Antique Arms & Militaria

A Very Good 5 Shot Revolver of The United States Civil War, By E.Whitney of New Haven Connecticut

A scarce American Civil War era 5 shot Percussion revolver made by E. Whitney. Circa 1860. The 6 inch barrel marked on top E. WHITNEY N. HAVEN. Two piece walnut grips and brass trigger guard. With nice overall aged patination, serial numbered under the grip 26941. Good tight spring action and rotation of the cylinder.

Eli Whitney Sr. established his Whitneyville Armory in 1798 and produced firearms (among other things) by contract for the United states government. Just prior to this in 1793, Whitney invented the mechanical cotton gin, which dramatically changed the economic landscape in the United States, namely in the South. His labour saving device made the processing of harvested cotton extremely efficient and requiring fewer labourer's. This machine caused the market for cotton to explode and more labourer's were needed to plant, grow and harvest the crop. This resulted in a corresponding boom in the Southern slave trade. Great fortunes were created, and the population of the South became such that one in three Southerners were slaves. All this provided the fuel that would become the American Civil War. Eli Whitney died in 1825, and his son, Eli Whitney Jr began running the family business in 1841. In 1847 Whitney Jr. began to manufacture 1,000 of Samuel Colt’s latest revolver the Colt Walker revolver. Production of this revolver helped both parties immensely as it kept Colt in business and it allowed Whitney Jr. to gain experience making revolvers. With the expiration of Colt’s patents in 1857, Whitney began production of percussion revolvers based on Colt’s patents, some of them very closely copied. The Whitney Revolver were produced at the Whitneyville Armory manufacturing centre in the Whitneyville section of New Haven, Connecticut from the late 1850's through to the early 1860's. Many of these were purchased by individual soldiers for use when they were going off to the American Civil War. Overall length 11 inches. In good overall condition, showing commensurate signs of use and wear. A super Civil War era percussion revolver.  read more

Code: 25256

A Superb Quality, Antique, Victorian, Silver Topped Hidden, Secret, Dagger-Cane. In Fine Malacca Wood. In Fabulous Condition

The top is silver, finely engraved with a Sumatran elephant in a palm tree jungle. With a snug friction release, the dagger is thus extracted by means of the drawing the hidden dagger from the Malacca haft. Malacca wood is taken from one species of rattan palm native to the coast of Sumatra. With long, slender stems it was considered perfect for making walking sticks and canes. It is very lightweight and strong with a satin-like bark that has a natural gloss. The colour varies from blond through reddish amber to brown. The blade is of two stage form of double edged form on great strength and substance.

This is a cane intended for close quarter action. The sword stick or cane was in its day ideal for defensive action, but the dagger-cane was usually intended for both offensive or defensive, ideal for use in a crowd or a hand to hand conflict in most confined quarters of any bustling city. As an antique collectable it is simply awesome. A startling and most collectable conversation piece, worthy of the legendary Sherlock Holmes himself, in fact, more likely a tool of the diabolical genius, and arch nemeses of Holmes, Professor Moriarty . One can only imagine what perils and heinous adversities that it's original owner, who had this awesome cane commissioned, must have feared, dreaded or even instigated. The name Bartitsu might well have been completely forgotten if not for a chance mention by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in one of his Sherlock Holmes mystery stories. In the Adventure of the Empty House (1903), Holmes explained that he had escaped the clutches of his enemy Professor Moriarty through his knowledge of bartitsu, or Japanese wrestling. Using a walking cane with or without hidden blade.

The swordstick was a popular fashion accessory for the wealthy during the 18th and 19th centuries. While the weapon's origins are unknown, it is apparent that the cane-sword's popularity peaked when decorative swords were steadily being replaced by canes as a result of the rising popularity of firearms, and the lessening influence of swords and other small arms.


The first sword canes were made for nobility by leading sword cutlers. Sixteenth century sword canes were often bequeathed in wills. Sword canes became more popular as the streets became less safe. Society dictated it mandatory that gentlemen of the 18th and especially 19th centuries would wear a cane when out and about, and it was common for the well-dressed gentleman to own and sport canes in a variety of styles, including a good and sound sword cane. Although Byron was proficient in the use of pistols, his lameness and his need to defend himself in some potentially dangerous situations made a swordstick doubly useful to him. He received lessons in London from the fencing master Henry Angelo and owned a number of swordsticks, some of which were supplied by his boxing instructor Gentleman John Jackson.

Sword sticks came in all qualities, and for numerous purposes, from the simplest bamboo sword cane personal defender to stout customs officer’s ‘prod’, to offensive close quarter stiletto dagger canes and even to the other side of the world in the form of Japanese samurai’s shikome-sue, hidden swords.

We show two famous sword sticks in the gallery, one that belonged to Lord Byron, and another in a Presidential Centre Library collection, a historic sword stick is part of the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Centre Library collection in Fremont, Ohio from the Waggoner family, the sword-cane was said to have been presented to Mr Waggoner by General George Washington in honour of Waggoner's service in Washington's Life Guard during the American Revolutionary War

37 inches long overall 9.75 inches long blade. An original antique collectable for display purposes only.  read more

Code: 25255

1780 Pattern, French Pistolet Maritime, An Officer's Naval 'Sea Service' Belt Pistol. Used By A French Naval Officer From the Battle of the Nile through to Battle of Trafalgar Era

Very probably by Grosselin a Charleville.

Steel barrel, walnut half stock, steel bird's head butt and steel furniture. Flintlock action with pierced heart shaped cock.

French sea service pistols are far more rare than their British equivalents, especially the slightly smaller officer's versions, due to the fact there were fewer French ships, and that so many French ships-of-the-line being captured or sunk by the British Royal Navy, between the 1790's to 1805 Such as when the French Fleet was soundly thrashed in the Egypt campaign at the Nile in 1798, and a little later the French and Spanish fleet, in 1805, were once again soundly thrashed and captured by Admiral Nelson at Cape Trafalgar.

The Battle of the Nile, was a battle that was one of the greatest victories of the British admiral Horatio Nelson. It was fought on August 1, 1798, between the British and French fleets in Abū Qīr Bay, near Alexandria, Egypt.

The French Revolutionary general Napoleon Bonaparte in 1798 made planned for an invasion of Egypt in order to constrict Britain’s trade routes and threaten its possession of India. The British government heard that a large French naval expedition was to sail from a French Mediterranean port under the command of Napoleon Bonaparte

Determined to find the French fleet, he sailed to Egypt once more, and on August 1 1798 he sighted the main French fleet of 13 ships of the line and 4 frigates under Admiral François-Paul Brueys d’Aigailliers at anchor in Abū Qīr Bay.

Although there were but a few hours left until nightfall and Brueys’s ships were in a strong defensive position, being securely ranged in a sandy bay that was flanked on one side by a shore battery on Abū Qīr Island, Nelson gave orders to attack at once. Several of the British warships were able to maneuver around the head of the French line of battle and thus got inside and behind their position. Fierce fighting ensued, during which Nelson himself was wounded in the head. The climax came at about 10:00 PM, when Brueys’s 120-gun flagship, L’Orient, which was by far the largest ship in the bay, blew up with most of the ship’s company, including the admiral. The fighting continued for the rest of the night; just two of Brueys’s ships of the line and a pair of French frigates escaped destruction or capture by the British. The British suffered about 900 casualties, the French about 9,000.

The Battle of the Nile had several important effects. It isolated Napoleon’s army in Egypt, thus ensuring its ultimate disintegration. It ensured that in due time Malta would be retaken from the French, and it both heightened British prestige and secured British control of the Mediterranean.

The Battle of Trafalgar, (October 21, 1805), was a naval engagement of the Napoleonic Wars, which established British naval supremacy for more than 100 years; it was fought west of Cape Trafalgar, Spain, between Cádiz and the Strait of Gibraltar. A fleet of 33 ships (18 French and 15 Spanish) under Admiral Pierre de Villeneuve fought a British fleet of 27 ships under Admiral Horatio Nelson.

Nelson was outnumbered, with 27 British ships of the line to 33 allied ships including the largest warship in either fleet, the Spanish Santísima Trinidad. To address this imbalance, Nelson sailed his fleet directly at the allied battle line's flank, hoping to break the line into pieces. Villeneuve had worried that Nelson might attempt this tactic but, for various reasons, had made no plans for this eventuality. The plan worked almost perfectly; Nelson's columns split the Franco-Spanish fleet in three, isolating the rear half from Villeneuve's flag aboard Bucentaure. The allied vanguard sailed off while it attempted to turn around, giving the British temporary superiority over the remainder of their fleet. In the ensuing fierce battle 20 allied ships were lost, while the British lost none.

Nelson's own HMS Victory led the front column and was almost knocked out of action. Nelson was shot by a French musketeer during the battle, and died shortly before it ended. Villeneuve was captured along with his flagship Bucentaure. He attended Nelson's funeral while a captive on parole in Britain. The senior Spanish fleet officer, Admiral Federico Gravina, escaped with the remnant of the Franco-Spanish fleet (a third of the original number of ships); he died five months later of wounds sustained during the battle.

The victory confirmed the naval supremacy Britain had established during the course of the eighteenth century, and was achieved in part through Nelson's departure from prevailing naval tactical orthodoxy.

At the same time this pistol was made there was another version, same form and size, called the 1779 pattern so called 'sea-dog's head' pistol, however, it had instead of the steel bird's head butt that this has, it had a carved dog's head.

A photo in the gallery from around 35 years ago of an article about these very form of pistols by Grosselin of Charleville, an identical pair, yet also, one of them, like this one was un-named.

The condition is jolly good, excellent tight spring and action. Rammer lacking  read more

Code: 25253

A Most Scarce US Civil War Period Remington Beals' Patent Model 1858 Navy Percussion Six-Shot Revolver, .36 calibre

Manufactured between 1861 and 1863, approximately 14,500 Remington-Beals Navy revolvers were produced. About 500 martially-marked examples of this model were purchased by the U.S. Army, and an additional 1,000 were bought by the Navy. In 1875, the Navy returned about 1,000 various model Remington .36 calibre revolvers, including the Beals Navy, for factory conversion to accept the .38 calibre centre fire metallic cased cartridge. Sn 10402. Sold with an old but later tooled leather holster, that is complimentary, and free.

The business expanded through the 1850s, and handgun production began in 1857 with the introduction of the Remington-Beals pocket revolver.

The coming of the Civil War naturally brought about a dramatic increase in the demand for firearms, and Remington's production also increased to keep pace. During this period, the company manufactured both .36 and .44 calibre revolvers, as well as Model 1863 Percussion Contract Rifle, popularly known as the "Zouave" rifle.

Beals’ 1858 patent (21,478) was granted on September 14th of that year and covered the winged cylinder arbor pin that secured the cylinder to the frame, which was retained by the loading lever located under the barrel and could be withdrawn from the frame only when the lever was lowered. Thus, began the evolution of the second most used US marital revolver of the American Civil War. The first guns were produced in .36 caliber and production started to roll off the assembly line during late 1860 or early 1861. The .36 calibre “Navy” revolver was followed by a .44 calibre “Army” variant soon thereafter. By the time Beals pattern revolver production ended in 1862, some 15,000 of the “Navy” sized handguns had been produced, while only about 2,000 of the larger “Army” revolvers were manufactured. The subsequent model was the William Elliott “improved” Model 1861 pattern Remington revolvers, also known to collectors as the “Old Model” Remingtons, started to replace the Beals models by the middle of 1862.



The Beals Navy Revolver was Remington’s first large frame, martial handgun to make it into production, with the Beals Army following fairly quickly on its heels. While an experimental Beals “Army” had been produced earlier, which was really just a scaled-up version of the Beals pocket model, it was only produced as a prototype and it is believed that less than ten were manufactured.

The US government had been relatively pleased with the original Beals Navy design and had obtained some 11,249 of the 15,000 Beals Navy revolvers produced. The purchases had been a combination of direct contract with Remington combined with open market purchases of some 7,250 revolvers that would not pass through a government inspection process. The initial success of the 1,600 Beals Navy revolvers contracted for in 1861 lead to an Ordnance Department contract on June 13 of 1862 for 5,000 additional “Navy” caliber revolvers to Remington.

Good tight spring and action, nice natural aged patina overall blue to hammer, the cylinder rotation a little hesitant due age.  read more

Code: 25254

A French 1st Empire Year XI French Light Cavalry Sabre by Nicolas Noel Boutet of the Imperial Workshop At Versailles Circa 1805. Early Napoleonic Grande Armee Period

1805 circa Napoleonic sabre from the period of the Grande Armee. Curved, single-and-false-edged blade with wide fuller, brass hilt with three bar guard and long narrow langets; leather-covered grip. Heavy grade sheet iron scabbard with two suspension rings. Traces of Boutet’s maker's- director’s poincon mark within a lozenge form on the blade face near the ricasso. Plain blade back strap, the month and date of manufacture were only added as inscriptions after an imperial decree of 29 April 1810. There are no other inspection marks remaining as they were often removed if the sword was captured as war booty, and became in the possession of a foreign combatant, as many swords of this pattern were absorbed into their own armies, such as, for example, the Russian cavalry. The Russians actually created their own near identical version in 1827.
Bright polished, heavy grade sheet iron, likely associated scabbard, with traditional Napoleonic brass seam.

Nicolas-Noël Boutet (31 August 1761 – 1833) was a French gunsmith and bladesmith who was director of the Versailles state arms factory. More than 600,000 weapons were produced under his directorship.
Boutet was born in Paris, the son of the royal gunsmith Noël Boutet, and became his father's assistant. In 1788, he married Leonie-Emilie Desainte, the daughter of his father's colleague, which gave him an even better position at court and the title of "gunmaker-in-ordinary" to King Louis XVI of France.
During the revolution he worked for Napoleon as director of the state arms manufactory.
He died in Paris

Grande Armée (French for 'The Great Army'; was the main military component of the French Imperial Army commanded by Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte during the Napoleonic Wars. From 1804 to 1808, it won a series of military victories that allowed the French Empire to exercise unprecedented control over most of Europe. Widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest fighting forces ever assembled, it suffered enormous losses during the disastrous Peninsular War followed by the invasion of Russia in 1812, after which it never recovered its strategic superiority and ended in total defeat for Napoleonic France by the Peace of Paris in 1815.
The Grande Armée was formed in 1804 from the L'Armée des côtes de l'Océan (Army of the Ocean Coasts), a force of over 100,000 men that Napoleon had assembled for the proposed invasion of Britain. Napoleon later deployed the army in Central Europe to eliminate the combined threat of Austria and Russia, which were part of the Third Coalition formed against France. Thereafter, the Grande Armée was the principal military force deployed in the campaigns of 1806/7, the French invasion of Spain, and in the War of the Fifth Coalition, where the French army slowly lost its veteran soldiers, strength and prestige, and in the conflicts of 1812, 1813–14, and 1815. In practice, however, the term Grande Armée is used in English to refer to all the multinational forces gathered by Napoleon in his campaigns  read more

Code: 25248

16th Century Militia Man’s “Morgernstern” or "Holy Water Sprinkler"Mace Flail Possibly From Germany. Also A Weapon of The City Guard and Watchmen of Germany or Switzerland

Long wooden haft with large protruding blacksmith nail spikes. An extraordinary intimidating weapon, crude, yet incredibly effective. A rare German PoleArm known as a Morgenstern ‘morning star’ or ‘Holy Water Sprinkler’. The holy water sprinkler (from its resemblance to the aspergillum used in the Catholic Mass), was a morning star used by the English army in the sixteenth century and made in series by professional smiths. One such weapon can be found in the Royal Armouries and has an all-steel head with six flanges forming three spikes each, reminiscent of a mace but with a short thick spike of square cross section extending from the top. The wooden shaft is reinforced with four langets and the overall length of the weapon is 74.5 inches (189 cm). This kind of war flail originated as a peasant weapon and was particularly popular in Germany and central Europe, also used by city guards and watchmen in Germany and Switzerland. Typically a long wooden shaft, with cylindrical head and arrangements of iron spikes. These weapons were frequently found in German armouries, and large fortified houses, and used by local standing militias and guards. A fine example believed to have been made for Henry VIII combining a gun mechanism with the spiked head is in the Royal Armouries collection in Leeds. This example is an iconic example, the head bears a long spike and further rows below of shorter spikes, very strong and four-sided. In good stable condition, old woodworm to surface not active. Length approximately cms. Dating to the 16th century.

Morning Stars were first popularized in Germany during the fourteenth century. The name (originally Morgenstern) seems to reference the shape of the head like a star – although this is not confirmed.

The Morning Star resembles a mace, which was developed somewhat independently. As the mace transitioned to being constructed of metal, the morning star kept its wooden shaft.

There are two very impressive examples of morning stars housed in the museums of Vienna. The first measures 2.35 meters in length (7 ft 9 in) and has a separate wooden head slipped over the top of the shaft and reinforced with steel straps. The spikes are arranged asymmetrically. The second has a head entirely made of steel and four V-shaped spiked mounted o a long shaft. There are also 183 specimens in Graz, made in series in the 1600s.

Morning stars have been depicted in medieval art, carried by armoured knights. In a 1486 poem, one is mentioned and described as “a rather simple morning star with spiked mounted in an asymmetrical pattern”.

The morning star was used by both infantry and cavalry. There were three types of weapon differing in quality.

The first was a well-crafted military type used by professional soldiers and made in series by expert weapon smiths in town arsenals.

The second, this example, was used by militia men and crafted from wood fitted with nails and spikes by a local blacksmith. For this type, the shaft and head were usually made of one piece which was sometimes reinforced with an iron band.

The third type was mostly decorative, made of metal and with a shorter shaft.

Overall 83 inches 6 ft 11 inches, {211 cm}

UK mainland delivery only, by our own company courier, {due to size} allow up to 14 days for delivery. Too long to ship overseas.  read more

Code: 25245

An American Civil War Union Trooper's Sword by Rare Maker Friedrich Potter, Made and Supplied During The First Part of the Early War in 1861

A very good condition sword indeed, and amazingly the blade still has its original cross grain counter polish at the forte section of the blade. The maker mark "Hare's Head" logo is for Friedrich Potter, a smaller German sword maker, that had contracts to supply the Northern States America in the Civil War, cavalry, infantry and musician's swords, but his company closed down in 1861, so only a limited number satisfied his contracts. His company traced its origins in Solingen back to 1580. Leather bound grip, and traditional three bar brass hilt.

Cavalry were forces that fought principally on horseback, armed with carbines, pistols, and especially sabres. Only a small percentage of Civil War armed forces of both sides met this definition—primarily Union mounted forces in the Eastern Theatre during the first half of the war. Many Southern State’s Confederate cavalry forces in the East generally carried neither carbines nor sabres. A few Confederate regiments in the Western Theatre carried shotguns, especially early in the war, and of course many did use sabres but for the South they were in very short supply. In the second half of the war, most of the units considered to be cavalry actually fought battles using the tactics of mounted infantry. An example of this was the celebrated "Lightning Brigade" of Col. John T. Wilder, which used horses to quickly arrive at a battlefield such as Chickamauga, but they deployed and fought using standard infantry formations and tactics. By contrast, at the Battle of Gettysburg, Federal cavalry under John Buford also dismounted to fight Confederate infantry, but they used conventional cavalry tactics, arms, and formations.

At the time of the Civil War, the cavalry had five major missions, in rough priority:
1.Reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance screening
2.Defensive, delaying actions
3.Pursuit and harassment of defeated enemy forces
4.Offensive actions
5.Long-distance raiding against enemy lines of communications, supply depots, railroads, etc. After the civil war the swords were retained for use by the cavalry regiments, that remained in service, in the wild west frontier campaigns, usually against native American Indians. No scabbard  read more

Code: 25244

An Absolutely Beautiful Original 2nd Century Imperial Roman Officer or Noble's Carved Intaglio, Carnelian Gem Stone, Status Seal Ring, Depicting a Dolphin

In Rosemary Sutcliff’s Eagle of the Ninth series of books, a Dolphin ring was first owned by a Roman soldier and passed down the family over the centuries.

The carvings on rings and seals are known as Intaglio, and a seal ring was part of Roman society for nobles, military officers and citizens. They were personal signets, and the more valuable were made from a small gemstone, with a design cut into the surface by skilled craftsmen, and usually set within a ring. They were used to seal important documents, and objects by making an impression on soft clay or wax. Wearing a carved carnelian signet ring immediately showed that you were of rank, and thus had status, wealth and influence. Some surviving rings have been found across Roman Britain, in towns and military sites alike, including two at the Waddon Hill former Roman military fort site..

Dolphins, like those seen on the Venus Mosaic found at Kingscote in Gloucestershire, are a fairly popular image in Roman art. They have a rich background in Greek and Roman mythology, literature, and folklore. They were often included in sculptures to improve the stability of the main figures!

Dolphins are featured in many Greek and Roman myths. Here, they are symbols of romance, illustrating the theme established by the depiction of Venus, the Roman Goddess of Love, in the central roundel of the mosaic. The presence of these dolphins alongside Venus also serves as a reminder of the myth that Venus was born from the sea, famously depicted in Botticelli’s late fifteenth century painting ‘The Birth of Venus’.

Their association with Venus is by no means their only significance in Greek and Roman mythology. In the sixth/seventh century B.C. ‘Homeric Hymns’, Dionysus, the Greek God of Wine and Theatre (who later became Bacchus in Roman mythology), was kidnapped by pirates. He turned into a lion to punish the kidnappers and, terrified, they jumped overboard. When they hit the water, Dionysus turned them into dolphins. The ‘Homeric Hymns’ also describe Apollo, a Greek and Roman God, turning into a dolphin to guide a ship into harbour. Another myth tells that Apollo’s son, Eikadios, was shipwrecked and carried to shore by a dolphin. This is one of many myths about dolphins rescuing drowming men, or bringing bodies back to shore for burial.

Dolphins are also often associated with minor sea deities. The Roman author Statius wrote in his first century A.D. epic poem ‘Achilleid’ that the sea-nymph Thetis rode a chariot through the sea that was pulled by two dolphins. Similarly, Philostratus’ ‘Imagines’describes a scene in which the one-eyed cyclops Polyphemus falls in love with the sea-nymph Galatea while she is riding four dolphins.


3/4 of an inch across.  read more

Code: 24626

A Very Fine Condition Classic, Cased Pair of Late 18th to Early 19th Century Damascus Barrelled Duelling Pistols by Master Gunsmith William Parker of Holborn London. Original Oak Case with Tools and Accessories

A superb cased pair, in original case, near identical, and from the exact same design and form as another very fine cased pair, commissioned from William Parker, of London, circa 1800, and formerly in the American Billionaire J.P.Morgan Family Collection.

J. P. Morgan was a 19th century and early 20th century world renown American banker and philanthropist, he was subsequently categorised as America's greatest banker, who's reorganising skills and actions, in the great panic of 1907, saved America's monetary system

William Parker (1790-1841), produced some of Englands finest flintlock guns at 233 High Holborn London, from 1793-1839. Parker was Gun maker to the Duke of Kent, Prince Edward and King William IV.

Browned octagonal smooth 16 bore barrels are marked “London” on tops. Locks with waterproof pans, bridled roller frizzens, chamfered lockplates with rebated tails, and high breasted serpentine cocks, are fitted with sliding safeties, and are engraved with feather flourishes and “Parker” under pans on the lock face. traditional English style walnut stocks that have wraparound checkering with mullered borders on bag grips. “Stand of Arms”engraved trigger guards have stylized pineapple finials, and some original blueing. Stocks attach to the barrels with two sliding barrel slides, with no escutcheons. Horn tipped rosewood ramrods are held by two nicely filed, beaded, steel pipes. Both ramrods have steel, ball extractor worms. Original mahogany case has dual pivoting hook closure, and Parker's most distinctive inlet foldaway “D” handle. The interior is lined in traditional green pill-napped cloth, with W. Parker paper label on lid depicting pair of gentlemen gunners and their dogs. Case contains copper bag shaped powder flask, loading rod with mushroom tip, 1 cleaning brush. Covered compartments with turned brass knobs on covers, for the containing of flints and balls.



Excellent condition overall. Damascus twisted steel barrels in beautifully refreshed browning, Breech irons and locks retain a delightful patina. Trigger guards equally with nice patina. Stocks are excellent, retaining most of their original finish, edges and checkering sharp and very crisp, with a number of small use surface dents, handling marks, Bores are excellent. Locks and frizzens are crisp. Case is very fine retaining most of its original finish. Interior cloth is fine with light marks and soiling from contact with guns and accessories. Label is fine, slightly foxed and dented from contact with frizzen springs. Accessories are all fine, but incorrect mould, both pistols are 36 centimetres long overall, 23.4cm barrels, case size 21cm x 43.5 cm x 7.2 cm

William Parker was born to Thomas and Elizabeth in 1772, at Croscombe in Somerset. Nothing is known of his early years, but in 1792 the name William Parker appears in a Holborn rate book for the address of 233 High Holborn. This address had until the latter part of the eighteenth century been occupied by a John Field and his father–in–law John Clarke. Alongside his name in the rate book was that of ‘Widow Field’, a jeweller. At this time William was aged only 20 years and it is not fully understood under what pretext he started at this address. It is probable that he had been working at the location as an apprentice silversmith, as a business had operated there under the names of ‘Field & Clarke, silversmiths’ between the years 1784 and 1793.

The process of the name changing from Field and Clarke to William Parker started when John Field died around 1790. Entries with his name are recorded in the Holborn rate books from 1783 until 1790. In 1791 his name is still listed, but underlined and the word ‘Widw’ inserted. Records suggest John Clarke survived until at least May 1793, but it is probable he died around this time.

John Field’s marriage to Sarah Clarke had resulted in one surviving child, also called John born circa 1779 in the County of Middlesex. Following the death of John the elder William Parker married his widow Sarah on the 1 July 1792. It is not unusual for a new business to trade under an established name and this probably accounts for the name Field surviving in various forms for a few more years. Entries in trade directories confirm that by 1796-1797 William was operating under his own name as a sole trader, a situation that would continue until his death in 1841.

John Field the younger is often referred to as William’s ‘son-in-law’, but was in fact his step-son. In the nineteenth century the term ‘in-law’ meant related by marriage, but also extended to children, which is not the case now, when we would use the term step-son. William and Sarah appear to have had no other children, but John did marry and went on to have seven children of his own, three boys and four girls. The two eldest boys, John William Parker Field and William Shakespeare Field were to follow their father and grandfather’s trade as gun makers.

As a gun maker William Parker was a well known for producing a range of weapons from standard issue items to the finest duelling pistols. He later started to produce truncheons and other articles such as handcuffs, swords and rattles, and had the major contracts to supply arms and truncheons to the Metropolitan police of London.

Every single item from The Lanes Armoury is accompanied by our unique Certificate of Authenticity. Part of our continued dedication to maintain the standards forged by us over the past 100 years of trading  read more

Code: 24368

A Noble Family Crested Victorian Officer's Artillery Cavalry Sword

Used from 1845 to around 1900. Bearing a family’s noble crest of a collared female griffon head facing sinister, and a pair of wings facing dexter, and a monogram J.D. etched with royal devices on a pair of lances and an artillery cannon, and typical florid decor.
Three bar cavalry type hilt, wirebound wood bound grip. overall russet surface.
The British Military forces have continually used artillery cannon in some form or another since the 15th century. Until 1716, they were provided by artillery trains, raised and disbanded on a campaign-by-campaign basis. But that year, King George I issued a Royal Warrant to set up two permanent field artillery companies of 100 men each. This force soon grew in size as the demand for artillery increased.

Other artillery regiments were also set up at this time, such as the Royal Horse Artillery in 1793, which provided artillery support to cavalry units. Some of these other regiments were merged into the main Royal Artillery, such as the Royal Irish Regiment of Artillery in 1801, and the artillery of the disbanded East India Company in 1862.

The Royal Regiment of Artillery and the Corps of Royal Sappers and Miners, as technical supporting Arms, lived in an alternative military world run by the Board of Ordnance. The commission purchase system was not extended to their officers, who were all professionally trained at the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich. The Gunners were organised into Field Artillery supporting the Infantry, Horse Artillery supporting Cavalry, and Garrison Artillery providing coastal defence and siege guns. Their field guns were relatively short range 6pdr and 9pdr muzzle loaders which had last seen service at Waterloo. The most commonly used all-purpose ammunition was solid iron round shot; with a direct accurate range of around half a mile for a 9pdr, it bounded along on landing like a well struck giant golf ball, to double the range on hard ground. Shrapnel, which exploded via a timed fuse, was particularly effective against massed troops in the open. Finally, Case, or Grapeshot, was the last gasp do-or-die shell; it operated at close range like a huge shotgun cartridge, scattering small projectiles forwards in all directions. Rates of fire were largely determined by the necessity for careful aim, and shortcuts on safety taken by the five man detachment. Two to three rounds per minute was generally taken as normal, and anything higher usually meant that the team were risking accidents.

Field Batteries and RHA Troops consisted of a mix of four field guns and two howitzers. Howitzers lobbed a larger shell as if from a lofted golf club onto a target, which might be hidden from sight. Howitzers did not fire round shot.

No scabbard  read more

Code: 24139