An Irish Brass-Barrelled Flintlock Blunderbuss
By Harrison, Dublin, Mid-18th Century
With heavy two-stage barrel flared at the muzzle, and stamped with Irish registration number 'DU 7307' for County Dublin, the breech engraved 'DUBLIN' and decorated with foliage at the rear, lightly engraved tang, signed border engraved rounded lock, figured moulded full stock (fore-stock with some old splits and chipped along the upper edge on both sides at the muzzle, toe of butt chipped) carved in low relief with a shell and apron around the barrel tang, and stamped with owner's name 'W. MEDGALE'(?) behind the tang of the trigger-guard, brass mounts comprising side-plate of land pattern type, butt-plate with border engraved tang decorated with a foliate scroll and three graduated spheres, border engraved trigger-guard with foliate finial and decorated with a flower-head on the bow, vacant brass escutcheon of service type, plain ramrod-pipe, and later brass-tipped ramrod (tang and lock with light pitting), Irish proof marks and Harrison's barrelsmith's mark
41.3 cm. barrel
Footnotes:
John Harrison is recorded in Dublin between 1739 and 1763