Blunderbuss with Cork Mail markings

[ChrisPer]

Originally Posted by machinist

Such a beautiful set of guns Fernando, thank you for posting them, they really brighten my day!
They look very stylistically from the peninsula, are there any you think are Portuguese ?

I have to agree, thank you Fernando. Can you tell us more about them?

[fernando]

Thsnk you machinist and thank you Cris.
Let me try and 'localize' them ...

#1. An early dog lock system, potentially made in Portugal around 1700.
#2. A luxury engraved example with a typical Portuguese lock, XVIII century.
#3. A miltary style example with a Miquelete lock, made in Spain, circa 1800.
#4. A rather rustic wound steel barrel specimen, with a salvaged Edge lock (1762), made in Portugal in the XVIII century.
#5. A short blunderbuss, with salvaged lock and barrel (Peninsular War), set up in regional Portugal.
#6. A Spanish trabuco with a percussion Miquelete lock, a Catalan stock and a salvaged John Clive barrel, first half XIX century.
#7. An Îtalian luxury 'Scavezzo', to be carried in coach door pockets, made in Brescia in the XVIII century.
#8. Another luxury blunderbuss, with a strong octogonal barrel, made in Portugal, end XVIII century.

Note; all provenances indicated are not categoric, only based on common sense; always susceptible to be corrected.

In a note to Jim i was trying, maybe without success, to evade the steryotypes without evading the fact that some guns are more suitable or even typical to use in coaches, this not necessarily being an exclusive attribution. Coach guns are, as i see, usually connected with Anglo American terminology, like those of Royal Mail and Wells Fargo, while i was wandering in a wider range, as these mail/passenger transport facilities (diligencias, malapostas, etc) were used all over. Thus my approach to be more on guns for coaches than coach guns, if youn catch my drift .

[Jim McDougall]

Fernando, thank you for the clarification and especially the listed descriptions of these fantastic examples!

As you note, to determine which of these blunderbuss type guns were more adaptable or preferred for use on coaches is a good topic, but hard to place exactly as weapons were often diffused into service in many capacities as required. There do not seem to have been rigid standards or guidelines as to what the character or features of such 'specialized' arms might have had.

With the propensity for brass barrels it is unclear what purpose. Would such barrels better withstand the powerful effect of the blast of these guns? It is noted that walnut was always used as it had less chance of splinter or cracking, again, force of blast? These apparently had significant recoil, which in the case of naval types, the reason for the pinter swivel mount.

It would seem that for coach use (that is in the quasi official type such as with the mail coaches) that they were apparently produced by special order, and makers (Mortimer most predominant) vied for the favor of such orders.
Therefore their guns were highly finished as this was a prestigious business, and guards were highly paid relative to other occupations.

By the end of the coaches having the mail routes and giving way to rails and other delivery means about mid 19th c, these specialized guns of course were pretty much ended.
In America however, the Wild West began its own form of transport aside from the fledgling railways with Wells Fargo and other stage lines. As these carried not only passengers but mail and payrolls, the need for the 'shotgun' guards was clear.
As noted, the 'coach gun' was a double barrel shotgun, made specifically with shorter barrel and usually 12 guage.
In the famed 'Gunfight at the OK Corral' in 1881 in Tombstone, Arizona, Doc Holiday carried one of these 'coach guns' under his duster coat. This was apparently a 12 guage (some say 10 guage Moore &Co.) which Virgil Earp had grabbed from the Wells Fargo office as the group walked toward the site of the fabled event . Both he and Wyatt Earp had worked for Wells Fargo so he had easy access to the gun . With its shorter barrel it was easier to conceal.

Contrary to the British versions of 'coach' guns, most of these were not typically marked although many Wells Fargo guns were so marked. None had the hubris or status oriented phrases as the British ones.

Apparantly in Great Britain, the coach blunderbusses were usually accompanied by a brace of pistols, which also often had the muzzle end engraved with these phrases .

The use of blunderbusses or other weapons against the ever present problem of highwaymen in other countries is not as far as I have known as well documented or described as in Great Britain. It seems of course that any easily carried or concealed weapon would be pressed into service for such purposes, and the variation indeterminable.

[Pukka Bundook]

Dear Jim,

Re. your questions;
It's not that brass barrels were more able to cope with pressure, just that for coaching and exposed to all weathers, they didn't rust like iron tubes.
With these bores being short and wide, it isn't really a matter of pressure, but they still kicked when loaded with a good few pistol balls!

Walnut (European ) is stable and that is the main asset in stock -making. Strong and tough, but beech is better able to withstand splitting, (but not as nice to look at!)...........Butcher's blocks were beech mostly.
English coaching guns could be single barreled as well, built very lightly and short as you note. I always regret Not buying a Griffin coach -gun. It was about 14 bore with a cut-out stock.
These were often carried together with a boxed brace of pistols when traveling.
If a (single) butterfly sling swivel was fitted, it could mean coach use, or even horseback. These were attached at or near the rear sidenail.
Many old houses had one hanging behind the back door, complete with a note saying it was loaded. :-)
A wonderful and interesting old arm......and a very colourful history!!
I am a bit surprised that only one highwayman was documented as meeting his demise by this means, but maybe news traveled fast, even then!!

Best regards,
Richard.

[Jim McDougall]

Richard,
My apologies for the delay in responding. Thank you so much for the great and detailed answers to the questions I placed on these guns and some of the characteristics of the materials used.
As I begin to learn more of the history of these firearms it is been pretty exciting to add huge dimension to my lifelong passion with edged weapons.

As noted, most of what I have written has been somewhat cursory research which gave me enough perspective to at least gain some working knowledge (very limited!). The reference on only one highwayman falling to some form of coaching gun surely cannot be accurate, though it of course sounds like hubris oriented lore describing these.

Much appreciated,

Jim

[Pukka Bundook]

Good morning Jim,

Besides one highwayman that we are aware of, I suppose you know the case of (I think )Thomas Thynne?...going by memory...where a B-buss was used to do away with an "inconvenient" husband. ?

[fernando]

Surely many characters were taken down with a blunderbuss, including notorious personalities. Blunderbusses were said to have been used to kill King Dom José I, in the night of September 3rd 1758, on his way back from a night visit to his mistress Marchioness Dona Teresa Leonor, wife of the Marchis de Tavora. In an ambush to the King's sege, various shots were fired, the Monarch surving badly wounded.
Also virtual scenes are recorded, 'glorifying' this type of gun, one of them featuring a 19th century famous Brasilian religious rebel leader, backed by his bodyguards, in a attitude to stop the progression of the Republic.

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