Henry Ince

As a result of his work, by the end of the 18th century Gibraltar had almost 4,000 feet (1,200 m) of tunnels in which dozens of cannons were mounted overlooking the isthmus linking the peninsula to Spain.

On 3 April 1769 Ince wrote to Wesley from Gibraltar in terms which suggest that the two men did know each other:[1] At our first coming to this place, I found a people of such abominable practices, as I never before had seen.

However, I and two or three more took a room to meet in, and we were soon joined by some of the Royal Scotch: but this continued only a short time; the reason was, they would not allow your hymns to be sung, neither your works to be read.

This certainly seems to have been the case, as only a couple of months after Ince wrote his letter the Governor of Gibraltar, Lieutenant General Edward Cornwallis, issued an order that "no person whatever [shall] presume to molest them nor go into their meeting to behave indecently there.

[6] To resolve these problems, Green was authorised to raise a 68-man company consisting of one sergeant-adjutant, three sergeants, three corporals, one drummer and 60 privates working variously as stonecutters, masons, miners, lime-burners, carpenters, smiths, gardeners and wheel-makers.

The members of the Company carried out extensive work on the fortifications to repair damage caused by enemy bombardments and strengthen Gibraltar's defences.

It would start from a position above Farringdon's Battery to reach an outcrop called the Notch, so that a cannon could be mounted there to cover the entire North Front.

[14] His suggestion was immediately approved and Colonel Green issued an order on 22 May 1782: "A gallery 6 feet high, and 6 feet wide, through the rock, leading towards the notch nearly under the Royal Battery, to communicate with a proposed battery to be established at the said notch, is immediately to be undertaken and commenced upon by 12 miners, under the executive direction of Sergeant-major Ince.

Progress was slow, advancing at a rate of only about 200 metres (660 ft) per year, but the tunnels thus excavated have proved extremely stable and are still readily accessible today.

[15] The miners suffered from poor ventilation until the decision was taken to blast a small opening in the cliff face to provide them with a supply of fresh air.

By the end of the siege, the newly created Upper Gallery housed four guns, mounted on specially developed "depressing carriages" to allow them to fire downwards into the Spanish positions.

This would have amounted to a substantial sum;[14] by the time the siege had ended in 1783, the Windsor Gallery leading to the Notch measured between 500 and 600 feet in length.

[16] In his Journal of the Siege of Gibraltar, Captain John Spilsbury recorded: "Ince's gallery has 10 embrasures and an air hole cut, and is about 600 and odd feet long; the 9th chamber or cave is large enough for a guard room, has 2 doors, and is tolerably dry.

"[11] When the French general commanding the Franco-Spanish army, the Duc de Crillon,[17] visited the tunnels after a ceasefire had been declared, he is said to have exclaimed, "These works are worthy of the Romans.

[20] The original grant still survives and states: Whereas Henry Ince Sergeant Major in the Royal Military Artificer Company having at his own expense, during the late blockade and with my consent and permission for the improvement and benefit of the place, enclosed and cultivated a certain extent of ground situated on the center of the Hill above the town which ground the said Henry Ince hath partly planted with trees, erected some buildings thereon and otherwise improved and converted the same into kitchen garden for raising greens and other esculent plants and roots for market, that have ever since proved to be of great utility to the Garrison in General.

[21]He was charged a rent of 12 reals a month for which he was required to fulfil certain conditions, including building a fence around the farm and planting as many lemon trees as possible.

[23] He was described as "active, prompt, and persevering, very short in stature, but wiry and hardy in constitution; was greatly esteemed by his officers, and frequently the subject of commendation from the highest authorities at Gibraltar.

"[16] According to one story, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn replaced Ince's worn-out nag with a fine new horse "more in keeping with your worth and your duties."

After serving his Majesty 49 Years he retired full of honor to this place and closing in piety, the remains of a useful life, died 9 October 1808, Aged 72.