ABSTRACT
Many gunpowder weapons in the late Middle Ages had separate and removable powder chambers.1 Their purpose was simple: to contain the gunpowder in a separate receptacle fitted into the rear of the weapon. Yet, despite their regular occurrence and the simplicity of their purpose, little has been written about this very important aspect of early gunpowder weaponry.2 This has inevitably led to misunderstandings as to what these gunpowder chambers were, their early history, and how they functioned as part of the ever evolving military technology. It has also resulted in the mislabelling by museum curators of removable powder chambers as complete early guns, and the misdating of early modern gunpowder weapons.3 As breech loading is seen today as a primitive construction, so chambered guns are frequently regarded as a very early form of gunpowder weapon, quickly and readily superseded.
