{"product_id":"original-1st-jacobite-rebellion-of-1715-era-british-brass-barrel-flintlock-blunderbuss-by-henry-delany-owned-by-thomas-gage-of-shirburn-castle","title":"Original 1st Jacobite Rebellion of 1715 Era British Brass Barrel Flintlock Blunderbuss by Henry Delany Owned by Thomas Gage of Shirburn Castle","description":"\u003cp\u003eOriginal Item: One of a Kind. This is a fantastic early 18th Century British Brass-Barreled Flintlock Blunderbuss, made right around the time of the 1st Jacobite Rebellion of 1715 and marked on the lock by \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eH DELANY\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e. 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 flintlock horse pistols by Delany, which actually had Shirburn Castle Markings on the Escutcheon, which can be viewed here: \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.ima-usa.com\/products\/original-british-1705-dated-flintlock-pistol-brace-by-henry-delany-shirburn-castle?variant=39715889029\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eDelany Pistol Brace\u003c\/a\u003e. We also previously had a similarly marked carbine, which can be viewed here: \u003ca rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ima-usa.com\/products\/original-1st-jacobite-rebellion-of-1715-era-british-flintlock-carbine-by-henry-delany-with-bayonet-owned-by-thomas-gage-of-shirburn-castle-no-6-of-20?variant=42272248397893\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eDelany Carbine with Bayonet\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis blunderbuss was one of a number of guns purchased by Thomas Gage (d. 1754) from Henry Delany, mostly to arm a troop of horse (dragoons) raised from among the local gentry around the time of the 1st Jacobite Rebellion of 1715. Most of these were intended to be sets of arms for the riders, with a horse pistol and carbine for each rider. At the time \"carbine\" referred to the caliber as much as the length of the arm. There were also additional guns purchased such as the blunderbuss, which would be much more suitable to defense of the castle itself.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThomas 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 20 sets of dragoon firearms and other guns 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis great blunderbuss has been part of the IMA collection for some time, and we are now offering it for sale. It is fully brass mounted, measuring 28 inches in overall length and fitted with a three stage 13 3\/4 inch long three-stage part octagon blunderbuss 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, just like the other examples we have had from this group of arms.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe barrel is marked on the right facet with the \u003cstrong\u003eCROWN \/ GP\u003c\/strong\u003e gunmaker's proof and \u003cstrong\u003eCROWN \/ V\u003c\/strong\u003e \"viewed\" markings from the London gun company proof house. There are additional markings on the left facet, however they are too faint to currently read due to cleaning, but match well with the other examples that we have had. The best marking by far however is on the escutcheon on the back of the wrist, marked with the initials \u003cstrong\u003eT G\u003c\/strong\u003e, for Thomas Gage. Above the initials is a \u003cstrong\u003eRam\u003c\/strong\u003e, one of the symbols of the family.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe blunderbuss is in lovely condition, having been carefully cared for as part of the Shirburn castle collection for centuries. The brass portions have a lovely mellow glow from years of cleaning, however do show some patination, as we did not clean them any further to avoid further erosion of the engraving originally on the barrel. The stock has a lovely glow to it, and like other examples from the collection has been \"grain painted\", a way of artificially adding \"figure\" to the wood to make it look like highly desirable \"burl\" wood. It looks however like this actually has quite a bit of figuring in the wood, and wear to the finish has exposed some of the lovely grain patterns. We can see; some cracks near the muzzle, and there is also a wood graft repair on the right side of the stock along the woodline, measuring about 4 1\/2\" by 3\/4\". We can also see another circular repair on the bottom of the butt stock, and there is what looks like an area where something was attached previously to the rear of the side plate. The lock is fully functional, holding correctly at half cock, and firing at full, with secure mechanics.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA fantastic offering that we very rarely see the likes of. An early British Brass Barrel Flintlock Blunderbuss with a known history, ready to add to your collection and display!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSpecifications:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eYear of Manufacture: circa 1715\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCaliber: Blunderbuss\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAmmunition Type: Lead Shot \u0026amp; Powder\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBarrel Length: 13 3\/4 inches\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOverall Length: 28 inches\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAction: Flintlock Side Action\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFeed System: Muzzle-Loaded\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMore on Thomas Gage and Shirburn Castle\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSHIRBURN 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEverything 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNOTE:\u003c\/strong\u003e International orders of antique firearms MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services (courier). USPS Priority Mail international will not accept these. International customers should always consult their country's antique gun laws prior to ordering.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Original Items","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43473604313157,"sku":"ON11178","price":9995.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1524\/1342\/files\/ON11178MAIN.jpg?v=1756328850","url":"https:\/\/www.ima-usa.com\/products\/original-1st-jacobite-rebellion-of-1715-era-british-brass-barrel-flintlock-blunderbuss-by-henry-delany-owned-by-thomas-gage-of-shirburn-castle","provider":"International Military Antiques","version":"1.0","type":"link"}