WOGDON & BARTON. Given both men had time to take deliberate aim, neither may walk away unscathed, and the chance of death was high. This supremely elegant target pistol is among their most accomplished work. The remaining furniture is iron and includes classic English engraving, including fine pineapple finials on the trigger guards. Robert Wogdon produced flintlock firearms from the 1760s, and was particularly well known for his high quality duelling pistols. Their "saw handle" stocks are one of just many designs English gunmakers experimented with in their efforts to create deadly accurate dueling pistols. A North African Flintlock Pistol . Stoney demanded Bate reveal the author of these articles; Bate refused and Stoney challenged him to a duel as the Countess of Strathmores champion. Wogdon & Barton (founded by Robert Wogdon) was an 18th-century firm of gunsmiths based in London, England. The overall length of this pair of flintlock dueling pistols is approx. Although sometimes the duellists would use their own pistols so the weapons would be different. Other Materials. The usual duelling distance of 12 paces was measured out and it was agreed that both parties would fire at the given signal. An aesthetic vocabulary of blued, case-hardened, and browned steel and richly finished walnut, both with tasteful gold and silver accents, defines much of their best work. .36 in (9.3 mm); Wt. Dueling as a way to protect one's reputation has long faded from acceptable behavior, but these paired and cased dueling pistols for sale in Rock Island Auction Company's Aug. 26-28 Premier Auction are a fascinating way to recall a different time and a different way of personal conduct. Burr appears to have had no such qualms and had been practicing his marksmanship. Hamilton did not elaborate but indicated his remarks were political, not personal, which would imply that Burrs honor had not been drawn into question. The overall length is approx. Like most of the earlier English dueling pistols, this pair has a lighter build. The emotional trauma that Alexander Hamilton must have suffered three years later, facing Aaron Burr on the same spot where his son had been killed, and with perhaps the same pistol that he himself was now holding, can hardly be imagined. He went perilously close to putting a ball through the dukes head, grazing one of the royal curls an action which would not have improved his military career prospects. The sliding-safety locks are marked in script "Wogdon" over "&" over "Barton". Although best suited for military use, they were often owned by civilians. By candlelight it was obvious that Stoney had been seriously injured with three stab wounds to the chest. Whatever the eventual outcome, it was the expected duty of both the parties seconds to record faithfully all details of the duel, from the original insult, the issuing of the challenge to the eventual outcome. Both sets of pistols have single set triggers. A Scarce Double Barrel Pocket Pistol . He died the following day. At some stage after they left Wogdons shop their original elegant full stocks were replaced with rather ugly heavy bronze fore-ends, perhaps to add muzzle weight to shift the centre of balance and reduce barrel flip. RIAC believes that this website is accessible to the widest possible audience pursuant to the guidelines of the Americans with Disability Act. With re-browned swamped octagonal sighted barrel (bore pitted) with crudely refreshed signature along the top flat and line of beadwork at the rear, silver fore-sight, border engraved tang with back-sight and decorated with a shell and foliage, signed detented flat . (9.6 mm); Wt. Alternatively, the duelists might exchange shots in turn instead of firing at the same time as was the case in the Laurens-Grimk duel in 1775. London proof marks and RW barrel makers mark. (22.7 g); glass bottle (f): H. 1 1/2 in. Spring Steel. SOLD. 20002023 The Metropolitan Museum of Art. To order, please call 01666 502200 or email: subscriptions@bonhams.com, This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google, Luxury stationery: a wonderfully sensuous experience. He died on September 14, 1836, a poor and broken man, on the same day that the divorce was finalized. Somewhat reluctantly, Mary agreed and four days later Stoney was carried on a stretcher down the aisle of St Jamess Church, Piccadilly, to marry Mary Elizabeth Bowes, Dowager Countess of Strathmore. Often if one duelist had not fired around the same time, they would not even return fire unless they were seriously at odds with their opponent. Churchs pair supposedly had concealed set triggers, but in reality, set triggers were a standard feature of these pistols rather than a secret designed to give one duelist an advantage over the other, and that pair simply did not have a visible adjustment screw. (36.9 g); bullet mould (d): L. 4 13/16 (12.2 cm); Cal. "Pair of Wogdon & Barton Flintlock Dueling Pistols (AH6322)" for sale online. Surprisingly, Lee was only lightly wounded and the affair ultimately ended without another exchange, in part due to Alexander Hamiltons role as Laurenss second. Haymarket, 1774-1802. All the shooter has to do to set the trigger is press it forward, something readily found in examination by anyone knowledgeable with dueling pistols, and a feature I would expect the seconds to explain if one or both duelists was inexperienced. When facing down a, The birth of the legendary Barrett M82 sniper rifle, is a fascinating American tale of inspiration, dedication, and innovation. (136.1 g); cleaning rod (c): L. 15 1/2 in. 1.3 oz. It is also only the second pair of Wogdons known with 16-sided barrels. He was, at his death, described by his long-term friend, surgeon Jesse Foot, who had attended his duelling injuries 33 years earlier, as a villain to the backbone cowardly, insidious, hypocritical, tyrannic, mean, violent, selfish, jealous, revengeful, inhuman and savage without a counterveiling quality. He was only 19 years old. From 9mm to 45 ACP, find the best pistol for you. The plot was foiled, but he was acquitted. Hamilton was morally and religiously opposed to dueling and is widely believed to have intended to delope (throw away his shot) rather than aim at Burr. This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. 0.8 oz. [5] These gave the person using them an advantage over their opponent by reducing the amount of finger pressure required to fire the pistol, which greatly increased accuracy of the shot. The Duke did not return fire. Click Photo to Enlarge Guns International #: 101363115 Seller's Inventory #: 190413 Category Antique Pistols - Flintlock Handguns - European Pistols Seller's Information Forging damascus steel barrels the rarest of skills, The Fields bucket list for a sporting year, Seasons greetings a love letter to postage stamps. When General Hamilton arrived, the seconds measured out the distance, 10 full paces, and cast lots for the choice of position. Swords or dueling pistols were standard, but rifles and other firearms were also used in rarer instances, and, in theory, duels could be fought with any agreed upon weapons under just about any terms, even in hot air balloons with blunderbusses over Paris. With dueling pistols, Hollywood loves to show to adversaries starting back to back and walking off a set number of paces before turning to fire. While that is the origin, people clearly had misgivings about whether God would come to their aid in a duel both back in the Middle Ages and in the early modern era. The stock on gun 1, which is lighter than gun 2, is vey good with no cracks, a chip around the rear barrel key, a small chip at the rear trigger guard attachment pin on the right, and scattered usage dents and dings. Hamilton received a .54-caliber wound to the abdomen from an English-made Wogdon & Barton flintlock smoothbore dueling pistol. It has a dovetailed blade front sight, "Wogdon & Barton London" in script on top of the barrel, a gold vent liner, notch rear sight on top of the breech, "Wogdon & Barton" on the . In Britain, the favoured type was for the duellists to stand still at an agreed distance and shoot when given the signal. Whatever its origin, the name Wogdon certainly has a funereal ring to it, and very appropriate for the gunmaker whose duelling pistols were to send many men to their premature deaths. They have small blade front and fixed notch rear sights. At a meeting three days later of officers of the Coldstream Guards to deliberate on whether Colonel Lennox had behaved as became an officer and gentleman, the officers resolved: It is the opinion of the Coldstream Regiment that Colonel Lennox had behaved with courage but from the peculiar difficulty of his case, not with judgement. Soon afterwards Colonel Lennox resigned his commission in the Duke of Yorks regiment. 2023 Rock Island Auction Company. 2023 Rock Island Auction Company. 4.8 oz. Wogdon & Barton was an 18th-century firm of gunsmiths based in London, England. [7] The bullets loaded in them could weigh 214 grains (0.49 ounces; 13.9 grams) in .52 caliber, or more in larger calibers. The guns had several special features, including heavy brass forends for steadier aim and both front and rear sights for a more accurate shot. This nice single dueling flintlock pistol by a very well known maker is ready for your English flintlock pistol collection. As a result, duelling pistols with rifled barrels were considered unsporting by many, although there was no unfairness so long as the pistols were identical. As the distance closed they could fire at will. [3][4] Wogdon formed a partnership in 1794 with John Barton, after which their pistols were signed Wogdon and Barton. 0.5 oz. [7] The name Wogden in particular became associated with duelling pistols, to the extent that a duel was sometimes referred to by lawyers as a "Wogden Case". Where neither principal owned a pistol, then a pair might be produced to be shared. 7626 Westheimer @ Voss, Houston, Texas 77063. Poem, Stanzas on Duelling, by an Irish Volunteer, 1783, began Hail Wogden! A PAIR OF FLINTLOCK DUELLING PISTOLS BY WOGDON & BARTON, LONDON, CIRCA 1800 With octagonal signed barrels each retaining much original browned finish to the underside, gold-lined touch-holes, deeply scroll engraved tangs, signed flat bevelled bolted locks each with roller, gold-lined priming-pan and some original faded case-hardened finish, set triggers, figured walnut full stocks, engraved . At the time, the Duke of York, second son of the reigning King George III, was Colonel of the Coldstream Guards, and one Charles Lennox, nephew and heir to the Duke of Richmond, was Lieutenant-Colonel of the same regiment. Committed to designing and building . This pair is rifled, something forbidden by the 18th century dueling codes but that became more accepted in the 19th century, especially in continental Europe where it became standard. There's a lot going on in this escutcheon! He died early the next morning. Some say Hamilton threw away his shot on purpose as he had declared he intended to do privately and then Burr fired, while others suggest Hamilton fired reflexively after being shot. These pistols from the National Maritime Museum are engraved Horatio Nelson 1780. In addition to the renown quality of his pistols in his own time, Wogdon is arguably the most recognized maker of dueling pistols known today because of the pair used in the famous duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr that ended with Hamilton fatally wounded. 344. A discussion of the poem in The Critical Review; or, Annals of Literature from 1782 notes, "The artist to whom these stanzas are inscribed is famous for his skill in making pistols, whose aim is remarkably true" and notes the lines, "No one can tell how short he shall remain, If honour calls and Wogdon bids him die" as among the best in the poem. (14.2 g); case (g): H. 2 5/8 in. Robert Wogdon made many and varied firearms pocket and livery pistols, double-barrelled pistols, sporting guns and rifles, carbines and blunderbusses but he was most renowned for his duelling pistols. 0.00. Often the duelists would each select one pistol from a cased pair, but in some duels they would each use one of their own, and if a second round of fire was demanded they could use the other. Scroll left to view more. Price and Eacker exchanged shots multiple times the following day without injury and considered their affair settled. His total production of duelling pistols over the 39 years that he was a gunmaker is unknown. The bow and butt cap also show engraving. In 1801, young Philip Hamilton, son of founding father Alexander Hamilton, and his friend and theater manager Stephen Price challenged New York City attorney George Eacker to a duel after confronting Eacker about a Independence Day speech he had given critical of Alexander Hamilton. This dueling flintlock pistol is by Robert Wogdon (1733-1813), a well-known London gunsmith from Lincolnshire who operated at Haymarket, London, from 1774 to 1802. When a duel was fought with a single pair of pistols it was because neither duellist owned their own and the pistols were supplied by a third party. Whether it was in this form when used by Colonel Lennox in the 1789 duel, or still in its original full stocked form, is unknown.