Musket, Rank and File for Foot Guards, Lovell’s Pattern of 1838. Ne’er a Shot Fired in Anger?

Abstract

The Pattern 1838 Musket was initially designed for the rank and file of the British army, it was instead issued to the elite Foot Guards. With arguably the lowest survival rate of any 19th Century British military firearm it is one of the rarest muskets to encounter today. This is its story …

Keywords:

• early percussion
• George Lovell
• percussion arms
• Pattern 1838
• Foot Guards
• Guards Brigade
• Board of Ordnance contractors

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank the following people for their encouragement and valued assistance: De Witt Bailey, Williams S. Curtis, Jonathan Ferguson, André Fonteyne, John Hutchins, David Ibbetson, Graham Priest, Robert Richardson, Dr. Christopher H. Roads, Keith Smith and Patrick Van de poele. It would take too much space to list all collectors, institutions, museums and staff who replied to my enquiries, however I do wish to thank in particular the following institutions for invaluable assistance rendered by their facilities and especially their helpful staff: British Library Reference Services, Belgian Royal Army & Military History Museum, Canadian War Museum, Dutch National Military Museum, Imperial War Museum, National Firearms Centre, National Army Museum, National Museum Denmark, Royal Armouries, Royal Collection Trust, Swedish Army Museum.

Notes

1 Bailey, DW 21 May 2014, Private correspondence.

2 Bailey, ‘Joseph Egg, Joseph Manton and the Percussion Trials of 1820’, pp. 60, 69–72.

3 Ordnance In Letters, 1830–46. The National Archives, Kew.

4 Roads, ‘The Introduction of the Brunswick Rifle 1830 to 1836’, pp. 85–105.

5 ibid., pp. 34–37, 62–63.

6 Harding, pp. 228–239.

7 Skennerton, p. 85.

8 ibid., p. 182.

9 Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons 1854, p. 343.

10 Farmer, pp. 70–75.

11 Ross-of Bladensburg, A history of the Coldstream Guards 1815–1885, section 74.

12 Hamilton, p. 79.

13 Springman, The Guards Brigade in the Crimea, p. 212.

14 Springman, The Guards Brigade in the Crimea, p. 201.

15 ibid., p. 15.

16 Springman, Sharpshooter in the Crimea, p. 20.

17 Blackmore, p. 201.

18 Roads, British soldier’s firearm, 1850–1864, p. 303.