Combination Halberd / Matchlock for comment

[templarnight]

Hi all.
I am interested to hear your comments on this Weapon.
Made of Iron its in Relic condition.

I can only think its a Hand Held Axe with Matchlock.

The Total length is 41cm, the Barrel is 16cm with a 12mm Bore.

As can be seen theres a seperate Lighter that although degraded would have reached the Touch Hole.

Theres two makers marks that although degraded appear to be the same.

What period do you think its from? It looks as though it was a River find.

Many thanks!!

[fernando]

Fascinating piece. I hope you have it identified .

[M ELEY]

Very interesting piece! I personally believe its either one of two things, based on it's primitivity and thinness of the iron (I'm not being snooty here with my 'primitive' comment. I think its a fantastic item!). I beleive what we have here is either a colonial-made halberd for the early colonies here in America. See Neumann's and Peterson (Colonial Weapons in America) for similar. Another possibility is that it is a blacksmith-made halberd style tomahawk ax sans hilt. There are very similar examples to this style seen in Hartzler and Knowle's volume Frontier tradeaxes and Indian Tomahawks, etc. Many tomahawk heads, especially pipe axes, were made from old musket barrels.

Check out this site for similar
http://furtradetomahawks.tripod.com/id9.html

[M ELEY]

The more I look at it, I'm convinced its an early trade tomahawk. The halberd types were early, mimicing the European weapons of the same name. The native Americans were captivated by the shapes of these weapons. Besides the halberd style, there were also 'spontoon head' tomahawks. I'm guessing the date on yours to be 17th to early 18th c. The French fur traders coming in through the Hudson River valley would have been the first to encounter and trade with the natives. You have an amazing piece!! Love to have it for my collection-

The site I referenced above is hard to pull up. If you do a general google search for 'halberd head tomahawk', you will see examples of this rare style of trade axe.

[templarnight]

Interestign thought regarding Amercian use. But would that explain the Matchlock Mechanism, which had largely died out by 1700.

[fernando]

Great approach, Mark ... and excelent food for thought .
Say templarnight, why are you so sure that such appendix is a matchlock mechanism ? It is true you are able to observe the piece at naked eye; pictures posted are not so elucidative (for me ).
I will be ridiculous but, it looks like a twisted belt hanger ...
Also that orifice is rather misplaced for being a touch hole, am i right ?


,

[Shakethetrees]

I don't mean to be a sceptic, but the "vent" appears to be nothing more than a hole for fastening a haft into the socket, the "barrel" being the socket.

How can something be hafted and also be a firearm that shoots in the same direction as the person wielding it?

Is the shooter supposed to pull out the haft, grab the sharp end, light a match and place it in the "lighter", aim and shoot?

If it is truly a combination weapon, there would be a socket, as it is shown, and another tubular bit with the open end facing in the OPPOSITE direction.

I do not have an answer as to the original use of the "lighter" as you call it, but it could be something added post-manufacture, say thirty years later, and for some as yet unknown purpose.

Let's say, just for the sake of argument, that the added bit is a lighter. Where's the trigger? How do we keep a lit match FROM making contact with the vent, with disastrous results? We would need a spring and a long tail of some sort giving the operator the control of when to shoot. Also, as the "lighter" appears to be just passed through and peened to the opposite side of the head, this is not a good design for something that is supposed to swivel regularly without binding or working loose. Any blacksmith competent enough to make a blade of that sophistication would understand this little bit on engineering.

I think it's a halbard, European, and pretty early at that, but as far as making it a combination weapon or a tomahawk of a type used in the New World, I think we're barking up the wrong tree!

[templarnight]

Yes I take on board everything.

Im not willing this to be a combination weapon, just interested to find out what it is....

My thoughts concerning the opening at the end is....I have handled a lot of Halberds and Pole type weapons and I have never seen such a small Hole for the Haft to enter, this would not provide any strength at all when it was being swung around. So I really dont think it was ever meant to be Hafted.

Therefore when making this, wouldnt it have been easier to have made the Handle solid rather than going to the extra time consuming process of hollowing it out as far as the small Hole.

And now we come to the 'Added' part/Lighter. It looks like where it is attachedto the central part of the Axe, it went through to the other side. Possibly the 'Trigger' could have extended down and was worked that way.

Intriguing...

[Matchlock]

Hi templarnight, and all,


Here is what this item is, or rather, was:

A combined firing and throwing axe, made and employed in Southern Germany, Austria or Switzerland, in ca. 1520-30; in 1524 and 1525, the Peasants Wars were raging in these areas, especially from the Nuremberg region of Franconia (which is Northern Bavaria today) down south to Swabia, most of all in the Lake Bodensee area, including Switzerland.
Originally, it had nothing to do with the earliest American colonists.

Basically, this type of short war axe is known as a throwing or axe, so the comparison with a tomahawk is correct; in this special case, though, the iron haft, usually spiked at the rear end, was wrought as a short barrel instead.

It NEVER HAD a "matchlock", however; that long and thin piece of iron still present would have never worked as a serpentine or tinderholder (rather than a matchholder); it would have been way too long in terms of proportions, and would not have acted properly, except when spring-loaded, which it clearly was not.

What it actually was is a carrying hook, including its use as a belt or saddle hook, and by either a Landsknecht/mercenary afoot, or by a horseman. Remember the fact that the 1520's and 1530's simultaneously were the high time, and the sundown, of the age of the mercenaries.
Obviously, the originally tight rivet has lost its grip, as a consequence of the heavy acid-cleaning that has ruined the original surface of the iron forever and almost allows to identify remains of the smith's mark struck twice.
Please note the characteristic Late Gothic/Early Renaissance ornament of the trefoil (German: Dreipass), which is the ultimate simplification of a bunch of grapes; this axe blade was pierced three times, instead of the easier method of engraving, by striking three dots.

Also, the fact that combination weapons were characteristic of Northwestern Europe in the 16th century, and foremost between ca. 1520 and 1560, supports this statement.

The guy who carried this weapon the hidden firing power of which could not be detected at fist sight, and, moreover, was totally unexpected by any opponent, of course had to have a length of matchcord ready a well, slowly glowing at both ends, but the presence of a hempcord would not have been paid special attention to. When in danger, he could, all of a sudden, press one end of that match into the - relatively large! - touch hole and fire a load at short distance. Next, he could either have sent the axe hurling at the enemy, or hit, and let him have it, man to man.
Most probably, the matchcord was carried wound around the mercenary's arm, or - even better - the haft/barrel of the axe, as contemporary historic sources of illustration prove:
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ght=slow+match

The small trough-like recess surrounding the touch hole denotes that a small amount of igniting powder, mingled with a bit of glue or resin that would make it harden and stay there, completely covered, and perfectly hid!, the actual touch hole.
Please cf. my threads:
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...rliest+barrels
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...highlight=1481
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...igniting+irons


We know that such combination weapons were quite popular in India in the 18th and 19th centuries, and they were certainly influenced by German, mostly Nuremberg manufactured, objects taken to Asia by trade ships from ca. 1500 onwards, like the Bom Jesus in 1533:
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ighlight=jesus

The attachments depict an almost identical, but "conventional" all-iron throwing axe of ca. 1500-30.
Please note the hook riveted for attaching the axe to either a belt or a saddle.
The two bottom attachments I owe to my friend Armin König, who photographed a throwing axe preserved in the Germanisches Nationalmuseum Nürnberg.
What is remarkable: this axe, too, is in a state of excavation, and was heavily acid-cleaned as well. As a result, the rivet of its carrying hook is also loose, and the item is exhibited with the hook pointing upward in the direction of the head, instead of downward, which should not happen with a museum presentation.
Moreover, it is displayed with the right-hand side up, and both the hook and maker's marks sadly hidden.

As the author has stated before, the Early Renaissance period, which put an end to the Medieval Age and, by circa 1500, marked the sunburst of the Modern Age, was characterized by a completely new way of thinking. Man started exploring literally everything: his environments, the world, far-off continents, the sky and planets above him.
Revolutionary thoughts of freedom went together with an importance, and self-confidence, of all artisans and craftsmen alike, and hitherto unknown - including the men of war. For the first time ever, the little ones did count as well, not just the nobility. When it all came down, kings and knights were actually nothing, had it not been for the peasants, skilled soldiers, and craftsmen.
The self-established Landsknechts/mercenaries were free-lancers, fighting for who would offer the best pay, and booty. Most of them were still loyal to a certain warlord, though - but now, the choice was theirs, and that made all the diffence.

It was the age of geniuses like Leonardo da Vinci, Albrecht Dürer - and, among others, the smiths of weapons. Starting out from Italy, the Renaissance triggered a widely based new way of cultural, philosophic and political thinking, at the same time giving birth to brilliant ideas that lead to mechanical inventions like the use of screws and springs on objects, especially the first clocks in Nuremberg - and, of course, the closey related wheellock. Nails now got threaded, thus replacing the former rivets by screws, which allowed delicate adjustments of movable parts, and made repairs a lot easier to do.
A new profession was born: the mechanically skilled locksmith, who, from now on, only wrought delicate and ingenuous actions.

It was also the age of the ludo globi:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Ludo_Globi

Mankind started playing with everything nature provided, and the human mind could think of. As nobody wished to carry more different items along than necessary, the respective functions of separate objects were now preferrably combined in one single item, uniting them all - even up to a level of creating things quite impractical for everyday use, like three- and four-barreled firing maces:
http://www.vikingsword.com
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...l+mace+meyrick

- and the famous so-called Monk's Gun, which, according to the formal, stylistic and technical criteria set up by the author, should be correctly dated "ca. 1525-30", and was almost certainly made in Nuremberg or Augsburg.
Up to now, various arms experts have suggested a very wide time line of dating the Monk's Gun, from "ca. 1450-1550" (Claude Blair: "Further Notes on the Origins of the Wheellock", in: Robert Held (ed.): Arms and Armour Annual, December 1973, pp. 28-47, esp. 42ff.,
up to "before 1667, probably ca. 1600" (Maus I. Rattinger),
see second attachment to my follower post.

Please also note my thread on that famous "riddle" of weaponry:
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=19033


Actually, the Monk's Gun is a combination of a tubular padlock and a firerarm activated by friction, when the rear ring-shaped bolt is pulled; with a usual padlock, that bolt would, of course, be a key with a threaded haft.
It is preserved in The Saxon Royal Collections, which is the Rüstkammer in Dresden.

Attached to my next post, please find photos of the Monk's gun, of a large tubular padlock formerly in the author's collection, and also made in Nuremberg, for a heavy chest, at the very same time, ca. 1525-30.
Also attached is a source of contemporary illustration, an engraving dated 1533, and depicting two padlocks of exactly the same tapering form, securing a huge money chest.


Best,
Michael

Michael Trömner
Rebenstr. 9
D-93326 Abensberg
Germany

• Self-established Academic Medievalist
  
  
• Graduated from Regensburg University in 1982
  
  
• Stipendiary recipient and Member of the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes, Bonn
  
  
• Author of BEHÄLTNISSE FÜR KOSTBARES 1500-1700, 2005
  
  
• Member of vikingsword.com, with more than 4.100 threads and posts since 2008
  
  
• M. of the Arms & Armour Society, London since 1991
• M. of the Gesellschaft für Historische Waffen- und Kostümkunde e.V., Berlin since 1987
  
  
• Expertises in European weapons, ironworks and furniture of the 14th through 17th centuries
• Preservation and academic documentation of museum collections

The last two photos in this post copyrighted by Armin König, Hohenberg a.d. Eger.

[fernando]

Hi Michl,
Do you mean to say that German throwing axes were carried by Portuguese on their way to India as soon as in 1533 ?
Sorry for my blindness, but ... could you specify which attachment shows the 'conventional' one you mention ?
And, by conventional you mean an axe not combined with a firing system ?

[Matchlock]

Attached to this post, find photos of the famous so-called Monk's Gun, which, according to the formal, stylistic and technical criteria set up by the author, should be correctly dated "ca. 1525-30", and was almost certainly made in Nuremberg or Augsburg.
Up to now, various arms experts have suggested a very wide time line of dating the Monk's Gun, from "ca. 1450-1550" (Claude Blair, "Further Notes on the Origins of the Wheellock", in: Robert Held (ed.), Arms and Armour Annual, December 1973, pp. 28-47, esp. 42ff.,
up to "before 1667, probably ca. 1600" (Maus. L. Rattinger,
see third attachment to this post).

Please also see my thread on that famous "riddle" of weaponry:
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=19033


Actually, the Monk's Gun is a combination of a tubular padlock and a firerarm activated by friction, when the rear ring-shaped bolt is pulled; with a usual padlock, that bolt would, of course, be a key with a threaded haft.
It is preserved in The Saxon Royal Collections, which is the Rüstkammer in Dresden.

Also attached are photos of a large tubular and tapering padlock formerly in the author's collection, and also made in Nuremberg, for a heavy chest, at the very same time, ca. 1525-30.
Further, there is a source of contemporary illustration, an engraving dated 1533, and depicting two padlocks of exactly the same tapering form, securing a large money chest.

The padlock is illustrated in:
Michael Trömner, Behältnisse für Kostbares 1500-1700. Verden, 2005, pp. 82f. and 86.


Best,
Michael Trömner

[Matchlock]

Originally Posted by fernando

Hi Michl,
Do you mean to say that German throwing axes were carried by Portuguese on their way to India as soon as in 1533 ?
Sorry for my blindness, but ... could you specify which attachment shows the 'conventional' one you mention ?
And, by conventional you mean an axe not combined with a firing system ?

Hi Nando,


The conventional type of German throwing axes had most probably been taken to, and known in, India by at least the 1520's. They may even have been copied and produced there in the 1530's.

I'm certain you have managed meanwhile to identify that 'conventional', usual type of axe re-attached below.


Best,
Michl

[fernando]

Originally Posted by Matchlock

...Hi Nando,
The conventional type of German throwing axes had most probably been taken to, and known in, India by at least the 1520's. They may even have been copied and produced there in the 1530's.
I'm certain you have managed meanwhile to identify that 'conventional', usual type of axe re-attached below...

My bad!
I took it that your bringing about the Portuguese Bom Jesus shipwreck was specificaly connected with throwing axes, and the attachments were those included in the article linked ... and not the pictures you presented below.

[M ELEY]

Wow! It is amazing to see where the tomahawk got its start! The tomahawk site I listed actually has a picture of one to show the advancement of the throwing axe (That site refers to it as a German 'hurlbat'?). In any case, thank you Michael for the enlightenment! As an occasional ax collector, it is amazing to see where the early 'hawks' evolved from-

[Matchlock]

Originally Posted by M ELEY

Wow! It is amazing to see where the tomahawk got its start! The tomahawk site I listed actually has a picture of one to show the advancement of the throwing axe (That site refers to it as a German 'hurlbat'?). In any case, thank you Michael for the enlightenment! As an occasional ax collector, it is amazing to see where the early 'hawks' evolved from-

Hi Mark,


It is my turn to say thanks because connecting the item in discussion with the principle of a tomahawk, was your brilliant idea!

I did notice that term Hurlbat in one of the descriptions you posted, but it is by no means a German word that I have ever heard of, and my native language has been a close hobby of mine - since the days of my childhood, and my very first year in school, at the age of six.


Anyway, this is what Wikipedia says:

Hurlbat
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A hurlbat (or whirlbat, whorlbat) is (the; added by the author of this post) term for a type of weapon of unclear original definition. Older reference works refer to it largely as a type of club, either held in the hand or possibly thrown. Modern usage appears to refer to a type of throwing-axe.

Dictionary references

The term was used as a by-name in England as early as 1327, and the hurlebatte was mentioned, possibly as a type of club, among the pikestaff and sword and buckler in a 1440 text.[1]

• The 16th-century Thomas Elyot dictionary uses the term to translate a Latin word, and describes a throwing action: Adides, short battes of a cubyte longe and an halfe, hauynge pikes of yron in theym, and were tyed to a lyne, that whanne they were throwen, he that did cast thẽ, mought plucke them agayn vnto him, hurlebattes.[2]
• A 1707 English dictionary defines whorlbat as "a kind of Gauntlet with Straps and leaden Plummets, uſed by the ancient Heroes in their ſolemn Games and Exerciſes.[3]
• An 1837 of the Samuel Johnson dictionary defined it as simply "a weapon",[4]
• An 1854 John Craig dictionary defined it as "an old kind of weapon".[5]
• An 1856 German-English dictionary used whirlbat as synonymous with "club for fighting".[6]
• A 1911 dictionary notes it to be a kind of club or cudgel, so called because whirled around the head. It does not appear that such a weapon was thrown.[7]

Best,
Michael

[Matchlock]

Originally Posted by fernando

My bad!
I took it that your bringing about the Portuguese Bom Jesus shipwreck was specificaly connected with throwing axes, and the attachments were those included in the article linked ... and not the pictures you presented below.

No problem, Nando,
My dear friend,


You obviously posted your thoughts quite rapidly while I was desperately coping with my computer setttings, trying to get them to work out with internet publishing here on vikingsword.com.
It took me about two hours to finally get those images posted that I knew would make perfectly clear what I wished to explain.

This is also why I prefer writing my articles as WORD documents, and copy and paste them here.


Best,
Michl