Guns International #: 102347656
Seller's Inventory #: 227912

Category - Antique Pistols - 1500-1850 - Antique Pistols - Flintlock

Category
Antique Pistols - 1500-1850
Antique Pistols - Flintlock

RULE BRITANNIA! ADMIRAL HOWE British FLINTLOCK Pistol by ELLIS .62 Antique Ornately Engraved London Sidearm Late-18th Century

Description:
RULE BRITANNIA! ADMIRAL HOWE British FLINTLOCK Pistol by ELLIS .62 Antique

Ornately Engraved London Sidearm Late-18th Century

Here we present an antique British Flintlock Pistol by Ellis, made circa the late-18th Century in London, England. This piece is beautifully inscribed on the barrel in presentation fashion with “ADMIRAL HOWE” and “RULE BRITANIA”. This piece is from the collection of the esteemed late Joe Wanenmacher, Jr., a man known the world over for his excellent and vast collection curated over decades as well as his eponymous gun show in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Admiral Lord Richard Howe (1726-1799) is one of the most recognizable names in British naval history. He entered the navy in 1740, at the age of 14, and was promoted quickly through the ranks, Lieutenant by May 1744 and Commander by November 1745.

He spent his first years at sea in the Indies during the War of Austrian Succession, seeing action there. He was wounded in the head fighting with French privateers during the Jacobite Rebellion in 1745. In early 1755 he was in command of HMS Dunkirk at the beginning of the Seven Years’ War (French & Indian War in North America) when he captured the French warship Alcide. He spent most of the subsequent war years in the Channel between Britain and France, becoming known for his amphibious raids on French coasts. By 1770 he was made Rear Admiral and in 1775 Vice Admiral. Much of his career was spent in and around North America, so when the American Revolutionary War began, he is said to have been quite sympathetic to the colonists (and was quite popular among them from the French and Indian War), having personally met Benjamin Franklin, and even secretly met with the rebels to try to smooth out the relationship between them and the Crown—to no avail. As he was presently assigned to the American coast, he had occasion to blockade the coastline as the French were sending supplies and eventually troops.

His career continued through the French Revolutionary Wars, during which he was commanding the Channel Fleet when he defeated a numerically superior French fleet of French ships at the Glorious First of June (1794), for which he was awarded the Naval Gold Medal. He became Admiral of the Fleet in 1796.

“Rule, Britannia!” comes from a poem of the same title by James Thomson, written in 1740 (the same year Howe entered the British Navy, coincidentally), and set to music by Thomas Arne. It is a patriotic poem and song, and became a flag-waving quote, especially endearing to the Royal Navy due to the refrain: “Rule, Britannia! rule the waves: Britons never will be slaves.”

In addition to the inscriptions, this pistol’s barrel has been engraved with semi-circular fans at the border of the forestock along with profuse floral scrolls at the muzzle, middle, and breech. “LONDON” is stamped over the breech in an oval. The barrel tang, lock, and trigger guard are engraved with a sprawling viney floral motif. The lock plate is faintly stamped “ELLIS”. All the metal hardware has been plated in silver, to include parts of the gun that would normally receive high wear such as the frizzen and even the interior of the bore to some extent.

The overall condition is near fine. Excellent action. The bore is smooth and dusty. The stock shows use and remains solid; there are patches over the holes where pins hold the barrel, ramrod tubes and trigger in place. There is a small graft repair along the right side of the muzzle and two minor splits in the same area on the left side. This is a gorgeous piece of hardware turned art and will be fitting on display in a collection interested in the British Navy, Admiral Howe, or the American War for Independence.

Own the original! This is a legitimate antique and not a reproduction.

Barrel is 7-7/8 inches.

Caliber: .62 Flintlock

Overall condition as seen in photos.

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ancestryguns

$22,000

#227912
 

SOLD

Antique: Yes