Hammer Stalls, Hammer Caps, Thumb Stalls
Called by various names, they were an issue item to British Soldiers and appear in returns and used as early as the 1740s. These were issue items at a regimental and sometimes company level. Often mentioned in "stand of arms" lists.
In the standing orders for the 31st Foot in 1749-a list of standard "necessaries" for a soldier include a brush and wire( whisk and pick), and a turnkey ( screwdriver). An undated list from the same source states " a stopper (tompion) and hammer cap.
Stoppers (tompions) were also an issue item. Loss of any of these small items met with sever consequences. General orders of 3 October 1781 "any man without a stopper to his firelock will be brought to a drum head Court Martial immediately".
Instructions from the Duke of Cumberland in 1756 regarding the weight a soldier had to carry includes "stopper and hammer cap".
August 1762 weight of what a Grenadier carried included "hammer cap and stopper". Lock-covers of leather or waterproofed cloth were more popular with light infantry and riflemen (Rev War) than line infantry.
Lock covers were apparently issued / made and used as well. Captain Robert Stewart of the Virginia Regt in a letter to George Washington, March, 1761-"the nature of the service we are likely to be employ'd in will in some measure dispense with bayonets, we can make lock covers of cow hides, and hammer slatts of deer skins & ca".
There are references to hammers slats being made of deer skin or doe skin indicating they were not overly thick.
The were also attached to the musket using a flat strap of the same material as indicated in the Morier sketches of the Coldstream and 3rd Foot Guards. Primary source documentation showing dark brown covers on the frizzens of the muskets attached by matching straps.
Captain Robert Orme noted in his journal on July 2nd, 1755-"...an officer of a company is to see at retreat beating that the men fix on their thumb stalls".
