exhibitions & displays

the evelegh collection

On loan courtesy of Colonel JRGN Evelegh. This collection, from the direct descendant of John Evelegh who served in Gibraltar during the Great Siege of 1779-83, includes a set of model cannon and mortars which were made in Gibraltar during the Great Siege.

John Evelegh (Born 1740)

John Evelegh, born at Exeter in 1740, decided to join the Army and his first commission (they are all with the family papers) reads: -
“20th Dec.1765 John Evelegh, Gentleman to be Practitioner Engineer in the Ordnance and Ensign in the Army…signed by the Master General of the Ordnance and George III”.
At this time Engineer and Artillery officers all came under the Ordnance authorities and were given equivalent ranks in the army. On 1st April 1771, he was promoted to Sub Engineer and Lieutenant of Foot and sent to Gibraltar where his three younger children were born. On 21st April 1779, he was Engineer Extraordinary and Captain of Foot just before the Great Siege began.

Gibraltar had been taken by Admiral Rooke in 1704 during the war of the Spanish Succession and the Spaniards had since made three attempts to retake it by force. England was now at war with the French, who had backed the Americans in their war of independence, and this made the supply of food and stores to the Gibraltar garrison extremely difficult giving Spain her opportunity. War was declared on 16th June, 1779 and the siege lasted for nearly four years.
Feverish activity began, particularly amongst the engineers, to erect guns batteries and fortifications, and in July the Governor, General Sir George Augustus Eliott, who had himself been an engineer officer, increased his staff by three A.D.C.s one of whom was John Evelegh.