Surveyor-General of the Ordnance

The Surveyor-General of the Ordnance was a subordinate of the Master-General of the Ordnance and a member of the Board of Ordnance, a British government body, from its constitution in 1597. Appointments to the post were made by the crown under Letters Patent. His duties were to examine the ordnance received to see that it was of good quality. He also came to be responsible for the mapping of fortifications and eventually of all Great Britain, through the Ordnance Survey, and it is this role that is generally associated with surveyor-generalship. History The post was for a time held with that of Chief Engineer, but after 1750 became a political office, with the holder changing with the government of the day. The office was vacant at the time the Board of Ordnance was abolished in 1855, the last holder, Lauderdale Maule, having died of cholera in the Crimea. The War Office Act of 1870 revived the office, making the Surveyor-General responsible for all aspects of Army logistics. The office was filled until 1888, when it was abolished. Surveyors-General of the Ordnance 5 February 1538: Henry Johnson 23 January 1549: Anthony Anthony 25 June 1565: Henry Iden 2 December 1568: Thomas Pynner 10 April 1570: vacant 13 April 1570: William Jurden 21 June 1595: William Partridge 21 June 1598: vacant 3 February 1599: John Davies (knighted 12 July 1599) 17 July 1602: John Linewray (knighted 10 July 1604) 11 June 1606: Joseph Earth 5 September 1609: Sir John Kaye 1 May 1624: Richard Kaye 28 November 1624: vacant 27 September 1625: Sir Alexander Brett 29 October 1627: vacant 3 December 1627: Sir Thomas Bludder 8 April 1628: Sir Paul Harris (succeeded as 2nd Baronet January 1629) Interregnum; post occupied by: George Payler, March 1643 to December 1658 Elia Palmer, in 1660 22 June 1660: Francis Nicholls 28 July 1669 (or before): vacant 13 November 1669: Jonas Moore I (knighted 28 January 1673) 25 August 1679: Jonas Moore II (II) (knighted 9 August 1680) 13 July 1682: vacant 29 July 1682: Sir Bernard de Gomme 23 November 1685: vacant 2 December 1685: Sir Henry Sheer 19 July 1689: John Charlton 29 June 1702: William Bridges 30 October 1714: vacant 2 December 1714: Michael Richards 5 February 1722: vacant 10 February 1722: John Armstrong 25 April 1742: vacant 30 April 1742: Thomas Lascelles 10 April 1750: Charles Frederick February 1770: Thomas Desaguliers 13 May 1782: The Hon. Thomas Pelham 20 May 1783: John Courtenay 22 May 1784: The Hon.