December 10-13, 2024 Firearms & Militaria
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/10/2024
Overall length of 16 inches, with a 10-inch long, .70 caliber, tapering round barrel with traces of proof marks on the top of the barrel near breech; a flat double bridled lock, 5 3/8 in. x 1 in., with double line border engraving, engraved on the pointed tail "TRULOCK / 1762" and below the faceted pan with crown over "GR" device and stamped with Irish inverted/crown broad arrow government ownership mark, reinforced hammer with double line engraving, steel spring with narrow pointed finial, the inside of the lock plate stamped with a large "T," front of the internal bridle and tumbler have assembly numbers "XVII," and both side nails also marked with assembly number "XVII"; walnut stock with carved apron around the barrel tang, the wrist or grip with two large "JE" branded marks; brass furniture including butt cap with long side ears cast as two pieces with brazed seam through the center, thumbpiece engraved "PB", trigger guard with acorn finial, convex side plate with assembly number "XVII" on the inside surface, and two brass rammer pipes; wooden rammer; all visible assembly numbers match, stock and breech plug tang are stamped with Irish registration number "WM 1629"; likely dating to the late 19th or 20th century, overall length of 16 inches. With fear of a French invasion of Ireland, all six of the regiments of horse (heavy cavalry) in the standing British Army were transferred to the Irish Establishment during the Seven Years’ War, as the open terrain of much of that island made it ideal for mounted campaigning. With the transfer, the material needs of such troops—including arms and ammunition—became the responsibility of the Irish Board of Ordnance at Dublin Castle. On 21 August 1761, the Board was directed by the Lord Justices of Ireland to “lay before them an Estimate of the Expence of providing 132 Carbines and 132 Pairs of Pistols for the Second Regiment of Horse. Dublin gunmaker Thomas Trulock attended the meeting and exhibited “a Pattern Carbine & Pistol” and was ordered to give “an Estimate of the lowest Price he can afford them at.” However, it would not be until 12 January 1762 that the Board gave an order “for Thomas Trulock to make 132 Carbines & 132 pairs of Pistols for each of the Regiments of Horse in ye Kingdom.” The pistols were to be furnished at one pound and 13 shillings per pair. During spring-summer 1762, Trulock delivered the Horse smallarms to Dublin Castle and payment was authorized. Although no record has been found that describe the pistols he produced for the Horse regiments, they were the only pattern of pistols produced by Trulock for Dublin Castle in 1762 and it is largely by the date on the lock that we can ascribe this rare pistol as one of the Horse pattern. The brass hardware is nearly identical to that furnished by the Tower for the Land Pattern pistols with 12-inch barrels issued to horse and dragoon regiments on the English Establishment. However, Irish Horse pistols differed in that an Extra Flat Lock was used in lieu of the cheaper convex lock produced for the Tower and a 10-inch barrel previously used for P1756 Light Dragoon and Blues (Horse Guards) pistols. Literature: This pistol is illustrated and described in Robert Brooker, British Military Pistols and Associated Edged Weapons (Robert Brooker, 2016), pp. 106-7, in which the author incorrectly identifies this as an P1756 Irish Establishment Light Dragoon Pistol, which it resembles due to the flat lock and shorter barrel, but no such pistols were produced by Trulock in 1762. The new identification was made by James Kochan who in 2009 examined the extant, manuscript letterbooks and ledgers for the Dublin Castle Armoury covering the period 1750-1783.