NUMBERS STAMPED ON IRISH GUNS

[kahnjar1]

The Irish Registration numbers appear ONLY on guns OWNED in Ireland, irrespective of where they are actually made. Your Rigby....VERY NICE PIECE....would not have been OWNED in Ireland.

[JamesKelly]

Ken Maddock noted A-N 7421 Irish registration mark would have been for county Antrim, and that each county had its own mark.

So do any of you gentlemen know what county the MF 2878 on my gun would represent?

I suppose I must sadly conclude it was probably not from County Cork, home of the late Willy Brennan

[kahnjar1]

Hi James,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...unty_nicknames
If you look here you will see that County Monaghan has the nickname (among others) of "The Farney". So maybe MF is the mark of County Monaghan??
I see a name on the lock of the Blunderbus. What is that name please.
Regards Stu

[JamesKelly]

The name on the un-bridled lock is THOMAS No initiai, no other marks.
I happen to like the look of this gun more so than most I've seen.

Thanks for the reference. Would be interesting to hear what an Irish man had to say about this.

Been a couple of generations since my family corresponded with anyone in Ireland, and that with a Hamilton lady, I believe, somewhere in Cork.

[Ken Maddock]

Hi James Kelly
MF in Ireland is an unusual combination of letters
I am not sure if all registration was done by county or by police station region.
I looked up the Garda stations in Ireland, garda being the police force,and the only MF I can find is Multyfarnham a town in rural county West Meath, a midlands county.
The Royal Irish Constabulary handed all their stations to the irish Garda when we got our independence. So Perhaps this us where this blunder buss came from
Best regards from Ireland
Ken

[Fernando K]

hello

The blunderbuss Kelly has "private" proofmarks the Tower of London, and crowned two crossed scepters, repeated twice.

Affectionately. Fernando K

[Fernando K]

hello

The only references I found;

Thomas Woodward Handworth, 1813

Joseph Thomas of Levisham, 1817

Fernando K

[corrado26]

Originally Posted by kahnjar1

The Irish Registration numbers appear ONLY on guns OWNED in Ireland, irrespective of where they are actually made. Your Rigby....VERY NICE PIECE....would not have been OWNED in Ireland.

Thanks to cutlassCollector we now know that the Registration Act was published in 1843, so I think that my pistol is not marked because it was built long before the act of 1843
corrado26

[CutlassCollector]

Hi Ken, you're welcome - nice blunderbuss by the way.

Hi Corrado - As I understand it the registration would have been retroactive so kahnjar1 is probably correct in that your pistol was not owned in Ireland unless it was held back from registration and illegally held.


Regards, CC.

[kahnjar1]

Originally Posted by corrado26

Thanks to cutlassCollector we now know that the Registration Act was published in 1843, so I think that my pistol is not marked because it was built long before the act of 1843
corrado26

Not necessarily. The blunderbuss shown would also have been made before that date. I believe that your pistol was not owned in Ireland, or it would have been stamped.