British Pattern 1756 Long Land Service Musket Marked to the 4th Regiment of Foot, or the Kings Own Regiment

Description:

British Pattern 1756 Long Land Service Musket Marked to the 4th Regiment of Foot, or the Kings Own Regiment, c. 1762, .79 caliber, lock engraved "GRICE/1762" behind the cock and crown over "GR" below the pan, walnut stock with brass fittings, brass wrist plate engraved with rack numbers "28/30," barrel engraved on the top "Ks OWN REGt," breech marked with remnants of board of ordnance proof marks and "FG" for "Farmer and Galton," and an iron ramrod, barrel lg. 45 1/4, overall lg. 61 1/2 in.

Provenance: The Bill Ahearn collection.

Literature: Illustrated and described in Bill Ahearn, Muskets of the Revolution and French & Indian Wars (Lincoln, RI: Andrew Mowbray Publishers, 2005),pp. 41-45; Bill Ahearn and Robert Nittolo, British Military Long Arms in Colonial America (Pittsburgh, PA: Dorrance, 2018),pp. 127-43.

Note: The gun was found in a barn in Massachusetts and was sold by Norm Flayderman in 1978. May 21, 1774, returns of the Kings Own Regiment show that guns were issued to them on January 19th, 1765. There is a good possibility that this gun saw service on April 19th, 1775, the first day of the American Revolution. The light infantry and grenadier companies were on the expedition to Concord that day. The grenadier companies carried the 1756 long land pattern musket, as did the battalion companies that marched out of Boston with Percy's relief column. With the gun is a binder with information about the gun including the original catalog listing and the restoration work that was done on the gun.
Estimate $5,000-7,000

There have been some wood repairs from the stock being chewed while in the barn and there is some pitting on the steel parts. There is a receipt in a binder with the gun that shows what restoration was done to the gun, as well as the original catalog entry from Flayderman as to its condition when purchased in 1978.


The absence of a condition statement does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free from wear and tear, imperfections or the effects of aging. Condition requests can be obtained via email (lot inquiry button) or by telephone to the appropriate gallery location (Boston/617.350.5400 or Marlborough/508.970.3000). Any condition statement given, as a courtesy to a client, is only an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Skinner Inc. shall have no responsibility for any error or omission.

Keywords