After the Anglo-Sikh wars

Jim McDougall · 21st November 2016, 06:07 PM

Thank you Jens for this insightful look into the circumstances concerning Indian arms during these turbulent times and how volumes of these weapons virtually vanished as a result of destruction, recycling and repurposing.
It is hard to imagine just how many weapons were produced and in use in these times and of course those which had been in use from years before, but the sizes of these native armies were often monumental in numbers.

As noted, various armouries which held stockpiles of various edged weapons which were indeed destroyed, however from reading accounts of various writers of the periods such as Walhouse ( "The Old Tanjore Armoury, Indian Antiquary, 1878), it sound as if many of these were piles of unserviceable old weapons.

As with most situations where arms of subjugated people are confiscated and proscribed, those in private hands handily disappeared or were secreted away. Obviously those from campaign and battles became souveniers or trophies aside from other disposal.

The Coorg weapons were dumped at sea in the events and proscriptions of 1850s in large numbers, but certainly did not accomplish more than a grandstand showing emphasizing those efforts. Though considerable depletion of the weapons was accomplished, many still remained in outer regions and production probably covertly done as well.

These circumstances reveal the challenges and intrigue of collecting and studying Indian weapons, and the importance of so many of them which have been documented and preserved as with Jens' collection.

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21st November 2016, 06:07 PM	#2
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,191	Thank you Jens for this insightful look into the circumstances concerning Indian arms during these turbulent times and how volumes of these weapons virtually vanished as a result of destruction, recycling and repurposing. It is hard to imagine just how many weapons were produced and in use in these times and of course those which had been in use from years before, but the sizes of these native armies were often monumental in numbers. As noted, various armouries which held stockpiles of various edged weapons which were indeed destroyed, however from reading accounts of various writers of the periods such as Walhouse ( "The Old Tanjore Armoury, Indian Antiquary, 1878), it sound as if many of these were piles of unserviceable old weapons. As with most situations where arms of subjugated people are confiscated and proscribed, those in private hands handily disappeared or were secreted away. Obviously those from campaign and battles became souveniers or trophies aside from other disposal. The Coorg weapons were dumped at sea in the events and proscriptions of 1850s in large numbers, but certainly did not accomplish more than a grandstand showing emphasizing those efforts. Though considerable depletion of the weapons was accomplished, many still remained in outer regions and production probably covertly done as well. These circumstances reveal the challenges and intrigue of collecting and studying Indian weapons, and the importance of so many of them which have been documented and preserved as with Jens' collection.