Images(8)

Cavalry Carbine

Dateca. 1740

OriginEngland or Europe, Belgium or Netherlands

MediumIron, steel, walnut and brass

DimensionsOA: 42 1/8" Barrel: 26 1/2" x .79 caliber

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1950-19

DescriptionCavalry carbine of very heavy construction made with a cut-down musket barrel and incorporating a round-faced Dutch lock, a sheet brass buttplate, a sea-service triggerguard and a sling-bar with its ring. It is stocked to the muzzle and its wooden rammer is retained by a single pipe.
Label TextThis unusual carbine was either made in Britain, or specifically for use in Britain, and has an intriguing combination of components. Its heavy stock and its brass sideplate, buttplate and triggerguard strongly resemble those found on English naval muskets of the period, as does the wooden rammer retained by a single pipe. The telltale sling-bar and ring of the cavalry carbine are on the left hand side of the weapon.

However, the rounded single-bridled lock is clearly "Dutch," and was made in what is now the Netherlands or Belgium. The barrel has been cut down from musket length for incorporation into this shorter firearm and may be of Continental origin too, since it carries no British proofmarks. Whatever the origins of this weapon is, it was procured by the Board of Ordnance and accepted as British Crown property, as evidenced by the Storekeeper's mark struck into the right side of the buttstock in the usual position.

Furthermore, this carbine has an interesting history. It once resided in the armoury at Wentworth Woodhouse, the seat of the 2nd Marquess of Rockingham, until sold along with other firearms during the summer of 1949. Since Rockingham commanded the mounted contingent of the "Yorkshire Blues," during the Jacobite Uprising of 1745, it seems this firearm was once used to defend against the Stuart threat posed by the forces of Bonnie Prince Charlie.
MarkingsLock interior struck with a "C". An "N.F." is engraved across breech, and the stock is marked with a Crown and "Crowned 4" at rear of trigger guard tang. An Ordnance storekeeper's mark is struck into the right side of the buttstock.
ProvenanceFrom the armoury at Wentworth Woodhouse, Yorkshire (sold at auction in July, 1949). Possibly once part of the armament of the mounted contingent of the "Yorkshire Blues," commanded by the 2nd Marquess of Rockingham in the 1745 Jacobite Uprising.

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