A Good Pair of Flintlock Duelling Pistols by Wogdon & Barton. 15 ½” overall 10" octagonal 28 bore sighted barrels barrels, the top flats signed in script 'WOGDON & BARTON, LONDON' each with a gold line & engraved ball band at breech, applied white metal fore-sights, shallow standing notch rear-sights, fully engraved top tangs, gold lined touch holes, plain bevel edged locks with stepped tails, each signed 'WOGDON & BARTON' below the gull wing semi rainproof pans, roller on toe of the frizzens, broad sliding safes behind the swan necked cocks, walnut half stocks with semi slab sided bag shaped butts and horn fore-end tips, double collar ramrod pipes, set triggers & under barrel ramrods, one with worm tip.
Circa 1800
Very fine pair in very good sleepy original condition. Wogdon & Barton half stocked pistols are very uncommon.
See John O'Sullivan & De Witt Bailey, ‘Robert Wogdon & Barton, John Barton, London Gunmakers’ 1764-1819, 2019, pages 186-89 for similar half stocked pistols by Wogdon and Barton.
Robert Wogdon was apprenticed to Edward Newton of Grantham, Lincolnshire in 1748. He is recorded as 'Gunmaker, at Mr. Maw's Haberdasher, Cockspur St., Charing Cross' in 1764. He carried on his business in Haymarket from 1774 until his retirement in 1802. From 1795 he was in partnership with John Barton who carried on the business following Wogdon's retirement.