The 87th London Antique Arms Fair

Transcription

The 87th
London Antique
Arms Fair
PAIR OF SWORDS (SHUANG
JIAN). CHINESE, EARLY 19TH
CENTURY (XXVIS.52)
© BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF
THE ARMOURIES
Autumn 2011
Novotel London West,
1 Shortlands, London, W6 8DR
Friday 23 September
Saturday 24 September
HERMANN HISTORICA
Swords and Daggers from the Property
of a Spanish Noble Family
Antique Arms & Armour
Antique Arms and Armour ) Orders ) Historical Collectibles
International Auctions
N E X T AU C T I O N :
24 Oct. - 9 Nov. 2011
7 CATALOGUES
of military and historical interest
Antiquities, Antique Arms & Armour,
Fine Antique & Modern Firearms,
Orders and Military Collectibles
Catalogues online by mid-September:
www.hermann-historica.com
Craftmanship from the Orient and the Far East
Fine Antique and Modern Firearms
Hermann Historica oHG ) Linprunstr. 16 ) D-80335 Munich ) Phone +49-89-54726490
Fax +49-89-547264999 ) E-Mail: [email protected]
No.1
Wednesday 20 July
Closing date for entries:
Friday 3 June
Wednesday 30 November
Closing date for entries:
Friday 14 October
Britain’s Leading Auctioneer
of Antique Arms and Armour
Enquiries
David Williams, Director
Antique Arms and Armour Department
+44 (0) 20 7393 3807
+44 (0) 7768 823 711 mob
+44 (0) 20 7393 3932 fax
[email protected]
Illustrated
A very fine and rare cased pair
of French silver-mounted flintlock pistols
of presentation quality, by Boutet,
Directeur Artiste, Manufacture à Versailles,
No. 156, Paris silver marks for 1798-1809.
Sold for £162,000
Amina Ali-Shah, Administrator
+44 (0) 20 7393 3947
+44 (0) 20 7393 3932 fax
[email protected]
Catalogues
+44 (0) 1666 502 200
+44 (0) 1666 502 107 fax
[email protected]
Bonhams
Montpelier Street
London SW7 1HH
www.bonhams.com/arms
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Tel:
Tel: 07775 643762
643762
E-mail: [email protected]
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www.johnsloughoflondon.co.uk
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CONTENTS
The London Antique
Arms Fairs 2011
The London Antique Arms Fair
is promoted by Arms Fairs Ltd.
Chairman: John Slough
Secretary: Adam Slough.
Arms Fairs Ltd., PO Box 355,
Hereford HR2 9YE
Tel: 07780 663819
Website: www.antiquearmsfairsltd.co.uk
A welcome from the Chairman
7
Collecting Armour by F Wilkinson
11
Index of advertisers
23
Index of exhibitors
24
Table plan for the fair
26
‘The Amherst Flag’ by Paul Wilcock
28
Dating the Firearms of Joseph Manton 1792–1825
by P A Scott-Edeson
37
Dating the Firearms of John Manton and
John Manton & Son: 1789–1834 by P A Scott-Edeson
43
Editors: John Slough and Adam Slough
The London Antique Arms Fair guide
is published on behalf of Arms Fairs Ltd
by John Good.
© Arms Fairs Ltd., 2011.
Printed in England.
All material contained within is strictly
copyright and all rights are reserved. The
opinions expressed are not necessarily those
of the publishers. Every care is taken in
compiling the publication, but the publishers
can bear no responsibility for effects arising
therefrom or from the advertisements
contained herein.
All information correct at time of printing.
THE LONDON ANTIQUE ARMS FAIR GUIDE
5
Ralph Parr
LANCASTER
TELEPHONE 01524 811808
6
A WELCOME FROM THE CHAIRMAN
A warm welcome to the
London Antique Arms Fairs 2011
I would like to welcome you all to the London Antique Arms Fairs 2011. This fair is the perfect place to look, admire, appraise
and purchase the highest quality arms and armour from across Europe. It is the only two-day arms fair in the country which
gives you plenty of time to wander around and enjoy the items on show as the exhibitors are not packing up at lunchtime.
It is also the fair that many dealers wait for to bring out their newest and most exciting acquisitions, so get browsing.
It has fallen to me with great regret to give a mention in our show guide to one of our number who has tragically died in
the past year. I refer, of course, to our friend and colleague, Chris James, a very well-respected dealer in arms, armour,
medals and militaria for many years, and he will also will be remembered as the mainstay of the International Arms Fair
held at the Motorbike Museum in Birmingham. His widow, Ooy, and his son, David, will carry on Chris’s work of organising
the International and I would like to take this opportunity to offer them sincere condolences from all of us involved with
the London Antique Arms Fair and wish them the very best in their future endeavours at the International.
During the course of this present recession we have seen a move away from investment in banks, stocks and shares to a
more intelligent and perceptive way of investing. Prices at auction houses around the world are reaching unprecedented
highs and we are seeing more and more previously unseen items in our field of arms and armour.
As more of these sleepers come to light I believe we should make greater use of the Internet in updating all the known
records of gunmakers such as Purdey and Manton. David Back’s last book on Mantons is a good starting point and with
the help of the two articles by Peter Scott-Edeson which appear in this show guide, I think we can build an up-to-date
and useful record of the guns produced by John and Joseph Manton. Taking into account Patrick Unsworth’s excellent
book, the records of Purdeys could also be updated to include guns that have come to light more recently.
The more information we can get on individual guns and serial numbers, the more enlightened collectors and dealers will
be and a detailed picture of the history of the collections we hold will be achieved.
In this regard I would like to mention the sterling work carried out by the late Doug Nie who spent about 40 years collating
information on thousands of guns made by William Tranter. It is without doubt the biggest collection of material on the
subject of gun numbers and associated archives that has ever been assembled. I have been storing this material for some
years on behalf of Doug’s daughter, Lynn, until a suitable home could be found for it. I am now pleased to inform all avid
Tranter collectors and scholars that Doug Nie’s archive has now a permanent home in the museum housed at the
Birmingham Proof House and is available to all by kind permission of Lynn Nie. I know that the curator of the museum at
the Proof House has a daunting task in preserving this most valuable archive and making it readily available for inspection.
I am pleased that it is now in the safest of hands, which is most fitting, as William Tranter was one of this country’s great
gun inventors and a founding father of the Birmingham gun trade.
I hope you will all enjoy our spring fair: find something exciting to add to your collection, do set your sights on the best
you can afford and remember: “Windage and elevation - windage and elevation!”
John Slough
Chairman
7
Peter Finer
SPECIALISTS IN ANTIQUE ARMS, ARMOUR AND RELATED OBJECTS
Our ninth
catalogue issingle
now items
available.
We are interested
in purchasing
or complete
All the items
are illustrated
in colour
and described
by cannon
acknowledged
collections
of antique
guns, pistols,
swords,
armour and
in any
experts
in their
Please
contact
you would
likeexamples.
to order a copy.
quantity.
Wefield.
travel
the world
in us
ourif search
for fine
catalogue
will be published
nextoryear.
WeOur
are ninth
interested
in purchasing
single items
complete
collections of antique guns, pistols, swords, armour and cannon in any quantity.
All the items will be illustrated in colour and described by acknowledged
expertsininour
their
field.for fine examples.
We travel the world
search
Please contact us if you would like to order a copy.
We still have a limited number of our last catalogue
38 & 39 DUKE STREET, ST. JAMES’S, LONDON SW1Y 6DF
TELEPHONE: +44 (0)20 7839 5666 FAX: +44 (0)20 7839 5777
www.peterfiner.com
E-MAIL: [email protected]
A “CORINTHIAN” HELMET, circa 580-520 B.C.
Our fine helmet, which survives in remarkably good condition, is one of a small group of
this particular form that has been recorded, many of which are now in museum collections
throughout the world. Its shape and style place it towards the beginning of the
development of this type of classical Greek helmet, associated since the time of the historian
Herodotus (c. 484-425 B.C.) with the city of Corinth. The Corinthian helmet is an abiding
image of war in antiquity.
SPECIALISTS IN ANTIQUE ARMS
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10
COLLECTING ARMOUR
Collecting Armour
by F Wilkinson
There is a certain fascination with armour; it has a certain charm and steel-clad knights are part of our
romantic history. It is also an elaborate well-designed, artistic product of a highly technical process and
it is, therefore, no surprise that armour is a popular collecting theme.
Unfortunately, popular though it may be it
is not common or easy to collect. The
number of pieces that appear on the
market is, in comparison with other
antique arms, small and not only is the
supply limited but it is also expensive. In
realistic terms the collector of modest
means stands little chance of acquiring
any European pieces of armour that predate the 17th century.
During the 19th century, many of the
nouveaux riches liked to decorate their
new, large houses with displays of
weapons and armour. As today they
found prices high so they were happy to
look for cheaper substitutes. There were
manufacturers who were more than happy
to meet this demand. The study of arms
and armour was in its infancy and in
consequence many of the products, often
in cast iron, were more what the makers
thought armour looked like rather than
being a serious copy. The Pratt brothers,
two London dealers, were in the forefront
and as part of their antique business
happily produced some very early
helmets, sometimes with convincing
provenances, and these were snapped up
by the market. Many bore only a passing
resemblance to the genuine article and,
with today’s knowledge, few modern
collectors would be misled. The excessive
weight of some pieces is one pointer and
the shapes are often somewhat fanciful.
During the 19th and early 20th centuries
many important displays contained a Pratt
item and today one or two may still be
found in situ. The main difference is that
these fakes are now collected in their own
right and still sell for quite high prices.
In the 1920s, Ernst Schmidt of Munich
went into production and offered some
extremely good quality reproductions
which are more like the genuine article
but still are not right. This supplier tended
more towards reproducing weapons,
some of which are closely based on
examples from the Dresden Museum.
Since some of his products are of such a
high quality it is not always easy to be
certain as to their authenticity, and an
occasional weapon has been known to
deceive the experts.1
Occasionally, miniature armours of rather
thin metal appear on the market and most
of these originated in Malta as puppets or
decorative pieces. They are pleasing but
naive and do not attract a great deal of
interest. In a very different class are some
superbly detailed miniature armours
including one or two of mounted knights.
The quality is very high and their prices
reflect this.
The story of armour is very closely bound
even their projectiles could be stopped by
metal armour. In the 14th century, the
simple handgun and arquebus were
developing, and for the first time a clumsy
peasant could have in his hands a weapon
capable of projecting a lethal missile and
which required only a minimum of training
in its handling. These early firearms were
slow to fire and almost impossible to aim
with any accuracy. However, if guns were
present in quantity the chance of an
ill–aimed bullet hitting a target was greatly
increased. The composition of armies
changed as the numbers of archers was
reduced and more and more musketeers
and cavalry armed with a pair of pistols
were used and, consequently, the risk of
being shot increased.
It was quite possible to produce armour
capable of stopping a bullet and the
easiest way was to make the plates
thicker. Some armourers produced
breastplates with a second, superimposed
layer of metal on top of the basic plate
whilst others simply made thicker plates.
During the 17th century, the art of siege
warfare developed and often trenches
were dug to allow the troops to edge
forward under some sort of cover. For
the sappers whose job it was to dig the
trench and who were therefore in greater
danger there were siege armours, which
were simply much thicker versions of the
breastplate and helmet of the
conventional armour.
A 20th-century miniature armour
24ins tall £1200 (June 10)
up with the history of firearms as there was
a kind of competition between gunmakers
and armourers. Until the 14th century, a
well-armoured man was impervious to
most weapons of the period. He was at
risk from the archers, both longbow and
crossbow, but their numbers varied and
Domed heavy helmet with central
comb for a sapper 17th century
£1000 (Dec 05)
11
COLLECTING ARMOUR
For the soldiers of the period greater
safety was acquired at the cost of heavier,
more cumbersome armour and there was
a school of thought that, to reduce the
hampering effect of the armour, some
parts of it might well be discarded. First to
go were the cuisses, greaves and sabatons
which covered thighs, legs and feet to be
replaced by thick, knee-length leather
boots. Next were the arm defences: pairs
of gauntlets were largely abandoned
although the cavalry man did retain a
guard for the left arm. As a horseman he
had to hold the reins in his left hand and
was thus limited in the amount of free
movement. An elbow gauntlet was
developed with the hand covered by a
series of shaped plates and the cuff
extended up to the elbow.2
Further protection was achieved by
wearing a buff leather coat, which was
strong enough to, at the very least, blunt
a sword cut.
A very fine pair of gauntlets, with etched and blued decoration:
German early 17th century £2500 (Dec 07)
Most troopers wore a helmet known as a
zischagge or lobster-tail helmet. Most had
a simple, domed, skull piece, which on
the earlier examples was forged in one
piece but was later replaced by those
formed from two hemispheres. The neck
A zischagge, probably Dutch or
Flemish but with some later
additions £850 (June 08)
A cuisse or leg armour from a north
German armour of circa 1520–30
£2000 (Dec 10)
12
was covered by a series of overlapping,
widening plates and there two cheek
pieces. Most had a fixed peak with an
adjustable nasal bar to give some
protection to the face. Variants had a
pivoting peak with a triple-bar face guard.
A zischagge, probably German, with
typical neck guard, nasal bar and
single piece skull £800 (June 08)
COLLECTING ARMOUR
The musketeer might be a danger but he
was not without his own problems for,
once the shot was fired, he was helpless
until he had reloaded. During this period
he was vulnerable and to protect him
against cavalry charges the blocks of
musketeers were interspersed with blocks
of foot soldiers armed with long pikes
able to fend off any attacks. Since these
troops had to stand and face the enemy
they were given some protection, and the
usual 17th-century pikeman wore a cuirass
of breast and back plates.
A Flemish backplate circa 1600 with
simple incised line decoration,
mounted with brass-headed rivets.
Backplates were normally thinner than
breastplates. £1,000 (June 09)
From the lower edge of the breast plate
were suspended the tassets, a kind of skirt
of plates, and on his head he wore a
cabasset, a helmet of simple form with a
narrow brim or a morion with high comb
and curved brim.
The purchaser of armour wanted more
than a verbal reassurance that the armour
was bulletproof and the armourer offered
it by proving his armour. The plate was
placed against a wall or post and a musket
shot fired at it and the dent made by the
bullet was indeed proof that it had failed
to penetrate the armour. Unfortunately
the ‘proof’ was not absolute since, so far,
no set of rules governing proving have
been located. It is therefore possible that
the charge of powder in the musket may
have been lower than the usual military
load and the range might have been
picked to ensure no penetration
occurred. No doubt many armourers did
use appropriate charges but there was
no guarantee.
Pikeman were gradually dispensed with
and soon hardly any foot troops wore
armour. The cavalry style of cuirass and
helmet was to remain in use and indeed
survives today with such units as the
Household Cavalry or the French
Republican Guard. In Britain the armour
was mainly ceremonial and examples of
modern breastplates do appear in sales
but attract only limited biding, usually
selling for a few hundred pounds. The
French made more use of the heavily
armoured
cuirassiers
and
their
breastplates are probably more common
and those with dates from the First Empire
attract very high prices.
It is easy to see that the effect of the
discarding of armour has led to a scarcity
of pieces of a date prior to the 17th
century. Armourers tended to reuse their
metal and no doubt some of the earlier
armour was later recycled. Complete or
full armours are very rare and very
expensive and seldom pre-date the latter
part of the 16th century.
A mid 17th-century cuirass, the
breastplate bears the London
Armourers’ Company mark £950
(June 08)
A fine, composite full armour of
Maximilian style with typical fluting
circa 1520–30 £70,000 (June 08)
13
COLLECTING ARMOUR
If an armour is described as being ‘in the
style of’ it means that although it may well
look the part it was made at a much later
date than the style suggests. Another
description is ‘composite’, which means
that the armour is of the right period but
is not homogeneous and the various
sections may match but were not
necessarily originally together.
It was very flexible but difficult to produce
in quantity. By the 17th century, mail was
seldom used and in consequence many
of the surviving European examples are
pre-17th century. This makes the pieces
rare and consequently complete sections
of mail such as sleeves are likely to be
very costly.
Mail sleeve of mid 16th century,
probably German with riveted links
£750 (June 08)
during the last decade or so, interest has
grown. Complete sets of such armour
may well comprise a tunic-length piece of
mixed mail and plates, or a full-length
hauberk, arm guards and a helmet. These
helmets conform to a general pattern with
a domed skull with a curtain of mail
hanging from the edge. The top is often
surmounted by a spike and twin plume
holders. Protection for the face is
provided by an adjustable nasal bar similar
to that on the zischagge. Those helmets
of non-Indian origin are often adjusted by
a loop fitting over a hook at the front of
the helmet, whilst the Indian examples
more commonly are adjusted by means of
a locking screw fitting. Often the helmets,
or khula khuds, are decorated with
etched panels of inscriptions or various
figures and some are fashioned to
resemble devils or monsters: these were
essentially ceremonial rather than
for battle.
Whilst these remarks apply to mail from
Europe they do not apply to Asiatic
armour. Although mail was largely
abandoned in Europe by 1600, in areas
such as India, Turkey, Japan and other areas
it continued in use for very much longer.3
Composite field armour comprising
some 17th- and 16th-century pieces
as well as modern additions including
the helmet £4,500 (June 10)
Vulnerable parts of the body, difficult to
protect with large plates, were sometimes
protected by small extra specially shaped
pieces of armour such as besagews or
guarded by pieces of mail, which was a
mesh of interlinked metal rings.
A pair of besagews (small plates which
covered the armpits) 16th-century
from North Germany £550
14
There are two main types of mail, known
as butted and riveted. Butted is usually of
lower quality and is so-called as the ends
of each link are just pushed together,
whereas in riveted mail each link has the
tips secured by a small rivet. Complete
sections of mail from areas such as India
and Persia are, if not common, at least
available and consequently at not
unreasonable prices. Incidentally, there is
some controversy as to the correct
nomenclature for this armour. It is often
referred to as chain mail but some
authorities insist it should simply be known
as mail. It is an academic argument and
some of the early pioneers in the study of
armour were quite happy to use the name
chain mail.
As armour remained in use in the East for
much longer than in Europe, examples are
more common and often turn up on the
market. Much of Asian armour is
composed of plates linked together with
strips of mail. In the past, non-European
armour had generally been little regarded
by collectors but because some well
researched books have been published
A superb quality kulah-kuhd of typical
form with spike and plume holders.
The skull is decorated with inscriptions
£10,000 (June 10)
COLLECTING ARMOUR
Garniture of Indo Persian armour of 19th century, comprising cuirass, arm guards,
shield, helmet and steel bow £4,500 (Dec 06)
A Japanese Tosei Gusoku armour
dating from 19th century and
composed of lacquered plates and
mail; complete with fluted helmet.
£2,600 (June 08)
Although in Europe armour was largely
obsolete the First World War saw a
renewed interest in designing armours for
the troops, and most consisted of
overlapping metal plates. Modern
technology has changed the pattern of
armour, with materials such as Kevlar, and
troops, police and others now wear
various types of body armour. Although
perhaps less appealing, collecting modern
armour is a potential field which is still in
the not-too-expensive area and is
moderately available .4
Indian mail and lamellar shirt of mid 17th century from the armoury at Bikaner
£2,200 (June 10)
One very rare feature and one to be
highly prized is the lining of helmets, for it
must be remembered that it was
important to have some padded fitting to
improve comfort and to diminish the
shock of a blow. It is very rare to find
these fittings but it is a feature well worth
looking out for.
Whilst European and Asian armours share
many features it is not the case with
Japanese armour, still used into the mid
19th century. Its construction and design
are very different, using lacquered panels
and mail combined with textures. It would
be very unwise to consider collecting
Japanese armour before having served a
long learning spell. Just as the armour
differs so do the helmets. European
helmets were primarily defensive although
some decoration was not uncommon
whereas Japanese helmets are protective
but also heraldic and intended to impress
and frighten the enemy; again, they are a
very specialised topic.
London Arms Fairs are grateful to
Thomas Del Mar for supplying the
illustrations of items for this article all of
which were sold in his auction rooms. 1
2
3
4
Arms and armour From the Atelier of Ernst
Schmidt Munich edited by S Andrew Mowbray
1957 limited edition of 1000
For the best account of the changing styles of
armour see European Armour by Claude Blair
London 1958 reprint 1972
Arms and Armour of Arabia by R Elgood,
Aldershot 1992
Hindu Arms and Ritual Delft 2001
The Arms of Greece London 2010
Oriental Armour H R Robinson London 1967
Helmet and Body Armour in Modern Warfare
Bashford Dean New York 1977
Body Armour R Woosnam Savage and A Hall
London 2001
15
Gunmakers of London 1350-1850
Gunmakers of London Supplement 1350-1850
by Howard L. Blackmore
2 Volumes in slipcase only $135.00 + post
(Approximately £89 postpaid airmail. With the purchase
of this set, any or all of the other titles may be included
with no additional postage cost)
By 1986, the late Howard Blackmore had compiled his
monumental record of London gunmakers. It was published in England under the title A Dictionary of London
Gunmakers 1350-1850 and in America with the title
Gunmakers of London 1350-1850. 222 pp., 11x8½ inches,
122 ill. + 260 makers marks,
His Supplement published in 1999, begins with a
new introductory chapter on the Foreign London
gunmakers followed by records of all of the new information found about previously unidentified armorers,
gunmakers, gunsmiths and related trades. Where new
information had been located about those who appeared
in the Dictionary, they too were included in an updated
entry. 160 pp., 11x8½ inches, 100 new ill. + 299 makers
marks, hardcover en suite with the original edition. Only
79 copies of the original edition are available.
The Gunmakers of London Supplement
may be purchased separately: $60.00 plus post.
The London Gun Trade 1850-1920: A Checklist of
Tradesmen compiled by Joyce E. Gooding & Peter A.
Scott-Edeson. This title is intended to help fill the gap between 1850 when Howard Blackmores London
Gunmakers 1350-1850 and its Supplement end, and the
years following World War One. It records the names,
addresses and dates for gun & pistol makers, and 15 related trades. 48. pp., ill., softcover. $8.95+ post
Published by
MUSEUM RESTORATION SERVICE
P.O. Box 70 Alexandria Bay, NY U.S.A. 13607-0070
Phone (613) 393-2980 Fax (613) 393-3378
E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.armscollecting.com
HISTORICAL ARMS NEW SERIES
No. 1 The Queen Anne Pistol, 1660-1780 by John W.
Burgoyne: 10x7 inches, 120 pp., 182 ill., hardcover, ISBN
0-88855-015-6. $35.00 +post
The purpose of this book is to fill a gap in the arms
literature and to trace the development of the design and
decoration of a uniquely English type of pistol known colloquially as the Queen Anne, or more correctly, as the
turn-off pistol. This distinctive breech-loading arm was
developed in the middle years of the 17th century but
found popularity during the reign of the monarch (17021714) by whose name it is known. It continued to be
made until about 1780. With a comprehensive text and
almost 200 illustrations, the styles and decoration from
the mid 17th century through the baroque and rococo
designs imported from France that were adapted by English gunmakers to produce a particularly accurate and
distinctive pistol are traced and illustrated.
No. 2. Trade Guns of the Hudsons Bay Company,
1670-1970 by S. James Gooding. Historical Arms New
Series No. 2: 10x7 inches, 160 pp., 140+ ill., hardcover,
ISBN 0-88855-014-6. US$40.00+ post.
This new study provides a detailed history of the design and development from the earliest Hudsons Bay
Company trade guns through 300 years of history. Based
on archaeological evidence from the first Fort Albany constructed about 1674 and destroyed by the French in 1686,
the early history can be documented and described. The
extensive archives of the HBC have been called upon for
descriptive text with hundreds of selected references to
cover who made the guns, how they can be identified,
when changes were introduced, how they were used, and
what ammunition, accessories and equipment will be encountered. This important book will be of inestimable
value to historians, artists, archaeologists, re-enactors,
and collectors.
Trade Guns of the HBC received the 2002-2005
Justus Lipsius Award from the International Council of
Museums, Arms and Military Museums Section.
Cannon and artillery for hire for film industry, TV, theatre, concerts and gun salutes.
John Slough of London have been in the business of restoration and conservation of cannon and artillery of all periods for over 40 years.
The film industry’s increasing need for blank firing big guns with experienced armourers and firing team means we now have a dedicated stock of
period cannon and artillery ready for hire as well as the ability to produce any custom made piece for individual requirements.
9 Pdr RML Field gun
18 pdr QF Field gun
Complete on period field carriage
Complete on its original field carriage
200 muzzle loading cannon and mortars
24 pdr reproduction
reproductioncast iron Scottish
Scottishcarronades
carronades
Used for the Battle Proms concerts
Complete on period carriage
John Slough of London, Master Gunmaker, The Old Forge, Peterchurch, Hereford HR2 0SD
Tel: 07775 643 762 Email: [email protected] www.artilleryhire.com
Henry
Krank
Dealers in Antique Arms,
Armour & Accessories
Wheelock Rifles,
Shotguns & Pistols
Matchlock & Flintlock
Shotguns & Rifles
Flintlock Pistols
Percussion Single Shotguns
Double Percussion Shotguns
Percussion & Sporting
Target Rifle
Flintlock & Percussion
Military Rifles & Pistols
Percussion Pistols
Percussion Revolvers
Unusual Ignition Systems
Visit our shop
Visit our shop near Leeds. Open Mon to Sat 9am til 5pm.
A huge selection of antiques are always on display.
Why not make a day of your trip? Visit the Royal Armouries
in Leeds, only 7 miles away from our shop.
www.henrykrank.com
Browse our huge collection of
antique arms and armour online.
Photos of 100’s of antiques for sale.
We also buy antiques
We buy antique arms,
armour and accessories. If you have one item or a
whole collection we would be happy to take a look.
Henry
Krank
Needlefire Rifles, Shotguns
& Pistols
Rimfire Rifles, Shotguns
& Pistols
Americana
Obsolete Centrefire Rifles,
Shotguns & Pistols
Pinfire Shotguns,
Rifles & Pistols
Curiosa
Crossbows
Armour
Cannons
Vintage & Antique Air Rifles
Vintage & Antique Air Pistols
Antique Flasks
Henry Krank & Co Ltd, 100-104 Lowtown, Pudsey, West Yorkshire, LS28 9AY, UK
Tel: 01132 569 163 / 565 167 Fax: 01132 574 962 Email: [email protected]
Holt’s Auctioneers are the countrys leading specialists in
Fine Modern and Antique Guns. We also include militaria,
Edged Weapons, Sporting Ephemera and Accessories in our
sales. We specialise in selling not just individual items but
also in the promoting and marketing of collections world
wide.
Our next sales will be held on:
15th December 2011
22nd March 2012
21st June 2012
20th September 2012
at Princess Louise House
Hammersmith Road, London W6 7DJ
To discuss consigning any guns to Holt’s
for sale by auction or for a free valuation
please telephone:
01485 542 822
View the catalogue and bid online at:
www.holtsauctioneers.com
LondonArmsFair2011.indd 1
06/09/2011 11:35:53
SPRING 2012
27 & 28 April
Antique Arms,
Armour, Sporting
Guns & Militaria
The oldest and most
prestigious antique
arms fair in the country
O PENING T IMES
Friday 9.00am – 6.00pm
Saturday 9.00am – 2.00pm
T ICKET I NFORMATION
Friday £15
Allows access both days
Saturday £7
Children under 14
free with an adult
Admission on door
CORINTHIAN HELMET. GREEK, ABOUT 650 BC (IV.541).
© BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE ARMOURIES
The
T
he 8
88th
8th LLondon
ondon A
Antique
ntique Arms
Arms Fair
Fair
Hotel
H
otel IIbis
bis LLondon
ondon E
Earls
arls C
Court,
ourt, 4
47
7 LLillie
illie Road,
Road, London
London SW6
SW6 1UD
1UD
ORRGANISED
GANISED BY ARMS FAIRS LTD DIRECT
IRECTORS
ORS John Slough & Adam Slough
07780
0 7 7 8 0 663
6 6 3 819
819 w
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w w. a n t i q u e a r m s f a i r s l t d . c o . u k
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for items purchased at the Arms Fair.
Speak to our staff on the admissions desk
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A pair of Scottish flintlock belt pistols by Ross, reserved for the
Autumn Connoisseur Collectors’ Auction, 18th and 19th October 2011.
18th & 19th October
AUTUMN CONNOISSEUR COLLECTORS’
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INDEX OF ADVERTISERS
Index of advertisers
Name
Page No
Name
Page No
Antique & Classic Arms Fairs
23
Hermann Historica
Arms Collecting
16
Holt’s
19
James D Julia Inc.
32
Arms Fairs Ltd
20 - 21
2
Artillery Hire
17
John Slough of London
Battle Proms
33
Magazin Royal
Bonhams
3
4 & 36
34
Parr, Ralph
6
Combat Stress
34
Pete Holder Antique American Firearms
44
Dixie Gun Works
34
Thomas Del Mar Ltd
52
8-9
Vincent, Garth
35
Gwilliam, E.A.F
51
Wallis & Wallis
22
Henry Krank
18
West Street Antiques
10
Finer, Peter
THE BISLEY ANTIQUE
&
CLASSIC ARMS FAIR
www.bisleyarmsfair.co.uk
THE BISLEY PAVILION
SUNDAY 30TH OCTOBER 2011
SUNDAY 25TH MARCH 2012
A SPECIAL DAY FOR COLLECTORS AND SHOOTERS.
ALL THE LEADING DEALERS.
DEALERS AND COLLECTORS’ PREVIEW 8.00am, £6.00
PUBLIC ADMISSION 10am, £3.00
ENQUIRIES: PHONE 020 8452 3308 or 020 8200 6384
23
I N D E X O F E X H I B I TO R S
Index of exhibitors
Name
A.A.S.N. Ltd. (Andrew Kiselev)
Address and contact numbers
Table No(s)
PO Box 1129, St Albans, AL1 9TZ, Tel. 07989 236341
[email protected]
Akaal Arms (Runjeet Singh)
PO Box 11143, Birmingham B13 0WR Mob. 07866 424803
www.akaalarms.com [email protected]
Anglesey Estates Ltd (C F Pritchard)
16
17 - 18
Anglesey Lodge, Anglesey St, Hednesford, Staffs 01543 426246 07831 527057
[email protected]
Antique & Classic Arms Fairs
83
(Cliff Fuller) Mob. 07850 373197
www.bisleyarmsfair.co.uk [email protected]
58
Antique Sword Trader (Geoff Sherwin) Abbey House, Rosedale Abbey, Pickering, YO18 8SA 01751 417028 07795 344795
www.antiqueswordtrader.co.uk [email protected]
15
Appleby, Michael
Wimbledon, London SW20 Tel. 0208 946 2495
F1 - 2
Arbour Antiques (George Yannaghas)
1 The Monkery, Church Rd, Great Milton, OX44 7PB 01844 278139 07768 604202
www.arbourantiques.co.uk [email protected]
Arian Trading (George Yannaghas)
5-7
1 The Monkery, Church Rd, Great Milton, OX44 7PB 01844 278139 07768 604202
www.ariantrading.com [email protected]
4
Arms and Armour Research Group
www.hud.ac.uk/armsandarmour
(Paul Wilcock)
University of Huddersfield/Royal Armouries [email protected]
n/a
Arms & Armour Society (A. Dove)
PO Box 10232, London SW19 2ZD
n/a
Ashoka Arts
Tel. 01903 814413 www.ashokaarts.com [email protected]
42
Asian Arms (Tony Paul)
Tel. 07973 822 996 www.asianarms.com [email protected]
75
Beadle, Alan
Bonhams 1793 Ltd
77 - 78
Antique Arms and Armour Department, Montpelier St, London SW7 1HH
Tel. +44 (0)207 393 3807 Fax. +44 (0)207 393 3932 Mob. 07768 823711
www.bonhams.com [email protected]
Bottomley, A. S.
Holmfirth, Yorks Mob. 07770 398 270 [email protected]
Cartlidge, Michael
Tel. 07810 766755 [email protected]
Cook, A. S.
132 Rydens Rd, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, KT12 3DU,
45
52 - 54
93
Tel. 01932 228328 Fax. 01932 243126
www.antiquearms.co.uk [email protected]
Craddock, Richard
Tel. 07747 117472 [email protected]
94
Downing, A. R.
39 High St, Arundel, W. Sussex BN18 9AG Tel. 01903 882077 Mob 07798 050609
19
Dyson, P & Son Ltd
3 Cuckoo Lane, Honley, Holmfirth, W Yorks, HD9 6AS Tel. 01484 661062
Fax. 01484 663709 www.peterdyson.co.uk [email protected]
24
40 - 41
76
English Arms & Armour
Mellanoweth House, Back Lane, Angarrack, Hayle, Cornwall TR27 5JE
(Terry English)
Tel. 01736 753444
Flintlocks at War (Richard Smith)
Taunton Antiques Market, Silver St, Taunton, TA1 3DH
85
Tel. 01803 605405 Mob. 07969 599 076
www.flintlocksatwar.com [email protected]
21
Garth Vincent Antique Arms & Armour The Old Manor House, Allington, Nr Grantham, Lincs NG32 2DH
Mob. 07785 352151 Tel. 01400 281358 Fax. 01400 282658
www.garthvincent.com [email protected]
Gwilliam, E. A. F.
29 - 31
Candletree House, Cricklade, nr Swindon SN6 6AX
Tel. 01793 750241 Fax. 01793 750359 Mob. 07836 613632
[email protected]
H.B.S.A.
67 - 69
BCM HBSA, London, WC1N 3XX
Tel. 07703 218 639 www.hbsa-uk.org [email protected]
n/a
Hartford Antique Arms (Rex Pope)
Reading Tel. 0118 969 1826
27
Hatford Antiques (P. Smith)
Hatford Cottage, Faringdon, Oxon SN7 8JF Tel. 01367 710241 Mob. 07836 375931
84
Henry Krank & Co. Ltd. (Z Nikacevic)
100-104 Lowtown, Pudsey, W Yorks, LS28 9AY 0113 256 5167 Fax:0113 257 4692
www.henrykrank.com [email protected]
Hobson, G. J.
59 – 63
Daccombe Mill, Coffinswell, Devon TQ12 4SY
Tel. 01803 873121 [email protected] Mob. 07812 133 149
Holt's Auctioneers (Robert Morgan)
Church Farm Barns, Wolferton, Norfolk PE31 6HA 01485 542822 Fax:01485 544463
www.holtandcompany.co.uk [email protected]
Huw Williams Antiques
20
55
The Antique Shop, Madoc St, Porthmadog, Gwynedd LL49 9NL
Tel. 01766 514741 Fax. 01766 514741 Mob. 07785 747561
[email protected] www.antiquegunswales.co.uk
Iosson, Andrew
23
211 Ringinglow Road, Bents Green, Sheffield S11 7PT
Tel. 0114 2366360 Mob. 07979 648663
www.finesportingcollectablesltd.co.uk [email protected]
John Slough of London
22
PO Box 355, Hereford HR2 9YE Tel. 01981 550145 Fax. 01432 371767
www.johnsloughoflondon.co.uk [email protected]
John Wilson Antiques
Mob. 07941 477043 [email protected]
Jonathan Barrett Limited
The Old Vicarage, Church Lane, Lewes BN7 2JA
1-3
64 - 65
Tel. 01273 486501 Mob. 07717 743 061 Fax. 01273 486501
www.jonathanbarrett.com [email protected]
Ken Trotman Ltd.
PO Box 505, Huntingdon, PE29 2XW Tel. 01480 454292 Fax. 01480 384651
(Richard Brown)
www.kentrotman.com [email protected]
Lord, D. R.
Cotswold Cottage, 89a Lushington Hill, Wootton Bridge,
13 - 14
50 - 51
Wootton, Isle of Wight PO33 4NR
Tel/Fax. 01983 882638 [email protected]
66
M. L. A. G. B. (Ken Hocking)
PO Box 340, Sevenoaks, Kent Tel. 01732 463214
n/a
Magazin Royal
65 Steenstraat, B1800, Vilvoorde, Belgium Tel. 0032 475492450
(Gilbert Putterie)
Fax. 0032 22677537 [email protected] www.magazinroyal.be
81 - 82
25
Table plan for the fair
1
Entrance
2
F1
3
F2
4
5
6
7
Bar
36
Fire Exit
35
Fire Exit
34
37
38
33
39
66
94
65
67
64
68
7A
69
32
40
41
31
30
Loading
Door
Fire Exit
93
63
92
62
70
91
61
71
90
60
72
89
42
8
9
43
29
59
88
73
44
10
28
58
74
87
75
86
76
85
11
45
27
26
46
57
47
56
55
25
84
48
12
77
83
24
49
54
50
53
23
22
51
78
79
13
82
81
52
80
14
15
21
Fire Exit
26
20
19
18
17
16
Loading
Bay
Fire Exit
Martin Giles Antiques
Barnet, Herts Tel. 020 8441 3380 Mob. 07860 782 286 Fax. 020 8441 3432
www.mgantiques.co.uk [email protected]
86
Michael D. Long Ltd.
86 Ireton Rd, Leicester LE4 9ET Tel. +44 (0) 845 260 1910 Mob. +44 (0)7970 161701
(Bob Hedger)
Fax. +44 (0)871 250 1910 www.michaeldlong.com [email protected]
Millais Antiques
PO Box 545, Crawley, RH10 6FG Tel. 01293 552655 Fax. 01293 520077
(Dr G Dexter)
Mob. 07710 259465 www.millaisantiques.co.uk [email protected]
Nobre, Eduardo
Rua des Chagas 17c, 1200 Lisbon, Portugal [email protected]
Northern Arms Fairs
PO Box 277, Harrogate, HG3 4XZ Tel. 01423 780759
(Alan Tidswell)
Mob. 07989 779996 [email protected]
Oriental Arms
PO Box 55293, Haifa, Israel 34580 Tel. 00972 50 7587101 Fax. 00972 50 8251380
(Artzi Yarom)
www.oriental-arms.com [email protected]
Parr, Ralph
Sidegarth, Aughton, Lancaster LA2 6PG Tel. 01524 811808 Fax. 01524 811445
32 - 33
56 - 57
28
44
87
70 - 72
Pembroke Fine Arms (David Scheeres) Paskeston Hall, Cosheston, SA72 4SF 01646 680391 07969 132060
www.pembrokefinearms.co.uk [email protected]
Pete Holder Antique American Firearms
88 - 89
PO Box 1199, Guildford, GU1 9JR Tel. 01483 277788
Fax. 01483 277784 Mob. 07778 008 008
www.peteholder.com [email protected]
37 - 39
Petty, David
2 The Grange, Green Lane, Burnham, Bucks SL1 8EN Tel. 01628 605519
46 - 47
Phoenix Antique Arms (P Reason)
17 Darracot Close, Deal, Kent, CT14 9PU Tel. 01304 372651 Fax. 01304 372651
www.oldguns.co.uk [email protected]
Rod Akeroyd & Son (Rod/Jason)
34 - 36
20 Ribblesdale Place, Preston, PR1 3NA 01772 203845 Fax:01772 203855 07765
251532/07836 599464 www.firearmscollector.com [email protected]
Seidler, Christopher F. (Chris Seidler)
PO Box 59979, London SW16 9AZ 0845 644 3674 www.antique-militaria.co.uk
[email protected]
Spoils of War (David Hughes)
7a
Hop Hill Cottage, Aubourn, Lincoln, LN5 9DZ Tel. 01522 788807
Mob. 07784 002826 www.spoils-of-war.co.uk [email protected]
Stand of Arms (Chris Berry)
8-9
79 - 80
Southgate, London N14 Tel. 0208 886 4730 Fax. 0208 482 2204
Mob. 07790 806364 www.militariamart.co.uk [email protected]
24 - 26
Strømberg Antiques (Steen Strømberg) Store Kongensgade 10, DK1264, Copenhagen, Denmark
Tel. 0045 3332 4205 Fax. 0045 3332 4205 Mob. 0045 2046 2801
www.stromberg.dk [email protected]
Wallis & Wallis (Roy Butler)
48
West St Auction Galleries, 7-9 West St, Lewes, BN7 2NJ 01273 480208
Fax:01273 476562 www.wallisandwallis.co.uk [email protected]
Waterloo Militaria
PO Box 2880, Romford, Essex RM7 1LA
(Gary Lawrence)
Mob. 07935 324562
www.waterloomilitaria.com [email protected]
West Street Antiques (Jon Spooner)
90 - 92
Green Gables, 40 Abbey Crescent, Thorpe le Soken, Essex CO16 0LH
Tel. 01255 862683 Fax. 01255 861623
Yorke, P.
43
63 West St., Dorking, Surrey RH4 1BS Tel. 01306 883487 Fax. 01306 883487
Mob. 07855 519934 www.antiquearmsandarmour.com [email protected]
Winks, David
10 - 12
49
‘Quills’, Bagshot Road, Chobham, Surrey GU24 8DE Tel. 01276 857576
73 - 74
27
THE AMHERST FLAG
‘The Amherst Flag’
Paul Wilcock
Trustee PWO Regiment of Yorkshire Museum
Head of the Arms and Armour Research Group, University of Huddersfield
The regimental organisation in the British army has been systematically eroded by successive
governments leading to the near disappearance of many of our most famous county regiments. In
many cases, however, those responsible for the heritage of their regiments have been able to
maintain their historical legacy through a network of regimental museums. These are often small and
frequently under-resourced; however, they invariably hold a treasure trove of artefacts reflecting the
heroic past of those who fought for their country.
28
THE AMHERST FLAG
One of the more challenging aspects of
any regimental museum is the fact that
while there are many wonderful pieces in
the collection representing the rich
tapestry of regimental history, they
occasionally carry with them more
questions than answers. Sometimes the
link to the regiment is tenuous, but
sometimes it is an object of great
significance that with the passage of time
has faded into the background and been
overlooked. In antique terms, it is what
might be regarded as a ‘sleeper’.
The Prince of Wales Own Regiment of
Yorkshire Museum is located at Tower
Street, next to the famous Cliffords Tower
in York. It shares its premises with the
Royal Dragoon Guards Museum and in
common with many similar museums,
while not large, contains a wonderful array
of treasures from the Regiment’s past. In
2007, while the main store was being
reorganised a large frame was found
standing facing the wall. When it was
moved, the frame revealed a white ensign
measuring 207x170 cms, bearing the cross
of St George on a faded white ground
with the Union flag of 1707 represented in
the top left quarter. Beneath it, on the
frame was the enigmatic inscription:
“THE AMHERST FLAG”
“This flag, said to be the personal flag of
the First Lord Amherst, Colonel of the
Regiment 1751–1757 is believed to have
been flown at Quebec after its capture
in 1759”1
If the attribution on the plaque is
correct and it flew over Quebec at its
fall, the flag is not only an important
regimental artefact but is an object of
national, even international significance.
There is, however, no reference in the
regimental records detailing how the flag
came to be in York, and even less
information explaining the link between
the flag and Amherst.
The flag was in poor condition, principally
due to its age. The white background had
acquired a grey pallor and the silk, which
must once have been vibrant red, white
and blue, was now faded and brittle.
Because of the treatments used on the
original silk during its manufacture there
was overall cracking and deterioration. It
was now a sad reflection of a standard
which, according to the label, had
witnessed a great military victory.
Jeffrey Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst, copyright National Portrait Gallery, London
Jeffrey Amherst was born in Riverhead,
Kent in 1717. After being sent as a page to
the first Duke of Dorset, his patron
obtained a commission for him as an
ensign in the 1st Regiment of Foot at the
age of 14. Having seen service during the
War of Austrian Succession where he
acted as ADC to General Sir John
Ligonier, Amherst also saw action at
Dettingen, Fontenoy and Rocoux, after
which he joined the personal staff of the
Duke of Cumberland. The regimental
connection becomes clearer in 1756
when he was made Colonel of the 15th
Regiment of Foot.2
The Seven Years War, sometimes
described as the first ‘world war’ because
of the global nature of the conflict,
afforded Amherst the opportunity of
command when, after repeated lobbying
from Ligonier, William Pitt selected him to
lead the assault on Louisbourg on the
Island of Cape Breton. A combination of
his success at Louisbourg and the
spectacular
failure
of
General
Abercromby caused Amherst to be
appointed Commander in Chief in North
America. In 1759, Amherst succeeded in
taking
Fort
Ticonderoga
where
Abercromby had also failed and
proceeded to move north along Lake
Champlain. In a letter dated August 5th
1759 to William Pitt,3 Amherst gives a
detailed account of his victory and assures
him of his continued progress north.4
While this was happening General Wolfe
had laid siege to Quebec5 and despite
illness and significant sickness among his
troops, planned the taking of the city. In
his final letter to the King written from
HMS Sutherland he writes: “I have fixed
upon a spot where we can act with most
force, and are most likely to succeed.”6
29
THE AMHERST FLAG
published in the London Gazette on 17th
October 1759, Brigadier Townshend goes
to great lengths to commend the Navy:
“I should not do justice to the Admirals
and the Naval Service if I neglected on
this occasion of acknowledging how much
we are indebted for our success to the
constant assistance and support received
from them.”11
However, this may be the thread which
ties Amherst, Murray and the flag. It is
interesting that the flag is regarded as
being Amherst’s when, in practice,
Amherst himself was many miles away
when Quebec fell. It has even been
suggested that due to the poor
communications and difficult terrain he
was unaware of the victory until some two
weeks later. If that was the case why is the
flag ascribed as being Amherst’s?
The spot he was referring to was L’Anseau-Foulon and required his advance
party to climb a steep cliff and seize the
summit, allowing the rest of his force to
ascend. His own commanders rejected
the idea; Townshend in particular
regarded it as foolish. The defending
commander, General Montcalm, also
rejected the possibility of an attack there
on the same grounds, despite his
subordinate officers being concerned at
its vulnerability. By sunrise the peak was
secure and Wolfe’s forces deployed on
the Plains of Abraham. The encounter
was brief and under Wolfe’s orders the
British held their fire until at close range.
The French line broke and fled, though
Wolfe himself had sustained three
wounds and died on the field of battle.7
Command was assumed by Brigadier
Townshend (General Monckton also
being wounded) and by Brigadier James
Murray, and on 18th September, Quebec
surrendered with the Articles of
Capitulation being signed by Brigadier
Townshend and Admiral Saunders.8
At this juncture a further connection
appears between the Amherst flag and
the 15th Regiment of Foot in the person
of James Murray. Murray had commanded
the left wing of the assault on the Plains of
Abraham. He had been a close friend of
Wolfe’s, earning a commendation for his
actions at Cape Breton the previous year.
Murray had begun his military career as a
cadet in the 3rd Scots Regiment under his
brother, who was the Colonel in 1736. He
transferred to the 15th Foot in November
30
1741 as a captain and, having gallantly
commanded the grenadier company at
the Battle of Lorient, he became Major in
1749 and purchased the LieutenantColonelcy in 1751.9
Having supported Wolfe in the assault on
Quebec he was appointed military
commander of Quebec the day after the
city was taken. It was a hard winter, with
little by way of supplies in Quebec, but
regardless of these conditions, Murray
repulsed a further counter-attack and
siege by the French. Murray now moved
forces up river to join Amherst and
following the capitulation of Montreal was
appointed to the role of Military
Governor of the district of Quebec with
direct responsibility to Amherst, bringing
to an end French rule in Canada. Another
association between Amherst and Murray
is that Amherst, on appointment as
Commander in Chief in America, was
appointed Colonel of the 60th Foot
(Royal Americans). Murray was also
appointed to be Colonel of a Battalion of
the 60th in October 1759.10
However, while both Amherst and Murray
provide tangible links to the 15th Regiment
of Foot, there still remains little direct
evidence to connect them to the flag. A
puzzling aspect of the mystery is of course
that the Amherst flag is neither a King’s or
regimental colour, but a white ensign. The
forces of the Royal Navy were heavily
engaged in the campaign in 1759 and
particularly in the siege of Quebec. In his
letter of 20th September to Pitt,
The answer may lie in an obscure text
written in 1914. In his book The Fight for
Oversea (sic.) Empire, Wood makes a
brief reference to the events following the
fall of the city of Quebec.
The British marched in on the 18th and
hoisted three Union Jacks in token of
possession - one over the citadel, a
second on a gun in the centre of the
esplanade, and the third, which was
hoisted by the men of the fleet, on the
ground to the left of Mountain Hill,
looking down.12
While it refers to Union Jacks it is quite
likely that the third flag, being hoisted by
sailors to signify the navy’s part in the
victory, was not a Union Jack but in fact a
white ensign.
Murray was the Governor of Quebec and
presumably as time went on these flags
were replaced by more permanent
fixtures. If so, what happened to the ones
flown on 18th September 1759? It is
unlikely that the white ensign would have
been returned to its ship of origin which
would have long since departed. Were
they retained by the Governor? Did
Murray at a later date present one of
them to Amherst as a souvenir of the
victory over which he had overall
command? Amherst is known to have
visited Quebec, presumably with Murray
in September 1760, before returning to
his headquarters in New York.
THE AMHERST FLAG
Of course we can never be certain, but
Wood’s account provides a tangible
explanation of why the Amherst flag is a
white ensign and how it came to be in the
possession of the 15th Regiment of Foot.
Clearly, this wonderful historic artefact
suffered over the past two and a half
centuries and required care and
conservation. This was carried out by
textile conservators Annabel Wylie and
Poppy Singer13 who, over a period of
months restored the flag to enable its
continued display. The Amherst Standard
now resides in the officers’ mess at the
headquarters of the first Battalion the
Yorkshire Regiment in Munster in a
suitably sealed frame. When the battalion
returns to the UK it will be on view in the
museum in York, where visitors will be
able to view an artefact that witnessed
one of the most significant victories in
British military history.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
The Regimental records note that Amherst was
Colonel from 22nd May 1756 to 21st
September 1768.
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
Jeffrey Amherst. The DNB account confirms
the regimental record of Amherst’s
appointment as Colonel rather than the earlier
date on the plaque.
London Gazette 10th September 1759.
Records of the 15th or York East Riding
Regiment of Foot. The records were compiled
by General A F Macintosh in 1828 who
commanded the regiment from 1825 to 1834
and give a detailed account of the 15th
Regiment’s involvement in North America.
London Gazette 16th October 1759, The
London Gazette carries a detailed account
contained in letters from General Wolfe and
Admiral Saunders of the campaign and the
events leading up to the assault on Quebec.
Lloyd C The Capture of Quebec (London
1959) p117.
Knox Captain J, An Historical Journal of the
Campaigns in North America (London 1759).
In his diary detailing the assault, Knox provides
a detailed account both of Murray’s
involvement and Wolfe’s death.
8
9
10
11
12
13
London Chronicle and Universal Evening Press
16th October 1759. This edition not only
reproduces the letter from General Monckton
confirming the victory and Wolfe’s death but
also outlines the terms of capitulation
requested by the French.
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography,
James Murray.
Whitehall Evening Press 25th October 1759.
This edition lists a number of appointments
following the campaign against Quebec
including for brigadiers Monckton and
Townshend.
London Gazette 17th October 1759.
Wood W, The Fight For Oversea Empire: the
Battle of the Plains, in Shortt A and Doughty
A, eds, Canada and Its Provinces, Vol I,
Toronto, Glasgow, Brook & Company, 1914,
312p., pp. 288-308.
Annabel Wylie and Poppy Singer, Textile
Conservators, The Old Village Hall, Plough
Road, Great Bentley, Colchester, Essex,
CO7 8LD.
31
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D AT I N G T H E F I R E A R M S O F J O S E P H M A N TO N
Dating the Firearms of
Joseph Manton 1792–1825
by P A Scott-Edeson
The publication in 1967 of The Mantons, written by Keith Neal and David Back, has provided the
foundation for all subsequent research into the work of both John and Joseph Manton.
brother. This state of affairs is confirmed
by a letter from Joseph Manton to Major
Blomefield, who was the Inspector of
Artillery at Woolwich, which is headed
Dover Street and dated 15 July 1790.
However, the failure of his attempts to
persuade the Ordnance of the merits of
his system of rifling cannon and the use of
wooden cups to keep shot in the centre
of the bores of guns must have decided
Joseph to reconsider the option of
becoming a civilian gunmaker. A letter
from the Duke of Richmond, who was
then Master General of Ordnance, to
Joseph Manton is dated 15 September
1791 and addressed to 25 Davies Street,
Berkeley Square. It is not clear from the
rate books exactly when Joseph took over
the Davies Street premises but it was
probably Midsummer 1791.
Joseph Manton was born in April 1766 at
Grantham in Lincolnshire. He was
apprenticed to the gunmaker Edward
Newton of Grantham at Michaelmas 1781,
but for unknown reasons he was turned
over to his older brother, John, around
1784. John Manton had by then
established his own business at 6 Dover
Street, London, having initially worked for
John Twigg, latterly as his foreman. It is
probable that Joseph completed his
apprenticeship in 1788.
It might be reasonably assumed that once
Joseph Manton had moved to Davies
Street he would have immediately set
himself up in business. The house, shop
and workshops were clearly more than
adequate to meet his needs since he was
to remain at this address for the next 28
years. However, it is not until 12 May 1792
that there is a record of the existence of
his civilian gunmaking business. On this
date the engraver William Palmer records
that he had worked on a steel gun and
two pairs of pistols for Mr Joseph Manton.
Careful examination of the transcript of
the surviving account book confirms that
this is the first time that William Palmer
undertook any work for Joseph Manton.
As far as is known, initially, Joseph Manton
lived and worked with his brother. At this
time Joseph was interested in work for the
Ordnance rather than becoming a civilian
gunmaker and, consequently, he would
not have been seen as a rival by his
It must be accepted that Joseph Manton
could initially have used another engraver
before entrusting his work to William
Palmer. However, the available evidence
is against such an hypothesis. There is an
entry in the account book on 5 October
Flintlock duelling pistols with 10in smooth bore barrels.
No 2070 for 1804 by Joseph Manton.
The record of surviving guns included in
the book provided a valuable source of
information with which to assess other
gunmakers of the period. It also
encouraged many collectors to provide
details of unrecorded guns in their own
collections. The publication of The
Manton Supplement in 1978 and later
The Mantons 1782–1878 in 1993
included this additional information as it
came forward from around the world.
In 1993, details of no less than 523 guns
by Joseph Manton were recorded and
subsequently at least a further 44 have
been discovered. This article will assess
the firearms production of Joseph Manton
from the start of his business through to
his bankruptcy in January 1826.
37
absence of any un-numbered guns made
by Joseph Manton which could be linked
to this period of his production, the
available evidence supports the view that
the business did not start until the spring
of 1792 at the earliest.
1793 for work on a double gun for the
Duke of Bedford. Unfortunately, this gun
does not survive but the invoice for it
also included a double rifle, which is
numbered 112. If it is assumed that the
gun and rifle were ordered at the same
time and therefore had consecutive, or at
least close, numbers, then at this
date William Palmer had engraved
approximately 120 guns between May
1792 and September 1793. In the
If the gunmaking business of Joseph
Manton commenced in 1792, when did it
end? The answer to this question must be
December 1825 on the basis that he was
declared bankrupt in January 1826. In fact
he had been taken to court by several
tradesmen to whom he owed money at
various times through 1825, but evidently
by the turn of the year he could not
postpone the then inevitable collapse of
his business any longer. It is acknowledged
that the business was resurrected in 1827
and 1834, but generally the quality of the
guns was not comparable to those
produced prior to 1826.
Table 1 : ASSESSED GUN PRODUCTION of JOSEPH MANTON
Surviving Production per 100 Serial Numbers
38
No
Range
No
Found Serial Numbers Recorded
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
1000
1100
1200
1300
1400
1500
1600
1700
1800
1900
2000
2100
2200
2300
2400
2500
2600
2700
2800
2900
3000
3100
3200
3300
3400
3500
3600
3700
3800
3900
4000
4100
4200
4300
4400
4500
4600
4700
4800
7
0
6
3
10
7
2
8
3
0
2
3
4
12
6
3
1
3
9
5
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
11
8
5
3
0
1
0
0
5
6
1
2
1
3
5
8
11
9
6
12,40,63,66,81,89,93
5,21,56,84,85,92
11,12,95
6,12,44,57,61,64,68,70,77,90
15,21,23,39,50,51,53
42,99
16,27,28,35,52,58,70,73
17,48,63
70,80
26,33,71
61,85,92,99
7,13,14,34,42,49,59,60,68,70,79,88
3,14,28,35,63,67
9,35,92
21
59,72,96
6,7,12,19,20,36,75,76,78
21,46,55,56,72
44
34
6,8,17,20,30,33,35,38,46,49,54
20,28,34,51,72,85,87,97
18,27,28,29,44
8,12,20
8
52,53,62,71,82
38,53,65,72,76,77
43
71,94
18,20,30,32,61,64,66,67,71,73,80
6,11,13,16,24,26,29,33,70,71,81,83,86
34,44,66,67,90
1,5,31,32,34,44,52,85
20,37,42,43,44,52,56,57,81,82,84
10,18,31,37,50,55,58,72,90
11,12,27,80,90,92
Assessed
Production
100
0
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
0
100
100
100
100
100
100
0
100
100
100
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
100
100
100
50
0
0
0
0
50
100
0
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
4900
5000
5100
5200
5300
5400
5500
5600
5700
5800
5900
6000
6100
6200
6300
6400
6500
6600
6700
6800
6900
7000
7100
7200
7300
7400
7500
7600
7700
7800
7900
8000
8100
8200
8300
8400
8500
8600
8700
8800
8900
9000
9100
9200
9300
9400
9500
9600
5
7
8
10
10
6
9
6
10
14
6
8
9
10
10
12
12
12
11
15
9
0
1
1
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
12
13
12
8
12
14
11
14
15
17
17
14
0
0
1
1
2
35,42,47,62,75
1,7,16,18,38,54,81
26,35,45,62,63,64,69,78
2,34,40,42,49,56,57,82,85,99
3,18,21,41,53,56,69,75,81,84
17,26,31,51,68,99
9,19,29,40,45,54,57,63,88
43,45,58,71,75,97
8,19,29,33,44,61,64,86,88,89
2,5,9,17,26,52,57,59,64,67,80,90,91,96
4,12,38,51,59,85
17,22,49,75,77,84,87,90
9,31,59,63,68,74,76,87,97
26,32,39,41,47,52,54,55,62,77
13,25,26,51,64,81,84,85,86,90
5,10,13,37,48,51,56,60,67,68,77,78
8,9,21,29,38,39,48,66,68,74,85,94
1,25,34,36,38,39,46,49,58,61,64,99
11,25,32,54,59,62,65,71,76,84,91
0,8,12,22,37,59,61,62,67,68,69,71,75,81,93
26,37,38,41,46,54,58,61,69
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
0
13
0
80
0
0
74
0
34
0
0
0
0
0
1,5,12,14,15,16,29,35,63,70,71,86
100
2,11,22,27,29,36,37,47,58,59,64,89,92
100
1,7,10,41,43,59,63,64,74,80,83,84
100
2,7,39,61,66,67,70,88
100
5,14,17,28,30,58,59,74,91,94,97,99
100
14,25,27,31,32,33,45,48,78,84,88,90,91,96
100
17,21,29,45,46,52,53,57,72,94,95
100
5,10,12,13,20,22,53,54,64,78,83,86,91,97
100
1,4,6,21,25,27,30,31,32,51,52,66,69,71,84
100
3,9,19,22,40,41,42,50,54,61,63,70,72,81,87,96,97 100
1,3,6,11,18,19,27,33,36,39,47,48,54,56,74,76,80 100
9,17,31,35,36,38,41,51,53,55,57,59,63,64
75
0
0
83
0
0
62
29,54
0
NB: Underlined numbers indicate firearms recorded since 1993.
It is necessary to determine the total
number of guns made between 1792 and
1825 and to establish their distribution
through this period of 34 years. In order
to provide an estimate of the total
production the following approach has
been adopted. An analysis has been
undertaken of all the surviving guns
starting at 112, which is the lowest
numbered gun to survive, through to
9654 which is the highest numbered gun
to survive that is engraved with the
Hanover Square address. A total record
of 567 guns is involved and these have
been analysed by listing them in ascending
numerical order in groups of 100, starting
with 100. The results are presented in
Table 1. By way of explanation and
example, the three numbers - 11, 12 and
95, listed after the number 400 in the
table, refer to three guns having the serial
numbers 411, 412 and 495.
At this point it is perhaps appropriate to
consider why gaps should occur in the
record of surviving guns produced by
Joseph Manton. There can be little doubt
that where no gun is recorded in a
particular run of 100 serial numbers, as
presented in Table 1, it is most unlikely
that the particular block of potential
numbers was ever used. In addition, there
can be no explanation as to why in some
instances only one gun should survive in a
run of 100 consecutive numbers,
although one explanation could be that
the record of the particular gun is in error.
It is, however, relevant to observe that in
the surviving ledgers of James Wilkinson,
which commence in 1807, on several
occasions during the following 15 years
groups of potential serial numbers are
skipped from time to time.
It will be noted that within the numbers
listed in each 100 serial number band some
of the figures are given in underlined italics.
These are the guns which have been
recorded since the publication of The
Mantons 1782–1878 in 1993. In passing it
is interesting to note that although these 44
additional guns add a significant number to
the total sample, they do not change the
survival distribution which was already
evident by 1993.
The analysis technique adopted is
designed to be both visual and analytical.
For example, if the information presented
in the Table is considered from serial
number band 7000 through to the end,
there is very convincing evidence of a
comprehensive block of production
between 8000 and 9200. The average
survival rate in each band exceeds 13%
and the range of numbers recorded in
each band is spread throughout the
possible range. The column of figures at
the right-hand side of the table is
intended to represent the original number
of guns which would actually have been
made within each run of 100 consecutive
serial numbers. By and large the decision
has been made on an all or nothing basis,
although in a few instances an
intermediate figure has been adopted.
This procedure therefore requires
sustained evidence of production rather
than the isolated survival of a few guns
over a given period. On this basis the total
production during the analysis period is
assessed at 6,275 guns with an average
survival rate of 9%. It must be emphasised
that whilst this analytical approach may
not conform to accepted statistical
practice, it is considered to be valid in the
specific circumstances of this assessment.
The next stage in the analysis of the
assessed number of guns made by Joseph
Manton requires the total production to
be appropriately distributed through the
production period. In the absence of the
original registers, whose survival would self
evidently have made this assessment
unnecessary, the available evidence linking
a specific serial number to a particular year
is very limited. Unfortunately, any surviving
invoice is of no value unless it can be
associated with a particular gun, because
serial numbers were never recorded on
the invoice by Joseph Manton. Indeed,
apart from John Manton, very few
gunmakers of this period included serial
numbers on their invoices.
Notwithstanding the problems of
association, a list of specific guns and
dates is included in Table 2. The Duke of
Bedford’s double rifle 112 and its invoice
have survived and this serial number and
date are therefore correct. The four
entries in Colonel Peter Hawker’s diaries
recording the arrival of a new gun from
Joe Manton can be assumed to be
accurate. The serial numbers 8414 and
8499 are quoted in two separately dated
letters from Joseph Manton to the East
India Company, requesting permission to
export, as required under Privy Council
rules at that time. These letters confirm
that the guns in question were purely for
sporting use and could in no way be used
for military purposes. They would
therefore presumably pose no threat
when shipped to India if they fell into the
wrong hands!
There is a double pistol 1488 in the Royal
Armouries, Leeds, which has the
Egremont crest engraved on the
escutcheon. An invoice dated 3
December 1802 for a pair of double
pistols sold by Joseph Manton to the Earl
TABLE 2: VERIFIABLE DATES OF JOSEPH MANTON GUNS
Flintlock D/B carriage Pistols with 8.5in barrels. One
barrel smooth the other barrel with polygroove rifling.
No 5318 for 1811 by Joseph Manton.
112
1488
1567
4326
5761
5802
6364
8111
8414
8499
8831
12 October 1793
3 December 1802
21 July 1802
20 November 1807
May 1812–May 1813
11 August 1812
3 July 1814
26 October 1817
15 November 1820
3 November 1820
February - May 1823
Duke of Bedford double rifle
Earl of Egremont double pistols
Prince of Wales double gun
Colonel Hawker double gun
Silver mounted double gun
Colonel Hawker wildfowling gun
East India Company certificate
East India Company certificate
Silver mounted duelling pistols
39
of Egremont for £42 survives. In view of
the absence of any other invoice and the
high price paid for the pistols, it has been
assumed that the invoice refers to the
pistols. An invoice dated 21 July 1802
from Joseph Manton to the Prince of
Wales for a double gun is preserved in the
Royal Archives at Windsor Castle. The
Royal Collection includes a double gun
1567 by Joseph Manton made for the
Prince of Wales. In the absence of any
other invoices or guns it is considered that
the invoice relates to double gun 1567.
Finally, two silver mounted guns survive
which link hallmark date letters to serial
numbers. Firstly, the silver furniture of
double gun 5761 is stamped with the date
letter for 1812/1813. Secondly, the silver
furniture of a pair of pistols has the
1822/1823 date letter. However, in
addition it has the maker’s mark of
Elizabeth Barnett, which was not
registered until February 1823. This allows
a much shorter date range to be
proposed than is usually the case with
silver hallmarks.
Table 3: PROPOSED ALLOCATION of SERIAL
NUMBERS to YEAR of MANUFACTURE
Year
1792
1793
1794
1795
1796
1797
1798
1799
1800
1801
1802
1803
1804
1805
1806
1807
1808
1809
1810
1811
1812
1813
1814
1815
1816
1817
1818
1819
1820
1821
1822
1823
1824
1825
40
Serial Numbers
101
151
301
351
451
576
701
851
1101
1276
1451
1651
1801
1951
3001
3051
3301
3851
4101
4151
4401
4701
5001
5301
5601
5901
6201
6501
6801
8001
8026
8151
8276
8406
8536
8666
8796
8926
9056
Total
150
200
350
450
575
700
850
1000
1275
1450
1650
1700
1950
2100
3050
3300
3350
4000
4150
4400
4700
5000
5300
5600
5900
6200
6500
6800
7000
8025
8150
8275
8405
8535
8665
8795
8925
9055
9175
50
100
}
100
100
125
125
150
150
175
175
200
}
}
200
200
250
}
250
250
300
300
300
300
300
300
300
300
}
225
125
125
125
130
130
130
130
130
120
The assessed production of guns by
Joseph Manton during the period 1792 to
1825 has then been apportioned through
the period using the available dating
evidence to create the distribution
presented in Table 3. It has been assumed
that the increase in production occurred
gradually to reach a plateau between
1808 and 1815. The following year would
have effectively seen the end of flintlock
production and the introduction of the
pelletlock, followed by the tubelock and
then finally the copper cap. The decision
to cease flintlock production can be seen
as disastrous for the business and it must
remain a mystery as to why the
introduction of the alternative detonating
systems was not pursued alongside the
continuing and profitable production of
flintlock guns.
As a footnote to the foregoing
observations the flyer illustrated above is
of special interest. It has survived in
association with a letter from Joseph
Manton dated 1 December 1818 to
Joseph Dart at East India House, written
to confirm the sporting bona fide of a
gun to be shipped to India. The reason
for its inclusion is a mystery but, as the
letter was signed by Thomas Powell on
behalf of Joseph Manton, perhaps it was
sent in error. It is partially unique since
the announcement referring to New
Patent Detonating Guns is included as
the upper part of an invoice in the Royal
Archives at Windsor Castle for the pair
of pelletlock guns sold to the Prince
Regent on 26 November 1816. However,
the plea for payment of outstanding
accounts has been added to the earlier
Pellet/flintlock that have been made to accept either locks. With 9.5in smooth bore barrels. No 6938 for 1816.
Pellet lock no 8274 for 1818.
text. The dramatic reduction in quantity
and hence income from guns made by
the business by the end of 1818, which is
confirmed by this assessment of Joseph
Manton’s production, clearly warranted
this most unusual approach by a
tradesman to his customers.
The allocation of serial number to a
particular year of manufacture has been
based on the date at which it is
considered the gun was delivered to the
customer. Inevitably this approach, whilst
eminently appropriate, will sometimes
lead to anomalies when considering a
specific gun. It is therefore of interest to
consider the appearance of certain
patented features in the surviving
production of Joseph Manton guns in the
light of the serial number allocation
proposed in Table 3.
The patent for an elevated rib was granted
on 15 September 1806, and enrolled on
10 October 1806. The significance of the
enrollment date is that whilst the invention
was protected from the date of grant, this
protection lapsed unless the patent was
subsequently enrolled. This feature of the
patent system may therefore account, at
least in some instances, for the word
patent being engraved on the work of a
particular maker when no record of such
a patent survives. Indeed, it should not be
forgotten that, in the context of many
businesses the patenting of an invention
was a significant cost and therefore
perhaps not one to be undertaken lightly.
The lowest known numbered gun which
incorporates an elevated rib is 4194,
followed by 4271, 4273 and 4280.
However, it will be noted that in Table 3 all
four guns are considered to have been
made in 1807 rather than 1806. The
reason for this apparent anomaly stems
from two inevitable limitations in the data
used to compile the allocation. Firstly, the
number of firm fixes is extremely limited
but one of these is 4326, which is a
double gun received by Colonel Hawker
on 20 November 1807. Secondly, in the
absence of more comprehensive dating
evidence it has been considered
appropriate to allocate serial numbers to
years from 1792 through to 1815 on a
gradually increasing basis rather than a
fluctuating one. No explanation can be
advanced to explain the apparent
reticence of customers to endorse the
elevated rib, except conservatism: when
the choice between an elevated rib and a
sunken rib appears to have been made
available to the customer by other
gunmakers, the latter continue to be
found well into the percussion era.
On 30 April 1812, Joseph Manton was
granted his patent for New Improvements,
which included a gravitating stop acting on
the cock, a water drain through the
breech and a lip to the hammer. The
earliest known example is 5563, followed
by 5671, 5719 and 5788. The last gun
incorporates all the patented features
including the use of gravitating stops
without platinum inserts. Apart from
5563, the other three guns fall within
1812, not least because, in this instance,
Colonel Hawker received gun number
5802 on 11 August 1812!
41
Pellet lock no 8274 for pellet/flintlock no 6938.
The grant of a patent for the pelletlock
was made on 29 February 1816. The
following day, Joseph Manton announced
in the press that he had been awarded his
patent and that he was preparing some
guns incorporating the new lock for
inspection. However, almost immediately,
Forsyth & Co was granted an injunction
preventing the sale of locks made to the
new patent on the basis that it infringed
the original patent granted to Dr
Alexander Forsyth in 1807. However, on
15 July 1816, this injunction was dissolved
unconditionally and Joseph Manton was
then free to sell guns incorporating locks
made to the specification granted in his
patent. The first known pelletlock gun is
8001 and Colonel Hawker records
receiving gun 8111 on 26 October 1817.
However, the invoice relating to the pair
of pelletlock guns made for the Prince
Regent is dated 27 November 1816.
Although the serial numbers of these guns
are not known, the survival of the invoice
at least confirms that pelletlock guns
could have been in the hands of Joseph
Manton’s customers by that date at the
latest. On this basis a small number of
guns with an early 8000 serial number
have been allocated to 1816.
42
Finally, although the pelletlock was not a
success the subsequent invention of the
tubelock, for which Joseph Manton was
granted a patent on 3 August 1818, was a
success. It continued to be made and
used well into the 19th century - long
after the introduction of the copper cap.
The first known tubelock gun is 8243,
followed by 8259 and 8280. The serial
number allocation for 1818 runs through
to 8275. Joseph Manton stated in legal
evidence given in 1819 that he had
ceased making pelletlock guns by the end
of 1818, although a pair of pelletlock locks
numbered 8274, which were made to
replace the locks on a pair of flintlock
pistols, is recorded.
In conclusion, it is anticipated that the
foregoing assessment of Joseph Manton’s
gun production will be of interest to both
collectors and researchers. Additional
evidence may come to light in the future
which will enable greater accuracy to be
achieved in the allocation of serial numbers
to specific years. Tantalizingly, there is a
reference to the survival of Joseph
Manton’s ledgers in London between the
wars, but all attempts to discover them
have not met with any success.
Acknowledgements :
The author wishes to acknowledge the
pioneering work undertaken by David Back and
Keith Neal in the writing and publishing of The
Mantons in 1967, followed by The Manton
Supplement and The Mantons 1782–1878. The
debt which we owe both for the information
contained in all three volumes and for setting out
a framework for firearms research, which
subsequent authors have adopted, is
immeasurable. On a personal note I wish to
record my very grateful thanks to David Back for
putting at my disposal all the information which
has came forward between 1993 and 2000 on
Manton guns which is not included in the three
published works. Also many thanks to John
Slough for the photographs.
The flyer presented in Plate 1, headed New
Patent Detonating Guns, appears by kind
permission of the British Library, Oriental and
India Office Collection, reference OIOC
E/1/138, folio 342.
About the author:
Peter Scott-Edeson is a long-time student of
English gunmaking in the late 18th–early 19th
century. This article is from a paper he presented
to the Canadian Guild of Antique Arms
Collectors back in 2000. He would be pleased to
learn of any additional arms made by Joseph
Manton which are not included in Table 1 and
information on the whereabouts of any John or
Joseph Manton invoices. He can be contacted at
Fishery Cottage, Endsleigh, Milton Abbot,
Tavistock, Devon PL19 0PQ. Phone: +44 (0)1822
870745.
D AT I N G T H E F I R E A R M S O F J O H N M A N TO N
Dating the Firearms of
John Manton and John
Manton & Son: 1789–1834
by P A Scott-Edeson
This article concerns the dating of the firearms produced by John Manton, and John Manton & Son,
from 1789 through to his death in 1834. John Manton was the older brother of Joseph.
The Joseph Manton article was prepared
because it was clear that little additional
information was likely to become
available in the future to amend the
revised allocation, undertaken by the
author, of the production schedule
included in The Mantons 1782–1878
(1993) by David Back.
The availability of further information to
improve the accuracy of any dating
assessment for John Manton is potentially
significantly different. This is because in
1799 it became the practice of the firm to
include the serial number of each gun
when the final invoice was prepared for
the customer. It is therefore not necessary
for the actual gun to survive so that it can
be linked to a particular invoice. Joseph
Manton did not include the serial number
of the gun on his invoices and in fact
research suggests that it was not until the
early 1820s that other gunmakers started
to adopt John Manton’s practice.
During the 18th and 19th centuries most
of the guns ordered by members of titled
or landed families from the leading
London gunmakers were paid for through
their London house. If the receipted
invoice was retained, which was usually
the case, its survival subject to a possible
clear-out from time to time, was primarily
dependent on the family continuing to
retain a house in London. Unfortunately,
at some point most of these houses were
given up, and whilst furniture, works of art
and personal items have been retained,
old invoices have generally not survived.
Nevertheless, research to date has
uncovered a number of unrecorded
invoices detailing a further 19 guns spread
reasonably evenly through the period
from 1790 to 1826.
Whilst further research will hopefully lead
to more invoices being discovered, this
new evidence allied to that already
included in The Mantons 1782–1878 does
now provide sufficient information to
evaluate John Manton’s production in a
similar way to that used for Joseph Manton.
Initially, however, it is appropriate to sketch
out John Manton’s early years prior to the
establishment of his business at 6 Dover
Street, London in September 1781.
John Manton was born on 6th November
1752 in Grantham, Lincolnshire. On 23rd
June 1768, he was apprenticed for seven
years to William and John Edson,
gunsmiths of Grantham. William Edson
had obtained his freedom, as a
‘foreigner’, by payment of a fine in 1765.
John Manton received his freedom on
14th June 1775. Subsequently, he moved
to London and, at least latterly, was
foreman to John Twigg in Piccadilly.
Interestingly, John Twigg, who was also
born in Grantham, served the latter part
of his apprenticeship with the Grantham
gunsmith Edward Newton, obtaining his
freedom on 18th February 1756. It has
been suggested that William Edson may in
fact have been William Newton’s foreman
but John Manton’s apprenticeship to a
partnership perhaps suggests that this was
not the case. It has also been suggested
that William and John Edson were father
and son, but this is considered unlikely,
although their relationship, whether
familial or otherwise, is not known.
William’s son, also called John, was
apprenticed to his father during much of
John Manton’s apprenticeship. In any
event it is clear that the link between
Edward and later William Newton and
John Twigg, and hence Grantham and
London, would at least have provided the
opportunity for John Manton, having
completed his apprenticeship, to move to
London and work for John Twigg.
The inventory of guns manufactured by
John Manton, included in The Mantons
1782–1878, has confirmed that initially
guns were not allocated serial numbers.
The lowest recorded number is 815 on a
double barrel pistol and it has therefore
been assumed that the numbering of
production began at 800. Evidence from
silver hallmarked gun furniture and
invoices suggests that this would probably
have been in 1789.
Although guns continued to be produced
by the business under its final trading name
of John Manton, Son & Coe until the late
1870s, the present allocation of serial
numbers to year of manufacture ends in
1834. It was in this year on 24th
November that John Manton died. It must
be noted that the available evidence to
date guns after the mid 1820s is extremely
limited. However, if the level of production
tentatively established in the late 1820s is
continued into the early 1830s then, on
present evidence, the serial number
allocation for 1834 is considered to run
through to around 11100.
In order to date John Manton’s firearms it has
been necessary to assess the total number of
guns manufactured between 1789 and 1834,
and to determine their distribution through
this 46-year period. On the basis of an
analysis of all the recorded guns which have
survived between 800 and 11100, the lowest
numbered gun is 815 and the highest is
11093. These have been tabulated in groups
of 100, starting with 800. The results are
presented in Table 1 (on page 45).
43
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TABLE 1: Recorded and Assessed Production of John Manton
and John Manton & Son Firearms, 1789-1834
(per 100 serial numbers)
No
Range
No
Found Serial Numbers Recorded
800
900
1000
1100
1200
1300
1400
1500
1600
1700
1800
1900
3
1
0
6
6
2
2
1
3
3
0
7
15,17,26
80
2000
2100
2200
2300
2400
2500
2600
2700
2800
2900
3000
3100
3200
3300
3400
3500
3600
2
6
7
4
4
6
13
6
7
7
8
3
5
5
1
12
12
28,46
6,27,44,51,79,89
5,37,44,46,90,96,97
5,26,46,66
14,56,84,98
4,7,40,70,78,79
29,33,35,36,49,52,53,57,59,75,81,89,96
8,9,28,52,63,64
17,20,37,38,67,70,78
6,9,58,60,62,73,83
1,18,21,26,29,48,49,61
0,1,41
50,52,56,57,60
0,31,41,52,78
43
0,5,6,20,26,32,56,62,78,84,85,99
2,5,6,7,8,9,35,37,41,71,89,90
3700
3800
3900
4000
4100
4200
4300
4400
4500
4600
4700
4800
4900
5000
5100
5200
5300
5400
5500
5600
5700
5800
3
7
3
13
14
10
2
7
5
6
3
12
6
7
8
6
9
12
6
11
5
13
36,48,71
1,41,42,51,54,65,70
17,65,83
22,29,31,33,36,40,41,42,43,44,50,71,76
2,10,12,15,26,34,38,51,57,64,82,83,86,96
2,3,5,6,7,12,14,38,64,72
42,98
50,51,54,56,60,62,85
18,32,36,44,96
23,50,57,73,98,99
90,97,99
12,20,29,48,49,56,61,63,70,88,90,96
3,7,19,85,92,99
28,40,70,72,76,77,79
44,46,74,76,79,80,85,86
8,16,48,56,57,61
4,15,25,32,66,77,84,95,96
0,11,30,42,43,48,76,78,82,83,97,99
1,7,11,89,95,96
8,29,50,61,62,63,70,71,78,80,81
43,44,52,61,94
32,33,46,48,49,50,53,54,56,58,59,65,87
3,26,59,66,72,85
9,10,16,17,31,42
58,99
36,80
68
36,57,58
2,30,31
19,21,22,65,79,92,93
Assessed
Production
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
5900
6000
6100
6200
6300
6400
6500
6600
6700
6800
6900
7
13
4
7
9
10
6
7
0
1
8
3,4,10,11,60,67,84
14,17,19,20,23,24,26,34,49,56,62,70,95
2,9,20,26
10,13,28,61,74,88,99
24,26,28,70,80,82,84,86,95
2,4,5,16,32,46,47,74,79,81
21,33,47,58,96,99
1,23,31,46,55,61,70
7000
7100
7200
7300
7400
7500
7600
7700
7800
7900
8000
8100
8200
8300
8400
8500
8600
8700
8800
8900
9000
9
0
0
0
0
12
6
10
5
6
6
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
9
1,5,7,12,33,56,84,85,86
9100
9200
9300
9400
9500
9600
9700
9800
9900
10000
10100
10200
10300
10400
10500
10600
10700
10800
10900
11000
15
7
5
8
13
4
12
5
2
7
13
11
3
9
16
6
12
10
11
14
19,21,24,26,29,31,33,36,37,40,42,46,57,72,93
4,38,41,53,56,57,63
45,47,59,63,64
14,33,38,47,51,84,91,99
0,5,15,16,18,19,20,22,23,25,41,57,62
29,76,89,98
19,24,33,37,39,40,46,59,69,73,85,98
36,74,82,91,94
7,10
20,30,39,60,75,76,77
1,27,28,29,31,32,35,36,37,66,76,79,80
10,25,33,38,39,44,47,52,63,89,99
16,30,99
2,5,7,36,41,60,70,71,82
14,16,24,30,32,33,54,62,63,64,71,78,79,85,87,94
25,33,78,89,93,97
12,17,19,26,58,59,64,65,66,70,73,85
0,3,8,47,57,59,62,73,83,99
3,5,7,12,13,14,16,51,56,58,80
4,8,9,13,35,49,50,63,64,65,67,83,92,93
60
1,7,12,15,16,22,24,25
30,35,38,46,50,52,60,67,69,70,93,94
18,23,28,35,69,73
0,5,30,35,38,39,65,69,87,94
8,22,30,52,57
7,16,45,53,61,69
15,16,17,18,21,82
2
34
0,5,6,10,12,14,41,59,61
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
0
0
100
100
0
0
0
0
100
100
100
100
100
100
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
15
85
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
NB: Underlined numbers indicate firearms recorded since 1993.
45
The comprehensive blocks of production
which emerged in the Joseph Manton
analysis are not to be found in that
undertaken for John Manton and John
Manton & Son. Fortunately, for the early
1790s, the account book of the engraver
William Palmer provides valuable
evidence of John Manton’s actual
production. It confirms that production in
1792 and 1793 was running at the
equivalent of 250 guns per year. The
record for 1794 is incomplete but some
reduction is apparent. The evidence for
the period covered by the Palmer
account book suggests that such a
comprehensive survival for John Manton
guns may be an unreasonable
expectation. Indeed, it is only from serial
number 9000 onwards that there is at
least an indication of the reassuring
production blocks found in the Joseph
Manton assessment.
It is for this reason that, up to serial
number 6700, no run of 100 consecutive
potential serial numbers has been
excluded from the assessed total
production calculation, even though no
or only one gun has been recorded.
Thereafter, three blocks of serial numbers
have been excluded, comprising
6700–6900, 7100–7500 and 8100–9000
inclusive. In addition it was felt necessary
to remove 100 numbers between 9901
and 10100 to avoid a currently
unsupportable surge in production. On
this basis, the total production between
800 and 11100 is considered to have been
8,700 guns.
The record shows that 630 guns have
survived and been recorded, representing
an overall survival rate of 7%. In Table 1, a
number of the serial numbers are
underlined. These guns have been
recorded since the publication in 1993 of
The Mantons 1782–1878 and amount to
76 or 12% of the 630. This figure is
significantly higher than the equivalent
figure for Joseph Manton at slightly less
than 8%. More importantly, the new John
Manton and John Manton & Son guns
have provided greater confidence in the
conclusions reached as a result of this
assessment, having reinforced and
extended the survival pattern.
Once the total number of guns
considered to have been manufactured
between 1789 and 1834 had been
46
TABLE 2: Verifiable Dates of John Manton and John Manton & Son Guns
1166
May 1789–May 1790
1185
11 October 1790
Silver mounted pair of duelling pistols
1231
9 July 1790
1919
May 1790–May 1791
2246
10 December 1794
2817
May 1796–May 1797
2837
May 1797–May 1798
2909
May 1797–May 1798
Silver mounted single gun
3300
29 November 1799
3609
27 January 1802
3637
24 September 1801
3690
May 1800–May 1801
4029
1 June 1803
4196
7 July 1804
4536
17 October 1805
4699
21 August 1806
5430
21 June 1810
Invoice for double gun
5478
31 July 1810
5608
1 February 1811
Invoice for single gun
5680
3 August 1811
6380
May 1816–May 1817
6402
12 January 1816
6655
5 September 1817
7012
3 August 1819
7538
4 December 1818
7569
5 July 1820
7623
1819
Invoice for pair of duelling pistols
Invoice for single rifle
Duke of York double gun
Invoice for pair of pistols
Silver mounted single gun
Invoice for pair of pistols
Colonel Hawker gun
Siver mounted pistol
Date engraved on double gun escutcheon
7738
23 March 1820
Invoice for single duck gun
7739
23 March 1820
Invoice for single duck gun
7945
5 September 1820
9119
17 September 1822
9142
17 September 1822
9907
24 August 1826
10289
26 June 1827
10770
1832
assessed, it was then necessary to
determine their distribution through the
46-year period. A list of specific guns with
their known date of sale, or at least a
proposed date or period of possible sale,
has been compiled and this is presented
in Table 2. The principal source of dating
used to determine the yearly allocation
has been surviving invoices, all of which,
apart from the two earliest ones in 1790,
include the serial number of the gun.
Silver hallmarks can be helpful in at least
potentially providing a dating period,
although in this instance the date letter for
a pair of duelling pistols (1919) and a single
pistol (6380) are at odds with the
proposed dating of both serial numbers.
Invoice for double percussion gun
Prize percussion gun for pigeon match
Dated pair of presentation duelling pistols
In the royal collection at Windsor Castle
there is a double barrel sporting gun
(2246), which was made for the Duke of
York. His crest is engraved on the
escutcheon. On 10th December 1784,
John Manton was charged by William
Palmer for the engraving on a steel gun
for the Duke of York. The following day,
he was charged for a second gun, which
by implication was also for the Duke of
York. In the absence of any contrary
evidence it is tentatively suggested that
2246 could be one of that pair.
Although latterly Colonel Hawker
patronised Joseph Manton, and wrote
enthusiastically about his skills as a
gunmaker and inventor, initially he
purchased two guns from John Manton.
These are recorded in his diary in 1805
and 1806, confirming both their delivery
to Longparish, his country estate in
Hampshire, and their serial numbers.
Incidentally, the first one (4536) is only
described as a gun, although it was
probably a double gun, which is indeed
the description given for the second one.
In 1827, a double percussion gun by John
Manton & Son was shot for on the 26th
June as the prize gun subscribed by the
Gentlemen of the Red House Club. It was
won by the Hon G Anson. The shooting
for a gun as the prize for important pigeon
matches was a regular feature during this
period and the choice of gunmaker
presumably reflected a comprehensive
endorsement by members of the Club. It
has been assumed that the gun would
have been made following the match, to
meet the specific requirements of the
winner, and therefore would have been
delivered sometime after late June 1827.
The last verifiable date for the production
period is 1832. It is included in the
inscription on a pair of presentation
flintlock duelling pistols. They were
presented by the sixth Earl of Plymouth to
Captain Emmott who was Adjutant of the
Worcestershire Regiment of Yeomanry
Cavalry. Although considerable research
has been undertaken to establish the
reason for the presentation and when it
was made, so far nothing has been
discovered. It is interesting that the pistols
should have been made as flintlocks. They
were presumably made to order, and
although presented in a military context, it
does seem surprising that there was
apparently a need to reflect the reticence
of the Board of Ordnance to endorse the
percussion system!
The proposed allocation of serial numbers
to a particular year of manufacture is set
out in Table 3 and has been based on the
date at which it is considered the gun was
delivered to the customer. Inevitably, this
approach can lead to anomalies when
considering a specific gun. The problem
of the date letter in silver hallmarks in
relation to the gun’s serial number has
already been noted. In addition, there are
some invoices for the sale of specific guns
which do not tie in precisely with the
proposed yearly allocation of serial
numbers. This may be accounted for by
the decision in the assessment to
Percussion with 10in scratch rifled barrels, one of only four pairs known with no
ramrod. No 11175 for 1834/35 by John Manton & Son.
TABLE 3: PROPOSED ALLOCATION OF SERIAL NUMBERS TO YEAR OF MANUFACTURE
Year
Serial Numbers
Total
1789
800
1050
250
1814
6076
6225
150
1790
1051
1300
250
1815
6226
6400
175
1791
1301
1550
250
1816
6401
6575
175
1792
1551
1800
250
1817
6576
6700
125
1793
1801
2050
250
6901
6950
50
1794
2051
2275
225
1795
2276
2500
225
1796
2501
2725
225
1797
2726
2950
225
1798
2951
3150
1799
3151
3350
1800
3351
3550
1801
3551
3750
1802
3751
1803
3951
1804
1818
} 175
6951
7100
150
7501
7525
25
1819
7526
7700
175
1820
7701
7900
200
200
1821
7901
100
200
200
1822
9001
9200
200
200
1823
9201
9400
200
200
1824
9401
9600
200
3950
200
1825
9601
9800
4150
200
1826
9801
9915
4151
4350
200
10016
10100 85
1805
4351
4550
225
1827
10101
10300
200
1806
4551
4750
200
1828
10301
10450
150
1807
4751
4950
200
1829
10451
10600
150
1808
4951
5150
200
1830
10601
10700
100
1809
5151
5350
200
1831
10701
10800
100
1810
5351
5550
200
1832
10801
10900
100
1811
5551
5750
200
1833
10901
11000
100
1812
5751
5925
175
1834
11001
11100
100
1813
5926
6075
150
} 175
200
115
} 200
47
Flintlock full-stocked duelling pistols with 10in smooth bore barrels with early Twigg style case. No 2657 for 1796 by John Manton.
accommodate changes in annual
production from year to year on a gradual
basis, rather than introduce large
fluctuations in output between years.
There can be no doubt that variations in
the speed of manufacture of even closely
numbered guns will have occurred,
sometimes quite alarmingly. The most
obvious example in this assessment is
double gun 7012, which was invoiced in
August 1819, although it should have been
sold at least a year earlier. One possible
explanation is that the mahogany case in
which the gun was supplied was lined in
purple leather, although for this to have
taken over a year to complete does seem
somewhat excessive!
It is also of interest to consider how other
features of the firm’s production fit with
the proposed allocation. These include
not only the grant of patents, but also the
adoption of the percussion system,
specifically the copper cap to replace the
48
flintlock, and the change in the trading
style when John Manton took his son
George Henry into partnership.
In 1812, John Manton sent the following
printed letter to his customers adding in
each instance their name at the beginning
of the letter and his signature at the end.
Dover Street
December 31 1812
Having admitted my Son into
Partnership, it is necessary that all
accounts up to the present date should
now be arranged. I therefore take the
liberty of enclosing yours. I return my
most grateful thanks for all past favours;
and, sincerely hoping that our united
exertions to give universal satisfaction
will merit a continuance of them.
I remain
your much obliged humble Servant
On the basis of this letter it would be
reasonable to assume that from the
beginning of 1813 all guns produced by the
business would be marked John Manton &
Son. The proposed serial number
allocation suggests that the first number for
1813 should be 5925. Apart from a run of
under and over double pistols numbered
5848, 5849, 5850, 5854 and 5856, which
may well have taken longer than normal to
manufacture, there are only two other
guns recorded prior to 5925 which include
& Son in the signature. The first is 5761,
which was originally made as a flintlock but
subsequently converted to percussion. It is
possible that both the top rib and the lock
plates were re-engraved with the new
trading style, or as both the trigger guard
and butt-plate were made of silver, this
may have delayed its completion. The
second is 5832, a single flintlock gun,
which has a gold John Manton & Son
stamp in the top of the breech plug. The
lock is still marked MANTON. Two possible
explanations are proposed: either the gun
was not made to order and when it was
sold the new stamp was fitted or the
original stamp was lost and subsequently
replaced with the new version.
The patent for John Manton’s celebrated
V-shaped pans and pan-covers was
enrolled on 21st July 1815. The proposed
allocation of serial numbers to year of
manufacture
suggests
that
guns
incorporating this patent should not be
marked with serial numbers below about
6320. This is supported by the record of
known surviving guns from 6326 onwards.
However, three flintlock guns survive,
which are recorded as having V-pan locks
and yet are numbered 6095, 6120 and
6210. The second gun is in the Montagu
Armoury
at
Boughton
House,
Northamptonshire and, although the
lockplate may be signed John Manton &
Son PATENT, it is known that the
construction of the locks does not
conform to the patent specification. In
detail, although the external profile of the
pan is V-shaped, internally it is U-shaped
and there is no projecting ridge or division
along the centre of the bottom of the
pan. The ridge or projection along the
seat of the hammer has a complementary
U-shaped profile. This construction detail
is found on some of the few U-shaped
pans which have survived. However, the
serial numbers of these guns are
significantly higher than those of the early
examples of the V-pan patent. The first
recorded one is 7730. It may be that the
Montagu Armoury gun has locks of an
initial design idea before it was perfected
and actually patented, or at least the
patent was enrolled. The present
whereabouts of 6095 and 6210 are not
known. In any event detailed analysis of
the surviving production suggests that it
would not be appropriate to amend the
proposed serial number allocation to
accommodate these three guns.
It is also interesting to consider the date of
copper cap guns in the record of known
surviving production based on the
proposed allocation. Unfortunately, the
first gun recorded as a caplock gun, serial
number 9119, was made as a flintlock gun
and has therefore been converted,
although this is not noted in the record. It
would be most interesting to examine this
gun but neither the source of the record
nor its current owner is known. Thereafter,
two pairs of caplock duelling pistols are
recorded with serial numbers 9129 and
9140, which would be dated to autumn
1822. These are followed by two single
guns numbered 9238 and 9241, dating to
the spring of 1823. On the basis of the
revised serial number allocation it is evident
that John Manton & Son did in fact
produce copper cap guns significantly
earlier than previously thought, even
though flintlock guns continued to be
manufactured. It must not be forgotten that
although the Forsyth patent ran out in April
1821, subsequently whether flintlock or
percussion guns were ordered and
manufactured would largely be determined
by the customer and not the gunmaker.
At this point it is perhaps relevant to
consider the available evidence for the
manufacture of caplock guns by other
leading gunmakers of the period. The
records of the Dublin gunmakers Rigby
have been comprehensively analysed in
Messrs Rigby 1760–1869 (1992) by David
Back. His research has established that the
first reference to copper cap ignition was
on 17th August 1822. It related to the
conversion of a detonating double gun to
the copper cap plan. The first record of
the sale of a copper cap gun is on 18th
November 1822 when a best cased
double gun, serial number 5482, was
purchased by the Hon W Yelverton.
There is a reference to an earlier best
double copper cap gun, serial number
5449, but it is not clear from the surviving
record when and to whom it was sold.
Another important source of information
is to be found in The Early Purdeys (1996)
by
Patrick
Unsworth,
although
unfortunately the records for this period
are only fragmentary. The first known
copper cap gun made by James Purdey is
serial number 349 which is estimated to
have been sold in early 1822. However,
the earlier use of copper cap guns is
confirmed by a reference to the sale of
300 copper caps on 6th October 1821.
The only other contemporary record is
the Barrel Book of the London gunmaker
James Wilkinson. His business was
founded in 1805 and the surviving records
start in January 1807. The first reference
to the sale of a percussion gun is on 25th
May 1820. It would appear to have been
a dual ignition single gun described as Flint
Lock/Percussion and was made for use in
the West Indies. It was followed by the
sale of a double barrel percussion gun on
30th December 1820. A third percussion
gun was ordered in late November 1820
but no sale information is recorded.
During 1821, a total of 50 single and
double guns were ordered, of which at
least 10 were not completed before the
year end. Unfortunately, the record does
not always distinguish between flint and
percussion, but probably at least two
thirds were percussion guns. The records
indicate that by 1822, of the 52 single and
double guns ordered, only 11 were
identified as being flintlock and,
interestingly, the majority of these were
single guns.
It is not clear exactly what is meant by the
use of the word ‘percussion’. The double
gun sold on 30th December 1820 was
ordered on 14th October 1820 and the
entry is qualified with the words Finish on
Manton’s Plan. This is presumably a
reference to Joseph Manton’s tubelock
which was patented in August 1818, rather
than the earlier pelletlock. In view of the
fact that there is no reference in the Barrel
Book to the percussion system prior to
25th May 1820, perhaps in the Wilkinson
records at least it can be assumed that
percussion is the same as copper cap.
In presenting this evidence from the
original registers of the manufacture of
percussion guns by James Wilkinson &
Son, as the business had become by
then, it is very important to bear in mind
that if the original registers of John Manton
& Son and James Purdey had also
survived then they too might tell a similar
story. Unfortunately, no research has
been undertaken into the surviving guns
of James Wilkinson & Son and therefore
the earliest surviving percussion gun
recorded is not known.
It would also be expected that flintlock
guns which were made at this time, but
not subsequently converted to the
detonating system, being obsolete, would
have a greater chance of surviving than
early copper cap guns. The latter would
have to survive for at least 30 years, being
built on the predominant ignition system in
use during this period.
A number of conclusions can be drawn
from this assessment of the production of
guns by John Manton and John Manton &
Son between 1789 and 1834. The first is
how the output of the firm varied through
this period. In the 1790s the two principal
London makers were Henry Nock and
49
Converted later to percussion from flintlock by the maker with 9.5in polygroove rifling. No 4046 for 1803 by John Manton.
John Manton. However, by the early
1800s, in spite of the death of Henry Nock
on 26th November 1804, other more
recently established gunmakers were
beginning to make a name for themselves.
The steady increase in the output of the
business established by Joseph Manton
from the turn of the century through to
1815 has already been demonstrated. It
would appear to have been matched by a
decline in production by John Manton and
John Manton & Son. In any event, for
whatever reason John Manton & Son were
able to rebuild their business from 1815
through to the early 1830s and must, at
least initially, have benefited from Joseph
50
Manton’s decision to concentrate almost
exclusively on detonator gun production in
its various guises. The second feature is
the clear evidence that in so far as copper
cap guns are concerned, the firm of John
Manton & Son was probably as innovative
- or as conservative - as the rest of the
London trade.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
In preparing this article on John Manton I again
wish to acknowledge the immeasurable
contribution of David HL Back and W Keith Neal
to the study of Manton firearms through The
Mantons (1967), The Manton Supplement (1978)
and The Mantons 1792–1878 (1993). I also wish
to record my very grateful thanks to David Back
for putting at my disposal all the information he
has gathered from 1993 to 2000 on Manton
guns as well as John Slough for the images used
in this article.
It would also be disingenuous of me not to thank
David Harding for his generous assistance in
proofing both articles as well as revisiting the
Edson connection with me. In this regard an
article by the late T Wimsey entitled ‘Newton of
Grantham’ published in The Journal of the Arms &
Armour Society (September 2000), Volume XV1,
No 5, pp 281–303, provides interesting reading.
Finally, I would like to acknowledge the great
kindness extended to me by the late John Arlett
and the Wilkinson Sword Group Limited in
helping with my research into the early years of
James Wilkinson and the surviving records of his
business. It is hoped that the information
contained in the first Barrel Book of the firm can
be published in due course to bring its invaluable
content to a wider audience.
EDRED GWILLIAM
ANTIQUE ARMS & ARMOUR
FOR SALE:
Always a comprehensive selection of pistols,
guns, swords and armour available
WANTED:
I am particularly keen to purchase and
always oﬀer immediate settlement
CANDLETREE HOUSE, CRICKLADE, WILTSHIRE SN6 6AX
Tel: 01793 750241 Fax: 01793 750359 Mob: 07836 613632
(visitors strictly by appointment)

The 87th London Antique Arms Fair

Transcription

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