This book is a facsimilie reproduction of the original 1887 manuscript held in the Archive of the Royal Gunpowder Mills, Waltham Abbey. It contains information directly relating to the historical significance of the Royal Gunpowder Mills. It is the 7th volume in the Royal Gunpowder Mills Historical Reprint Series. For more information about the Archive, visit: http://www.royalgunpowdermills.com/history-heritage/archives/ This book contains an added Index of Names of people associated with the Royal Gunpowder Mills from 1535 to 1856. This will be helpful for anyone doing genealogical research. Description - From the Preface: It is now (1887) just one hundred years since the Government first took possession of the Gunpowder Factory at Waltham. The historical notices given in this Volume of the progress of the Royal Works from their earliest known existence to the present time, which have been recorded week by week in the Waltham Abbey Telegraph, will, it is hoped, be found a fitting memorial in book form of the Jubilee of Queen Victoria's Reign (Vivat Regina). I am obligingly indebted to Col. C. B. Brackenbury, late Superintendent of the Royal Gunpowder Works, Waltham Abbey, for permission to search through the early documents relating to this Factory, and to extract notes therefrom with a view to their publication, also to the Heads of Departments of the Royal Establishment for their ready help in collating materials from a mass of official documents for this work. W. Winters, Church Yard, Waltham Abbey, March, 1887