A Very Fine Pair of Rifled Flintlock Artillery Officers Pistols by Thomas Styan of Manchester. 12¾” overall, 6” carbine .650 bore octagonal barrels with seven deeply rifled lands, bead foresight, top flat engraved in script ‘Styan Manchester’, underside stamped with ‘TED’ barrelsmith’s mark, no proofs. Two gold lines at breech engraved with wheat ears and chevrons, platinum touch hole. Engraved trophy of arms and canon at the breech, Flat stepped bolted locks engraved with military trophies, canon and piled canon balls, and signed ‘Styan’, French cocks fitted with sliding safeties, waterproof V pans lined in gold, rollers on the frizzen springs. Trigger guard engraved with trophy of arms, canon, blasting canon muzzle at butt end and pineapple finials. Highly figured semi saw handle inclined butts, with chequered butt and fore end, flat butts with engraved plates, original brass end ramrods both with worms.
Circa 1810-15.
Pistols of very high quality by a little known maker, in good condition, though no original finish remains, one cock retaining screw late replacement.
Thomas Styan of Manchester Broome Street 1803-1811, 6 Market Street 1811-1814 4 Hanging Ditich 1815-38 then his widow Mrs Martha Styan until 1840. See 'Der Neue Stöckel', vol. II, page 1236.