One of the site’s eight guns was recovered on June 2, 1998. The heavily encrusted cannon was chosen for excavation due to its position in relation to the seven other cannon discovered on the site. The eight cannon had settled on the bottom in a clump, but this particular cannon had rolled away from the other seven before any concretion had formed. This meant that the cannon could be recovered without disturbing the others. The cannon recovered was a six-pound, cast iron gun. A British broad arrow found amongst the markings on the barrel designates it as British. The cannon measures 7 feet, 1 inch in length overall with a muzzle diameter of 8 3/8 inches and a bore diameter of 3 ½ inches. The other markings on the gun are also very informative. The letters “G” and “R” refer to King George (“George Rex”) and suggest that the cannon was manufactured during his reign, 1727 to 1760. The weight of the cannon is designated by a “17-2-2” marking. At the time this cannon was manufactured, guns were weighed in “hundredweights,” or 112 pounds. The “17” refers to seventeen hundredweights or 1,904 pounds. The first “2” refers to one quarter hundred weight, or 56 pounds. The last “2” refers to 2 pounds, making for a total weight of 1,962 pounds. At the time of its recovery, the cannon was estimated to weigh close to 2,000 pounds. Another number marking, “10,” is believed to be an inventory marking. The final marking, a raised “A” is the maker’s mark. Although the exact manufacturer is not known, the design of the cannon is consistent with the “Armstrong pattern,” or a pattern of location and style of reinforcement rings, muzzle shape, and cascabel style, used from 1750 to 1760. Armstrong was the master surveyor at the Board of Ordnance beginning in 1722 and the cannon pattern was named for him.

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