Percussion Altered British Board of Ordnance Marked 1813 Contract Trade Gun by Gill

.58 caliber. 36.25" pinned three-stage octagon to round barrel. SN: NSN. Heavily oxidized metal, brass and iron furniture, full-length walnut stock. Percussion altered early form flint lock marked with the "{Circle-Fox}" logo forward of the hammer and marked in an arched vertical line at the pointed tail "GILL". British Board of Ordnance proofs on the left angled flat, including the expected "{Crown}/GR/{Broad Arrow}" and "{Crossed Scepters}". No visible Ordnance mark on the lock. Crude percussion alteration with the flint battery holes filled, very crudely made percussion hammer and typical "blacksmith" style drum bolster. Typical 3-screw brass serpent side plate, nailed flat brass buttplate, oversized iron triggerguard and one corrugated brass ramrod pipe securing an old wood ramrod. Stock shortened roughly 12" to half-stock configuration with an old bent nail added to the upper barrel tenon for use as an ersatz sling swivel. Another forged nail serves as a barrel pin forward of the remaining pipe and bottom entry tang screw is a very old replacement.

While a number of "Gills" worked in Birmingham and The Regions as gunmakers during the 19th century, only John Gill, the son of the late Thomas Gill, who worked circa 1802-1817 makes sense as the maker of this gun. His father Thomas was a "sword cutler to the government, the army & c" in addition to being gun maker had held Board of Ordnance contracts. John succeeded to his father's business upon his father's death in 1801 and was a known entity to the Board of Ordnance. He was one of 16 Birmingham makers to receive Board of Ordnance contracts in 1813 to produce guns for the British government to provide to their Native Allies during the War of 1812. Gill is known to have delivered a total of 934 guns under this contract. This is one of those War of 1812 contract guns, that clearly saw continued use well into the mid-19th century.

The Collection of Larry Ness