book giving the numbers of visitors to the Tower Armouries, 1859-1861; attendance book of artists admitted to the Armouries, 1870-1894; warders book giving the numbers of visitors to the Tower Armouries, 1871-1872; visitors book, 1913-1993; register of students' tickets, 1914-1939; day books and diaries, 1913-1938; visitors book to the study collection, 1961-1971; visitors book, 1961-1975;
photographs of Viscount Dillon (curator, 1895-1915), early 20th century, and Charles ffoulkes (curator and master, 1910-1938), 1916;
documents relating to the transfer of responsibility for the Armouries to the British Museum and the Office of Works, c.1905; letter books 1939-1947, with index 1939-1946; annual reports compiled by Charles ffoulkes, 1913-1938; Charles ffoulkes' report on the Tower Armouries, 1938; Summaries of grant-in-aid received, 1953-1983;
minute relating to changing the name of the officer in charge of the Armouries from Curator to Master of the Armouries, 1935; Staff book 1915-1917 staff occurrence books, 1939-1956; records relating to the relocation of staff during the Second World War, 1939-1945; Wardens Diaries, 1870-1871, 1876-1877;
records relating to the permanent displays at the Tower of London comprising:
papers including letter from Samuel Meyrick to the Board of Ordnance describing his redisplay of the Armouries, 1827; the Spanish Armoury; redisplay of the White Tower by J.R. Planche, 1869; plan of the Small Arms Room, c.1910; volume recording renumbering of exhibits 1914-1915; the redisplay of the White Tower by Charles ffoulkes, c.1920; the Sporting Gallery, 1971-1996; the Oriental Gallery, 1971-1996; the Board of Ordnance Gallery, 1977-1996; improvements to the White Tower displays, 1984-1988; redisplay of instruments of torture, 1989; proposals for the redisplay of the White Tower, 1989; the 18th/19th Century Gallery, [1996]; tenders for the redisplay of the White Tower, 1994; redisplay of the White Tower, 1994-1998; and copies of records relating to provision of wooden figures, 1685-1749; documents relating to the Spanish Armoury; redisplay of the White Tower by Samuel Meyrick, 1826-1832; and alterations to the Horse Armoury, 1850-1851; Gifts and Purchases register 1916-1939 (covering 1840 -1939); file concerning inventory check with location list, 1922-1935; list of uncatalogued items, 1981; administrative files relating to old displays, loans of items, and war time arrangements for the armouries;
stereographic photographs of the Horse Armoury, mid 19th century and c.1870;
photographs of displays of arms and armour in the White Tower, etc., 1884-1895; the Horse Armoury, c.1890, and late 19th century; Queen Elizabeth I and her page on display in the White Tower, late 19th century;
records relating to temporary exhibitions held at the Tower of London including papers relating to the Kings and Captains, 1949';Greenwich Armour', 1951; Brunswick Armour', 1952;Armour from Innsbruck', 1954; Spanish Royal Armour', 1960;Japanese Armour', 1965; Royal Sporting Guns', 1968; Prisoners of the Tower', 1997-1998; Treasures from the Moscow Kremlin', 1998;The Menagerie', 1999-2000;` Millennium Exhibition', 2000;
exhibition catalogues including Exhibition of armour of Kings and Captains from the national collections of Austria (1949); Exhibition of armour made in the Royal Workshops at Greenwich (1951); Exhibition of arms, armour and militaria lent by HRH the Duke of Brunswick and Luneburg at the Armouries of the Tower of London (1952-1953); Exhibition of Spanish royal armour in HM Tower of London (1960); Exhibition of Japanese armour (1965); Royal sporting guns at Windsor / Howard Blackmore (1968); Treasures of the Moscow Kremlin (1998); and guidebook, The Royal Menagerie at the Tower of London (1999); Records relating to buildings and works at the Tower of London including documents relating to repairs, 1825-1826; plans for the conversion of the `C Store' into the New Armouries, 1947; correspondence relating to the plans for a new entrance to the New Armouries, 1949-1959; correspondence relating to the New Armouries building, 1947-1965;
four photograph albums containing images of museum objects (some from the Royal Armouries collection) [1900-1950]; Collections of slides and postcards; Richard Williams' photograph albums and scrap books; original drawings by Dr Sir Samuel Rush Meyrick c.1830, used for the publication Meyrick and Skeltons' Engraved Illustrations of Ancient arms and armour, 1830;
microfilm collection including copies of Rough register of the Chapel, held in the British Library; Hewett Catalogue; Yeoman Warder's Dividend books 1660-1700; State Papers held in the National Archives (Public Record Office) relating to the Board of Ordinance;
photocopy collection comprising copies and transcripts records from the National Archives (Public Record Office) including Exchequer records, 1360-1600; Chancery records, 1455-1655; State Papers, 1523-1681; War Office records, 1589-1841; and manuscripts in the British Library, 1499-1725.
