brass barrel blunderbuss

[helbeluk]

hello Owen,

Sorry rather belated, only just seen your post.

This is a blunderbuss in the collections at the Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford.
Seems in terms of shape and proportion to be similar to yours and with a brass barrel. As you can see it's a flintlock as I presume yours was - the lock plate looks like it once housed an external mainspring.

The lock-plate bears the name 'SPENCER', probably James Spencer of London, noted in Blackmore's 'Dictionary of London Gunmakers' as being active from c. 1687 to 1699. Blackmore illustrates Spencer's mark, the letters 'IS' within a diamond topped by a fleur de lis which, together with the View and Proof marks, do indeed sit on the left side of the barrel (sorry no picture of that).

Finally, there is an engraving of a hook-nosed gentleman on the escutcheon plate. I thought at first might have been Mr Spencer but apparently this caricature (and other versions of it) were common on civilian guns of the period.

Sadly, Blackmore doesn't mention a 'Moore' and perhaps I*S (JS) relates to the person who converted it?

Best,

Helen