An Extremely Rare Civil War Period 10 Bore English Lock Musket. 68” overall, 43” two stage barrel octagonal at breech then round with ring turned band between, standing rear sight & bead fore sight, struck with Gunmakers Company Proof mark. Fitted with a flat type five English lock retained by three side nails, full bodied cock with dog catch, horizontal sear & facetted frizzen pan. Paddle shaped butt, stamped ‘S’ over ‘RM’ three times and ‘T’ over ‘EP’ carved into right hand butt. Full stocked with large flat iron trigger guard with pointed finial, brass fore end & small thin brass ramrod pipe & wooden ramrod (possibly original?).
Circa 1645
In very good condition for age, lock is completely original with an unidentified stamped maker’s mark of a reversed ‘S’ inside.
A Civil War musket in very good unaltered condition. By repute from Luttrell Armoury, Dunster Castle.
Dunster Castle, Somerset, home of the Luttrell family since 1376. They formed the Armoury there, they sided with the Parliamentarians at the commencement of the Civil War in 1642. They fought off Royalist assaults until 1643, the Royalists then garrisoned there until 1645 when they in turn were defeated after 6 months of heavy fighting.
See ‘Littlecote The English Civil War Armoury’ by Richardson & Rimer pages 225-268, also London Park Lane Arms Fair guide 2002. See Brian C. Godwin, 'The Armoury at Dunster Castle', The Fourteenth Park Lane Arms Fair, February 1997, p. 16, pl. 16; and 'Dunster Castle-The Armoury Revisited', The Spring 2008 Park Lane Arms Fair, February 2008, pp. 43-52, pls. 15, 19 and 20
S/RM may be Sergent Major General Randall Mainwaring of the Red Trained Band, & Red Auxiliaries who raised a new regiment for Warwick's projected reserve army; this regiment was issued with 1200 red coats with white trim.
We know that Mainwaring was a senior officer in three different regiments at the same time. Sergeant Major General of the City, responsible for the policing of London, he regularly used his own red coatted regiment for this purpose rather than the LTB regiments. Mainwaring's redcoats remained on duty in the City until at least January 1644, taking part in the expeditions to Sevenoaks, Gloucester and Newport Pagnell along with the Trained Bands and Auxiliaries.