Wall Gun
1630-60 (made), lock dated 1680 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This unusual gun was probably part of the armoury at Dunster castle, Somerset, where it was reputedly used in the British Civil Wars of the 1640s. The stock and lock however were made too late for this and date from 1660-80. The earlier barrel has been converted from a matchlock and may well have survived the wars when Dunster Castle was attacked on 4 occasions.
Wall guns are rare from the 17th century. Long muskets were common around the time of the Civil Wars in the 1640s and were balanced on rests which were spiked into the ground. This wall gun is less mobile and was designed to fire from a fixed position either for self defence or for target shooting. Much of the armoury at Dunster Castle was put together by Francis Luttrell in the 1670s and he may have commissioned the alteration of the gun.
Wall guns are rare from the 17th century. Long muskets were common around the time of the Civil Wars in the 1640s and were balanced on rests which were spiked into the ground. This wall gun is less mobile and was designed to fire from a fixed position either for self defence or for target shooting. Much of the armoury at Dunster Castle was put together by Francis Luttrell in the 1670s and he may have commissioned the alteration of the gun.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Steel and carved wood |
| Brief description | Wall gun, steel mounts and barrel, the carved wood stock, originally fitted with a matchlock, but converted to an English dog lock, signed by Thomas Wornall, dated 1680 |
| Physical description | Long, heavy-barrelled wall gun, the mounts and barrel of steel, the stock of carved wood. The barrel is of octagonal section at the breech and has cast and incised ornament. It was originally fitted with a matchlock but was converted to a dog lock which was engraved with strawberry leaves and signed 'Thomas Wornell 80' (presumably 1680). The barrel has an incised signature 'IOS WHETHAM' in eighteenth century hand, possibly that of a former owner. The stock, which has many bore holes from an attack of woodworm, is decorated with acanthus leaves and stylised tulips resembling contemporary English carved furniture. Under the barrel at the balancing point is a carved mask topped by a buffer to position the gun on a wall or butt. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Styles | |
| Marks and inscriptions |
|
| Object history | This unusual gun was probably part of the armoury at Dunster castle, Somerset, where it was reputedly used in the English Civil War. The stock and lock however were made too late for this and date from 1660-80. The barrel has been converted from a matchlock and may well have survived the civil wars when Dunster Castle was attacked on four occasions. Much of the armoury at Dunster was put together by Francis Luttrell in the 1670s and he may have commissioned the alteration of the gun. |
| Historical context | Wall guns are rare from the 17th century. Long muskets were common around the time of the Civil Wars in the 1640s and were balanced on rests which were spiked into the ground. This wall gun is less mobile and was designed to fire from a fixed position either for self defence or for target shooting. |
| Production | Barrel dates from 1630-1660 and was then modified and fitted to a new stock around 1660-80. The later lock is signed 'Thomas Wornell 80'. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This unusual gun was probably part of the armoury at Dunster castle, Somerset, where it was reputedly used in the British Civil Wars of the 1640s. The stock and lock however were made too late for this and date from 1660-80. The earlier barrel has been converted from a matchlock and may well have survived the wars when Dunster Castle was attacked on 4 occasions. Wall guns are rare from the 17th century. Long muskets were common around the time of the Civil Wars in the 1640s and were balanced on rests which were spiked into the ground. This wall gun is less mobile and was designed to fire from a fixed position either for self defence or for target shooting. Much of the armoury at Dunster Castle was put together by Francis Luttrell in the 1670s and he may have commissioned the alteration of the gun. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | M.65-1997 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | March 26, 2004 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
