Arms Cavalcade 2016 Edition by Arms Cavalcade

SSN 1325-779X JULY 2016 ISSN

Contents A Trio of Georgian Pocket Pistols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Keris, A Metaphor for Spiritual Transmutation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Caucasian Pistols

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Military Badges & Australian Symbols Pommel from a Crusader’s Sword

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An Indian Riﬂe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . At the Sharp End

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Contributors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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EDITOR’S NOTE e 2016 edition reﬂects the position of Australia in Asia. Some articles remind us of our English heritage and some our location in Asia. Although the pommel from the crusader sword and the Indian riﬂe are in the middle. e market in antique arms is still strong. Our interest is fed by information, and I’m fascinated by the quality and topics at our meetings and in new publications over past months. With the book published by the Metropolitan Museum of Art on its Islamic Arms and Armour collection topping the list. For books I recommend Ken Trotman Books, kentrotman.com My thanks again to Bill Taylor, as co-editor, all the authors, Ivan Fitzgerald and Scribbly Bark. Visit our website at: www.antiquearmssociety.org.au

OFFICE BEARERS

REGISTERED OFFICE

COMMITTEE

PHOTOGRAPHY

Chairman Harvey Facer Secretary Terry Hartmann Treasurer Ron Cook

C/- Hartmann & Associates 135 Macquarie St Sydney NSW 2000

Paul Duffy Mitch Frost Bill Newbold Dominic Hassett Ken Buxton Marten Sweeney Geoff Pogson

Ivan Fitz-Gerald

EDITORS Paul Duffy Bill Taylor

DESIGN Scribbly Bark Design © No part of this magazine may be reproduced by any process without written permission from the editor or authors.

ARMS CAVALCADE 2016

A Trio of Pocket BY BILL TAYLOR lintlock pocket pistols tend to be given low priority by most collectors of English antique arms. Not only are they less impressive than larger pistols, they have neither the drama of duelling pistols, nor the military associations of ofﬁcers’ or Service pistols, nor the romance of travelling pistols. To make matters worse, many are rather basic and just plain ugly.

“there are sometimes little gems of design and craftsmanship just waiting to be found” However, pocket pistols should not be written off as a field of arms collecting. Amongst the many poor examples there are sometimes little gems of design and craftsmanship just waiting to be found. ey reward a closer look, for pocket pistols reflect the continuing development of gun design and gunmaking skills. If we look over the forty year span of the three pistols in this article, significant technical improvements and design changes can be noted.

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Georgian Pistols What is more, they are much less expensive than their larger cousins: an interesting collection can be formed for around a third of the cost of a similar number of larger arms of equivalent age, quality and condition. For example, I acquired the three pistols in this article for less than the price of a single good holster pistol of the same condition and quality. Sometimes they can be found tucked away in forgotten places. Famous English collector

“Sometimes they can be found tucked away in forgotten places” W Keith Neal told the story in his book Great British Gunmakers 1740-1790 of a Savile Row tailoring establishment that had retained a number of antique coats for occasional display. One 18th century coachman’s driving coat was about to be thrown out because it had become too moth-eaten to keep, when someone felt a hard lump under one shoulder. What was revealed was a chamois leather holster containing a Twigg pocket pistol of around 1770, in brilliant original condition.

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Georgian Pocket Pistol

e ﬁrst of our three pistols is from the same period. It was made by Isaac Bissell of Birmingham. He had it proved by the London Gunmakers’ Company whose stamps are under the breech, together with crown over F denoting a ‘foreigner’, ie a maker not a member of the Company.

“ e buttmask is silver, depicting the ubiquitous scallop shell above the face of an old man” It is 8”/20cm long, with a cannon barrel of 6cm and bag shaped walnut butt inlaid with silver wire in rococo patterns. e buttmask is silver, depicting the ubiquitous scallop shell above the face of an old man. e frizzen spring is let into the top of the breech and finished flush – a neat piece of gunsmithing typical of the earlier pistols. e lock can be retained at half cock position by a sliding safety bar that engages the back of the cock. As one often finds with pocket pistols, the top of the cock has been repaired and the top jaw screw replaced. It is a well proportioned pistol of good quality. is style was common for pocket pistols from the 1740s to the 1780s, but was then supplanted by a more streamlined style, in keeping with sweeping changes across the gunmaking industry.

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e second pistol was probably made around 1790, but as its style was followed from 1780 until 1820, we cannot be more speciﬁc. It is signed Walker and has London Gunmakers’ Company proofs under the breech. It is a bit smaller as well, being 7”/18cm overall with a 2.3”/6cm barrel. ere are signiﬁcant differences from the earlier pistol. e most obvious is the disappearance of the trigger and triggerguard, which have been replaced by a recessed trigger that pops down when the pistol is fully cocked. In addition the barrel is now plain, the frizzen spring is mounted externally, and there is a sliding safety behind the cock that can be pushed forward to engage with the frizzen when the cock is at half cock. e butt is slab sided.

“ e most obvious is the disappearance of the trigger and triggerguard”

is is the general format of many thousands of flintlock pocket pistols surviving today, but this pistol is better made and more pleasingly proportioned than most of its contemporaries. Note the raised rectangular edge around the pan, designed to make it more water resistant. e engraving on each side of the lock is not only better in design – it fills the area with artistic flourish – but is also finely cut by a skilled engraver. e walnut butt is of fine quality and is fitted very precisely to the frame of the pistol. is maker clearly took pride in his work.

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Georgian Pocket Pistol

e third pistol was made by John George Lacy of London between 1810 and 1814. He was an appointed gunmaker to the Prince Regent, and produced very high quality arms in that period – I have a cased pair of duelling pistols by him that are as ﬁne as any made by the top London makers.

“He was an appointed gunmaker to the Prince Regent”

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is pistol is only 6.5”/16cm long with a 1.7”/4.3cm barrel, with London Gunmakers’ Company proofs. ere are further points of difference from the ﬁrst two pistols: the metal frame is rounded, the rainproof pan is oval, and there are two roller bearings on the frizzen spring. Each of these features adds complexity and cost to the manufacturing process, and is therefore seen only on ﬁrst quality pocket pistols of that period.

Given the small size of this pistol in the average man’s hand, the butt chequering assists considerably with a firm grip. e fine proportions and engraved double lines and cartouches on each side are more indicators of quality. Pistols like this can sometimes be found in fine original cases with the maker’s trade label inside the lid. I have had many pocket pistols through my hands, because when nice ones appear at an auction or arms fair I find them hard to resist. ese three are sufficiently different to constitute the core of a collection, but there are many more variations in style and age that can be added. For a young collector they are a good way to learn, and even hoary old collectors can still enjoy the best of them.

References 1. Georgian Pistols, The Art and Craft of the Flintlock Pistol, 1715-1840, Norman Dixon, Arms and Armour Press, 1971 2. Great British Gunmakers 1740-1790, Neal and Back,1975

ARMS CAVALCADE 2016

KERIS A Spiritual Transmutation BY PAUL DUFFY & W JOHNSTON “It is essential to understand that almost everywhere in the preindustrial world iron working was invested with an aura of danger and magic.” is is an extract from “Metallurgy and Immortality at Candi Sukuh, Central Java”, written by Stanley J O’Connor in 1985. e works of Stanley J O’Connor have been well received and listed in bibliographies on keris since publication. In this article I will describe and illustrate two keris, one from Madura and the other from Solo (near Jogjakarta) in Java. e keris from Madura has an old blade, 36cm, with seven waves, an interesting pamor pattern, a decorated brass mendak, the metal ornament that holds the base of the hilt (ukiran) onto the pesi which is the extension of the blade which holds the hilt. e ganja (the cross piece of a keris blade) has a similar pattern to the blade. e hilt is old ivory and has been carved to represent a Dutch soldier. On both shoulders of the hilt are “epaulettes”. is was a way of illustrating the uniforms of a soldier in the Dutch army from previous centuries.

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e sheath or scabbard (wrangka) has been carved in a style known as “Madura”. Madura is an island near the north east coast of Java, off from Surabaya, and historically master sheath makers in Madura made sheaths in this style, as distinct from master sheath makes in Java and Bali. is sheath has a polished metal cover (pendok) in which the sheath sits.

“ is sheath is unique as it has been carved from a single piece of wood” is sheath is unique as it has been carved from a single piece of wood. e inner sheath and the top, the elegantly carved part have come from one piece of wood. Usually the top part is carved separately, and ﬁtted to the inner sheath. e second keris is Solo form from Java, has n an old blade 33 cm, ﬁve waves, also an mall interesting pamor pattern, a small y elegant mendak, holding a very planar wooden hilt, the top h is ccarved arved in the of which form of a sna ake (naga). snake

In Javanese mythology a naja is a dragon serpent with a snake’s body and a dragon’s head. is hilt shows the pierced work on the inside of the hilt, the small mask-like faces carved inside, once apparently a feature indicating rank in society. e workmanship is very good, and the hilt is well ﬁtted to his interesting old blade. e crosspiece (ganja) is of similar pattern to the blade. But on the top of this ganja the keris smith (empu) has set decorative pieces of glass in gold. is is an old blade and worn thin, I assume the gold work settings for the glass was carried out at a later time, possibly early in the 20th Century. It is common for blades to be “refreshed”.

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Kerris, A Metaphor for Spiritual Transmutation

e sheath and hilt are later work. e sheath has been made in two parts, the top in the formal Solo form (ladrang), and the bottom part encased with a brass pendok, decorated with ﬂoral motives on the front and a canework pattern on the back.

“ e word wrangka means “keris sheath”, it may also refer to “prison” and “Grand visier” e word wrangka means “keris sheath”, it may also refer to “prison” and “Grand visier”, suggesting that the wrangka “imprison” the power of the blade, and like the grand vizier servicing his king, protect and compliment it. When I ﬁrst bought a keris my interest was in the metalwork. e art of the empu (the smith who forges the blade). Forging a keris blade is a very complex operation. It can brieﬂy be described as a fusion of iron layers alternated with pamor, which is iron-nickel or a thin sheet of nickel, or historically, meteoric iron, thus obtaining the silvery patteron of the blade surface. e pamor.

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e keris from Madura shows quite a deﬁnite layering and the silvery patterns on it are obvious. On the top end of this blade the empu has carved the elephant’s trunk (Kembang Kacang) and under that the lip which projects slightly under the elephant’s trunk. is lip is the Lambe Gajah. Behind the elephant’s trunk is a depression in the metal (Blumbangan). When the keris is held correctly the holder’s thumb and index ﬁnger will sit in the depression on either side. On the other side of the crosspiece are the remains of greneng, small carved pieces which have worn away with age. While each detailed part of the blade has its own name, different regions give different names to the same part, and so don’t have all these individual parts. But they are all keris.

e Madura keris has the ron dha shaped like the character da in the Javanese script. Alan Maisey in his paper An Interpretation of the Pre-Islamic keris (Arms Cavalcade, May 2013) explained the Ron Dha. On the Solo keris there is no elephant’s trunk, elephant’s lip or greneng, however there is a definite depression on either side of the blade for the Blumbangan, and this fits in with the sogokah, the two channels carved on either side, historically as channels to drain blood. I began the article with an extract from Stanley J O’Connor about “iron working”. Garrett and Brenwen Solyman in e World of Javanese Keris write: “Javanese smiths were a group apart. ey practised a basic alchemy, “marrying” iron from the earth with pamor from meteorites of the heavens. rough transmutation by fire, they achieved objects of unquestioned power. e forge was a holy place.”

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Kerris, A Metaphor for Spiritual Transmutation

Diagram showing the names of features in the physical composition of the keris Alan Maisey

“O’Connor argues that iron working was a metaphor for spiritual transmutation in ancient Java. ” 014 ARMS CAVALCADE 2016

When I look at my keris, consider what the empu has done and see the work of art produced I can understand that they had the ability to alter the mode of being of metals, they possessed the key to the means of spiritual transcendence. O’Connor argues that iron working was a metaphor for spiritual transmutation in ancient Java. ey drew their powers from the god of ﬁre.

I should remind you that a keris is made up of other pieces as well as the blade. e hilt and sheath with their components are part of the keris “and present their own incography”, “Only the blade remains a cultural constant, and only the blade is regarded as having a spiritual element”. Maisey, AG Keris have been part of the culture and life of Java for centuries and still are. Solyman writes “Wisma, Wanita, Kukila, turongga, curiga”, “Happy was the Javanese man blessed with these, a house, a wife, a singing bird, a horse and a keris”.

Literature L 1. Maisey, A.G. - Origin of the Keris and its Development to 1 the 14th Century. Arms Cavalcade Vol. 1 No 2. April 1998. 2. Maisey, A.G. - The Keris and the Naga. Arms Cavalcade Vol. 11. No 3 Dec 2000. 3. Maisey, A.G. - An Interpretation of the Pre-Islamic Javanese Keris. Arms Cavalcade May 2013. 4. Solyman, Garrett & Bronwen, - The World of the Javanese Keris. Java Ja vva ane nese eK eriss. er Groneman The Javanese Kris. 5.. Gr 5 G oneman on em man an – T he J he avva a an nes ese Kr K iss. Bibliography 6.. T.D. 6 T..D T D.. Rogers Rog oger ger erss – An An Annotated Ann n ot otat ated B at ib ibli bli liog ogra gra ap ph h hyy of of IIndonesian, ndon nd nes esia ia an, n, Filipino Malay Edged Weapons. Fi F ili lipi ipi pino no n o&M allay a lay ay E dged dg ed e dW ea apo p ns ns. Ghiringhelli, Vanna, The Invincible Krises 7 G 7. hiri hi ring ghe hell lli, i, V an nna a, - Th he In Invi viin nccib i le le K r ses ri se es 2 2.. and Immortality Cadi 8 S.J. 8. S.J S. J.. O’Connor. O’C ’Co on nno n r. - Metallurgy Met etal tal a lur lurg lu rgy an a nd Immo Im mmo mort rtal rt a it ityy att C adi ad Sukuh Central Java. Indonesia Vol 39. April 1985. S Su uku uh Cent C Ce ent ntrra al Ja J Java ava. va. In va nd do one one nessiia Vo ol 3 39 9. A Ap pri r l 19 1 85 5.

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CAUCAS PISTOLS BY TONY WOOD

“ e term ‘Caucasian arms’ is commonly used as a collective concept” rms made in the Caucasus have taken a worthy place in the history of arms, mainly because of their originality, design, decoration, and excellent technical workmanship. e term ‘Caucasian arms’ is commonly used as a collective concept, but it is somewhat artiﬁcial when considering the range of ethnic and historical differences of the peoples of the area, resulting in arms of different design. Today this concept covers all arms from the area between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, ie ﬁrst of all Georgia, Circassia and Dagestan. Circassian weapons are a sub-group: a collective geographical and ethnical concept by which we understand materials that have come from or are associated with Circassia, an area in the northwestern part of the Caucasus. Here several closely related peoples live. ey were originally known under the generic term: Circassians.

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Unlike Georgia there were no towns in Circassia with a developed weapons industry. A stagnation within the Caucasian military in the 18th and beginning of the 19th centuries may be explained by ongoing, similar processes in the neighbouring areas of the Middle East, including such large states as Iran and Turkey. Some types of firearms, eg flintlocks - long obsolete in neighbouring states - were maintained here and used in hunting and warfare. Compared to European arms they were less effective and could only be used locally. e pistols described in this article are, I consider, from Circassia. ey are not mass produced, low cost pistols from a large armoury. Although Caucasian pistols are characterised by their simple construction, these are light with relatively small dimensions, almost straight small oval butts, a trigger formed like a button and without a trigger guard. ese features probably stem from the need to carry ready for use under very difficult conditions in the Caucasian mountains and forests in an occasionally very harsh climate.

IAN

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Caucasian Pistols e pistols would have been made locally, with some foreign inﬂuence, especially from Iran and Turkey. Turkish made gun barrels were famous for their excellent quality, and they were highly appreciated in the Middle East, Caucasus and Transcaucasia. In the Caucasus this barrel design remained practically unchanged. e barrels were decorated with exquisite gilded scroll work in the form of stylised plant ornamentation.

“ e pistols illustrated all have smooth barrels” 1835 Bradford Map of Turkey

1. A miquelet lock pistol with a 37.5cm barrel attached to the stock by a silver sleeve decorated with niello work, with four gold flowers on top of the breech, miquelet lock with gold floral decoration.

2. A miquelet lock pistol with a 32cm barrel attached to the stock with three wide silver bands decorated with niello work. Very good quality gold floral decoration on the full length of the top of the barrel and on the lock. There are gold poincoins on the lock and top of the barrel with unidentified maker’s marks. The stock is covered in green shagreen, with an ivory ball butt cap. A fine example of a Caucasion pistol, c 1800.

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3. A miquelet lock pistol from Dagestan with a 30cm watered damascus barrel decorated with silver work and fixed to the stock by a silver band that extends along the full length of the stock and is decorated with niello work. The butt is also decorated with similar silver work decorated with niello work. The butt cap is decorated in a similar manner with a lanyard ring. c. 1780.

4. A miquelet lock pistol from Dagestan with 34cm barrel marked with a cartouche held by three silver bands decorated with niello work to the stock covered in green shagreen. The butt also decorated with silver plates decorated with niello work. A Russian hall mark is stamped on the silver. The butt cap is ivory between Russian silver decorated with niello, c. 1820.

5. A miquelet lock pistol from Dagestan with a 29cm barrel fixed to the green shagreen stock with three wide silver bands decorated with niello work. The lock stamped with a makerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mark, and surrounded by Russian silver decoration. The butt and butt cap is also decorated with silver plates extensively covered in niello work. A lanyard ring fixed to the butt cap, c 1800.

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Caucasian Pistols

6. A miquelet lock pistol with a 30cm fine, watered and signed damascus barrel, probably Turkish, held to the stock with three wide brass bands. The full stock is covered with brass sheeting held by pins and finely decorated. The back strap is Russian silver with niello work and fitted with an ivory ball butt cap, c 1800.

7. A miquelet lock pistol with a 35cm barrel fixed to the black shagreen stock by three wide bands decorated with floral niello work. A horn cap to the stock. An iron strap screwed to the bottom of the stock, decorated in floral niello work surrounds the ball trigger. The butt cap is ivory in a silver cup decorated in floral niello work, and a ring is attached to the screw. Possibly a Circassion pistol, c 1840s.

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Dagestani pistols can be put into two groups. Characteristics of the first type are massive butts often of European make from the end of the 18th century, with slightly smaller flintlocks than those on long guns. e stocks are of smooth wood with half-spherical ends. Here the silver mounts with niello decoration have more rings to hold the barrel, plus figure plates on the neck. e barrels of this type are occasionally dated, so there are good reasons to place them at the beginning of the first quarter of the 19th century. e second type super-cedes the first considerably. Construction is similar but these are more massive and decorated in a different style. e surface of both neck and stock is densely covered in gilt silver with niello and engravings. is makes the pistols look more expensive, even if sometimes they look over-decorated. Robert Hales in his excellent book, Islamic and Oriental Arms and Armour, A Lifetime’s Passion has illustrated some examples of pistols from Dagestan (p 261 illustrations 635 – 638). Robert points out that “Many Ottoman and Caucasian Islamic and Oriental Arms pistols and guns and Armour were fitted with a small cloth or leather pad just behind the lock, to protect the web of the thumb when used. Very few of these pads have survived, although often small nail heads remain as “witness marks.” None of the pistols illustrated have a pad, however when holding one of these pistols I can understand the need for a pad, as some are quite uncomfortable.

1904 Petrovsk Map of Far East by JG Barthollomew Earlier I mentioned a stagnation within Caucasian military in the 18th and beginning of the 19th centuries. is area was removed from the colonial wars, empires and revolutions between 1750 until the mid 19th century. is is the time when European armies and those of countries founded by European settlement, such as the United States, achieved an unquestionable pre-eminence in military technology and organisation. Up until the early 19th century the dominant force in the Caucasus was Imperial Russia, even though the Russians had been engaged in a morale-sapping guerrilla war beyond the Caucasus mountains against Muslim (primarily Chechen) rebels. Earlier in the 19th century Russia had won superiority over Dagestan from Persia, and the Russian grip on the Caucasus was further strengthened by Turkey’s retreat from the Black Sea in 1829. ese conﬂicts continued until the Crimean war which effectively stymied Russian ambitions to seize the remains of the Turkish territories in the Balkans. In the Caucasus and Central Asia however, despite some residual British interest in keeping the Russian frontier from touching that of British India, local Muslim powers fought long and hard - as they are still.

Literature 1. Caucasian Arms from the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg by Yurij A Miller. 2. Islamic and Oriental Arms & Armour, A Lifetime’s Passion by Robert Hales. 3. Arms of The Paladins, The Richard R Wagner Jr. Collection of Fine Eastern Weapons by Oliver S Pinchot. 4. Arms & Armour of Caucasus by Krill Rivkin

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MILITARY BAD AUSTRALIAN S

Badges for colonial units and early federation military units carried imperial symbo Saint George, with a star at each arm of the cross. Late in the 19th Century and foll the emu and the kangaroo, the rising sun, the waratah, acacia and wattle. 4

1. A squadron of the Yeomanry Regiment, formed at Charring Cross, London in 1901, from Australian volunteers reside word AUSTRALASIAN, and another similar with the kangaroo and the word AUSTRALIA. 2. 3rd Regiment, NSW Voluntee INFANTRY. 3. 3rd Australian Infantry Regiment, trial striking for a collar badge pair. The 3rd Regiment, NSW Volunteer (Australian Riﬂes) 1896-1903. A waratah in a wreath over a rising sun over a Queens Crown surrounded by an emu and a 1903. A collar badge showing a waratah above IN WAR AND PEACE PREPARED. A R REGT. 6. 1st Australian Volunteer H crossed riﬂes, surrounded by a kangaroo and and emu. 7. Australian Commonwealth Cadet Corps, Hat badge and colla CADET CORPS. 8. Australian WWI hat and collar badges – 1904. These are examples of the Third Rising Sun Badges sho

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GES AND YMBOLS

ols. e King or Queens Crown and the cross ross of lowing federation, local symbols were adopted; pted; 7

ent in London to serve in the Boer War. They had two types of badge. One with a kangaroo, rising sun, acacia and the er Infantry, after 1878. This shows a rising sun over the cross of Saint George surrounded by two waratahs, over NSW Infantry changed to the Australian Infantry Regiment. NSW was replaced by AUST. 4. 6th Volunteer Infantry Regiment, a kangaroo over the words IN WAR AND PEACE PREPARED. 5. 6th Volunteer Infantry Regiment, (Australian) 1896Horse, 1897-1903. Cap badge, large button and small button. All showing a waratah above the cross of Saint George, ar badge 1903-1906. These show a rising sun above a Kings Crown, with the words AUSTRALIAN COMMONWEALTH owing the rising sun above a Kings Crown and the words AUSTRALIAN COMMONWEALTH MILITARY FORCES. ARMS CAVALCADE 2015

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Pommel A Crusaders Sword BY ROGER DUNDAS y major collecting interest has been the use of watered steel in the weapons of India, Persia, Afghanistan, Turkey etc. In 2006 I received a catalogue from Los Angeles called “Antiqua”. At that time I was somewhat interested in Bactrian coins found in modern Afghanistan that were relics of Alexander the Great’s incursions into that part of the world around 328 BC and later when his Greek colonists inﬂuence was still evident (up to around the time of Christ). An item advertised in “Antiqua” which has almost nothing to do with the above caught my attention.

SWORD POMMEL Crusader, circa 12th century A.D. Bronze with enamel inlay, Diameter: 5 cm. “ e pommel has the form of a roundel with fluted edges, perforated from top to bottom for insertion of the hilt. On both sides, the circles around the edge contain fleur-de-lis, defined by blue enamel paste. Side A shows a lion left in blue paste, against a background of twining vines and palmettes. Side B shows a coat of arms on a similar background. e left half of the shield bears a lion rampart right, silhouetted on light enamel paste; the right side bears black bars on blue enamel paste.

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Found in Northern Israel. e First Crusade (1096 – 1102) established four Frankish colonies on Cyprus and in the Levant, including the county of Edessa, the principality of Antioch, the kingdom of Jerusalem and the county of Tripoli. e Crusaders who settled the Latin East came from Flanders, Normandy, Languedoc and Lorraine. Interesting and very rare.” is wasn’t something I had been looking for and also I had never even seen a Crusader sword for sale. Some swords which were of a later date and had been deposited in armouries at Alexandria in Egypt and St. Irene in Istanbul and marked: if they did come up for sale they were very expensive. e pommel had a high price on it but rare coins can bring high prices also, so I decided I would buy it with the thought in mind that if it turned out to be a dud, what on earth would my wife and family make of my decision. Not until later did I tell my wife the full story. Pommels have been an essential component of swords and daggers since at least the third millennium BC.

Sword Pommel 12thâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;13th century Side A

Side B

An Anglo-Saxon Sword Pommel, late 9th century

ough sometimes purely decorative, a pommel usually serves to keep the hand from sliding off the end of a weaponâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s grip and acts as a counterweight to offset the blade, making a properly balanced sword or dagger feel light and manoeuvrable in the hand. I am not aware of many old pommels or old swords in public collections in Australia, however to illustrate the different types I have illustrated several examples from catalogues published by Peter Finer. I thank him for allowing me to do so. This pommel (above) is formed of a hollow core of iron decorated with panels, each

surrounded by strips of gilded iron and enclosing silver and niello inlaid ornamentation. The central field on both sides containing an owl-like creature above two encircled crosses; the flanking panels decorated with islands of alternating spirals; each of the three faces of both shoulders carrying similar alternating spiral decoration of exquisite quality. The peak of the pommel covered by a canopy of heavy gauge silver with four decorated straps and held in place by four rivets, at each extremity is depicted tiny animal with gaping jaws, the eye of one still retaining its silver coating.

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Pommel - A Crusaders Sword

An exceptional Viking sword with gold and silver inlaid blade and hilt, early 10th century. is sword has a double-edged blade of gradual taper, inlaid on both sides in gold and silver with decorative patterns, one side bearing a gradually tapering palmette design. e hilt comprising downcurved cross guard, sturdy tang and ﬁve lobbed pommel riveted to the upward-curving upper guard; the cross guard, upper guard and pommel all inlaid in silver with decorative knot work and tracery and in gold with dots.

A very rare bronze Viking age sword pommel, late 10th century. Cast and chased in bronze, comprising a trilobate upper pommel incised with entwined animalistic forms above a lower pommel incised with diamond-shaped panels of whorled and floral decoration separated by saltires, each central panel flanked by quatrefoils, the interstices of the separating salfires filled with tiny animalistic forms.

The Sword of Prince Alphonse, Count of Poitiers and Toulouse c 1250. e hilt on this sword featuring a distinctive bronze pommel of chamfered disk form, its base being thicker than its top when viewed in proﬁle, secured to the tang with a decorative copper button. Upon both faces of the pommel are the Arms of Prince Alphonse Capet (per pale, azure seme-de-lys or and gules seme of towers or), these being executed in gilded enamels and reversed on the rear face of the sword.

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ese three pommels, the 9th century Anglo Saxon iron piece, the 10th century Viking bronze piece, and the 13th century French bronze decorated piece illustrate the function of a pommel, to prevent the sword from being dropped. ese are all “European”, but from different areas of Europe, and all decorated. e last one from France with the chamfered disk is decorated in a similar manner to the one featured in this article. Although as can be seen from the illustration, my pommel has been cast in the form of a scalloped disc with twelve lobes or forts. One face bears a blue enamelled lion passant guardant on a circular field of scrolling foliate decoration. On the other face is an enamelled shield (enamel partly decayed) which may be blazoned [a lion rampant contourne or Argent impaling, or Argent five bends within a border Azure. Both faces have a series of linked trefoils or fleurs-de-lis, each reserved on blue enamel on each of the outer lobes. Description courtesy Landscapes Artefacts. Studies in East Anglican Archelogy by Steven Ashley & Martin Biddle.

I have found it difficult to get information on this pommel. Fortunately in 2008 I was referred by a friend and fellow collector Barry Thomas to the Metropolitan Museum in New York, as his research had located a similar pommel in the Museum Collection. This was the pommel with the arms of Pierre de Dreux (ca 1190 – 1250), the Duke of Brittany and Earl of Richmond. This is described as made of copper, gold enamel and iron, 6 cm in length, 6.1 cm wide. The Duke of Brittany was captured during the Seventh Crusade at the Battle of Mansurah in Egypt on February 8th 1250. This is a similar story to the pommel and sword of Prince Alphonse, Count of Poitiers and Toulouse, who was captured after the Battle of Mansurah where the Crusaders under King Louis were also eventually forced to surrender after many weeks of constant siege. Prince Alphonse had to remain in captivity to ensure the balance of the ransom. He was released after a short time and returned to France to join the King in Acre.

Sword Pommel with the Arms of Pierre de Dreux (ca. 1190–1250), Duke of Brittany and Earl of Richmond

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Pommel - A Crusaders Sword

DONALD J. LA ROCCA Curator, Arms and Armor, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

ommels have been an essential component of swords and daggers since at least the third millennium B.C.1 Though sometimes purely decorative, a pommel usually serves to keep the hand from sliding off the end of a weapon’s grip and acts as a counterweight to offset the blade, making a properly balanced sword or dagger feel light and maneuverable in the hand. As part of a weapon that was often worn or carried in a prominent position, the pommel was frequently decorated, sometimes in the round and very elaborately. Pommels can be made of gold, silver, bronze and other copper alloys, bone, ivory, horn, rock crystal, or iron. They can be wrought, chiseled, carved, or cast; embellished with a wide range of materials, including gold and silver, precious and semiprecious stones, and glass; and decorated in a variety of metalworking techniques such as gilding, inlay, damascening, chasing, chiseling, inset plaques, and enamels (both champlevé and cloisonné). The basic components of a typical European sword or dagger from the early Middle Ages onward consist of a blade with an integral tang (a narrow, unsharpened iron shank that extends from the base, or shoulders, of the blade and is made in one piece with it), a guard, a grip, and a pommel. The last three elements — guard, grip, and pommel — are collectively referred to as the hilt. Each part of the hilt has a central opening through which the tang is inserted. Usually the tang is visible only when the sword or dagger is disassembled or its grip is missing. To fit the blade and hilt elements together, the guard is slid over the tang until it rests against the shoulders of the blade; the guard is followed by the grip, and finally the pommel. In most cases the tip of the tang protrudes from a hole at the top of the pommel and is peened, or hammered flat, locking the components of the hilt and the blade solidly together. In this way the pommel not only balances but also unites the entire weapon. Metropolitan Museum Journal 46 © 2011 The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Metropolitan Journal # 46, 2011

is was very interesting and led me to contact Donald La Rocca, the Curator of Arms and Armour at the MET. is contact was most opportune as Donald La Rocca was completing a study of the pommels in the museum collection, plus another twenty or so, on loan. is study was published in the Metropolitan Journal # 46 in 2011. An excellent article called Sword & Dagger Pommels Associated with the Crusades, Part 1. Donald La Roca also noted: “Of the pommels in this group a few were found in the late 19th century by French antiquarians working in the Holy Land and cited by them in scholarly journals at the time. You will ﬁnd references to these in the forthcoming article. Two examples in our permanent collection were acquired in the 1920’s and 1030’s; one with a French provenance, the other from Syria Cabo (reference in the article). e bulk of the group on loan to us was assembled more recently over a period of several years by an Israeli dealer who said he acquired them in different parts of Israel and Palestine. What I suggest in the article is that the pommels of this type, all originally mounted on swords or daggers, were bought to the Holy Land from Western Europe. We have to keep in mind that during the long period of the Crusader States, tens of thousands of European Knights and men at

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It was not uncommon for a sword or dagger to be disassembled and reassembled more than once during its working lifetime, either for repair or replacement of damaged or lost parts, or for alterations to keep up with changes in style or fashion. During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, moreover, when antique edged weapons were actively acquired for both their aesthetic and their historical qualities, parts of swords and daggers were often mixed and matched by dealers, restorers, and private collectors. Consequently,

1. Detail of an illumination from the Morgan Picture Bible (fol. 33r), Old Testament miniatures, France, ca. 1250. The Pierpont Morgan Library, New York, Purchased by John Pierpont Morgan (1865 –1943) in 1916 (MS M.638). The miniature shows the armor and weapons typical of the period of the Crusades. Note particularly the variety of sword and dagger pommels.

Sword & Dagger Pommels Associated with the Crusades, Part 1

arms worked, lived and fought in the Holy Land. erefore the survival of a few pommels is perhaps not so surprising. e blades being ferrous metal are completely gone except in one or two instances … the pommels, being copper alloys were able to survive quite well!” Also in the Metropolitan Museum Journal # 46 is Part II of Sword & Dagger Pommels Associated with the Crusades: A Technical Study, by Peter Dandridge and Mark T Wypyski, both also of the MET. is article starts with an interesting statement: “ e upsurge in demand during the Middle Ages for ecclesiastical and secular metalwork initiated an intense period of creativity for goldsmiths and metalworkers who were constantly adopting, evolving and commingling techniques and materials to fulfil their clients’ valuable desires”. e authors give an explanation of the introduction of the casting of hollow objects in the round by the lost wax process in Medieval Europe, as well as a listing the results of their x-radiographs carried out on the MET collection of pommels, finishing with a study of analyses of medieval Limoges and Mosan enamels on copper. e authors conclude: “ ese pommels represent an unique melding of technologies firmly rooted in the 12th and 13th centuries that are chronologically aligned with their stylistic and historic dating.”

Round Dagger Pommel with Scalloped Edges 12th–13th century

In 2009 thinking the armorial deviation may have been English I wrote to the College of Arms in London. I was advised that the pommel has a shield of impaled arms on one side and a single lion passant guardant on the other. Impaled arms frequently allow the bearer to be identiﬁed, because they represent a marriage, with the arms of the man on the dexter (the observer’s left) and those of his wife on the sinister (the observer’s right). However as I mentioned in my (earlier letter), the arms of the dexter are most unusual with the lion facing inwards, which may be blazoned a lion rampant contourne (or possibly a lion rampant contourne guardant). Such a device is rare in heraldry because charges normally face to the dexter or dominant side of the shield. After more research I was advised that an example of the lion rampant contourne could not be found in English records nor French records. I am still optimistic about identifying the device. Earlier I mentioned the article by Steven Ashley and Martin Biddle on recent ﬁnds of late twelfth or early thirteen century sword and dagger pommels associated with the Crusades. is study considered the pommels in the MET

referred to in the article by Donald La Roca, and also my pommel which is now on loan to the MET Collection, as well as others from England, Holland and the Holy Land. Ashley and Biddle comment on my pommel: “One face of the finely elaborately enamelled pommel from Northern has a lion passant guardant on a circular foliate field similar to the lions in La Roca. However, unlike them, this lion is not crowned. e other face bears distinctive arms, which, as yet, remain unidentified.” On the origin issue they note that La Roca suggests a French origin. However they note that the steady trickle of finds being discovered in England and Holland prompts alternative suggestions for the place of origin. e possibility of an English origin is reinforced by the presence of a crowned lion as a change on many of the examples recovered from the Holy Land. Lions have had an association with Kings of England from at least the reign of Henry II, which was strengthened from 1198 when three passant guardant were adopted as the English royal arms. ereafter lions abstracted from, or the royal arms were commonly employed on a wide variety of personal possessions.

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Pommel - A Crusaders Sword

Side views of Sword Pommel Ashley and Biddle offer the possibility that as the majority of the pommels appear to have been found in Outremer (“Overseas” French, Outre-mer, the general name given to Crusader states established after the First Crusade). It is entirely possible that they were manufactured there, and those ﬁnds with European provenance represent swords and daggers (or their pommels at least) brought back by Knights on their return from the Crusades. is is a reasonable assumption, bearing in mind the advice from the College of Arms in London; namely the example on my pommel could not be

found in English nor French records. As I mentioned I have loaned my pommel to the Met for display with the others there in the collection. As Donald La Roca explains it was not uncommon for a sword or dagger to be disassembled and reassembled more than once in its working lifetime, either for repair or replacement of damaged or lost parts. During the 19th and 20th centuries moreover when antique edged weapons were actually acquired for their aesthetic and their historical qualities, parts of swords and daggers were often mixed and matched by dealers, restorers,

General Map of Era of the Crusades

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Image from DONALD J . LA ROCCA study, Sword and Dagger Pommels Associated with the Crusades Part I

An English Crusader Staffordshire, England and private collectors. My hope is that persons interested in the study of pommels will beneﬁt from the collection at the MET. In relation to my pommel I think it is a very interesting piece, and I’m impressed with the Outre-mer explanation. Excellent edged weapons were made in areas near the Middle East. Many thanks to Paul Duffy for his help with writing this article.

Literature 1. Sword & Dagger Pommels Associated with the Crusades. Part 1. by Donald la Rocca Part 2. A Technical Study by Pete Dandridge & Mark T Wypyski. Metropolitian Museum Journal v. 46/2011. 2. Recent Finds in Late Twelth or Early thirteenth Century Sword & Dagger Pommels Associated with the Crusades by Steven Ashley & Martin Biddle. 3. Landscapes & Artefacts; Studies in East Anglican Archaelogy, Archaepress Archaelogy 2014. 5. Peter Finer Ltd Catalogues MM111 MMV. 6. A Glossary on the Construction, Decoration & Use of Arms & Armour in all Countries & in all Times, by George Cameron Stone 1999.

Catalogues by Peter Finer

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An Indian Rifle BY PAUL DUFFY n India historical records of Babur’s reign (the founder of the Mughal Empire in 1526) include numerous references to the use of cannons and matchlocks during various campaigns. Also during the reign of Akbar (1556 – 1605) recorded in the life of Akbar, the Ain-i-Akbari was a rather precise chronicle of the Emperor’s life and activities. It described his interest in firearms and elaborated on various methods of manufacture and testing of gun barrels. Egerton, quoting from Ain-i-Akbar stated: “Banduq or match locks are now made in such a manner that when filled with powder, there is no fear of their bursting. Formerly they could not fill them to more than a quarter. Besides they made them with the hammer and anvil, by flattening pieces of iron and joining the flattened edges on both sides.” He further described: “His majesty has invented an excellent method of construction. After having the iron flattened, it is rolled up obliquely like a roll of paper so that the folds get longer at every twist. en they join the folds, not edge to edge, but so as to allow them to lie one over the other, and heat them gradually in the fire.”

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A third method was reported: “Cylindrical pieces of iron are properly tempered, and then bored with a borer. ree or four of these are joined together to make one gun.” I have quoted this excerpt at length from On Damascus Steel by Leon S Figuel MD as he has been able to describe the introduction of the Damascus gun barrel. Such barrels were usually made by spirally winding faggots or bars of specially prepared layer welded or pattern welded steels around a rod or mandrel and subsequently welding all contact joints.

It is probable that the use of thoroughly forged, pattern welded steels resulted in a superior gun barrel in spite of the complex welding process. Such barrels were highly prized because of their beauty and functionality. In an article in Caps & Flints June 2003 titled Anglo – Indian Hybrid this riﬂe was illustrated and the barrel thought to have been manufactured in Sind (modern lower Pakistan), Afganistan or Persia, as part of the collection of a noble subsequently dispersed after conquest by the British forces in 1843.

It is interesting to note that early in the 19th century tension broke out within the state of Sind, and as a result the Maratha Empire declared war in Sindi, during which Colonel Arthur Wellesley took a leading role. He went on to become the Duke of Wellington, of Peninsula War and On Damascus Steel Waterloo fame. is gun has a grooved barrel, 41 1/4 inches long, bore .50 inches, and is held by three wedges in a full length stock, possibly rosewood, with cheek piece and chequered wrist. e trigger guard and butt plate are made of iron. ere is a gilt tipped iron ramrod. Both trigger guard and butt plate are

engraved, the engraving is well worn, and seems to have been a floral pattern. e trigger guard has a pineapple finial. e iron fittings including the wedge fittings seem original to the stock, which has been made from a single piece of wood, 56 1/4 inches long. e lock fits well in the stock, as does the barrel. ere is no evidence of the stock being altered or repaired to take the barrel, and the two sling swivels appear contemporary. J.F. Haywood in e Art of the Gun Maker (v. 2 p 211) when writing of the English style of the 1780s mentions “the adoption the pineapple terminal to the trigger guard ….. It is not possible to account for the substitution of the pineapple for the acorn trigger guard that preceded it, apart from the fact that it had an uncomplicated profile and could be readily engraved.”

An Indian Rifle

e wrist is chequered and Haywood also comments that “Towards the end of the century (18th century), it became usual to chequer the surface of the butt on each side to enable the user to take a ﬁrm grip (v. 2 p 69)”. Irena Grabowska in Pollard’s History of Firearms (p 499) explains that England’s decoration followed the Palladian movement, which rejected the more ﬂamboyant forms of baroque art stocks.

“ e lock has an engraved percussion hammer in dolphin form with two gold eyes” ey were rather plain and, as their effect depended chieﬂy on the natural grain of the wood, carved ornament was conﬁned to raised borders around the locks and side plate and to a little carving behind the tang of the barrel. On this stock there is no ornamental carving apart from the chequering. ere is also a vacant silver escutcheon plate on the top wrist of the stock. e stock seems to say “I’m English” - was it a stock from an 18th century English fowler?

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e lock has an engraved percussion hammer in dolphin form with two gold eyes. e lock plate is engraved with ﬂoral scenes and a deer, in the middle of the lock plate is a recessed gold stamped mark in Urdu script. I am grateful for the help of Donald La Rocca at the Metropolitan Museum, New York for having a colleague read the characters as the name “Al Ghanour” or “Ghanur.” Perhaps this is the name of an owner or gun maker. I have not been able to trace a gun maker of that name. e inside of the lock is also interesting and well made. It is almost identical to an illustration in Guns & Riﬂes of the World. is lock is illustrated and described as:” “Side Action Percussion Lock.” Perfection in Lock Work by Joseph Manton. e tumbler B is supported by a strong bridle and is worked by the mainspring A through a link to give a smoother action. e vertically acting sear C strengthened where it meets the notches of the tumbler. A sliding safety-catch engages in both the hammer and the tumbler. C from a double-barrelled sporting gun c 1830 in the Tower of London Armouries (Study Collection).

e mechanism of the lock from the Indian rifle is the same except that there is no safety catch. In the chapter on Joseph Manton and family in e Mantons: Gunmakers there is an illustration from Patent Specification No 4166, of the inside of a lock of a flintlock, which clearly also shows the tumbler being supported by a bridle that is worked by the main spring through a link to give a smoother action. Standard military flintlock actions did not have this link, which was more expensive. e patent specification is dated 1817 Sept 26, and the link connection was not mentioned in the Patent application which was for a special flash-pan to be used with flint ignition. I assume then that Joseph Manton had been using this link connection before 1830. A hooked breech plug with the percussion nipple attached has been fitted to replace the pan and pan cover used with a matchlock ignition system. is new breech is decorated in gold overlay in a style similar to the gold decoration on the rest of the barrel. e percussion lock may be placed roughly between the years 1830 and 1840, by the use of a vent plug, corresponding in position to the touch hole, and pierced through its centre by a minute hole communicating with the powder chamber. is was designed to eliminate fouling from the channel connecting the nipple with the chamber, by allowing it to be blown outwards by the force of the explosion, if necessary. e new breech plug has a hook which fits into the female part of the breech screwed to the stock, and decorated with gold overlay similar to the breech plug.

“ e barrel is the striking part of this rifle” e barrel would have been fitted to the original matchlock stock by leather or wire bands. When the conversion took place the hooked breech plug was screwed on and three pierced lugs were welded to the underside of the barrel and these are secured by the wedges which fit in recesses in the stock. e barrel is the striking Butterfield Catalogue part of this rifle. Earlier I referred to the work of the late Dr Leo S Figiel in On Damascus Steel, which is illustrated with works from his collection and outlines his theories and his research. As well as many swords, katars and daggers he illustrated and discussed fine examples of matchlock sporting guns which display the variations in damascus patterns produced by Mogul gunsmiths, as well as their skills in chisel work and gold damascening. Dr Figiel’s collection was sold at auction in 1998 by Butterfield & Butterfield in San Francisco. I mention these as the barrel under discussion is similar to one illustrated by Dr Figiel on p120 of his book and sold as lot 2068 in the auction. is gun was described by Dr Figiel as an Indian matchlock hunting rifle c 1700: “ e barrel is made of helically wound, compactly twisted, deeply ground laminate

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An Indian Rifle

which reveals four pointed stars, whorls and a semicircular pattern. e average width of each faggot measures 5-6 mms, and demonstrates a deeply etched, mildly convex surface.” Dr Figiel commented: “Undoubtedly a rifle made for royalty or an owner of high estate.” e Butterfield & Butterfield catalogue description was also detailed, although they dated the rifle as probably 18th Century. What do we make of this hybrid? It boasts an elegant rosewood stock, but is too long for the

“ e very fine damascus barrel is converted to percussion in a very workmanlike manner” stock of an English flintlock or percussion rifle with iron furniture similar to other English guns at the turn of the 18th century. It has a steel ramrod which is probably original. Its lock is well made and almost identical to locks made by Joseph Manton in the early 19th century. e very fine damascus barrel is converted to percussion in a very workmanlike manner, and it has an excellent hooked, breech plug, venting nipple chamber, all dating from the 1830s. Except for the recessed gold stamps, no component is stamped with proof or view mark. e proofing system so carefully established over the centuries on the Continent and in England was not implemented in India.

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e principal sites of manufacture in India for gun barrels were Kashmir, the Sind (now Pakistan), especially Lahore; Gujerat; Afganistan and in the late 18th century the region around Agra, including Pateola, Kotah, and Bundi. ese regions were part of the Moghul Empire during most of the 16th to 18th centuries. e gun makers and gun owners of England of the late 18th century onwards were well aware of the quality of foreign made barrels. Spanish, Italian and Turkish barrels were all remounted to English and Scottish stocks to replace worn barrels. W Keith Neal and DHL Back illustrate this well in Great English Gun Makers 1740 – 1790. A perusal of the Christies London catalogues of the W Keith Neal collection also show many examples of foreign barrels, including at lot 64 of Sale 6452 on 25 October 2001 a 23 bore flintlock sporting gun by Joseph Manton, London c1795. e description of this lot reads: “With earlier swamped Indian barrel from a Matchlock in seven stages divided by raised bands, five of the stages fluted, the muzzle in the form of a gold-damascened monster head, the breech with gold koftgari decoration, standing back-sight, and gold-lined touch hole, finely engraved shaped tang, signed lock retained from the right side with engraved bevelled border, roller, stepped tail, and gold-lined semi-rainproof pan (cock associated) figured walnut half-stock, chequered grip, engraved iron mounts, trigger-plate with pineapple finial, horn fore-end cap, and laser horn-tipped ramrod.” Was Joseph Manton involved with the conversion of this Indian barrel to percussion, and the restocking? is was the period when England grew and prospered. e East India Company had been in India for a long time, gentlemen and officers travelled to India, many liked the experience

and returned with “souvenirs.” Charles Manton visited India at some period between 1822 and 1827. ese were the days of great live pigeon shooting matches. Joseph Manton had for some years been producing large shoulder guns for wildfowling. During the years 1819 Christies Catalogue to 1824 the number of arms produced was about 200 per year, and in addition a considerable number were converted from flintlock, pellet lock, or tube lock to cap lock ignition. is was accomplished either by supplying new cocks and fitting nipples to the existing breech, or by fitting an entirely new lock and breech. So beautifully is much of the work carried out, that only the most careful inspection will reveal that there has in fact been conversion.

Was the riﬂe converted by Manton & Co, in England or at their premises in Calcutta? I doubt that we will ever know, there are no proof or view marks. Also on the death of Joseph Manton in England in 1834, all books connected with the ﬁrm were sent to India. ese have been entirely destroyed by white ants. e recessed gold stamped mark on the lock plate indicates a strong Indian connection. I will keep looking for Ali Ghanour or Ali Ghanur: was this fellow impressed with the percussion action,, and did he arrange for the conversion and restocking??

Literature 1. On Damascus Steel by Leo S Figuel MD. 2. The Dr Leo S Figiel Collection of Mogul Arms, August 24, 1998 Butterfield & Butterfield. 3. The Mantons: Gunmakers by W Keith Neal & D.H.L. Back 4. Caps & Flints v18, #8 June 2003 the official magazine of the Antique and Historical Arms Collectors Guild of Victoria, Inc 5. Great English Gunmakers 1740-1790. The History of John Twigg and the Packington Guns, by W Keith Neal & D.H.L. Back. 6. Pollards History of Firearms, General Editor Claude Blair. 7. The Art of the Gunmaker, Volume 2, J.F. Haywood. 8. Guns & Rifles of the World, Howard Blackmore. 9. English Pistols & Revolvers, J.N. George. 10. Christies London, auctions of W. Keith Neal Collection, sales 6542, 5500, 8934.

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At The Sh A Cased set of Victorian Surgeon’s Instruments BY BILL TAYLOR think it is fair to say that collectors of antique arms do not spend a lot of time dwelling on the unpleasant impact on the human body that the bullets fired from their favoured pieces may have had. We may discuss the effect of rifling on a bullet’s accuracy, or the amount of powder that is required to flatten its trajectory, or the knockdown power of a heavy bullet over a lighter one, but it is usually at a comfortable mental distance from what happens at the sharp end. Our interests tend to lie more in the characteristics of the arm - its quality, its place in history, its maker, its accessories - than in the shock, mess and pain that a bullet or sword inflicts on human flesh.

“the shock, mess and pain that a bullet or sword inflicts on human flesh” So what did happen to someone shot in the chest in a battlefield like Waterloo or whose leg was smashed by a cannon ball in a naval battle like Trafalgar? What did they do with someone whose skull had been beaten in? How did doctors save people when at those times there was no knowledge of anaesthesia or asepsis? How is it that people actually survived after such injuries?

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Part of the answer lies in the tools that were developed. For instance, for someone with a smashed up arm or leg - especially if it was turning gangrenous - amputation was often the only choice. Amputations had been done from ancient times, but by the 18th century there were special surgical instruments and techniques to make them quick and effective. Speed was essential before anaesthesia was developed: the pain and shock of the procedure was considerable and could only partly be alleviated by giving the wounded person opium or getting them very drunk. Surgeons were trained to make a single circular cut right around the limb through muscles, tendons and tissues down to the bone. ey would then cut through the bone with a saw while taking care to leave enough skin and ﬂesh to make a stump. One of the great surgeons of Victorian times, Robert Liston, was renowned for his speed and on one occasion

harp End Military Cased military surgeon’s instruments set by Arnold and Sons, London

removed a man’s leg in 28 seconds. He was also the ﬁrst to perform an operation in England using an anaesthetic, in 1846. Sets of amputation knives using Robert Liston’s design are the most commonly found in cased sets of instruments throughout the 19th century. ese knives are long (the longest shown here has a 27 cm blade length, but they could be as much as 37 cm long) with hollow ground proﬁles and a strong back edge to give rigidity. e smallest knife (called a catlin) is double

“and on one occasion removed a man’s leg in 28 seconds” edged along its full length. ey are hand made with a very high polish to the steel, and ﬁtted with ebony or lignam vitae handles. Some sets can be found with pressed horn or ivory handles. e handles are generally part chequered (although some surgeons preferred them without chequering).

Liston amputation knives

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At The Sharp End

Amputation saws

e large saws used for cutting through bone were either shaped like a tenon saw, or like a ﬁne hack or fret saw. Field surgeon’s sets also contained chain link saws with small ebony handles to attach to each end. ey look like miniature bicycle chains, with one side consisting of the saw teeth and hooks at each end to attach to the ebony handles. ey were used for procedures where cutting a bone whilst limiting damage to surrounding tissue was desired.

“Field surgeon’s sets also contained chain link saws with small ebony handles” A necessary accessory to amputation procedures was the tourniquet. In old times surgeons used simple garottes or compression clamps, but in 1718 Jean-Louis Petit invented a strap and screw device enabling the pressure on an artery to be adjusted, which he called a tourniquet. e naval or army surgeon also had to be able to remove bullets or pieces of shrapnel that may have penetrated deep into body tissues and cavities. Instruments specialised for the task were like these:

Fine chain saws

Petit type tourniquet

e bullet extractor consists of a long slender steel tube which is shaped at its far end to form a shallow scoop with some sharp projections on its inner surface to engage with the lead ball. Inside the tube is another sliding tube with sharp serrations at the far end: the instrument would be pushed down the path of the bullet until the scoop could be manoeuvred around it. e internal tube would then be slid up to the near side of the ball so that the serrations would grip it, and the whole instrument would be drawn back out of the wound with the ball in its clutches. Imagine having that done to you without anaesthetic!

Forceps and bullet extractor

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Trephines

When severe damage was done to the head, such as a depressed fracture, surgeons used special saws to cut away the skull and levers to lift broken sections back into place. Circular saws called trephines and other small cranial saws were used to remove pieces of skull without damaging the brain beneath. Surgery of this type (trepanning) has a very long history, for archaeologists have found ancient skulls showing evidence of such work, with regrowth in the bone demonstrating that the patients survived.

“surgeons used special saws to cut away the skull” For other cranial bone surgery, small double edged saws like this were used:

e image below includes an ivory mounted syringe, strong forceps and in the top compartment three long sterling silver catheters which are hallmarked for London 1878. I have illustrated these items from a large group of instruments in a set made by Arnold and Sons, London, around 1878 (indicated by silver hallmarks on several catheters) for use by a military ﬁeld surgeon. It has two trays of instruments and a compartment for saws in the lid. Medical sets from Georgian and Victorian England are fascinating. Apart from beautifully made long amputation knives, bone saws and scalpels, they include weird and wonderful instruments whose use is not at all clear to the layman, but which generally look rather ominous. ey also have lovely obscure names, like bistoury, trephine, trocar, and catlin. When having their uses explained, I ﬁnd that non collectors tend to look a bit faint and change the subject.

Hey’s cranial saw

As well as exhibiting highly finished steel and brass surfaces, some of the instruments have screws or springs which have been polished and then fire blued, which gives them an intense, bright colour similar to blued firearms of the period.

Ivory syringe, forceps and silver catheters

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At The Sharp End

I like them because they are items made by craftsmen and were designed to save lives. e Victorian period knives are made of ﬁne steel that is so highly polished that many people wrongly assume they have been nickel or chrome plated. Certain specialised pieces like catheters and cannulars are made from sterling silver. e instrument cases are also attractive items: usually in ﬁne mahogany, the heavier sets are always brass bound and have their tops and bottoms screwed on with every screw slot precisely aligned. Surgical sets of the mid to late Victorian period can still be found, but they are by no means common. Most have a few pieces missing (often scissors and small forceps), and their condition varies from well used to mint.

One reason for those surviving in mint condition is the better understanding of infection control by sterilisation. Instruments were sterilised through boiling, but as boiling destroys ebony handles, from the 1880s there was a complete changeover to instruments that were all steel. By World War I the beautiful velvet trays of instruments seen in fine Victorian sets had been replaced by plain steel racks so that an entire tray of instruments could be submerged in boiling water. e advent of sterilisation must have left manufacturers with an unsellable back stock of new instrument sets fitted with ebony and other natural handles. For collectors this created an exciting legacy of fine cased instruments nts in bra brand new condition - if you can find one. e e.

“ e instrument cases are also attractive items: usually in ﬁne mahogany”

References 1. Elisabeth Bennion, Antique Medical Instruments, Sotheby Parke Bernet, London, 1979

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Contributors BILL TAYLOR A Trio of Georgian Pocket Pistols At the Sharp End Bill Taylor has been collecting antique arms for forty five years in Sydney, y, Canberra and Adelaide. He specializes in English flintlock pistols, and d still enjoys finding something good, hidden under a couple of centuries ies of grime. He also collects antique Japanese swords and fittings. gs.

TONY WOOD Caucasian Pistols A collector for many years, originally British, Colonial and American arms. I then became fascinated with Islamic arms and armour, especially from India and Persia.

PAUL DUFFY Keris – A Metaphor for Spiritual Transmutation An Indian Riﬂe I started with British military and sporting arms, as they were available, especially those with colonial markings. But I became fascinated with the art of the gunmaker and the complexity and culture of Islamic and Javanese weapons. Working with metal.

ROGER DUNDAS Pommel – from a Crusader’s Sword One of my great enjoyments in life has been reading the histories of mankind and to have items and weapons from different and important periods and places to hold and to dream about. Just so exotic, so different from our modem western lifestyles. I have never travelled outside of Australia except in my mind and in my reading. I really admire the weapon designs of lndo-Persian and Turkish swords and daggers and the wonderful decoration of their armour.

ARMS CAVALCADE 2016

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