Original Item. One-of-a-Kind. The Percy Tenantry Volunteers were raised by Hugh Percy, 2nd Duke of Northumberland in 1798 from his estates in Northumberland and Tyneside, and consisted of two divisions of the Armed Association of the Percy Tenantry Infantry, the Northern, four companies strong, and the Southern, eight companies, and a Percy Tenantry Volunteer Cavalry of five Troops. An attempt by the town of Alnwick to raise an Armed Association met with a hostile, almost feudal, response from the Duke, to the effect that volunteers either joined the Tenantry Volunteers or be "...deprived of his custom, [or discharged] from his employment...". On the reformation of the volunteers in 1803 the strength rose further to six troops of cavalry (at Alnwick, Lesbury, Newham, Newburn, Rothbury, Prudhoe, and Tynemouth, a total of 304 men) and 17 companies of infantry (at Alnwick, Chatton, Guyzance, Thirston, Lesbury, Newham, Rothbury, Shillbottle, Walkworth, Barrasford (two), Lemington, Newburn (two), Prudhoe (two) and Tynemouth, a total strength of 1,195 men). In 1805 a Percy Tenantry Volunteer Artillery Company was formed, attached to the cavalry, with two brass 3-pounders and other equipment supplied by the government. The artillery would not be disbanded with the rest of the tenantry in 1814, but continued with its drills with guns provided by the Duke, becoming the core of the 2nd Northumberland (Percy) Artillery Volunteers in 1860.

This is a tremendous rifleman’s powder horn with an 11-inch cow-horn body and a domed brass end-cap engraved with the recumbent crescent moon mark of Hugh Percy, the 2nd Duke of Northumberland surmounted with a crown. The nozzle is unit marked H / 14, and is a lovely variation with a powder-measure, allowing the rifleman to measure the exact grain load of powder for each round when firing with loose ball and powder. This horn was issued to one of the three companies formed by Lord Percy that were initially armed with imported Prussian rifled muskets when first formed to oppose anticipated French invasion in 1798.

The horn is in gorgeous condition with both rings still retained. The engraving on the brass end-cap is just gorgeous, and really complements the history of the piece.

A great example, ready for further research and display!