Pre-flintlocks in English Museums

[TobJohn]

Here are some miscellaneous photos from the V&A and British Museum

If you are ever worried about buying an incomplete antique, even the V&A has a Tanegashima missing a lock!

A very compact wheellock carbine

Unfortunately, in their 17th century Europe exhibit, The V&A had really bad lighting for taking photos through glass.

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

V&A means … ???

 

[TobJohn]

V&A means … ???

Victoria and Albert Museum
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_and_Albert_Museum

 

[BillinOregon]

Warren, the petronel second from top in the fourth photo: Is the forward-pointing trigger bar actually protecting a small trigger in the shadow? Seems a mighty unusual arrangement.

 

[sussexmuzllodr]

Love the Second one down. A real Party Starter back then!

 

[TobJohn]

Warrren, the petronel second from top in the fourth photo: Is the forward-pointing trigger bar actually protecting a small trigger in the shadow? Seems a mighty unusual arrangement.

The trigger bar is almost certainly installed wrong, or as Flint62Smoothie theorizes, an improperly sized and installed replacement. Petronels with two triggers, for an additional snapping serpentine, do have them underneath the bar, so those do function as you pointed out. I don’t see any additional mechanism on this one, so I am at a loss for what the additional trigger is for.

 

[Djoneseng1]

Awesome, Thanks for sharing with many of us that will most likely never visit that museum. Appreciate the high quality photos as well!!

 

[TobJohn]

I posted in another thread, but here is an unusually massive French wheellock musket, in the V&A:

The unsuitable lighting for photography is more apparent here.

 

[Wncman]

Awesome stuff

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

Hey ... what do we have here???? These Pets appear to have 2 ignition systems on them ... both Tinder Snaplock by trigger and Matchlock by lever to the Serpentine.

Or, have I completely LOST it ?

 

[TobJohn]

Hey ... what do we have here???? These Pets appear to have 2 ignition systems on them ... both Tinder Snaplock by trigger and Matchlock by lever to the Serpentine.

Or, have I completely LOST it ?

View attachment 325111

Yes they do, they are from Michael’s deep dive on petronels. They show how two triggers should work on a petronel, opposed to whatever the heck is going on with the British Museum petronel

 

[TobJohn]

Warren, the petronel second from top in the fourth photo: Is the forward-pointing trigger bar actually protecting a small trigger in the shadow? Seems a mighty unusual arrangement.

The museum page for the gun acknowledges that it’s wrong and theorizes that the gun is a mishmash of replacement parts, such as a new lock and barrel, which would explain a lot.
https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/H_WB-10
Props for them for acknowledging and recording it, but strange it’s on display.

 

[shorthair]

Always impressed by the skills of the past masters, and they did it with mostly fairly simple hand tools.