I’ve got nothing to add that hasn’t been covered wonderfully above, except that the trigger mechanism with faux lever appears to be a dead giveaway of being a target model, my guess is 18th century.
What I find most appealing is that I see no reason to believe it’s Victorian, and it’s an excellent form for wall-hanging.
I’ve been on the lookout for a crossbow for an open spot on my wall, unfortunately I owe the demons at Hermann Historica an unfortunate amount of money at the moment. They are a nightmare to deal with.
There’s been a shortage of interesting crossbows at auction the last few years, with the exception the occasional bone-inlay piece.
Edit: My crossbow exposure is based on auctions and sales only. I have no authoritative texts, and my opinion means nothing.
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