Handgonne Barrels and Böllers

[Marcus den toom]

Hi Michael,

Thank you for your post, i hope you will be showing us your collection very soon.

Quit a good thesis, Michael Trömner would have approved of most of it i am sure.

My personal view on Böller and hand cannons is that the latter does not have a wide base (relative to the normal width of the barrel) and there is also no real powder pan.
After the 1400s the hand cannons where more and more mass produced, all of the "feuerwerk und Kriegsbuche" (firework and war books) from the 1390-1500 depict that multiple barrels on one stock was more common than just one single barrel. Quit alot of those have indeed been turned into Böller or even doorstoppers

[Silver Shield]

My Pictures will be posted and additional text soon , showing basic relationship , especially design continuity .Also I have in my collection a piece I have that seems certainly to be a mimic of a handgonne barrel , made much later . Pictures will show comparison between a almost identical handgonne barrel of the early 1400s and the mimic , which I am sure will shock some collectors and interested parties . But what else would you expect , if indeed the traditional use and model for boller where handgonne barrels ?

[fernando]

A. Handgonne barrel and Mimic
Barrel weight 1.282kg
length 14cm
width at bore aprox. 4.2 cm at base 5cm
bore aprox 2.3cm
octagonal -8 sided

Mimic Boller
weight 1.454kg
length aprox. 14.3
width at bore 4.3cm at base 4.8
bore 2cm
hexagonal - 6 sided
Notice uneven faces of gonne barrel , with rounded facets , but very sharp well defined facets on boller !

B. Handgoone barrel and mimic
Bore face showing rounded shoulders and uneven bore hole of gonne barrel , while boller has very well rounded bore , and well centered


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[Silver Shield]

Some pictures of "Gonne Barrels " of the type seen circa early to mid 1400s Verses comparisons with a small boller that mimics the features of gonne barrels, all from the same area of Austria . The gonne barrels all exhibit 8 sides, some rounding of the facets , bores from about 1.8cm to approximately 2cm, all with somewhat out of round bores . From left to right weights ; .970kg, 1.282kg, 2.258kg ,2.112kg . The lengths from left to right aprox. ; 13.8cm ,14cm, 22cm,13.2cm. . The "Mimic" boller barrel is 14cm with a bore of 2cm , 6 sided , and very near perfect round . the vents or touchholes of the gonne barrels , also do not have a pushed up flash pan , although the small barrel , the 1st on the left has a small sulcus in front of its vent ,certainly forged or made during its construction ,presumed to be a early form of powder pan , and the very squat barrel on the far right has cone at the vent that is inverted to hold a small amount of residual powder to certainly get a better fire . It will be noted that Pictures of the " Mimic" barrel the flash pan has been pushed up to form a cup that would be useless when barrel was in a horizontal position , and would only be useful if barrel was in a vertical or upright position and the evidence of not only time but use show that the barrel was used contemporaneously with this feature , as pitting and other indications are consistent over the whole body of the barrel and cascade down into the area towards the vent where the material was removed to push up the pan. Also enough cannot be said about the apparent similarities with the gonne barrels , as far as overall design , but also the very different overall workmanship and apparent precision of forging .
1st picture showing 4 presumed gonne barrels , the 2nd with addition of mimic , the 3rd a close up of vent and flash pan of mimic boller .

[Silver Shield]

Here is a few more pictures , again of bollers and barrels from the same hoard from the same area of Austria , comparisons of shape , vents , and details .

Pictures #1 side by side comparison of two bollers , one the "Mimic " the other a 24.5cm high octagonal classic style boller , notice the cut of the flashpan is identical .So is the signs of forging, forging details such as crisp facets , but the larger one has the base widened to for a stand as it is . The signs of age also match very well , as to be frightening ! I believe both are most likely 18th to 19th century .
Picture #2 the two bollers side by side , the "Mimic" 14cm tall the Classic Boller 24.5cm tall , notice the design struck into the sides of the large boller showing evidence of its actual use , Fireworks !!
Picture #3 comparison of bore face on both bollers , rounded shoulders , very round bore , Large boiler 2.7cm bore , small "Mimic " bore of 2cm
Pictures #4 and #5 comparison of vent holes between two of the handgonne barrels that seem to be undisturbed and the classic large boller , though the squat one does have a cut down on the vent .

[Silver Shield]

Now the lines become blurred. With these last pictures and the pictures posted before ,you can see the similarities between a classic form "Boller" and examples of "Handgonne Barrels ", showing there relationship in both design and origin. Pictured is examples of 2 " Barrels " with round seemingly untouched vents and re-venting in other examples done exactly the same way as on "Classic Bollers " , the same tool marks , and remember from the same area in Austria ! We know for a fact that 15th century handgonne barrels where used as " Bollers" and certainly where the origin of these devices , what else would a peasant have access to , to load with a powder charge and fire , to ever start the tradition ? Why would later "Bollers" follow these barrels in design so much , that they are common even mistaken by collectors as "Gonne Barrels" Many barrels you see on market now , original ones from the 1400s , have a later use cup shaped flash pan cut out of the area of the touch hole to facilitate easier lighting when Tube is placed in a upright position . Such little design elements such as rounding of the bore face , and flaring base continued , though in the classic examples of " Bollers " you see a actual base forged flat and with extended edges to offer a more stable platform .In the example photos comparing, the suspect early "Boller" example with a Classic 18th or 19th Century " Boller" You can see even the hole in the forging has similarities , and the forging characteristics are too strong to not take notice of . In my humble opinion , taking into account all evidence I've seen in photos and in hand , the "Mimic " barrel , a item made to and in much if not the same way as " Handgonne Barrels " was made to augment the supply of " Bollers " people using these for generations over hundreds of years , would have lost track of the original purpose of the devices they used as "Bollers " if one went to the blacksmith and asked for him to make you a " Boller" presented him with a " Handgonne Barrel " , if he was skilled you'd get a copy , a close copy , after all these Barrels would have been all that was know and used for generations , at least until the original supply was exhausted or need supplement. Another interesting thought is , why where these objects valued enough not to be recycled especially into weapons at war time ? , you would think with the many wars in this region that at one point they would have been used in a Cannon or Tank !

My conclusion and statement on this subject is as follows; Handgonne Barrels , most likely spoils of War , and a good candidate is I believe the Hussite Wars of 1419 to 1434 where the origin of the " Boller". The existing Medieval Gonne Barrels from these mountainous areas in Austria , and Southern Germany fit the types used then. That within a generation they found use as a cultural celebratory device , and gained a practical and cultural value above their material value. For the reason of their cultural use , these original Medieval Handgonne Barrels in secluded areas where preserved and used , over time the supply was replenished and design was improved for their usage. It is important to note that Iron will deteriorate when exposed to the elements , left in the outdoors , not protected they would and some show many years of neglect , but these pieces must have had value as a heritage and family heirloom to be preserved as the small portion of original 1400s pieces show , they seem not to be the property of Church or State but property of the general population , and thanks to these values they exist for us to enjoy . Be careful and study the subject and those objects around it , not only in form , use, material and way of manufacture but also in cultural aspects , all of these have valuable insights into common histories.Most of what Mankind does is just a repeat of the past.

[fernando]

Great stuff, Michael. Somehow a specific subject, and perhaps not reaching the interest of other than hand cannon (and similar) lovers. No doubt Matchlock, if he was with us, would be the first one to react and offer his thoughts about your thesis.
I would risk to say that part of your conclusions find relation with discussions already exchanged here. When you assume that böllers (noise makers to put it simple) and their familiarity with gonne barrels have their origin in the mountains of Austria and Germany, am i silly to suggest that these devices also played a role in other nations ?. I have a number of those in my little collection and i would venture that their provenance is not Germanic or from such neighborhood.
It would also be fair to subscribe Marcus assumption in that, despite böllers derive from gonne barrels, they found their own path by adopting a form more according with their upright firing position, with their wider base, something not so propper to find in gonne barrels.
Also i would not be so restrict in assuming that these 'tubes' only had one purpose; one would accept that they were not powder testers or cannons, but it is rather plausible they were also used for (navy) signals and certainly as defence traps. But i admit i never studied these things in depth and may be talking a lot of nonsense.


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