c1770 Company of Merchants Trading To Africa Brown Bess Muzzleloader

~ c1770 Company of Merchants Trading To Africa Brown Bess Muzzleloader ~

Here we have something that is incredibly rare and odd. A private purchase musket made for an employee of the Company of Merchants Trading to Africa, trade muskets were also marked similarly but due to the quality of the piece we can be sure that this wasn’t a piece made for trade but rather a piece made for protection of the Companies factories (what they named their outposts) or ships.

The Company of Merchants Trading to Africa held the lawful monopoly on the African Slave Trade from 1752 to 1821 and the goods used to trade with the African nations and the slaves on the return journey needed to be guarded to prevent theft, loss and mutiny.

The musket is of military standard quality, produced in the same factory as the cheap and rough trade muskets but to the same standards of the Honourable East India Company.

The musket has a finely carved hardwood stock, a fine barrel and a beautifully marked lock with an elephant and castle much the same as their trade locks.

~ Dimensions ~

The musket is 54 inches (137 cm) long.

The barrel is 38 inches (97 cm) long.

The musket weighs 3.4Kg

~ Condition ~

The musket is in near mint condition with some minor wear to the engraving on the lock.

ref. GS847170C / TFWBGEO