Beware The Early 19thC Night Watchman

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by Kmaddock

Looks like the trigger is bar I have labeled 1 which activates sear as I have indicated, actions 2, 3 and 4 then follow.
am i correct ?

I know the lamp is british victorian from the 1870-1900 as issued to on the beat police men
I still have my great grand fathers one at home, they used whale oil as the flammable substance.

The torque on firing would have been vicious with the hand being so far horizontal up from the muzzel.

I wonder if it was ever seriously uses

thanks for image

Ken

Ken, most interesting! Your great grandfather was a policeman in those days......that must be some exciting history. So you say these were actually issued? As you have well noted, actual use must have had challenges and it would be great to know if actual use occurred.

[Pukka Bundook]

An interesting subject!
I think most of these spring guns were used by gamekeepers.
Someone sneaking through the coverts at night might get a nasty surprise.
The trip wire of course, swivels the gun into the direction of the trespasser before it goes off. They were also used against animals, to protect game.

Laws of 1824 forbade their use against humans and also banned the use of man-traps. An old pal at home still had two man-traps. One with overlapping teeth about 2 inches long, and the other the later "Humane " version, that merely broke your leg. :-)

Best,
Richard.

[Rick]

The first one (probably newer than the others) is used by an operator; in the dark I would guess.
The second two are essentially booby-traps for the unwitting to set off inadvertently.

Anyway, it's a clever piece of iron work.

[fernando]

Originally Posted by Pukka Bundook

An interesting subject!
I think most of these spring guns were used by gamekeepers...

Game keepers, game (boar) hunters, fruit keepers, you name it. They were still sold at the ironmonger during my youth, in the 'standard' type. I realize users would keep them legal when placing warning boards in their land entrance. Usually 12 gauge, to resource available shot ammunition, at times only loaded with blanks, when not for hunting but for scaring.

On the other hand, the two 'customized' specimens posted are reputed to be grave keepers ... whether they are or not .
(The whole link i saw about it is a little sordid and partly off track).

PS
Good note abut the swiveling part, Richard; the standard type, though, is to be spiked on the ground and will not efficiently provide such effect.


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[Kmaddock]

Originally Posted by Jim McDougall

Ken, most interesting! Your great grandfather was a policeman in those days......that must be some exciting history. So you say these were actually issued? As you have well noted, actual use must have had challenges and it would be great to know if actual use occurred.

Hi Jim
He was issued with the lamp not the gun, sorry for confusion
His service weapon was a .455 webley revolver
I have no stories at all from him, he served in Dublin and took part of the 1916 Rising but not on the side that gets all the glory in Ireland’s history.
Regards
Ken