Samuel Evans Gunsmith Samuel Evans was apprenticed to John Jenkins of Bristol on 9th June 1755, and admitted as a Burgess (Freeman) on 1 October 1774, and operated as a gunsmith at St Nicolas, Bristol from 1774 until after 1784. By Paul Duffy
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acquired this brass barrelled, flintlock blunderbuss pistol some years go. A well-made pistol, with a spring bayonet and cross sceptred proof marks. The name S Evans is engraved on the lock, which is fitted with a half cock safety catch. I had searched Der Neue Stockel, Howard Blackmore’s list of London Gunmakers, and other sources, and couldn’t find a reference to S Evans. Recently I bought the book, Bristol Gunmakers from the 16th to the 20th Century, by Brian Godwin. This book self-published in 2012, is excellent. Brian Godwin lists Samuel Evans as a Bristol gunsmith. Evans was apprenticed to John Jenkins of Bristol on 9th June 1755, and admitted as a Burgess (Freeman) on 1 October 1774, and operated as a gunsmith at St Nicolas, Bristol from 1774 until after 1784. These dates come from the Repository B&NES Record Office. The St Nicholas area of Bristol is near where the Bristol Bridge crosses the Cumberland Basin. An old part of Bristol, where the ships had been tying up for centuries. The first church on this site was
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built in the 12th Century, next to Bristol bridge, from where the name Bristol, originates, (Brigstowe – ‘place of the bridge’). The 14th Century medieval crypt, which formed part of the Old City wall remains to this day. The current church was built in 1769. The main body of the church was destroyed in a bombing raid in 1940. The church was re-opened in 2018 as a centre of worship. This pistol is not an ordnance one. Samuel Evans made it for someone who could afford to pay a good price. The pistol has a blunderbuss barrel so I assume it was intended for close range personal protection. A great coat pistol, or a coach pistol, it is fitted with a spring bayonet 3.5 inches in length, which is attached to the muzzle by a hinge, and normally lies along the top of the barrel, being held in position by a thumb catch. The bayonet is released by pulling back the catch. The bayonet is rather a “novelty”, designed to attract the attention of the prospective buyer, than, a weapon of any real value, being no longer than the blade of an ordinary penknife, and better calculated to irritate than to injure anyone. From the earliest times in Bristol, metal working played a large part of its trade. Smiths, iron founders and braziers produced a variety of goods to the easily accessible supplies of iron and charcoal from the nearby Forest of Dean. The production of weapons and military equipment was unquestionably part of this commerce.
ARMS CAVALCADE 2020
AC2020_010-11 Samuel Evans, Gunsmith - Paul Duffy.indd 10
29/08/2020 2:07:53 PM
