Queen Elizabeth's Pocket Pistol is a cannon built in 1544 inUtrecht by Jan Tolhuys, beforeElizabeth I came to the throne.[1] The gun was presented toHenry VIII byMaximiliaan van Egmond, Count ofBuren andStadtholder ofFriesland, as a gift for his young daughter Elizabeth.[2]
The cannon measures 24 ft (7.32 m) in length and fired 4.75 inch (121 mm) calibre cannonballs. The cannon is decorated with engravings of fruit, flowers,grotesques, and figures symbolizingLiberty,Victory andFame.[3] There is also aTudor coat of arms which includes a verse in Dutch, which translates in English asBreak, tear every wall and rampart, Am I called, Across mountain and valley, pierces my ball, By me stricken.
Between 1613 and 1622 the gun was used and was found to be capable of firing a 10 lb (4.5 kg) ball a distance of 2000 yards (1.8 km).[4] Before theEnglish Civil War it guarded thecliffs of Dover[5] and propaganda of the time claimed it could fire a 12 lb (5.44 kg) ball seven miles. Some even said its shot could reach France if the gun was properly maintained[6] though this is an exaggeration; tests done in the 1970s with similarbasilisks have a more realistic range of 1200 yards with a 10 lb (4.54 kg) ball.[2]
In 1644 KingCharles I's forces in Cornwall reported capturing from theEarl of Essex '49 Peeces of faire Brasse Ordnance (taken then and the day before) among which was the great Basilisco of Dover ...'.[7] This cannon has since been identified as Queen Elizabeth's Pocket Pistol.[8] Later that year the gun saw action at the siege ofHull where it was recaptured by theRoundheads and used at the Siege ofSheffield.[9]
The cannon can be seen atDover Castle on a replacement carriage made in the 18th century from captured French guns.[2]A copy of the cannon is displayed inBuren, Netherlands, next to the museum of the Dutch royal family.