Original Item: One of a Kind. This is a fantastic early 18th Century British Flintlock Horse Pistol, made right around the time of the 1st Jacobite Rebellion of 1715 and marked on the lock by H DELANY. London Gunmaker Henry Delany worked from approximately 1690 to 1750, and was a well-known maker at the time. Particularly, he was known for supplying arms to the Gage family, then residing at Shirburn Castle, Oxfordshire. We previously had a pair of very similar pistols by Delany, which actually had Shirburn Castle Markings on the Escutcheon, which can be viewed here: Delany Pistol Brace.

This pistol was one of several purchased by Thomas Gage (d. 1754) from Henry Delany to arm a troop of horse (dragoons) raised from among the local gentry around the time of the 1st Jacobite Rebellion of 1715. These were intended to be sets of arms for the riders, with a horse pistol and carbine for each. At the time "carbine" referred to the caliber as much as the length of the arm.

Thomas was the eldest son and heir of Joseph Gage of Shirburn Castle, Oxfordshire and the arms originally all bore his family crest and initials. Gage would be a notable Whig MP for Minehead between 1717 and 1721, and later for Tewkesbury between 1721 and 1754. In 1720 he was created Baron Gage of Castlebar, County Mayo and Viscount Gage of Castle Island, County Kerry. In 1744, on the death of his cousin Sir William Gage (1695-1744) 7th Baronet of Firle Park, Sussex he succeeded to the title of 8th Baronet and inherited the Firle Park estates.

These 20 sets of dragoon firearms later formed part of a display in the Armory Hall at Shirburn Castle, the seat of the Earls of Macclesfield since 1716 and previously owned by the Gage family. A family dispute would later lead to the dispersal of the Armory in 2003, and the firearms were dispersed and held in various collections. This horse pistol was until recently part of the Penrose Collection of 18th Century British Arms.

The pistol itself is a lovely all brass mounted example, measuring about 16 1/2 inches in overall length and fitted with a two stage 10 inch long 20 bore barrel. It is fitted with a "banana" shaped lock plate with a small teat at the end, typical for the time, and it is an early three screw lock with only a single screw behind the hammer. It also features and early style "swan-neck" cock and unbridled frizzen. The stock has been "grain painted", a way of artificially adding "figure" to the wood to make it look like highly desirable "burl" wood.

The barrel is marked with the CROWN / GP gunmaker's proof and CROWN / V "viewed" markings from the London gun company proof house. There is also a Fleur-de-Lis over HD proof, for Henry Delany. These markings match exactly the previous two pistols we had, as well as a carbine from IMA founder Christian Cranmer's collection.

The pistol is in lovely condition, having been carefully cared for as part of the Shirburn castle collection for centuries. The barrel is bright and polished, and the stock has a lovely glow to it. There are some small cracks, but no major damage that we can see. The brass mountings have a lovely mustard patina, though the escutcheon on the back of the wrist has unfortunately had the markings wear away over the centuries. We checked the lock action, and it is fully functional, holding at half cock and firing at full.

A fantastic offering that we very rarely see the likes of. An early British Flintlock pistol with a known history, ready to add to your collection and display!

Specifications:

Year of Manufacture: circa 1715
Caliber: 20 Bore - about 0.615"
Ammunition Type: Lead Ball & Powder
Barrel Length:10 inches
Overall Length: 16 1/2 inches
Action: Flintlock Side Action
Feed System: Muzzle-Loaded

More on Thomas Gage and Shirburn Castle

SHIRBURN CASTLE near Thames not very far from Oxford North West of London was the family home of part of the famous Gage family who had been active in English Politics since the 1540s era of King Henry VIII. Thomas Gage the current resident in 1700 outfitted the castle with pistols and muskets all marked to Gage family. In 1716 Gage sold the Castle to the 1st Earl of Macclesfield and the Castle remained the seat for the Earls until 2004 when the current Earl, the ninth was evicted by his own Estate Trustees supposedly for misdirecting family assets. The castle had been put in Trust by the eighth Earl to avoid debilitating taxation and effectively the family lost control of the estate. As it happened a legal battle ensued resulting in the current Earl having to vacate the property but by taking with him all its contents which, it was ruled, were not part of the Trust.

Everything was sold including the entire armory containing 50 numbered 46" Brown Bess Muskets with bayonets commissioned by the 2nd Earl of Macclesfield in the 1740s and a great number of weapons including the Gage family weapons dating to 1700-1705. The Gage family moved to another Gage property, that of Firle Place in Sussex on the South Coast and there in 1720 Thomas Gage had a son, yet another THOMAS GAGE who went on to become one of England's most notable Generals in the early part of the U.S. War of Independence. Whereas twenty of the GAGE carbines made by DELANY were found in the Armory in 2004, only a few of the DELANY Flintlock Pistols had survived to our knowledge. All the items from Shirburn Castles Armory were dispersed when sold after the Earl's eviction.

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