Butt of a Musket Belonging to the Edinburgh Town Guard

Category

Museums & Galleries Item

Item no

43650

Title

Butt of a 1730 musket belonging to the Edinburgh Town Guard with carved initials

Description

A detail of the wooden butt and stock of a 1730 Long Land type of musket belonging to the Edinburgh Town Guard. The butt is the flattened end which would have rested against the right shoulder when the musket was being fired. It is protected with a thin strip of brass which curls around the top of the butt. To the right can be seen the tip, or finial, of another strip of brass, the "trigger guard" which looped over the trigger to protect it. On the stock are carved in a crude manner the initials "IF".

Date

1745

Size

157 x 13 cm

Type

Metal; Wood

Location

Museum of Edinburgh

Accession number

HH50/01/1901

This musket is one of a set of 39 muskets which the Town Guard of Edinburgh acquired in 1744-1745. They were assembled at the Tower of London, the headquarters of the Board of Ordnance which provided all the artillery for the British Army. Documentary evidence strongly supports the theory that the muskets were sent to Edinburgh as part of a shipment of 5000 small arms to various cities in Scotland in 1744-1745 to help defend them from the anticipated Jacobite rebellion led by Charles Edward Stuart (known as Bonnie Prince Charlie).

It is believed that the muskets were either sent to Edinburgh Castle where they remained until after the Rebellion had been suppressed following the Battle of Culloden, or that they had been supplied to the Town Guard before the occupation of Edinburgh by the rebel army. By 1747, the Town Guard were in possession of these 39 muskets to replace a set of older firelock muskets. The guns remained in the Guard's care until November 1817 when the Guard was disbanded and their equipment, arms and uniforms deposited at the City Chambers.

Most muskets of this type were lost in battle, where they were fired once or twice before being abandoned on the battlefield. Because the Town Guard muskets did not see much (or any) action in battle, they are astonishingly well preserved, and may be the largest collection of early standard issue firearms in the world.

While none of the locks show any evidence of regular firing, the brass strip protecting the butt (the part which rested against the shoulder, or on the floor when carried) is often worn down to the wood. This is evidence of many hours of drill and parading on Edinburgh's hard cobbles. Indeed in the 1780s the Guard was complemented on their organised marching formations, but also their target practice which they carried out on Calton Hill.

Some of the muskets in the collection, like this one, have letters crudely carved on their butts. It is thought that these were the initials of the individual member of the Guard who was allocated that particular musket. Each musket has a brass plaque, or "escutcheon plate" engraved with a unique number. This number corresponds to the musket's position in the Guardroom armoury to ensure each Guard always took the same weapon.

Exhibitions with this item

Other views of this item

Related images

Read how our collections have inspired people taking part in events, visits and community groups. Use the slider or navigation arrows to see more responses.

Butt of a musket belonging to the Edinburgh Town Guard