An English Woolwork Picture-woolie- of H.M.S. Marlborough, Circa 1870 Dimensions: 17 inches x 13 3/4 inches The H.M.S. Marlborough (1855-1904) This Marlborough, the fourth ship bearing this name, was laid down in 1850 as a sailing three-decker of 110 guns; while on the stocks she was altered to a screw ship, which involved lengthening her, and this enabled her armament to be increased to 131 guns. ;She was thus, when completed one of the largest wooden ships of war ever built. ;At that time she was the largest vessel in the British navy. ;She was launched on August 7th, 1855 by Queen Victoria at Portsmouth. The Illustrated Times wrote a long article in which was written "She is constructed to carry 131 guns, the majority of which are 32 pounders; and one upon the forecastle , ten feet long and weighing 95cwt, is to throw shot of 68 pounds. ;It would be difficult in words to convey an idea of the appearance of a vessel of this size. ;A vessel, whose sides as we walk along them, seem as long as a moderate-sized street, and whose height, as we look up to her, appears considerably to surpass that of an ordinary house; a vessel which is fitted up inside for the accommodation of a number of men equal to the population of a good-sized town."

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