Item Description
Original Items: One-of-a-kind. Only on very seldom occasions to offerings like this come along. Acquired from an old English collection that was sold off by the family after the collector's passing here is a truly fascinating and rare offering.
A lovely brass framed Flintlock Duck's Foot Pistol made by "COLLUMBELL of LONDON," who worked from 1680 to 1743. Four brass barrels, numbered 1-4 and all with "Crown over V" Proof marks. Wood grip beautifully silver wire inlaid with sterling silver masked butt cap. The frame is marked "COLLUM-" over "-BELL" on the right side and "LONDON" on the other. The pan has three touch holes to simultaneously ignite all four barrels. The pistol is contained in the original brass bound mahogany wood case displaying the initials "H.W.B." to the brass oval in the center of the lid. Interior fully lined in mid blue velvet with evidence of a trade label in the lid long absent.
The Case, 11" x 8" x 5" containing a copper and brass powder flask, an iron bullet mold which lays over a pair of mother of pearl gripped sprung loaded wad cutting scissors each arm of which has a folding knife blade installed, all contained in it's original leather sheath.
Also included is a tiny wood cased compass, 1.75" X 1.75", still working, of the period with a brass hook closure. A decorated pewter lidded container, presumably for snuff, laid in over a scrap of 18th century paper bearing long hand script. The case has a lidded compartment containing some flints and the correct key to the case and finally fitted under the pistol in it's own custom made slot is a beautiful small Seaman's pipe with a small wood stem and a bone bowl carved into the shape of a human skull. Most compelling!
The initials "H.W.B." stand for HENRY WILLIAM BAYTON born 1766, the son of the British Consul General in Algiers in North Africa.
He joined the Navy aged 13 in 1779 and we assume the Set was a gift from his Family, no doubt being his father's gun acquired for self protection before going on Foreign Service since the pistol is much older than Baynton himself.
Baynton received his Lieutenancy in 1783 and joined Sir John Jervis, later Earl St. Vincent, in the capture of Martinique. He was given command of the Sloop HMS Avenger and was promoted Post Captain of HMS Undaunted in 1794. He remained extremely active in the Caribbean, with several different commands, and finally returned to England in 1804 where he was given command of the H.M.S. LEVIATHAN, 74 Guns. Captain Henry Baynton took part, still commanding H.M.S.LEVIATHAN, in the Battle of Trafalgar on October 21st 1805 being the fifth Man-o-War in Nelson's weather column.
During the battle Baynton captured the Spanish Ship "SAN AUGUSTIN" and he accepted Commodore Don Fillipe's Sword in surrender. Due to the great storm which followed the battle many of the "prizes" were deliberately burnt, including the SAN AUGUSTIN, for fear of their falling back into enemy hands.
Subsequently Baynton was a guidon bearer at Admiral Nelson's state funeral and he received a very prized Lloyd's Patriotic Fund Sword and many other gifts. He was promoted Rear-Admiral of the Blue in 1812 and after an illustrious Naval career became a full Admiral of the Blue and a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in 1839. He finally died on December 16th 1840 aged 74 years.
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- IMA considers all of our antique guns as non-firing, inoperable and/or inert. Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 921(a)(16) defines antique firearms as all guns made prior to 1899. This law exempts antique firearms from any form of gun control or special engineering because they are not legally considered firearms. No FFL, C&R or any license is required to posses, transport, sell or trade Antique guns. All rifles and muskets sold by IMA that were manufactured prior to 1899 are considered Antiques by the US BATF (United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms). Therefore, all of IMA's Antique guns may be shipped to all US States and most nations around the world.
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