What was a carronade and who invented it?
The carronade was a short heavy gun capable of firing a relatively heavy shot at short range – it was known as the 'Smasher' and was in use in the Royal Navy from the late 18th century to circa 1820.
They were usually mounted on traversing slide carriages but some were mounted on carriages and trucks. They were manufactured in the following calibres: 68, 42, 32, 24, 18, 12 and 6pdr. Their inventor General Robert Melville (1723–1809) the son of a Scottish minister who persuaded the Carron Company in Falkirk to manufacture these guns after whom they are named.