Original British Flintlock Pistol for Turkish Market Circa 1820 Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. William Wilson of London worked from 1760 to 1820 and manufactured many types of Flintlock weapons for the general public and for The Honorable East India Company. Once the Napoleonic Wars had ended in 1815 many gun makers looked for new markets and one of the most flourishing, at that time, was that of Turkey and the Ottoman Empire that dominated much of the middle east and would do so up until the end of WW1 in 1918.

Quality English pistols were prized all over the world so British makers started a thriving export trade supplying these markets at prices which meant a lower quality but took into account the tastes and means of the local population. This flintlock pistol is a typical example of such a gun.

It looks better than it is. It has a good form and is pleasing to the eye; however, the cast brass mounts are heavily embossed with military trophies but are actually quite crude. The wood stock is carved with shell and leaf patterns but not as delicately as would have been expected from a top quality maker. The ram rod is only for show and is only half the length of the barrel; in the middle east at the time ram rods were worn attached to body sashes as well as multiple pistols and not traditionally carried attached to the gun.

The Flintlock mechanism is of good functional quality but totally plain other than the “Wilson” script. The cock shows signs of having been repaired which is easily corrected if desired. The wood stock has one small crack above the side plate next to the barrel and appears to have been painted at some time, maybe as original but certainly this finish could easily be removed.

In all it’s an attractive original flintlock pistol, English made for the middle eastern market dating from about 1820.