Atlas Obscura - Latest • Jan. 26, 2026, 9:08 p.m.

Whilst Britain was busy fighting in the American War of Independence, Spanish and French troops, led by commander Duc de Crillon, took the opportunity to try to reclaim Gibraltar, instigating the 14 th siege of Gibraltar. The Great Siege lasted from July 1779 to February 1783.

In 1782, the invading troops were so close to the Rock that none of the existing batteries could fire upon them due to the awkward angle, so governor General Eliott offered a reward of 1,000 Spanish dollars to anyone who could get the canons on to the “Notch,” the northern side of the Rock. Sergeant-Major Henry Ince, a member of the company of Military Artificers, who became the Royal Engineers, suggested tunneling through the Rock.

Ince’s previous occupation as a miner served him well with this decision. On 25 th May 1782, Ince and his men began work under the command of Lieutenant J.

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