BY WILLIAM BARKER, WIGAN, LONDON SILVER HALLMARKS FOR 1774

Details

A 16-Bore Silver-Mounted Flintlock Sporting Gun
By William Barker, Wigan, London silver hallmarks for 1774
With shortened rebrowned two-stage barrel with turned girdle and silver fore-sight, the top of the octagonal breech with gold-lined maker's stamp (Neue Støckel 7063), gold-lined touch-hole, finely engraved grooved tang, signed flat lock (pitted below the pan and the steel-spring) with moulded border, roller, and gold-lined pan, figured walnut half-stock (probably reduced from full, minor bruising) carved in relief with a shell behind the barrel tang, chequered grip with a dimple in the centre of each diamond, engraved silver trigger-guard, engraved cut-out silver butt-plate involving a panel chased with owner's initials 'AC', engraved silver rear ramrod-pipe, horn fore-end cap, and horn-tipped ramrod with worm, Tower private proof marks, silver maker's mark of John King
31in. (78.7cm.) barrel

Literature

W. Keith Neal and D.H.L. Back, Great British Gunmakers 1740-1790, pp. 117-118, plates 452-454

Special notice

VAT rate of 5% is payable on hammer price plus buyer's premium.

Lot Essay

The maker (d. 1786) was (as well as being a clockmaker) one of the leading makers of stone-bows, which he tended to serial number, and for which he is better known

See A. Littler, 'An Old Wigan Trade', Journal of The Society of Archer-Antiquaries, vol. 34 (1991), pp. 30-41

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